Comments on Best "Strong Female" Fantasy Novels - page 5

i really like this list but a lot of the HP books are on it for some reason? at places 10, 46. 118. 125. 130. 132 respectively.
also the horse and his boy 161 and percy jackson 180
none of these even have female leads???

Aurora, I haven't read any of the Percy Jackson books, so I'll take your word on that one. Personally, I wouldn't classify the Harry Potter books as "fantasy" in the same sense that books set in a different world are; but some people use the term fantasy more broadly, so I don't quibble over it. If you accept the series as fantasy, I think the people who voted for it here were thinking of Hermione as the strong female. She's definitely a major character, and certainly strong.

It's true that in The Horse and His Boy, Bree and Shasta are the title characters. But the runaway Calormen aristocrat Aravis is pretty much a co-protagonist along with Shasta. She's a strong, smart girl who faces physical and moral challenges with courage and resourcefulness, and acquits herself very well. IMO, there's a good case for including that book on the list.

I managed to go through the entire list today. Most of the science fiction, dystopian, historical fiction, romances, mysteries, thrillers, realistic fiction and horror books that do not also have an element of fantasy are gone. I'm sure there are still some books present that don't belong on this list, but I'm going to take a break.

Please check to see if your book is fantasy rather than science fiction or dystopian before adding it to the list. This was far and away the most frequent error I corrected.

This is a great list, and well worth the effort.

Rory wrote: "This is a great list, and well worth the effort." Rory, those of us fans who like this list really appreciate your effort! You go way above and beyond the call of duty to keep the list true to its focus, and you deserve a very hearty thanks from all of us.

Werner wrote: "Rory wrote: "This is a great list, and well worth the effort." Rory, those of us fans who like this list really appreciate your effort! You go way above and beyond the call of duty to keep the li..."

Awwww! Thank you Werner. :)

Can you pretty please add: Hush Hush series, Darkness Before Dawn, Fallen, and hunger Games series? Thanks, and awesome list:D

Amanda_S55 wrote: "Can you pretty please add: Hush Hush series, Darkness Before Dawn, Fallen, and hunger Games series? Thanks, and awesome list:D"

Hunger Games is science fiction and would not belong on this list.

The Jennifer estep elemental assassin books are not there so I added it. Its truly an awesome series I'll recommend every fantasy lover to read.
The Spider

@Amanda, there are multiple books with the titles, Darkness Before Dawn and Fallen. What are the author names?
Hunger games is Dystopian and doesn't qualify for this list.

Removed duplicates, and a number of paranormal romances.

Amy, a quick question for you, as the list creator: if an omnibus volume of a fantasy trilogy, etc. is listed here, how do you feel about the individual novels also being listed? (I can see arguments on both sides of that question.) There are a couple of omnibus volumes I've voted for; but I've hesitated to vote for individual books that are included in them, for fear of "duplication."

Removed several science fiction, dystopian and paranormal romances in which the female damsel in distress character is saved by the brave werewolf or vampire.

I do see some duplicates on here that are different editions or formats. The duplication removal tool doesn't seem to catch some of them.

List clean up continued.

Werner wrote: "Amy, a quick question for you, as the list creator: if an omnibus volume of a fantasy trilogy, etc. is listed here, how do you feel about the individual novels also being listed? (I can see argume..."

Goodreads stopped notifying me of these things. I think that if one is already getting votes you're only going to detract from its placement, but I also think that is something that no librarian should have to police that in addition to shooting down The Hunger Games, so I don't think it matters that much. Sorry for the non answer.

Rory wrote: "List clean up continued."

Thank you for all your work :-)

Amy

Amy wrote: "If one is already getting votes you're only going to detract from its placement". Good point, Amy; thanks!

I don't know if this list is still being maintained but I think The Selection at number 291 needs to be removed.

Jennie, I'm sure the list is still being maintained. I read the description of The Selection; but based on that, I'm not comfortable with removing it from the list myself (because it does seem to have fantasy elements, and it isn't clear whether or not the heroine is "strong" in some sense). I'd rather have that call made by a Goodreads librarian who's actually familiar with the book. Sorry I can't be more helpful!

I love Harry Potter and everything, but I don't see how it could be classified as a "Strong Female Lead". Or at least not this one. Maybe the second or last book could be considered that.

The second book actually shows Hermione at her weakest (won't spoil by getting more specific). The third book, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," is the one in which she shines brightest. IMO.

You're welcome Amy. :)
Hi Werner! glad to see you're still plugging away.

@ Sawyer and Kelley, I agree with you both.

I want to emphasize a few things from the list description that are being ignored:

"Even more important than the Fantasy aspect: Please think about the "strong" female aspect of this list before adding a book! These women kick ass! "

I appreciate that you love children's books that have female characters at their center, I do as well, but this list is for ass kicking women characters. Every book that has a girl in it doesn't go on this list. Make a new list for fantasy children's books with a female hero.

From Wikipedia
"Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are common. Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three, all of which are sub-genres of speculative fiction."

It's a very flexible definition, but there is a difference between paranormal romance and fantasy. If you're in love with a ghost, vampire, werewolf or other supernatural being and that's the theme of the story, it's a paranormal romance.
Fantasy also requires a bit of world building. Many paranormal stories or paranormal romances take place in our world and play it's rules. If the only thing "fantasy" about a book is one character, and they live in our world and are bound by our rules, it's not a fantasy novel.

Also, straight on horror stories are not fantasy, put them on a horror list.

I'm trying to stay true to the original purpose here. If every book can be on every list they cease to be helpful to people looking for books to read in a certain genre. This list is for ass kicking women in the fantasy genre. And it's (in my opinion) the best one of it's kind on Goodreads.

Rory wrote: "If every book can be on every list they cease to be helpful to people looking for books to read in a certain genre." Well said, Rory!

Wonderful post, Rory.

I search this list in hope to find fantasy novels in which the heroine saves the day, through such traits as courage, determination, and skill. I want to read books in which SHE plays the central role in vanquishing evil and protecting those in trouble.

The trouble with Hermione Granger is that, awesome as she is, even in "Prisoner of Azkaban" she is not the hero. She's hero support. How many other books on this list have a female lead who is essentially the sidekick -- who doesn't save the day but helps the boy or man who does? Maybe awesome sidekicks deserve a list of their own.

At least their inclusion on a list like this makes some sense. I'm more mystified by the inclusion of "damsel stories" -- stories in which a female lead (even if she is the POV character) exists primarily to love a powerful male character and be rescued by him. I agree with Rory: we need to consider what "strong female" really means, and understand what separates the heroine from the damsel.

I don't know why Shiver is on here. Grace is hardly a strong protagonist. That is, unless "strong" means judgmental and uncaring. You might as well put Twilight on the list.

bella is more kick ass than many girls of this list. She's the opposite of a victim. She is not super strong at the beginning and she kinda had to grow up throughout the series,but none of the girls in this list would be able to take out vampire bella in a fight.

It's okay if YOU don't like twilight. That doesn't make Bella a weakling. I'm voting for vampire bella because you should know that nobody could take down vampire bella.

Veronica, for what it's worth, I actually completely agree with you about Bella (although I personally don't define either the Twilight Saga or the Wolves of Mercy Falls series as "fantasy," in the same sense that, say, The Deed of Paksenarrion is). BUT, the parameters of a Goodreads list are defined by the list creator. In this case, Amy explicitly stated, in the list description, that she did NOT intend for Bella to be included. If you want to, you can start a list of your own. But if you add any of the Twilight books to this list, they'll have to be deleted as inappropriate.

"My brain will never work right. At least I'm pretty."

Is this line really in the Twilight books? Because it really does not sound like something a capable heroine would say.

Kelly, there are four thick books that make up the Twilight Saga, and I read the last one six years ago. I can't say for certain that the line isn't in there somewhere. But I can say that I don't remember that line, nor anything to similar effect. It definitely does NOT sound like something Bella would ever say (at least not seriously), and I can say the same for Alice, Rosalie, Leah, and Tanya and her sisters. It could be something Bella's school friend Jessica (who's something of an airhead) might say.

Werner wrote: "Kelly, there are four thick books that make up the Twilight Saga, and I read the last one six years ago. I can't say for certain that the line isn't in there somewhere. But I can say that I don't..."

I'm not sure if this is just my hatred for Twilight blinding me, but I personally could see Bella saying that. She did say something similar to that to Jacob in the New Moon movie ("I'm not like a motorcycle, I'm never gonna run right," or something along those lines), but I'm not sure about the books.

In the books, Bella (like many teenage girls) doesn't see herself as pretty at all.

Eva wrote: "Kelley wrote: ""My brain will never work right. At least I'm pretty."

she never said that

Is this line really in the Twilight books? Because it really does not sound like something a capable he..."

Yes, but movies occasionally borrow lines directly from the book. A 5-year-old could also tell you this.

Honestly, I just said that as an afterthought more than anything else. I didn't mean to offend anybody.

I think The Hunger Games was taken off the list because it isn't Fantasy. It's dystopian SF.

Kelley wrote: "I think The Hunger Games was taken off the list because it isn't Fantasy. It's dystopian SF."

Mandy, Kelley's explanation is correct. This was discussed specifically in some of the earlier comments, but I don't remember the numbers (and of course with a comment string this long, they're hard to find!).

Why isn't Incarnate by Jodi Meadows in the top 25? Ana is one of the strongest female fantasy protagonists I've ever read about. I am not sure if I even saw the book on this list.

Great list :)

Can anyone recommend an adult fantasy book about a heroine? I wanted to read Graceling but noticed it was about a teenager and in the girls and Being a Teen category on Amazon. I love young adult but want to find something different at the moment.

I'm trying to find non-young adult fantasy about strong adult women (20+ preferably older) written by women. It seems to be really hard to find non-young adult fantasy about a heroine written by female authors. Something like The Mists of Avalon perhaps.

thanks

I hear where you're coming from. The dominance of YA and Urban Fantasy on a list like this can be quite disheartening, if you're like me and you enjoy a good Epic or Second-World Fantasy geared toward adult readers and featuring a female protagonist. But there are some. Let me share a few I voted for:

Juliet Marillier's original "Sevenwaters" Trilogy (Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, Child of the Prophecy).

Robin Hobb's "Liveship Traders" trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship, Ship of Destiny)

Lois McMaster Bujold's "Paladin of Souls"

Juliet Marillier's "Heart's Blood" and "Dreamer's Pool"

Sharon Shinn's "Twelve Houses" novels, starting with "Mystic and Rider."

Mercedes Lackey's "Elemental Masters" series -- my faves are "Phoenix and Ashes," "The Serpent's Shadow," and "The Wizard of London" (although the leads in the last one are young, it's not marketed as YA).

Kate Elliot's "Spiritwalker Trilogy" -- "Cold Magic," "Cold Fire," and "Cold Steel"

Vonda McIntyre's "Dreamsnake." I did first see this with a YA-type cover, but it is NOT YA.

Michelle West's "The Broken Crown," the first in a big epic fantasy series, "The Sun Sword." These books can be tough to track down, but there are quite a few female characters in central roles.

A. Evermore wrote: "Great list :)

Can anyone recommend an adult fantasy book about a heroine? I wanted to read Graceling but noticed it was about a teenager and in the girls and Being a Teen category on Amazon. I lov..."

A. Evermore, my personal gold standard for fantasy books featuring an adult warrior heroine are the novels that make up the Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy, by Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion). When Paks runs away from home to become a mercenary soldier at the begining of the first book, she's about 18 years old; but the series is definitely not YA-oriented.

Although Patricia C. Wrede [pronounced Reedy] writes a good deal of YA fantasy, such as her The Enchanted Forest Chronicles series, her novel Caught in Crystal is for adults and features a combat-capable heroine who's a 30-something single mom. (This is the fourth novel in her Lyra series, but I haven't read the others.) She concentrates on world building and character development here, but the book has action scenes, too.

Between these suggestions and Kelley's list, hopefully you'll find some reading possibilities!

Paramerion

May I suggest Paramerion by M. Topping.

Werner wrote: "A. Evermore wrote: "Great list :)

Can anyone recommend an adult fantasy book about a heroine? I wanted to read Graceling but noticed it was about a teenager and in the girls and Being a Teen categ..."

Thank you so much, you made my day :)

You're welcome, A! Glad we could help.

Kelley wrote: "I hear where you're coming from. The dominance of YA and Urban Fantasy on a list like this can be quite disheartening, if you're like me and you enjoy a good Epic or Second-World Fantasy geared tow..."

Thanks so much Kelley :) I shall definitely be checking those out!

Lucille wrote: "Jamie wrote: "Hmm... I've only read a few. I adore the Vampire Academy and Graceling series books but I think I'm the only person who finds something annoying about the Mortal Instruments books. Ot..."

I think Isabelle Lightwood from Mortal instrument is a very strong female character. And Clarissa , she too has certain kind of strong nature..

there are only nine of the top 25 i havent read but i've read all the top 10

Can I just say that I love the fact that Matilda is included? Out of the books on this list that is probably one of the most prime examples of a strong female heroine. Bravo for not just including the paranormal romance books!

Am I the only person who thinks Vampire Academy should be removed from the list, because she was kinda... wimpy.

I think you should really consider only having one book from each series on the list, instead of allowing multiple books from the same series, such as the whole of Vampire Academy, House of Night, etc. It will allow other authors and strong female leads to have a chance on this list. :)

Catherine wrote: "I think you should really consider only having one book from each series on the list, instead of allowing multiple books from the same series, such as the whole of Vampire Academy, House of Night, ..."

I think that there's something to be said for Catherine's suggestion. In a very long list, books from a few long-running series can tend to dominate, and prevent list users from being exposed to as many new ideas for reading as they would be otherwise.

Well, I just spent an hour going over this again, and I had to remove about half of everything that had been added since I last worked on this list.

Please, check the genre of your book, read the list description up top, and make sure that your choice has a kick ass protagonist before adding it.

Thanks for all the hard work you put in on this list, Rory! It's much appreciated.

Thanks Rory! :)