Jul 12, 2017 here at ew, were always looking for the next great scifi or fantasy epic. If you are looking for urban fantasy and havent heard of her yet, tanya huff is the master. Here are 12 kickass women from scifi and fantasy who are the best kind of strong their own. Perhaps more than any other genre, fantasy narratives are focused on the journey of the protagonist or, more commonly, the journey of the hero. This whole urban fantasy thing is radical and awesome.
If youve seen wonder woman and want to keep the dream alive, these 10 fantasies have heroines worthy of handtohand. Okay, so this writer or rather writers, as some of the books under this. Wizard harry dresden is the king of urban fantasy, and the dresden files are the gold standard for the gene. Robin mckinleys books are chock full of strong female characters. Theres a mysterious and powerful organisation called the gameshouse where in. Highly recommend the broken earth trilogy, book one is the fifth season.
Witchs jewel kit melbourne book one a sorcerous jewel. There is a sequel, the ghost train to new orleans, coming in 2014 but this is a rare fantasy book that can be enjoyed as a standalone. Paranormal romance book series wa strong female character. Whenever i need a book that is guaranteed to delight or something to pull me out of a reading slump, werewolf romances are my very first choice.
I have an urban fantasy series to add to your listkelly gays charlie madigan series. Jun 20, 2016 the genre fantasy fiction is fictitious construct but brilliant in rendering a different world for you to wade into. The best ones feel, despite the fantastical environment, like real women facing real problems. Yes, there is now plenty of maledriven urban fantasy waves at harry dresden, but female protagonists are still. I would prefer urban fantasyfantasy or even paranormal. Its so hard to find a string female, non annoying lead. Jane is a bounty hunter with a difference she has a secret to hide that helps her find rogue vampires. Dec 10, 2015 12 books with badass female characters. The series also features some of the best world building in urban fantasy, plus several spinoff novelsnovellas featuring some very different female leads. With a third out in february, this series is becoming a must for any urban fantasy fan. Gribble this week i am lucky to be hosting the wickedly talented j. Do you know of any other great sci fi books with strong female leads. Its an incredibly good novel, one of my alltime favorites.
Aug 20, 2019 35 brilliant books with strong female protagonists updated 2019 by iris last updated august 20, 2019 as we celebrate national womens history month, here are 35 great books featuring some of the most awesome and inspiring female characters ever created. If you are just interested in strong female leads then her other series, tamir, first book the bone dolls twin has a good female protagonist. Urban fantasy series recommendations and the difference. Viewers are flocking in droves to see powerful women like gal gadots diana prince, aka wonder woman, battle it out at the movies. Prince charming rescues a student in a small college town in this fastpaced urban fantasy with rich world building and a strong female lead. Which means it does not include the host, or any of the hunger games books. Twilight the twilight saga, book 1 fantasy romance novel for teen girls. A primary characteristic that separates urban fantasy uf from other fantasy subgenres is the protagonist. Do not add books that are not urban fantasy and do not have a male lead. Jim butcher has crafted a version of chicago that is rife with magic and verisimilitude. Grave witch by kalayna price, kitty and the midnight hour by carrie vaughn, rosemary and rue by seanan mcguir. Looking for high fantasy books with strong female assassin leads any recs. Here at ew, were always looking for the next great scifi or fantasy epic.
Jun 12, 2015 33 books that every badass woman should read. Nick bantocks griffin and sabine trilogy and the venetians wife are unusual books, but with strong female leads. 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. If you like stephensons writing, his earlier novel, snow crash also features a very sm. This beautiful british man came onto the writing scene in 2006, and were all the richer for it. Independent, strong, and feminist, jane eyre is an. Seanans personal top ten urban fantasy books for adults because theres so much awesome ya that wed be here all week. Dali, a nearblind magical prodigy with genius level intelligence. This list is to discover books featuring strong female characters. In my opinion melinda is the epitome of a strong female lead. All of his novels, aside being absolutely worth reading, feature strong female characters. If you like ya fantasy, authors like tamora pierce and patricia c.
Her debut urban fantasy novel, the demon within, will be published by. The series is filled with a lot of strong women though, from nicci the sorceress, to cara. Mercy is a part native american auto mechanic who also happens to be a walker. Ive been reading lilith saintcrow for years and she writes gritty urban fantasy with very strong female leads. Harry potter has a lot of strong female characters from mcgonagall to luna, but the protagonist is a boy.
Much of my obsession with werewolf romance books comes via the fated mates trope that almost always permeates these paranormal books. 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. Mar 23, 2015 29 awesome books with strong female protagonists. If youd like to join the newsletter, click the sign up form on the right. This roundup features 24 of the top urban fantasy series focuing on those with. New reader looking for fantasy books with strong female. Best fantasy books for teens, books like hunger games. Book 3 is released in a month or so, so if you like it you can finish the series. I scoured the internet for the best books i could find and this list is the result. To celebrate this, ive compiled a list of 12 books that feature badass female characters. Whereas the 2000s were dominated mostly by books with kickass female leads, this decade sees the return of the badass male lead.
Strong female lead, an engaging setting and pretty quick pace. Skinwalker jane yellowrock, book 1 faith hunter on. Paranormal romance book series wa strong female character paranormal book series that have a strong female lead. Adventurecentric ya fantasy novels with cool female leads. Here are 12 kickass women from scifi and fantasy who are the best kind of strongtheir own. Kater cheek is the author of the kit melbourne series, the alternate susan desert mages series and numerous short fiction and other works. Its one of the most wellknown, wellloved series running, and for damn good reasons. Lgbtqiap protagonists in fantasy and science fiction the. While reading this book, it was like watching the movie, i was picturing every single thing. Feb 20, 2017 recommended reads strong female characters. Isaac vainio is a libriomancer, which means he can magically reach into books and pull out fictional. What are some good fantasy novels of said subgenres that have either a female lead, or a strong supporting female character.
The books has a lot more details and it way more excited than the movie. Looking for high fantasy books with strong female assassin. Here is a few books with strong female charcters the series gets better as the. In the following list of 50 mustread fantasy books by women, youll find a range of subgenres represented, from portal fantasy to epic fantasy and everything in between. Therefore this list tends to reflect my personal reading preferences more fantasy than scifi, more female protagonists than male. Poc protagonists in fantasy and science fiction this list is basically a compilation of books ive read plus books im meaning to read at some point in the future. Divergent, like hunger games, has a strong female lead, but also features strong boys.
Sciencefiction including dystopian, apocalyptic, or postapocalyptic. Here are some of the most popular fantasy books with a twist. Paranormal romance strong female lead book suggestions. Skinwalker jane yellowrock, book 1 kindle edition by. What are some good science fiction or adventure novels. Andrea, the gunwielding law enforcement agent who has to reconcile her shapeshifter nature with the xenophobic tendencies of her agency. The following is an incomplete list of notable authors of urban fantasy. Glad to know that i am not the only person on the planet who will stay up literally all night to finish a good book.
Female protagonists in science fiction and fantasy the. A paranormal women s fiction novel the forty proof series book 1 shannon mayer. Despite a few blimps in the road, the urban fantasy genre continues to grow in strength and popularity in this decade. Goodkind does get a bit preachy from time to time, and there is a certain racism in the books as there is in a lot of fantasy books white people good, darker skinned people bad. Jane yellowrock is the last of her kinda skinwalker of cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and. Meet shapeshifting skinwalker jane yellowrock in the first novel in the new york times bestselling series that captures the essence of urban fantasy sf site.
Urban fantasy with male lead characters this is a list for the urban fantasy fan who likes to read books where the lead character is a male. Urban fantasy as a genre has changed and evolved in many ways since 1984, but its worth noting here and everywhere else that its one of the few literary genres that has always been anchored by strong female protagonists. Can you suggest me an urban fantasy series with a smart and. Urban fantasy is a slippery sort of subgenre, but to me, calling a book urban fantasy means it is set in a modern, urban society with an overlay of fantasy elements e. The writing is also better than most, in my experience of fantasy. However, while hermione granger, luna lovegood, ginny weasley, and other strong female characters populate the harry potter universe, many girls would love to read a similarly thrilling book or series with a girl at the heart of the story. Luckily its becoming more and more common to see strong female leads in science fiction books. Oct 14, 2016 eric carter, by stephen blackmoore 3 books two books may not seem like much of a binge read, but its impossible to read the first eric carter book without immediately grabbing the second. Eric carter, by stephen blackmoore 3 books two books may not seem like much of a binge read, but its impossible to read the first eric carter book without immediately grabbing the second. Jul 25, 2019 in the following list of 50 mustread fantasy books by women, youll find a range of subgenres represented, from portal fantasy to epic fantasy and everything in between. Poc protagonists in fantasy and science fiction the. Looking for a strong female lead in your fantasy book. 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. Whatever the reason, fantasy novels that feature strong women are something were wholeheartedly excited about at newinbooks.
Nov 07, 2011 urban fantasy is an ongoing saga that focuses on one or two specific characters usually at some point romantically linked, and specifically featuring a nononsense kick ass chick. Bonus points if shes the protagonist, but she doesnt have to be, as long as she plays a prominent role. Top 10 strong female characters in urban fantasy books scifinow. The illustrated page science fiction and fantasy book. Some of them kick butt physically, but many of them use their intelligence, wit, or magical prowess it is fantasy, after all to get along. The female lead is a clever and strong willed sorceress. Top 10 strong female characters in urban fantasy books. Her nightrunner series, first book luck in the shadows, has a strong gay relationship.
Fearless pax arcana book 3 kindle edition by james. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read necessary magic. Top 6 sci fi books with strong female leads kay l moody. When adding books, please make sure urban fantasy is listed on the books main genre page. One of the more common elements of urban fantasy are its strong female protagonists. Jan 15, 2019 gritty action, complex plotting, and a compelling strong female protagonist make this one of the standouts of the badassmagician variety of urban fantasy. Urban fantasy excels at creating strong female leads, and this is one of the best. Independent, strong, and feminist, jane eyre is an unforgettable character in a classic novel. I love fantasy books especially with strong female leads, this is defiantly that with good twists and different types of supernatural as main characters, theres the usual nasty vampires. Sci fi books with strong female leads used to be hard to find. Aug 18, 2016 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. These books ranged from super complex, multi book series to. Books with strong female characters common sense media.
Mar 21, 2014 your 10 favourite best kickass heroines in urban fantasy, from the hunger games to the mortal instruments. Seanan mcguires personal top ten urban fantasy books for. Someone, somewhere, has declared war on kevin kichida, and that someone has a long list of magical predators on their rolodex. When i saw that this weeks topic for best book ever was strong female leads one book immediately came to mind. Having read three series in urban fantasy setting with 2 female leads and 1 male lead, im starting to get aggravated with the female leads in the said genre. They dont have to be kick ass but they do have to have a backbone. Your 10 favourite best kickass heroines in urban fantasy, from the hunger games to the mortal instruments. Urban fantasy suggestions with female protagonists. What are some wellwritten ya fantasy novels which feature female leads with hermionelike qualities smarts, courage, empathy, loyalty who get to participate actively in adventures, as opposed to being caught up in angsty boyfriend drama. This is a dark urban fantasy about a battered woman, an uncomfortably realistic battered woman. Featuring middle grade, ya, and adult novels, these unmissable fantasy books by women authors reflect the diversity of the genreand its endlessly magical opportunities.
Their story evolves throughout the course of a series, while fighting bad guys, and trying to make their paranormal world a better place. Bujold has a straight romance fantasy series she wrote, the sharing knife, that splits pov between the male and female leads as another redditor here has already recommended. I realise that there was a thread asking for a similar thing in the past, but id like to specify what im looking for. They have multiple important female characters, especially as the books go on. Or, a young ladys illustrated primer by neal stephenson. Theyre on the boundary between science fiction and fantasy, but lean more towards fantasy.
Your 10 favourite best kickass heroines in urban fantasy. Gribble is the author of the urban fantasy steel empires series. Chokshi weaves a mystical fantasy that drips with lush enchantments, pushing past the tropes and older tales it. And for more strong women, check out these movies with strong female characters. Fortunately, there are many great fantasy adventure books starring mighty girls out there to choose from. Feb 09, 2011 abigail johnson manages the urban fantasy facebook and twitter accounts and spends way too much time thinking about vampires, werewolves, zombies and all things paranormal in books, movies. Particularly the third book, the hallowed hunt, which could use more love. 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. However you define it, its been a wildly popular field for some time and theres lots of great books out there. Fantasy book with male lead and a good romance subplot. 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. Over the last 2 years i have read a total of around 250 fantasy books. All three women find ways to cope with the trauma they. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers.
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