Let’s talk about our favorite badass female protagonists, shall we?
Julie:
I’ve already mentioned how I adore heroines who are strong and intelligent. I’m gonna list a couple of my favorite badass female protags in each category, but this is by no means a full list. I just don’t want to sound like a broken record.
Heroines displaying baddass resourcefullness and intelligence that get them out of tough situations:
- Hermione Granger – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
- Sydney Sage – Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead
Heroines with true badass physical strength/abilities:
- Rose Hathaway – Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
- Faythe Sanders – Shifters series by Rachel Vincent
Heroines who have badass inner strength and protect the ones they love selflessly:
- Claire Fraser – Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
- Katniss Everdeen – Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Rose:
I love a female protagonist who is both fierce and vulnerable. Compassionate and intelligent. Here are few that make my list of best badass female leads:
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games
Claire Fraser from Outlander
Tatiana Metanova from The Bronze Horseman
Maddie and Julie from Code Name Verity
Lynn:
Sure, there are the usual females on the lists. Hermione, Katniss, Claire Fraser and Tris from Divergent stand out among the best. But let’s try some more obscure female protagonists.
- Calaena from Throne of Glass – a kick-butt assassin.
- Davy from the Uninvited series – she doesn’t start out as physically strong, but works up to it over the series.
- Amelia Peabody from Elizabeth Peters – a strong independent woman, before society accepted such a woman.
- Ivy from the Wicked series – she can hold her own against the Fae in New Orleans.
- Karou from the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series – willing to sacrifice herself to save her friends.
- Diana Bishop from the All Souls trilogy – smart, brave, and a witch in love with a vampire.
[…] Julie, Rose, and Lynn discuss badass female protagonists. […]
[…] ladies over at ChapterBreak are sharing their favorite strong female protagonists. I haven’t read about everyone mentioned, so thanks for making my TBR pile a little bigger! I […]
What a fun topic! And great lists. I concur on the ones you’ve included here. And how about Stephanie Plum? She is an unintentional badass.
Sue
I’ve only read the first Stephanie Plum book, so maybe she gets more interesting as the series progresses. Thanks Sue 🙂
Yay for Sydney Sage!! You just reminded me that I still need to finish that series. I love her!
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She is pretty awesome!:)
I’m familiar with most of the heroines on your lists, ladies. And I too am really fond of a kickass heroine. They’re so much more interesting to read about than a simpering girl who needs saving. 😉 I am going to have to check out a few you listed though…I haven’t met them all.
Bookworm Brandee recently posted…That’s What HE Said #32 ~ Thirty Thursday & Hungry Hearts #11
Yea we definitely don’t enjoy reading about characters that need to be saved all the time. 🙂
Oh, I love this topic! There are so many lovely female protagonists that I could name, but I think I’m going to go with one who is a bit less traditionally badass – Alice, from “The Truth about Alice”. She puts up with so much bullying & slut-shaming during the book, but I’ve always been so proud and in awe of the fact that she never once lets it break her. There is so much inner strength in the way she manages to endure day after day – it’s something I sort of want to shout from the rooftops, because I think that’s the most beautiful thing there is.
Ooh I like the unique turn you took with this topic! I’m curious about that book, though it sounds like a lot of drama too.
Katniss and Hermione are my favourite female protagonists!! One is intelligent and the other is totalllyyyyy kickass!! I need more characters like them!! Love this post!
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Yes, let’s combine them into a kick-ass and intelligent character, huh? 🙂
Katniss from Hunger Games is one of my favorite bad ass heroines. I also love Marie from All the light we cannot see. I loved her!
Cynthia @ Bingeing On Books recently posted…BOOK REVIEW: Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Agree with you on Katniss, Cynthia!
Your lists are very good, ladies 🙂 They contain many of the names I would choose as well. And what an excellent idea for a post!
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Thanks, Ramona!
Claire would definitely top my list! I adore Amelia, Lynn, even though I only read 2 or 3 of those books.
Julie and Maddie in Code Name Verity. Gah! I can’t stop talking about this book and it has been a year since I listened to it.
Cinder, Scarlet and Cress (The Lunar Chronicles). Danielle, Snow and Talia from Jim C. Hines’s The Princess Series.
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I read a bunch of the Amelia books, Terri. Then Ramses grew up and they stopped being interesting! And I was totally thinking of the Lunar Chronicles girls, but couldn’t pick just one, so didn’t pick any.
I’m listening to Code Name Verity right now, so I know what you’re talking about. These girls are awesome!
Ug, make sure to have kleenexes handy, Julie. I hit a crucial point in the story and I was sitting at a stoplight just a couple blocks from my house and was sobbing.
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