What comes first?

I've been slacking. *sigh* It's been hectic this past month or so. Although I've been busy, I've read a book a week. I make sure to. Most of the time I read on the bus and while I wait for the computer to boot up (because it's sooooooo slow). But I finished a book yesterday that I had to wonder just what made it so good that I finished it in two days. It wasn't the writing itself. That was quite... well, we won't get into that. lol. I mean it was good, but it just didn't have that spark and at times seemed a bit dramatic.

But the plot? OMG so good. I couldn't put the book down. It didn't matter that I wanted to smack a few characters around because they were so annoying. It didn't matter that there were some scenes I just wanted to skip. The idea behind the two chars and the plot itself, was great. And it had me flipping page after page with anticipation, wondering what would happen.

I can't say that this happens if the opposite occurs- that is, if the writing is fabulous but the plot is eh. I suppose there are some that hook me but for the most part, it doesn't grab me as much. Which is surprising because I am such a character driven writer/reader. I'm all for plot but it's the characters that I love or am more invested in. But for the most part, it's just not the same. I can think of a few books where the plot was horrid but the characters made me WANT to flip because they were soooo good, but I don't have many examples.

In one book for example, the character was tormented. He'd been through so much that you just WANTED him to find that HEA. He went through so much that although the story was a big disappointment, I could not put it down. I did, however, flip through the chapters that he wasn't in because they just didn't interest me. I wasn't there to read about the fluffy extras in the plot. I wanted to read about HIM and his heroine.

So what is the balance then? What comes first? Characters or Plot?