The best books that feature heroic female leads

April Genevieve Tucholke Author Of The Boneless Mercies
By April Genevieve Tucholke

Who am I?

April Genevieve Tucholke is the author of the gender-bent Beowulf retelling, The Boneless Mercies and the all-female, King Arthur-inspired Seven Endless Forests (FSG). Her books have been published in sixteen countries, and have received ten starred reviews. When she's not writing, April enjoys walking in the woods and exploring abandoned houses. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon.


I wrote...

The Boneless Mercies

By April Genevieve Tucholke,

Book cover of The Boneless Mercies

What is my book about?

Trained warriors kill loudly. We kill silently. And that is how you hunt a beast. Frey yearns for a life worthy of saga and song. But she is a Boneless Mercy, a member of an ancient female sect that has survived the rising and falling of kingdoms.

Mercies are death-traders, doomed to roam Vorseland killing the old or the sick for meager pay. Their methods are quiet, even merciful, yet wherever the seasons lead them, their daggers inspire unease. Frey and her band of Mercies--Ovie, Runa, and Juniper--are weary of the death trade and dream of a bigger life. So when Frey hears that a beast is slaughtering people in a northern jarldom, she decides that killing it is the Mercies’ chance at fame and fortune, even if it means they must align with the reclusive Sea Witches and face the ruthless Cut-Queen of the Red Willow Marsh. Their success—or failure—might change the fate of women everywhere.

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The books I picked & why

A Game of Thrones

By George R. R. Martin,

Book cover of A Game of Thrones

Why did I love this book?

Unlike certain popular fantasy series, the female characters in Martin’s books are not unfathomable objects, but fully fleshed human beings capable of great heroism (and great violence). Arya Stark is one of the most vengeful, fearless, complex female protagonists to be found in fantasy, and Brienne of Tarth’s warrior-with-a-heart-of-gold would melt the most seasoned fantasy reader’s heart.

By George R. R. Martin,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked A Game of Thrones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

HBO's hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R R Martin's internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A GAME OF THRONES is the first volume in the series.

'Completely immersive' Guardian

'When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground'

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

From the fertile south, where heat breeds conspiracy, to the vast and savage eastern lands, all the way to the frozen…


Bloody Jack

By L. A. Meyer,

Book cover of Bloody Jack

Why did I love this book?

An orphan on the streets of London, Jacky soon finds herself playing the role of ship’s boy on the HMS Dolphin. Jacky is, in turn, cunning, wild, bossy, loving, brave, flirtatious, and arrogant. She loves a crowd, especially when that crowd is staring right at her. Unforgettable. The audiobook, in particular, is exceptional.

By L. A. Meyer,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Bloody Jack as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas.
There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life--if only she doesn't get caught. . . .


Circe

By Madeline Miller,

Book cover of Circe

Why did I love this book?

This is a captivating read, even for those readers who aren’t into Greek mythology. Circe transforms from a lonely, despised lesser goddess to a powerful outcast-witch, easily embodying the fascinating role of the morally-gray hero.

By Madeline Miller,

Why should I read it?

30 authors picked Circe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The international Number One bestseller from the author of The Song of Achilles, shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Woman. Witch. Myth. Mortal. Outcast. Lover. Destroyer. Survivor. CIRCE.

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child - not powerful and terrible, like her father, nor gorgeous and mercenary like her mother. Scorned and rejected, Circe grows up in the shadows, at home in neither the world of gods or mortals. But Circe has a dark power of her own: witchcraft. When her gift threatens…


True Grit

By Charles Portis,

Book cover of True Grit

Why did I love this book?

The fourteen-year-old protagonist of True Grit, Mattie Ross, is the sort of pert, hyper-clever, steely female character that is hard to find outside a Larry McMurtry novel. Worth reading for her alone.

By Charles Portis,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked True Grit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There is no knowing what lies in a man's heart. On a trip to buy ponies, Frank Ross is killed by one of his own workers. Tom Chaney shoots him down in the street for a horse, $150 cash, and two Californian gold pieces. Ross's unusually mature and single-minded fourteen-year-old daughter Mattie travels to claim his body, and finds that the authorities are doing nothing to find Chaney. Then she hears of Rooster - a man, she's told, who has grit - and convinces him to join her in a quest into dark, dangerous Indian territory to hunt Chaney down…


Sabriel

By Garth Nix,

Book cover of Sabriel

Why did I love this book?

Published long before young adult literature hit bestseller lists, let alone had its own section in most bookstores, Sabriel is unexpectedly dark—the protagonist is a teenage necromancer who travels into death—and Sabriel herself is just the sort of fierce, resourceful hero that can easily carry a fantasy on her muscled shoulders.

By Garth Nix,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Sabriel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A stunning anniversary gift edition of the second in the bestselling Old Kingdom fantasy series.

Sabriel has spent most of her young life far away from the magical realm of the Old Kingdom, and the Dead that roam it. But then a creature from across the Wall arrives at her all-girls boarding school with a message from her father, the Abhorsen - the magical protector of the realm whose task it is to bind and send back to Death those that won't stay Dead. Sabriel's father has been trapped in Death by a dangerous Free Magic creature.

Armed with her…


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In Human Shadow

By Gregory J. Glanz,

Book cover of In Human Shadow

Gregory J. Glanz Author Of In Human Shadow

New book alert!

Who am I?

It seems that all of the fictional main characters I create have anti-hero tendencies. There is always some voice in their head telling them to do right when they are expected to do wrong, or to do wrong when it is supposed they will do right. I find this flaw very compelling, and universal for those of us of flesh and blood. Do sneering, evil characters exist? Well, maybe, but they aren’t very interesting, and I think a weak trope.

Gregory's book list on anti-heroes of fantasy fiction

What is my book about?

Born the half-breed, bastard son of an orc chieftain, Wrank tries to survive life in OrcHome among ignorance and spite aimed at his human heritage even as he develops a Talent for folding shadow. When life is no longer viable among the clans, he escapes into the world of humans where he once again encounters intolerance from thieves, wizards, priests, and assassins.

With the eyes of imps, demons, miscreant gods, and a changeling upon him, can he survive In Human Shadow even though his future is foretold, his death foreseen?

In Human Shadow

By Gregory J. Glanz,

What is this book about?

Born the half-breed, bastard son of an orc chieftain, Wrank tries to survive life in OrcHome among ignorance and spite aimed at his human heritage even as he develops a Talent for folding shadow. When life is no longer viable among the clans, he escapes into the world of humans where he once again encounters intolerance from thieves, wizards, priests and assassins. With the eyes of imps, demons, miscreant gods, and a changeling upon him, can he survive In Human Shadow even though his future is foretold, his death foreseen?


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