Dame Kaz
So, it’s no surprise that I adore Sarah Rees Brennan. I am unashamed to admit this. Not only is she lovely and friendly and funny in person, she is also all of those things on her amazingly popular blog. Sarah’s debut YA urban fantasy was my top read of 2009. The Demon’s Lexicon is the first book in a trilogy and Book Two, The Demon’s Covenant, is out on Tuesday. They have shiny new covers designed especially for the US and, although I’m a fan of the UK covers, I have to say that these are fast becoming favourites with me. I can’t wait to see what Book Three will look like! (The reason I am posting the covers right here at the start is to encourage you to stick around for a fab giveaway at the end. Yes, I am bribing you! *g*)
I’m so glad that Sarah said “yes!” when I stalked her mercilessly asked her nicely to be our Dame for a Day, so here she is talking about urban fantasy heroines…
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Sarah Rees Brennan
I am half sick of shadows, said the Lady of Shalott.
I am half sick of being kidnapped, tied to the train tracks, picked up and carried away from danger, generally threatened on a day to day basis, having supernatural creatures infiltrate my bedroom, receiving creepy phone and house calls, being used as bait for my boyfriend, being stalked by the villain and being stalked by the hero, and when all of this happens, thinking ‘it must be Tuesday,’ say the ladies of urban fantasy.
In my head! They talk to me in my… don’t look at me like that.
Now I do feel if supernatural creatures infiltrated my personal bedroom, that would be an excellent way to get rid of them. Some vampires are meant to be obsessive-compulsive about tidiness, to the point of picking up every single grain of rice spilled before them. Said vampires have a standing invite to my room anyday. It’s okay everybody, the vampiric threat is under control, go about your business without fear, Dracula will be occupied with my sock drawer for some time.
I also feel that if I, a lady with no superpowers as yet apparent – but one day, I will learn to control people’s thoughts through the internet, and then the world will be MINE – was suddenly plunged into a fantasy novel, I would spend a great deal of time at first being abjectly grateful to anyone who would save my ass. This ass is precious to me. It is also best suited for sitting at home writing and eating more chocolate raisins than there are stars in the sky. I would be completely helpless in situations of fantastical danger. Any rescuer who happened along, be they broodingly handsome supernatural dudes, elite ninja ladies, or indeed orcs with hearts of gold, I would fling my arms around their necks and say ‘Thank you for saving me! I was so scared I just peed a little! My gratitude is such that, once I find a change of clothes, I would be extremely amenable to making out!’
Now, often girls in fantasy are aware of the magical shenanigans going on all around them, and have been for some time. Being sensible creatures, they are thus often skilled in either the arts of magic, the arts of asskicking, or both. (Kate Daniels in Ilona Andrews‘s books, an excellent example of both!)
But I speak of another kind of heroine: the one who, unprepared, stumbles onto a supernatural world. She is pretty popular, as it’s nice to have a gateway character for readers to relate to and writers to explain the world through. (One popular example of a gateway character: ‘Well, Harry, you’re a wizard…’) Sometimes the girl has magical powers of her own to discover, like Chloe the tiny necromancer in Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers books. Sometimes she luckily happens to know martial arts, like Ellie in Karen Healey’s Guardian of the Dead.
There’s another kind of girl, one who doesn’t have magical powers or any in-depth knowledge of self-defence. As for instance, myself. And obviously a girl like that would initially need a lot of help. And good on anyone helping her. My hypothetical lost in urban fantasyland self thanks you!
Obviously, however, you can’t be protected by other people all the time, and you wouldn’t want to be. A girl finding herself suddenly in a supernaturally lethal situation is a girl should get armed asap – if I were to find out any supernatural creature was real, I would certainly look up all the obscure lore about them I could find on the internet. But only after I had hit www.ineedabazooka.com. It takes time, though, to become an expert fighter with or without weaponry.
So there’s this girl in urban fantasy, without magical or asskicking powers. (Like many of us.) I kept seeing her. A lot of the time, she wasn’t even trying to locate a bazooka, a knife, or even a pencil sharpened with lethal intent. And I thought – well, all this being kidnapped, tied to the train tracks, picked up and carried away from danger, generally threatened on a day to day basis, having supernatural creatures infiltrate my bedroom, receiving creepy phone and house calls, being used as bait for my boyfriend, being stalked by the villain and being stalked by the hero, and when all of this happens, thinking ‘it must be Tuesday,’ wouldn’t it become really frustrating after a while? Wouldn’t you just get completely fed up? Wouldn’t you apply your brains to the situation? Mightn’t you end up doing something drastic?
Hey, that would be awesome, I thought to myself.
Mae
And (self-promotion part of the post activate! warning!) that was part of my reasoning when I thought up Mae of the Demon’s Lexicon series. A smart, independent, but not physically strong or magically awesome girl thrown into a supernaturally lethal world because of a boy she knows: her brother, so she’s not even getting supernatural boyfriending out of the deal, though there are a couple guys around… She’s not much like me, in the end, but she does mirror my thoughts as I was reading Normal Girl in Paranormalandia: ‘What’s going on? Oh crap oh crap oh – oh, enough already.’
Because, ladies, even if we can’t do magic or martial arts, I think we’re cool enough to handle ourselves in paranormalandia. (In my case, once the ‘peeing myself’ urges have faded…)
With thanks to the very cool ladies of Deadline Dames for hosting me here, and everyone who read all of this – and for reading all this, I shall give away a copy of The Demon’s Lexicon and The Demon’s Covenant to a randomly chosen person who comments to this post telling me of a heroine in a fantasy novel they loved. Magical or not, asskicking or not, all heroines welcome!
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Thank you, Sarah! 
And did you get all that? She is giving away the US paperback of The Demon’s Lexicon and the US hardback of The Demon’s Covenant to one lucky winner. Do as the lady asked and leave a comment on this entry telling Sarah of a heroine in a fantasy novel that you loved. Closing date for entries is end of the day (anywhere) Friday, May 21st, and the winner will be announced sometime that weekend.
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Tags: Contests, Dame for a Day, Karen Mahoney
Hmmmm a heroine in fantasy I loved… there are so many!
But I really loved Kahlan Amnell in Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series .. she had crazy cool magic (the power to bind anyone to her will with a touch), and she was kick-ass, and noble too!
What more could a girl ask for?
Awesome post… and I would really love to be picked
These books sound very interesting…
There are so many great heroines,its hard to pick just one….Faythe Sanders from Rachel Vincent’s Shifters series or Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison or Riley Jensen from Keri Arthur…see I can’t pick just one
I could go on and on.
Faythe Sanders (Shifters), Kate Daniels, Eugenie Markham (Dark Swan), Merit (Chicagoland Vampires), Mercy Thompson … some of my fave kick @ss heroines. I can’t name just one, there are to many!
Some of my favorite heroines in fantasy are:
Kate Daniels from Ilona Andrew’s Magic Series
Cat from Jeaniene frost’s Night Huntress novels
Charlie Madigan from Kelly Gay’s The better part of Darkness
Gin Blanco- Jennifer Estep’s Elemental assassin series.
Mercy Thompson- Patricia Briggs
They’re all strong independent women, and that a trait i love in characters when i read.
Thanks for the contest.
Their are so many fantasy heroines that I love! I recently fell in love with Katsa from Cashore’s Graceling. One of the best YA heroines ever – fantasy and otherwise!
I’m currently reading Nightshade by Andrea Cremer and I’m really liking Calla. She’s an alpha of her wolf shifting pack and about to be mated to another packs alpha. It’s quite fascinating and I’m really loving it.
There was a book that came out in the late 80′s, early 90′s called “The Apprentice” by Deborah Talmadge-Bickmore. It was one of those books that was on the shelf one day, gone the next, dropped because of bad critic reviews (reader reviews tend to favor it) and just not enough interest, though it probably would have done better today. It was ahead of its time, focusing almost solely on characterization in a time period when most people were still going the “epic fantasy” route, and adding a heftier dose of romance than you saw back then.
The book had a main character names Jamiah, who is about the least ass-kicking heroine you’d ever hope to meet, but the reason I love her is because of how realistic I find her. She was taken in by a power hungry sorceress when she was abandoned by her parents, and raised in near isolation in a tower on a mountaintop. The sorceress was wonderfully portrayed as a sort of abusive mother, someone who had and probably still did love Jamiah, but who was also domineering, controlling, emotionally and physically abusive, and dismissive of the heroine. And this is where we come into the story.
A man wanting to be the sorceress’s apprentice (I know, the phrasing brings Disney flashbacks) appears at the tower and is accepted, but he has a side he only shows Jamiah: a power that might be stronger than even the sorceress’s, and he seems to be angling to take her down. The bulk of the story shows how Jamiah–used to a subservient life doing what others tell her–deals with this.
She spends quite a bit of the book panicked, wishy-washy, and dealing with increasingly torn loyalties, but she does so in a manner appropriate for someone coming from her circumstances. And while she is, almost by necessity a passive heroine, she is by no means a weak or stupid one. When she feels she knows the right action to take, she takes it immediately, and always follows through with it, no matter what the consequences.
I am always impressed by strength of will in heroines in my books, but even more so when it comes to characters like Jamiah. She’s coming from a weaker, worse place than those who happen to know martial arts or have incredible magic to call on, but she acts anyway, even in defiance of everything she’s known. If she needs saved, its obvious it’s because she has not yet learned to save herself, not because she’s too simpering to try. And if she’s wishy-washy, its for legitimate reasons–anyone in her circumstances might feel powerless, beaten down, or even broken, and certainly would have trouble knowing who to trust. But she feels her way out anyway, and does so with courage, if not always grace.
So…yeah, of all the kick-ass heroines I’ve read about, for some reason I have a thing for the underdog.
You know, this book is a little older, but Ella from Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted is still one of my favorite heroines. She’s cursed to obey orders so she must always do what others tell her. Still, she’s smart, willful, and has an inner strength that isn’t diminished, but rather strengthened, each time someone commands her. She has no superpowers, except her head-strong bravery.
I love her.
Thanks for the giveaway.
ambience.of.rain {at} gmail.com
I *loved* Katsa from Cashore’s GRACELING and Fire from Cashore’s FIRE.
I also love Mercy Thompson from the series by Patricia Briggs. I like strong, independent females with realistic vulnerabilities and emotional depth.
I’ll agree with Jacqueline and Jen above: Katsa from Graceling is my favorite of the heroines I’ve read recently.
Oh, jeez, there are way too many to name but one that remains prominent in my mind is Elena Michaels from Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series.
When I started reading fantasy and sci fi novels, the stories were mostly written by older men with the protagonist being male. Females characters, if they existed at all were relgated to some vapid or secondary character. I approve whole heartedly of the new generation of females who can hold their own against the men and then some. My most recent read has been “Bewitch and Betrayed” with Raine Barnes in the starring role.
What fantastic timing! I finished The Demon’s Lexicon last night and absolutely loved it!!! As for strong heroines – Mary from the Forest of Hands and Teeth really stands out to me. I also really loved Mae in DL – I’m so glad to know where she came from!
I found Kim Harrison’s Madison Avery quite impressive. I’m also fond of Sabina Kane, Alexia Tarabotti, and – though not a leading lady herself – Sgt Karrin Murphy. But I think the one I love best, so far at least, is Jill Kismet.
Even though I say this any time this question is asked, it’s still true: Keladry, from Tamora Pierce’s Protector of the Small series. A recent release which had a heroine I really liked was Voices of Dragons, by Carrie Vaughn — the MC is Kay.
Thank you Sarah for a glimpse into your writer’s mind.
Any reference to the Lady of Shalott is welcome.
AND I just added these to my many wish lists, due to recommendations by young friends.
Great guestpost.
As for a heroine I really loved: if we’re talking fantasy I’ll have to say Talia from the Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. I love the growth she goes through.
Urban Fantasy: There are so many, but I just have to mention Justine from Mind Games by Carolyn Crane and Mercy Thompson from the series with the same name by Patricia Briggs.
My two favorite heroines are Georgina Kincaid (Richelle Mead) and Cat Crawford (Jeaniene Frost).
Bella from Twilight.
OH GOD I AM JUST KIDDING PLEASE DON’T KILL ME.
I always loved Holly from the Artemis Fowl series before it became too much… too much. She kicks ass and doesn’t even care about taking names. She gets kidnapped but escapes by demolishing her room and causing so much trouble they’re glad to let her go.
I’m also kind of embarrassed to say I LOVE Sookie Stackhouse from the Southern Vampire Mysteries. Yes, she gets beat up and kicked around, but she’s killed or hurt some of her attackers and is quite fed up with being a target all the time.
Great post! I don’t read much fantasy but I have a few favorites
1. Alanna from the Lioness Quartet-first fantasy book I ever read and the heroine is amazing! Short with purple (!) eyes, and has a wicked temper. She is both magical and a wicked fighter,
2. Hanna from Bleeding Violet, she’s not magically but she is smart, bipolar and a quick thinker.
3. Ai Ling from Silver Phoenix-Magical, kicks major butt and she loves to eat
Charlie Madigan is definitely one of my faves
I’m going to have to go with Laura Chant from The Changeover, who can tell the boy she likes to stop being a creeper, undertake a scary journey armed with a sword she can’t use to change her entire world and save her baby brother’s life, and face down the villain with a stamp.
Oooh, so hard to pick!
Sunshine, the eponymous hero of Robin McKinley’s (you guessed it) Sunshine. She frees herself after having been abducted by vampires! You never hear them coming when they’re vampires! Also, she’s an amazing baker who invents desserts called things like The Death of Marat. (Reading that book inspired me to learn how to bake.)
Seconding Ai Ling from Silver Phoenix, speaking of ladies who love food. (Another sequel I can’t wait to read, especially because of a decision that Ai Ling made in book 1 that I think will come back to haunt her big time.)
One more: Miss Susan Voight, from Emma Bull and Steven Brust’s Freedom and Necessity. Is it fantasy? Depends on which of the characters you believe, I guess, but there’s no question of the awesomeness of Susan. Whether she’s infiltrating Oxford dressed as a boy or arguing ethics with Freidrich Engels, she is being amazing. Man, I love that book.
I don’t think she was actually the heroine, but I really liked Molly from Robin Hobb’s works. When it got to be too much, she left the protagonist’s scheming, secretive ass. That took courage, especially considering the whole… are spoilers allowed here? I shall leave her at courageous.
@Ari: I bow down to your choice of Hanna from BLEEDING VIOLET.
I’ve always loved Rosie from Robin McKinley’s book Spindle’s End — her superpower is being TOO ORDINARY. And also talking to animals, but mostly being too ordinary! Which is awesome.
I also have a soft spot for Sansa Stark in GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire, because, uh, I would love to say that in a similar position I would be Arya and crazy and kickass, but I would probably be more like Sansa, just going along with the horrible events going along on and trying to find a way out of it.
Well, I love Katniss, from the Hunger Games.
I also really liked the cat in Holly Black’s White Cat, despite not being exactly the heroine.
Any lady in Megan Whalen Turner’s Thief series is completely awesome.
Oooooh! Amelia Peabody Emerson from the series by Elizabeth Peters. Because she is, of course, in no way eccentric, just eminently practical. And if you don’t agree she may beat you with her specially-made steel-shafted parasol.
I love too many heroines to pick just one, but I have to say Mae sounds like my kind of girl!
Let’s see… top 3? top 5? the more I think, the more I come up with!
Hari, aka Angharad, aka Harimad-Sol, from Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword
Sophie, from Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones
Tinker, from Wen Spencer’s Tinker and Wolf Who Rules
Mercy Thompson, from Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series
Best of luck with the new book!
Favorite Heroine, geez that’s a hard one.
I’m a huge fan of Richelle Mead (Spirit was SO GOOD!), Rachel Vincent and Jeaniene Frost so I have to mention Rose, Faythe and Cat but I think I will go with Fire and Katsa from Kristen Cashore’s books. THey are so unique, it really appealed to me. Love them!
I second Rene’s vote for Rae/Sunshine from Sunshine by Robin McKinley.
Polly from Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones as she does indeed research the villain and save the hero. Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle is another one.
Ista from Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold.
And Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany Aching from various Terry Pratchett’s!
Whoops. Just realized you asked for a fantasy heroine, and Amelia Peabody is not that, though her adventures sometimes are so crazy as to seem fantastical. The other heroines I mentioned still hold, though.
Georgina Kincaid from Richelle Mead’s Succubus books -oddly, because she’s so human and affected by what happens to the people in her life.
When I was a kid, it was Matilda, from Roald Dahl’s Matilda. So bright, so downtrodden but in the end she gets a happy ending
and she devours books, which is the only nearly super hero trait I could ever claim to have 
I love, love, love Saundra Mitchell’s character Iris from her book shadowed summer. One of the many reasons I loved her was because when the love interest came around she didn’t drop everything, and all her friends for him. She was very much of the attitude “Yeah, your cute and have ougi board, but shes my best friend and you didnt treat her right. So, I don’t think so.”
There was also a minor character in Scott Westerfelds Mignighter series that I loved for this one scene. Pretty much went like “Boys, boys, boys! They are so cute, and charming and wonderful!….. Woah, he did what? *slaps boy* Girls, we are off! We are way to fabulous for them!”
I love these girls, because your best friend will always come before some guy you’ve known for all of a day. No matter how cute or charming. Girls, continue being fabulous I say.
Hermione. Hands down. Girl is the only thing keeping anybody alive since age eleven. And she does it by being intelligent, bookwormish, caring about people close to her, and doing the right thing. I know that a lot of people might not say she’s a heroine because she is not the main character, but she’s part of the trio and Harry would have been alive without her, thus neither would everybody else.
Also, Lyra. That girl- god. She breaks my heart. Every time I reread any of His Dark Materials, I am just blown away by Philip Pullman’s ability to shape this spectacularly selfish yet selfless, beautiful but ordinary, the most important person in the history of the world yet practically a street urchin, innocent yet wise, quick to anger yet easy to love CHARACTER who changes so beautifully over the course of the story. She sacrifices her greatest love to save the world from the disaster controlling religion has wrought and then doesn’t mope about it, but rather is determined to live a “good and useful life without him” and it’s heartbreaking but perfect. Basically, if I ever have a daughter I’m naming her Lyra.
I’m also a fan of Lirael, from Garth Nix’s Abhorsen trilogy, because it’s rare that we see a heroine who is so quiet and alone and yet so full of love and determination. Also, I love that all her personal issues and history don’t just serve as a starting point and then get swept away like they so often are, but rather continue to play a visible and necessary part in her development as a character.
Sorry, Anonymous going off about Hermione, Lyra, and Lirael was me. Forgot the name.
Sherwood Smith’s Meliara in the ‘Crown Duel’ duology has to be my favourite. Don’t get me wrong, all the wonderful characters mentioned in the previous posts are amazing: but Mel is a girl without any supernatural powers who is flung into a horrible political situation and who manages (SPOILER!) to become the nexus of a rebellion almost as a side-effect.
She’s a heroine: but she’s also a person you could invite around for tea and chocolate cake and have a good natter with.
Fav heroine? Mercy Thompson, for sure. I also love me some Jo Walker in the mornings
So many wonderful characters already listed! I will add Susan Sto Helit from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld; Druyan from Susan Dexter’s The Wind-Witch; and Snow White from Bill Willigham’s Fables. His Cinderella’s pretty awesome too. Oh, and Eleda and Adele from Sharon Shinn’s The Truth-Teller’s Tale.
Sounds interesting. Since I see fantasy, what comes to my mind in straight fantasy reads is Maria V Snyder’s Yelena from the Study series or Opal from her Glass series.
On the more modern urban fantasy side…there’s a lot! Really! Too many are coming to mind! I like Joanne from Rachel Caine’s Weather Wardens, among several, several, SEVERAL other! Too many to choose from!
There are a lot of really strong heroines to choose from, but what about their awesome best friends? I love Eve from the Morganville Vampires, and Aphrodite from the House of Night series, because their strong, smart and confident–but also really funny. They bring a much needed humor to some seriously tense situations; and they are always available to slap some sense into the heroine when she needs it. There is not enough love for these ladies!
I live for strong heroines. My favorites are Mercy Thompson, Riley Jenson, and Cat Crawfield. And I’ve been dying to read the Demon’s Lexicon and can’t believe I’ve waited until the second book is coming out to bump it up on my TBR pile.
I loved Evangeline Stone in Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding!
There are two heroines that I particularly love: Cat Crawford from Jeaninene Frost’s Night Huntress series and Riley Jenson from Keri Arthuer’s Riley Jenson series. Both can kick some ass, but have issues with life and love that make them seem like real people, that’s what I like about them.
Aly from Tamora Pierce’s Trickster’s Choice and Trickster’s Queen books. She’s so practical! And awesome! She is a giant flirt and not very good with children and has amazing wit, and doesn’t actually fight very much. Which I like, because I also do not fight very much! At one point she has blue hair, and then she has no hair, and none of it slows her down for a second, which I admire hugely.
Kahlan Amnell-Wizard’s First Rule
Katsa-Graceling
Phèdre nó Delaunay-Kushiel’s Dart
Rhapsody-Rhapsody: Child of Blood
There are so many great ones, its hard to only pick one. A few of my favorites are:
Kate Daniels
Mercy Thompson
Elena -Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong
Cat – Night Huntress series
Rachel Morgan
Congrats on the new release. I have read so many great things about the Demons Lexicon, I am really looking forward to picking it up soon.
lol. Nice post. I like the sound of your heroine.
One of my favourite heroines would have to be Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison’s series. Yeah, Rachel can totally kick ass, and she may not be the best at what she does but she never gives up. She’s also really loyal and kind (like when she went to save her ex-boyfriend’s life, even though he’d been selling secrets about her to a demon)
I’ve got two who are at extreme ends of the spectrum I think.
1. Arya Stark from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice. She’s resourceful and adaptive. When her family is shattered, literally torn apart, Arya wastes little time in re-figuring her place in society–she goes so far as to fashion a new identity for herself. She adapts using cunning and sheer will to survive challenges and the new life she must face. Despite her young years, she isn’t afraid of making a hard decision. And she does so while keeping a bit of herself alive.
2. Sookie Stackhouse from Charlain Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse Series. I love Sookie for the simple fact that she is unabashedly Sookie. She’s not afraid to pull punches, she’s unabashedly a sexual being (without being “slutty”), makes no excuses for her actions BUT does admit when she is wrong, and is, above all else, loyal to friends and family. While the books themselves a bit predictable, Sookie is not.
Interesting post! My fvourite would be Georgina Kincaid from Richelle Mead’s Succubus series
My favorite has been Alanna from Tamora Pierce’s ‘Song of the Lioness’ quartet for a long, long time now- magical AND ass-kicking!
I LOVE Faythe Sanders from Rachel Vincent’s Shifters series. I like her ‘voice’. That’s what draws me to books. I also LOVE Rose Hathaway from Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series.
I’m one of them.
I can’t believe I haven’t read your series yet. I will do, because I do agree with you. A lot of people have no magic and no reason to know the martial arts.
Faythe Sanders from Rachel Vincent’s Shifters series, Kaylee from her YA bean sidhe series. LOVE Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson.
Can’t wait to check out your books!
OK, looking through these I see quite a few I agree with, even more that I haven’t gotten to yet, and a few that sound good but are new to me.
So I’ll step outside the Urban and mention Danielle, Snow, and Talia from Jim C Hines Princess novels.
I too, am frustrated when happening upon a book in which the clueless heroine just lets things happen to her and does nothing to change her situation except wait to be saved by someone. So that’s why, when reading City of Bones for the first time, I laughed hysterically when Clary slapped Jace not once, but twice, across the face. She refused to let him dictate how she should act, and let him know. Throughout the Mortal Instruments series, she is consistently standing up for herself and others, and when someone tells her she can’t do something- well, I always think back to the scene in City of Ashes when Jace tries to stop her from looking for Luke so she slams a knife into the wall next to his head. All I could think in that moment was, God, I wish this would happen more often.
Harper Blaine in Kat Richardson’s GREYWALKER series, Georgina Kincaid in Richelle Mead’s SUCCUBUS series, Cat Crawfield in Jeaniene Frost’s NIGHT HUNTRESS series…..sooooo many take charge female main characters.
Mercy Thompson- Patricia Briggs. Shes tuff but raw. I love that she’s always a little surprised when she kicks some butt and never gives up, no matter how unlikely it is that she will succeed. She has heart and left me sad but stronger after reading the rape scene. I was shocked but impressed with her response. It was so real and painful and she wouldnt be beaten (and this had nothing to do with any special powers, just her spirit-the same one all chicks have). Loved it
Everyone has such good answers, and most of my recent favorites have been listed so I’m going with one I didn’t see but LOVE. I’ve read the series twice and own the books. It’s Rhapsody from the Symphony of Ages series by Elizabeth Haydon. We meet her as a girl, then the books take us through so much of her life as a regular, downtrodden girl to a Queen. It’s considered an Epic Fantasy I guess you would say. I LOVE the books, and her character so much.
Pretty much any heroine written by Tamora Pierce is awesome. I also love Amelia Peabody from Elizabeth Peter’s mystery series (plus adventures in Egypt! you can’t go wrong!)
Dame Lilith’s heroines are the alpha and omega to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever meet a heroine I admire as much as Dante, despite her faults. Because of her faults. And Dante’s strength is just…wow.
I fell in love with paranormals thanks to Sookie Stackhouse and she’s still one of my favorites. I love the fact that she always tries her best and never takes the easy way out. She has integrity and values and tries to live up to them no matter what the people (and creatures) around her are doing.
I also have to mention to Kitty Norville. At the beginning of the series she’s changed into a werewolf against her will and starts out at the bottom of the pack, but now, well into the series, she’s the alpha, not because of superior strength, but because she uses her brain and she never gives up.
I truly adore Kate from Ilona Andrew’s series– she would be the ideal grown-up me (I have a couple years before I hit twenty-five, so here’s hoping! lol)
I love Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson.
[...] Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon’s Covenant, at the Deadline Dames [...]
This one is tough because there are so many women to choose from. Right now though I’m reading the Dark Days series, so I’ll say Mira from that series is my favorite heroine right now.
My favourite heroines are Mercy Thompson, Kate Daniels, Elena from the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh and Lily Yu from the World of the Lupi series by Eileen Wilks.
Kate Daniels is definitely number one, but I also love Jill Kismet, Mercy Thomson, Kitty Norville, Allie Beckstrom, Joanna Baldwin and Rachel Morgan
Right now I’m really loving Elena from Nalini Singh’s Angel’s Blood. But then of course there’s Mercy Thompson. And Clary Fray. And…yeah, there are oodles. I have much love for Mae too and look forward to the next installment of their adventures.
Sarah, I absolutely adore your blog – you are hysterical!
As for fave fantasy heroines, I’d have to say Kate Daniels is a big one, but one that I haven’t seen mentioned is Meredith Gentry from Laurel K. Hamilton.
She’s maybe not a traditional ass-kicking heroine, but she’s got some awesome fortitude to her!
Yay! I love with a deep devotion, Cordelia from Louis Bujold’s Miles series, Cailet from Melanie Rawn’s Exiles series (don’t think it hasn’t broken my heart to wait a decade for the last book!) and Paige from Kelly Armstrong. All very different ladies but all shot arrows into my heart! Not only would I make out with them but I kind of want to cohabit.
Mercy Thompson from the Patricia Briggs. She doesn’t go looking for trouble, but doesn’t shy away from helping her friends if needed. And she uses her brains more than brawn.
Kate Daniels from Ilona Andrews’ series, LOVE her! Super strong, smart-ass, awesome heroine and I wanna marry her… What?
Kate Daniels is awesome! Also, Merit from Chicagoland Vampire, Dru from Stange Angels, Jill Kismet, Sabina Kane and Mira from Dark Days series are some of my favorites!
Most of the time my fav would be Anita Blake (sorry, I’ve been addicted to the series for a long time). There are times when she really frustrates me though. Zoe Redbird of the House of Night series is pretty cool too but she also frustrates me. Isabeau from The Witches of Eileaenan by Kate Forsyth is awesome. Oh, one more. Paige from Kelley Armstrong.
Good to meet you Sarah. Could be both be equally insane?
I loved Clary from the Mortal Instruments Series. She’s not the usual heroine that I read about in most YA novels nowadays. SHe’s stubborn, she cares about her mom and her bestfriend and she knows what she’s got to do to solve things. With a wonderful talent to draw, she actually helps and contributes, showing other people that age and experience can’t be hindrances when it comes to important matters.
What a fantastic blog piece!! i am definately heading on over to your actual blog!! I personally ADORE Joanne Baldwin followed closely by Fayth Sanders…there’s so many amazing heroines how to choose!!?!!! like i said, fantastic addition to the Dames’ already great collection, thanks!!!!
What a fantastic blog piece!! i am definately heading on over to your actual blog!! I personally ADORE Joanne Baldwin followed closely by Faythe Sanders…there’s so many amazing heroines how to choose!!?!!! like i said, fantastic addition to the Dames’ already great collection, thanks!!!!
I thoroughly adore Yelena from the Study series by Maria V. Snyder — and once I budget for books again, I’m prepared to love Mae.
I love Hester Shaw of Philip Reeve’s fabulously steampunk post-apocalyptic adventure series Mortal Engines
And not just because she has the same name as me… at all
I love her because she’s tough and not beautiful (but has a guy who loves her anyway) and adept with guns and somewhat-slightly evil sometimes.
And I love Mae, for all the reasons mentioned above, but also? because she has pink hair
Oh, God, so many. And I have to *choose*?
Hm. Paige Winterbourne (Kelley Armstrong’s ‘Women of the Otherworld’ series), because she’s stubborn and a little impulsive and she makes mistakes, but she’s clever and determined and she gets right back on the horse after she’s fallen off.
Joanna Archver (Vicki Pettersson’s ‘The Signs of the Zodiac’ series), because she’s cynical and bitter and dark (and boy does she have reason to be) and has had life kick her in the teeth repeatedly, but she doesn’t let that stop her from *living it*. Also, she’s a total badass. *g*
Claire Danvers (Rachel’s Caine’s ‘The Morganville Vampires’ series), because she’s smart and cautious and she saves the day by using *her brain* (and sometimes a crossbow. hee.).
Oh man. One of my early favorite heroines, who sticks with me today, is Aerin of Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown– unmagical (or so it seems) and thus a nothing in the royal family she’s born into, she perseveres through sheer willpower and about a million experiments perfecting a recipe for fire-repellant.
I’m going with an older woman; 150 years old, although the rejuvenating tehcnology keeps her very fit.
Her name is Skeen, and she’s the female hero of Jo Clayton’s Skeen trilogy. She’s complex, conflicted, inclined to crawl into the bottle at times, reluctant to take on responsibility, but when she does– she does her damnedest.
Skeen has a boyfriend who is NOT the boss of her. And she has a sidekick, a shapeshifting Min woman whom she rescued, woke up, revivified. She’s pretty awesome too.
One of my favorite heroines is the unicorn from Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn. Her perspective was unique, since she’s an immortal, and the way she changes and becomes unique even among her own kind is just… it’s lovely, and tragic, and heartbreakingly wonderful. It’s a sad story, kind of; you get the sense that things aren’t right at the end, things aren’t perfet by any stretch… and yet things are all exactly how they are supposed to be.
Tiffany Aching in the Pratchett series about her. Or Arya Stark both are a little too clever and a haven’t entirely learnt to hide it. Neither can conceive of the world functioning without them or of someone really truly coming to save them, although they often watch as the world goes on without their input and sometimes accept the assistance that they don’t believe in. They learn and adapt, watch and occasionally fail to wait or recklessly get involved. I like that they rely on every resource they can get ahold of and when it leaves they simply use what remains available to them.
I love Clary from Cassie Claire’s Mortal Instruments series! She’s smart and funny and can handle herself well while still being relatable and believable. Girl’s got style.
And yes, I love Chloe. And I love that she pees herself because, yeah, it would be how I would react as well. Unfortunately. My favorite part (I think it’s in the second one) is when she’s running the woods, like:
Chloe: Look at me! I just knocked a woman out by jumping from a tree like a NINJA! I am AWESOME!
*Pulls out knife and continues darting through woods* I’m like RAMBO. *Stumbles on poorly placed tree root*
Other Chloe: Yes, until you trip and impale yourself on your own knife.
Chloe: *Slowly puts knife away*
My all time favorite has always been Meliara from Sherwood Smith’s Crown Duel. Not only does she teach herself to read and do math, but she also leads a bumbling rebellion (with the best of intentions) to take down a king! I’ve loved how she always does something and doesn’t sit around and wait for something to happen. Because of her all those years ago, I started reading fantasy, and I’ve never stopped!
Attolia! From the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. So smart and so prickly! Though Eddis is awesome too! But Attolia wins because she is queen in a male-dominated world. ^_^
I think one of my favorites is Maurynna form Joanne Bertin’s The Last Dragonlord and Dragon and Phoenix. She is just awesome even though she doesn’t know what is going on and then is the least powerful dragonlord.
Both of my utter favorites have already been mentioned, so I shall mention them again, specifically Alanna of Trebond (or is it Pirate’s Swoop and Olau now?) and Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan. Alanna I love because she was in my very first fantasy book what had a girl in it, and I sort of imprinted on her. Also, she is awesome for all the multitude of reasons mentioned here. Cordelia is awesome because… well, she is. I love her for her absolute refusal to accept something that she doesn’t like and feels she can change. I also love her for her fierce love for her family, and her refusal to let anyone hurt them except themselves (Miles, we are looking at you), even restraining herself from killing Miles on occasion, because we all know he must have been difficult.
I also adore Karrin Murphy from the Dresden Files. She’s rather like Mae, in that she’s thoroughly normal– no powers, some asskicking training, but mostly normal– and stuck in a world with lots and lots of supernatural things trying to kill her. So she hires a wizard. And then does nasty things to him when he lies to her, and then proceeds to not trust him until he finally starts telling her the truth and giving her information she needs. And then proceeds to kick ass. Because she’s that awesome.
One of my favorite heroines has always been Alanna from Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series.
I loved that she became a knight, and that she wasn’t initially great at everything, but she was stubborn and worked at it until she was.
I have too many to pick one as my top favorite, but Rae from Robin McKinley’s Sunshine is the first that comes to mind–totally realistic because she does have the peeing-herself stage and she’s not especially strong, but she manages to use magic she hasn’t wanted to think about to save herself and eventually blow up a bunch of vampires. Also she’s snarky, which is always good.
Thank you Sarah, that was a fun post! You are a new author I just discovered this week, and added your books to my wishlist!
As you ahve written there are different kinds of heroines and I love them all for different reasons: I love Kelley Armstrong’s Elena because she is such a badass, tough, independent chick, which I also loved about Kate (by Ilona Andrews), but I loved how Kate also had insecurities and was vulnerable moments. What I love in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series is that each heroine is completely unique and different: Eve is the definition of badass and dangerous, Elena is tough and strong, Paige is so human yet brave,a nd then there is Jaime who is the most human of all: she has no defensive/offensive super power, she is completely vulnerable to any harm and she is often afraid and worried about her safety! I love this variety and that they are not clishé heroines but each one of them represents a different approach.
My favorites are Cat Crawford from Jeanniene Frost’s series and Rachel Morgan from Kim Harrison’s series. Both incredibly awesome!!!
I really like Kaylee from Soul Screamers and Cassie from Karen Chance series.
I just have to say I love reading fantasy so it’s really hard to pick just one so I’ll post a few of my favorites.
Faythe Sanders-Shifters series by Rachel Vincent.
Mercy Thompson-by Patricia Briggs.
Merit-Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill.
MacKayla Lane-Fever series by Karen Marie Moning
As for some YA series heroines:
Beka Cooper-by Tamora Pierce
Rose Hathaway-Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.
I could list many many more but I think this is enough.
I love strong female characters in novels. Here are a few of my favorites:
Mercy Thompson
Katsa
Katniss Everdeen
And so many more!
I love strong female characters…
Katsa from Graceling
Katniss from The Hunger Games
Sorcha from Daughter of the Forest
Alanna from the Song of the Lioness series
Anita Blake by Laurell K. Hamilton
I could go on and on…
Thanks for the contest. Please enter me!
kghobbs(at)gmail(dot)com
Some people may kill me for this, but I really like Sookie Stackhouse – followed by a close second placer, Anita Blake.
Fawn Bluefield. The Sharing Knife is a high fantasy series by Lois McMaster Bujold, and Fawn is awesome. Her asset when it comes to dealing with horrible fantasy monsters? Her *brain.* How awesome is that?
And to Kathleen up there…..no fair! Cordelia’s not fantasy! (Not that that stops her from being awesome, mind you….)
Anyway. Fawn was the first one I thought of, but name any one of Robin McKinley’s or Lois Bujold’s heroine’s, and I will say, “YES! She’s awesome!” Rosie, for example, in SPINDLE’S END. Or Ista in PALADIN OF SOULS. Or…or…yeah.
My all time favorite heroine will always be a tie between Lyra from His Dark Materials and Alanna from The Song of the Lioness quartet. They are both such kickass ladies in albeit very different ways.
And as I don’t have an account on here or anything, if I’m lucky enough to win my email address is Tallu982@cox.net *crosses fingers*
a few of my favorites at the moment are:
delilah street – carole nelson douglas
rachel morgan – kim harrison
cassie palmer – karen chance
thank you for the giveaway! i can’t wait to read this series!
k_sunshine1977 at yahoo dot com
Hi, my favorite fantasy character right now is Katniss from THE HUNGER GAMES. And Jane Yellowrock from Faith Hunter’s SKINWALKER.
Thanks for the giveaway, ladies.
I have quite a few favorites, but my very, very favorite is Aly of Pirate’s Swoop, from Trickster’s Choice and Trickster’s Queen! Maybe it is a bit cheating to pick Tamora Pierce, who pretty much writes about awesome, ass-kicking women for a living, but TBH none of her heroines really appealed to me too much until this series. She’s smart and ruthless and competent, and I <3 her beyond all words.
I love Rae from Sunshine by Robin McKinley. I don’t really have a tremendously long answer to the question of why I like her. But she is likable, relatable and resilient. I love the book, story and heroine.
I think Merit is my favorite right now. But that could change with the next series I read.
Keladry from “Protector of the Small.”. Sometgimes when I have to do something difficult I think of her standing at the bottom of the hill she has to climb to get to a female-suitable bathing area and saying to herself “Well, I might as well run it.”
Most definitely Mercy Thompson! I LOVE this series by Patricia Briggs and Mercedes is one kick a** chica!
My favorite heroines are:
Mercy Thompson- Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
Cat Crawfield- Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost
Joanne Walker- Walking Papers series by C.E. Murphy
Joanna Archer- Zodiac series by Vicki Pettersson
Rachel Morgan- The Hollow series by Kim Harrison
I would have to go with Yelena from the Poison Study series by Maria V. Snyder. She is my all-time hero!
I found Monza Murcatto the heroine of Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold to be a real kick ass and conflicted character and she has certainly stuck in my mind.
If the giveaway is open worldwide, please enter me.
Thanks
Carol T
I love Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments series.
I think Cassie Clare does a great job of balancing Clary’s vulnerabilities and weaknesses with her ass-kicking, clever-minded awesomeness.
I always want to be able to see some kind of flaws in a character because I think that makes them seem real to me as a reader, but I do not think that has to take away or diminish ass-kickery.
Clary is has a strong heart and stands up for what is right in the midst of realizing she lives in a colorful and blurry world.
I hope to win your books, Sarah.
You are a wonderful writer, and I am thankful you write books, even if it makes you feel a little crazy sometimes.
Dames, thanks for hosting.
If I win, my email is:
whitneywriteslove[at]gmail[dot]com
It’s very hard for me to pick my favorite fantasy heroine, but if I have to choose, I’d pick Sookie Stackhouse from The Southern Vampire Mysteries.
No question, my favorite fantasy heroine of all time is Phedre no Delaunay of the Kushiel books. I love that she’s strong but not in a kickass action girl way, that she’s comfortable with her sexuality and uses whatever skills she has–sexual or otherwise, as she is a prostitute AND spy–to achieve her ends.
hum urban fantasy heroines I love
Kate Daniels
Mercy Thompson
Cat from Jeannie Frost’s series
Elena from Kelly Armstrong’s series. She was kind of dragged into the paranormal world kicking and screaming.
This one sounds great though I like a smart heroine and sounds like that is what she has to use. Please enter me in this contest.
scrtsbpal at yahoo dot com
I agree with Trisha, Jacqueline Carey’s Phedre is an awesome heroine specifically because she’s not phsyically strong or magically inclined. She uses her mind and body- her stongest assets- and gets what she needs to done. Personally, I think that’s cooler than being able to punch the bad guys in the face.
But one of my long time favs, is Min Farshaw from Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time (I know people out there either love or hate the series… I love it, lol.) Min’s spunky and doesn’t take a lot of flack from anyone. She’s also another heroine who uses her brains instead of trying to be a kickass superchick.
And if I had to pick a mondern day heroine, I’d definitely pick Sgt. Karrin Murphy. Anyone who can put up with all the crap Dresden brings around is awesome in my book.
Thanks for the giveaway. My favorite heroine is Anita Blake from the Laurell K Hamilton novels.
lizzi0915 at aol dot
Kate Sutton, from The Perilous Gard.
She has the asskicking superpower of Being Extremely Sensible. I think she and Mae (who is great!) would get along.
Lucy from the Drake Chronicles. She was forever surrounded by vampires, but still kicked ass.
Karigan G’Ladheon from the Green Rider series.
Captain Holly Short from the Artemis Fowl series.
[...] And I am head over heels in love with Mae, who is a normal girl in a world of magicians and demons and skilled warriors, insofar as “normal” encompasses brilliance, bravery, wit, charm, ambition, stubbornness, a recognition of her own limits, and a conscious refusal to be sidelined because of them. She is, as Sarah outlines in this awesome post, Ms. Normal in Paranormalandia. [...]
I nominated Covenant for my Goodreads list of Best feminist YA because I love Mae (and love that she occasionally gripes about male privilege) If you agree with me, you can vote it up here: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6279.Best_Feminist_Young_Adult_Books