Do the names fit? (fantasy story)

Writers' Corner
1

Character one: An African-American girl named [name_f]Mary[/name_f] or [name_f]Matilda[/name_f][I think an M name is best because I’m so attached to thinking of this one as [name_f]Mary[/name_f]]. I need help choosing one :). She was born into a reasonably wealthy family, but her parents were poor when they were kids, so she’s kind of spoiled. She somehow ends up in the world where the story mostly takes place. It’s idyllic and beautiful, however, there’s some sort of evil force destroying it. Most people don’t even notice the corruption taking place, except Character Two.
Character Two is a boy from the fantasy world, currently named [name_u]Finn[/name_u], though I’m open to suggestions. The character has blond hair with natural iridescent streaks, and also has wings and silver eyes. I never said the book wasn’t cliché! The character uses a cane to walk, and dies at the end in order to destroy the evil in the world. Who named this character isn’t really that important.
To summarize…
1 [name_f]Do[/name_f] [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_u]Finn[/name_u] seem like the right names for these characters? If not (for [name_f]Mary[/name_f]), I need another M name.
2. I don’t want any overly-exotic names, even ones I like.
3. I’m also wondering whether to make the characters 12 and write that they become friends or make them 15 and give the book a romance element?

Thanks in advance. I’ll be happy to write more about the plot/characters if this isn’t enough.

2

Well, if he is going to die at the end, whether it should be this way or not, people tend to find the loss of a lover more dramatic than the loss of a friend, so making them older could have more emotional impact.

I think the name [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] would be nice for the girl, and [name_u]Finn[/name_u] sounds good to me.

3

I like [name_f]Mary[/name_f] and [name_u]Finn[/name_u] a lot! From what little I know about the characters, I think they’d fit just fine.

Personally, I don’t like romance books, and I would love to see a story that paints platonic love with as much importance as romantic love.
I think it depends on how close they are as friends whether or not the loss is meaningful for the reader. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if they’re 15, that’s not very old, and no one expects 15 year olds to be deeply in love. If anything, it sounds more like a puppy love situation, and books with those as plot points are a dime a dozen. [name_m]Just[/name_m] because you add romance doesn’t necessarily make the characters seem close in the reader’s eyes. Really focus on the two characters and how their relationship builds over the course of the story, whether they become friends or lovers. Anyway, that’s my two cents. It’s your story, so write what makes you happy! Good luck!