Find similar books by
Combine common axes
These books are ranked using the characterization labels extracted for Among the Brave.
Characterization labels used: reluctant hero, coward to hero arc, shy protagonist, timid outsider, self-doubting, resourceful child, clever teenager, book-smart, introverted, anxious protagonist, traumatized child, unlikely hero, courage under pressure, fast-thinking
This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization embeddings are close.
A debt-burdened teen joins the navy and collides with pirates in a corporate-run future of space war and class rage.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: reluctant hero · book-smart protagonist · young recruit · resourceful protagonist · cynical protagonist · bullied newcomer · sympathetic antagonist · charismatic villain · fallible characters · competent women · working-class characters
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1027
Joey Harker must rally alternate versions of himself to stop a multiverse-ending force before everything resets.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: reluctant hero · teen protagonist · young leader · alternate selves · recruiter · team leader · traumatized hero · flawed hero · traitor turned ally · supportive mentor · powerful protagonist · self-sacrifice
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1139
In a future where every word and gesture costs money, a fifteen-year-old’s silence sparks rebellion.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: reluctant hero · anxious protagonist · strong-willed heroine · average teen · silent protagonist · misfit allies · believable villain · ordinary-looking heroine
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1142
A young man in a gang-run dystopian Britain is pulled into crime to protect love, money, and family.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: teen protagonist · reluctant criminal · gutsy hero · unlikely hero · angsty hero · manipulative · intelligent · poor judgment · annoying protagonist · secondary character focus
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1201
A dying boy leaves a waterless city to hunt truth and survival across a brutal desert where lies shape every life.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: young protagonist · child protagonist · brave · naive · inquisitive · determined · stubborn · outsider · archetypal characters · bullied · endearing characters · loss of innocence · growth arc · vengeful arc · heroic arc
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1234
A Year 6 school trip to a remote activity centre becomes a fight to stay awake, survive, and save classmates from aliens.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: reluctant hero · troublemaker label · loyal friend · bullied protagonist · friend group · quirky kids · strong ensemble · secretive children · resourceful children · growth arc · self-acceptance arc · vulnerable hero · confidence arc · arch-nemesis teacher
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1234
Four loosely linked novellas twist memory, weather, guns, and survival into unsettling, high-concept horror.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: teen protagonist · young male protagonist · adult protagonist · strong female protagonist · bullied outsider · loner · inventive · reluctant hero · morally compromised · unhinged · paranoid · psychologically damaged · politically polarized · ordinary people · everyday hero
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1264
A gifted boy in a feuding upland society blinds himself to keep his dangerous power from harming others.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: reluctant hero · gifted child · blindfolded protagonist · quiet protagonist · passive protagonist · stoic father · strong-willed girl · difficult parent · rival clan leaders · young adult protagonists · maturing boy
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1267
A disgraced young mage candidate is pulled from a training setback into a dangerous empire-saving quest.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: young hero · naive protagonist · reluctant hero · underdog · honorable hero · inexperienced lead · self-learning mage · outsider · capable but untrained · boy scout hero · flawed protagonist · naive youth · loyal companion
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1269
A reluctant college-bound loner gains dangerous magic powers and is dragged into a secret war to save Earth.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: reluctant protagonist · cynical protagonist · loner · emotionally isolated · young adult protagonist · growth arc · power progression · sarcastic protagonist · smart-aleck protagonist · morally conflicted protagonist · ordinary-seeming hero
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1272
A teen combat trainee battles corporate tyranny, brain-control schemes, and impossible loyalties in a final showdown.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: teen protagonist · reluctant hero · sarcastic protagonist · brash protagonist · reckless youth · character growth · psychological trauma · complex villain · ambiguous character · loyal friend group · underage combatants · emotionally damaged lead · found family
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1328
In a world where people have nine lives, a teen who refuses to burn them uncovers a hidden conspiracy.
Why this is here
Characterization labels: reluctant protagonist · teen rebel · peer pressured teen · manipulative leader · dysfunctional family · caregiver pressure · popular kids · dissenters · student investigator · morally ambiguous characters · character growth
Semantic match: ranked by characterization
Distance: 0.1342
