Whether its female warriors fighting for humanity in the battle between good and evil, a powerful matriarch who is much more than she seems, or a female scientist sent to uncover the secrets of a mysterious land, here are 14 books that give us strong female characters we can look up to. What i really like about nayla treeborn, the female protagonist in a warriors tale, is how the author builds her character. Middle grade fantasy books with strong female characters. Best strong female fantasy novels, best kickass female characters from ya and childrens fantasy and science fiction, wise women, witches. However, power or ability shouldnt come from nowhere. Ive made a specific section of queer ya fantasy books just for you. Bobbie draper, an elite martian marine, and chrisjen avasarala, a bigwig. Please think about the strong female aspect of this list before adding a book. A warriors tale book 1 of the imago chronicles by lorna suzuki. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and circe. Hello, im looking for fantasy books with strong female characters that arent just there to be the love interest or damsel in distress. This type of plot is usually male led so it is extremely refreshing to see a young and strong female character taking the lead and restoring harmony in the kingdoms. This book is packed full of strong female characters that its impossible to single out.
Anne mccaffreys dragonflight is a wonderful, wonderful read, and is a scifi book disguised as a fantasy, not a fantasy book, harry potter and the sorcerers stone is placed too low on this list, the fellowship of the ring is placed too high, eragon and the golden compass deserve no mention on any list that calls itself best fantasy novels of. In the following list of 50 mustread fantasy books by women, youll find a range. In these suggested reads, strong willed, confident female characters eschew stereotypes to show us what women are capable of. Best fantasy books with strong women characters 538 books. These books each feature a strong female protagonist. There are, of course, exceptions, and more of them every day, as we celebrate books by more authors, male and female, who truly get that strength in a character doesnt necessarily mean masculine traits. All you have to do is scour the page of 300 unique, original fantasy names and keep this list a reference while you write that fandomworthy novel of yours. Best of all, these books all feature female protagonists, so youll have a great time following your sisters through their madcap adventures. Recommendations included everything from ya to lesbian mystery fantasies. Best fantasy booksseries with female characters worth loving reddit. Whites answer is a book that convinces you, inch by inch, that a vicious girl, abandoned by her father as an ottoman hostage, doomed to forfeit her life for her fathers follies or to be married off at. The names below represent 40 of the bestknown or bestloved female characters in fantasy books and films set in nonearth worlds. Female protagonists in science fiction and fantasy the illustrated.
For a discussion of the names and the style they represent and a description of how they were chosen please see the 2part blog, the women of fantasy. These are stories about women in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s who are finding freedom, power, and joy as they age with grace and courage in a variety of circumstances. The 10 most badass women in fantasy literature barnes. Check out this list of ya fantasy books you have to read.
Here are 12 kickass women from scifi and fantasy who are the best kind of strong their own. Books are a medium for us to getaway from the reality, a break form the ordinary life. What i mean by strong is that the character can make decisions for herself and be actively involved in the main storyline how she starts out doesnt. The importance of strong female characters in fantasy, the. Thats why we chose 17 films with strong female characters who rose to various occasionslike enrolling in harvard law school, turning down a loveless proposal, and moving to new york cityso that you might.
The best fantasy novels ever written prowritingaid. When were dealing with our own issues, watching a film starring one can be a welcome escape as well as a push in the right direction. Corey this second installment of the stellar space opera series the expanse is by far my favorite, and it has mostly to do with two strong female characters. The importance of strong female characters in fantasy people talk a lot about strong female characters in fantasy. This is not a list for paranormal or urban fantasy, so all those books about vampires and werewolves in urban times do not belong here, nor do most science fiction books. Which means it does not include the host, or any of the hunger games books. Your favorite female lead characters in fantasy novels. Hit tv series like outlander on starz and atwoods the handmaids tale hulu have exposed the popularity of fantasy series with strong female characters and attracted more readers to the novels. I love reading a good series of fantasy fiction books, more especially when the main character or one of them is a woman and shes strong and independent, but still funny well ok, before she. If you love fantasy and want a few recommendations on great new books to read that feature powerhouse women, check out our book list below. This illustrated book is about a girl who wishes to meet a fairy and unknowingly. Fantasy scifi books with strong female characters when i was growing up, i was shocked by the lack of strong, female leads in the type of books i liked to read. The girl from evermore is a strong female character. This list is exclusively for fantasy, please do not add any science fiction.
By this i mean fantasy set in another world or realm, usually historical in nature. Actually, i tweeted a question to the interwebz yesterday for examples of female lead characters in fantasy novels. So heres a list of books with strong heroines who fight against stereotypes of women in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Theyre on the boundary between science fiction and fantasy, but lean more towards fantasy. Seraphina by rachel hartman has a really wonderful, halfdragon, female lead. If youre a fan of lgbt ya fantasy books in particular, youre in luck. Kass morgan took an unlikely group of heroes, a band of juvenile delinquents, and made them responsible for saving the fate of mankind in her the 100 series. Ive got 15 fantastic books and series you can pick up today to read all about powerful women warriors and. Some one gave me a great comment that explains exactly what this list attempts to do. A dose of fresh unknown world, the wonderfull and adventurous fantasy world.
With rogue one about to hit theaters, star wars is continuing the tradition of women leading sci fi blockbusters but who comes out on top. Whatever the reason, fantasy novels that feature strong women are something were wholeheartedly excited about at newinbooks. They have multiple important female characters, especially as the books go on. Its daenerys targaryen, roasting her enemies from the back of a dragon. Weve selected a pile of books with universal appeal for kids of different ages and tastes, from bestselling picture books to young adult novels in just about every genre. But i have been enjoying some wonderful books lately about older women having a great second act in life. If you ladies want to read fantasy books with shoddy female characters, books with strong male protagonists, and books where females are treated like crap, then. And books with strong female characters over 50 are less than plentiful. Which is why ive found myself getting tired of the persistent use of white characters and settings in fantasy novels. The great thing about wellwritten fiction is that even a childrens book can. The names below represent 40 of the bestknown or bestloved female characters in fantasy. Fantasyscifi books with strong female characters 1024.
Female protagonists in science fiction and fantasy the. It will be even more extraordinary to dive into fantasy fiction book with strong female lead character, here are twelve fantasy fiction with female lead which are a must read. In so many fantasy stories female characters are the ones needing rescuing and are usually strong because of some magical power. Strong female characters in fantasy books magic writer. The results were diverse on just about every spectrum. The 20 greatest female characters in scifi and fantasy. Here at ew, were always looking for the next great scifi or fantasy epic. It features 50 amazing queer fantasy books, from highepic fantasy to urban fantasy to superheroes and everywhere in between. And for more strong women, check out these movies with strong female characters. Characters in any book worth its salt are diverse and complicated, regardless of gender. There are, of course, many up and coming strong female characters in fantasy fiction books and movies. List of romance books with steamy relationships that centre on strong female who is defiance, and clashes with arrogant love interest score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Looking for a strong female lead in your fantasy book. Best strong female fantasy novels 3312 books goodreads.
This list of mustread lgbt fantasy books is here to help. While authors skewed towards female, it was by no means a male shut out. Strong female characters in fantasy fiction david vissers. You can also check the tags awesome female leads and female lead or you can go to my goodreads account and look at the shelf strong female characters. Fierce, strong physically, mentally, emotionally, and an excellent dresser, xena was a hero to countless women at a time when strong female characters. Celebrate national womens history month with these 29 great books.
If youve seen wonder woman and want to keep the dream alive, these 10 fantasies have heroines worthy of handtohand. Books with strong female characters common sense media. Epic fantasy with strong female protagonists hi all, as indicated by the title, im on the hunt for some epic fantasy that features a female protagonist as one of the leads or as the lead. Sciencefiction including dystopian, apocalyptic, or postapocalyptic. There are plenty of strong female characters in this one, but the main heroine is clarke griffin, a young woman forced into a position of leadership when shes sent to the ground to see if earth is habitable 100 years after a nuclear. If youre searching for scifi books with badass female protagonists, look no further. Magical powers are a key concept in most fantasy novels, and you have a lot of scope for creating powerful female characters here because generally these skills do not correlate to the real world. Graceling tells the story of the vulnerableyetstrong katsa, who is smart. A mainstay in the world of 90s genre tv and 90s tv in general, xena was, as the title suggests, a warrior princess.
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