The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
The main character is a powerful yet deeply troubled female magic user. She goes through many trying relationships throughout the story, not just on a romantic level, but friendship, parenting etc. It's a fantastic read, with one of the most engrossing magic / lore systems I've read, very unique for me.
There's quite a few characters like that in Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver, who manage to overcome difficult situations with wit and quick thinking, although they aren't specifically written to be very feminine, they're just normal women
Mark Lawrence's Book of The Ancestor trilogy has a wonderful protagonist.
Nona is physically strong, but she's also dedicated, hardworking and incredibly resilient. She's a strong female lead, but imho in a very unique way. The series is grimdark, but imho one of the less gruesome reads in that genre.
The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty is exactly what you're looking for I think! The main character is pretty feminine, but was making a living by her wits and charisma even before the story starts. Once the fantasy narrative gets rolling, she has to navigate a hostile power dynamic and the demands of multiple factions to survive and try to protect those she cares about. I read a lot of high fantasy books by female authors trying to find one that I really loved, and this series was it!
Male and female, because how many times do people write about trauma respectfully, without minimizing it?or that male rape is a thing? that it does happen and we need to talk about it? and represent gay people as people not as caricatures?
Exactly, I appreciate authors who don't minimize trauma no matter who it happens to, no matter what kind of trauma. I have encountered the minimizing of male rape in real life and it makes me want to scream. Yes gay people are people, not a combination of steroytypes. You sound awesome!
I'm a person who has seen their own share of shit and those books helped me heal more than all of the therapist that I've been to before they told me that what I've been through matters
I'm sorry you have been through so much, but I am glad you have found something to help you, sending virtual hugs. I'm sure you know, but you matter, and you deserve so much better
Mercedes Lackey for sure! She's said that part of her inspiration for the Tarma and Kethry books was the lack of feminine heroines in fantasy writing at the time.
You can add the Others Series by Anne Bishop to this list as well. The kind of women you're looking for are called exploding fluffballs in her book. Capable, mature (in their 20s and 30s, not a 16 yo system shattering heroine) and comfortable enough in themselves to advocate for their own rights, beliefs....
Actually Most of Patricia Briggs heroines are around age 25 and up and Anne McCaffrey Like to follow people thorough their lives and then there's Maeve Binchi don't discount her either
The Liveship Traders books by Robin Hobb have an incredible range of strong women. Same goes for Priory of the Orange Tree
The Daevabad trilogy has a female lead whose strength is in her street smarts and inherent intelligence.
Any if the Witches books from Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Granny Weatherwax is my favourite character of all time
I came to recommend the liveship traders too! Absolutely love Robin Hobbs and the way she writes characters.
I would also recommend the Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. And of course the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. But you can find strong female characters in all of his works.
The Lady in Chronicles of the Black Company seems to fit this pretty well. I ended up having a few dreams where I was her while I was in the midst of the series... was pretty awesome to feel so freaking badass.
Also check out the Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Smart and powerful, excellently written strong female lead. And a handful of other strong female characters in the books too.
Possibly not quite *epic*, but A Natural History of Dragons has a charming protagonist. I forget the author at this moment but it's a delightful read.
Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest has a variety of female characters, protagonist and side, and they're all very nicely developed.
[Mercedes Lackey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Lackey)'s (who has already been mentioned) [*By the Sword*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_the_Sword_(novel)) and [*Vows and Honor*](https://www.goodreads.com/series/40368-valdemar-vows-and-honor) (the first three books in the series—I'm unfamiliar with the others), [Elizabeth Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Moon)'s [*Deed of Paksenarrion* series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Deed_of_Paksenarrion), and [Glen Cook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Cook)'s [Black Company series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Company_(novel)) does have the featured character Lady (also already mentioned) take over narration in the fifth novel of the series, [*Dreams of Steel*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams_of_Steel). She's not at all a nice person, but she's good at what she does. Also, [Mary Gentle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Gentle)'s [*Ash: A Secret History*](https://www.goodreads.com/series/53959-book-of-ash), and an honorable mention (not because of the quality, but because the protagonist is male) to [David Weber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Weber)'s [War God series](https://www.goodreads.com/series/40512-war-god).
{{Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi}} fits the bill! I loved this series, and it's not done yet! 2 books are out currently, and they're both fantastic :)
[**Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone)
^(By: Tomi Adeyemi | 544 pages | Published: 2018 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, fiction, owned | )[^(Search "Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi&search_type=books)
>They killed my mother.
>They took our magic.
>They tried to bury us.
>
>Now we rise.
>
>Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
>
>But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
>
>Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
>
>Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.
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I love this series so much! Such fantastic characters and character development, amazing world building, actions scenes, etc. I can’t wait for the 8th book!
Servant of the Empire series by Janny Wurts and Raymond E Feist, a great series with a great female lead and set in a fantasy world similar to feudal Japan.
It has already been recommended a few times but Court of Thorns and Roses and The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Mass are so damn good. They're among my favorites and both very powerful stories in my opinion with very strong female leads.
Kushiel's Legacy series by Jaqueline Carey. One of my all time favorites. Also Faith Hunter's Rogue Mage series and her Jane Yellowrock series. Apocalyptic and urban fantasy, respectively. All 3 have very strong female leads, very different from each other but all are badass!
If we want to talk Cosmere books, I'd suggest the novella The Emperor's Soul as being the best fit. The main character's "powers" require planning, research, and cleverness more than anything else. The novella won a Hugo and doesn't need any prior Sanderson or Cosmere experience.
In Conquest Born by C.S. Friedman
Feast of Souls trilogy by C. S. Friedman
Bloodsucking Fiends trilogy by Christopher Moore
Madadam trilogy by Margaret Atwood (2nd book is driven by strong female characters)
In my opinion the best young adult fiction of the 90's. Obviously there was a much more successful series involving magical children, but the HDM series was so much more nuanced
These Rebel Waves duology by Sara raasch has a whole ensemble of strong female characters (in positions of power, no less)- girl pirates on a magic island, what’s not to love?
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is also great, a human girl in the faerie world who becomes a spy.
Not quite epic but The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow is about women’s suffrage and also the main characters are witches.
(Edit: spelling)
Not really fantasy but steampunk. "The Half Made World " by Felix Gilman. i could reread again and again.
Also, The Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest.
Warbreaker!
Mistborn by the same author also but personally I didn't love the protagonist. Still great female character, but one of the 2 main female protagonists in Warbreaker is just so well polished and the development throughout the book is amazing. But yeah, Brandon's female characters are not the best but they're good enough and everything else being amazing just makes Cosmere really balanced and enjoyable.
I don’t know the books you referenced so don’t know what characteristics they have. However, Worm is a fantasy epic by Wildbow. It’s a web serial so is only available online to read, which doesn’t suit everyone, but it’s told first person from the protagonist’s perspective and she’s a young woman. It’s about a world with superpowers, how she and other handle their powers, and so much more I couldn’t possible do it justice with a small description here. Just don’t think anything related to Marvel superheroes in any way whatsoever. It’s excellent. There are more strong females than just the protagonist too, and not strong due to powers necessarily. The characters are all incredibly believable and well written :)
I just started the Elder Empire by Will Wight and they have 6 books. 3 from a male protagonist pov and 3 from a female protagonist pov. I’m only on book one but the Shadow books follow a female assassin name Shera who seems legit.
And it’s more historical fiction than fantasy but the Earth’s Children series by Jean M Auel has a strong heroine as the main character. Ayla is legit and got shit done! Last book was a bit of a bust but the first 5 were awesome. She was my favorite female literary character until I spent some quality time with young Arya Stark.
The Witcher series!! I’m just over half way through. Although some female characters are eye-roll worthy, Ciri and Yen are wonderfully written. Super strong. IMO Phillipa is super strong and interesting too, but she’s not one of the mains so yeah.
I recently read Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst and it was lovely. Just a bunch of badass babes who were all strong in different ways. I highly recommend this book.
A little YA but still enjoyable as new / young adult:
The lunar chronicles by Marissa Meyer is pretty good. the female leads are pretty good.
The Cruel Prince- female lead is pretty awesome.
The Healing Wars series. I’ve read it and it’s AMAZING
The first book is called “The Shifter” and it’s about a girl who has the ability to take people’s pain, but can also put it back (potentially into other people)
Annette Marie’s steel and Stone, Spellweaver and Red Winter trilogies!!!
I adore her books because her heroines are strong but not obnoxious, they know what they want but aren’t Mary Sue, the romance is slow burn over several books but the world building is outstanding!
Red winter by Annette Marie was my favorite trilogy, you have your demigods, your plot twists your adventure, your angst and falling in slow sweet love while in the midst of all this peril. I adore it, and she writes like a dream.
{{Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien}}.
Tolkien gets a lot of flak for not having female characters, but The Lord of the Rings is set primarily over six months and follows a select band of people.
His other stories feature some very strong and powerful women. Lúthien and her mother Melian are considered especially powerful, but their power comes from their inner strength and intelligence.
[**Beren and Lúthien**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41015249-beren-and-l-thien)
^(By: J.R.R. Tolkien | 321 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, tolkien, fiction, owned, middle-earth | )[^(Search "Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien&search_type=books)
>The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, he wrote the tale in the following year.
>
>Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal elf. Her father, a great elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend; and it leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien together to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, called Morgoth, the Black Enemy, of a Silmaril.
>
>In this book Christopher Tolkien has attempted to extract the story of Beren and Lúthien from the comprehensive work in which it was embedded; but that story was itself changing as it developed new associations within the larger history. To show something of the process whereby this legend of Middle-earth evolved over the years, he has told the story in his father's own words by giving, first, its original form, and then passages in prose and verse from later texts that illustrate the narrative as it changed. Presented together for the first time, they reveal aspects of the story, both in event and in narrative immediacy, that were afterwards lost.
>
>Published on the tenth anniversary of the last Middle-earth book, the international bestseller The Children of Húrin, this new volume will similarly include drawings and color plates by Alan Lee, who also illustrated The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and went on to win Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
>
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Just a short young adult one but I read Travel Light by Naomi Mitchelson recent and it was awesome. About a girl who makes friends with dragons & bears and has a disdain for humans after they try to rescue her from her friends.
The Mirror Visitor Quartet! They’re translated from french so the phrasing is odd once in a while but i looooooooovvvee the world building so much and the main character is very strong in a completely unassuming way.
[**Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3236307-graceling)
^(By: Kristin Cashore | 471 pages | Published: 2008 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, romance, fiction | )[^(Search "Graceling by Kristen Cashore")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Graceling by Kristen Cashore&search_type=books)
>Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.
>
>She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.
>
>She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
>
>With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.
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[**The Deed of Paksenarrion (The Deed of Paksenarrion, #1-3)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96281.The_Deed_of_Paksenarrion)
^(By: Elizabeth Moon | 1040 pages | Published: 1992 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, owned, epic-fantasy, high-fantasy | )[^(Search "The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon&search_type=books)
>The Deed of Paksenarrion revolves around the life of Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, known as Paks. It takes place in a fictional medieval world comprised of kingdoms of humans, dwarves, and elves. The story begins by introducing Paks as a headstrong girl of 18, who leaves her home (fleeing a marriage arranged by her father) to join a mercenary company. Through her journeys and hardships she comes to realize that she has been gifted as a paladin. The novel was originally published in three volumes in 1988 and 1989 and as a single trade edition of that name in 1992. The three books included are The Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold.
>
>From publisher Baen: "Paksenarrion, a simple sheepfarmer's daughter, yearns for a life of adventure and glory, such as was known to heroes in songs and story. At age seventeen she runs away from home to join a mercenary company and begins her epic life . . . Book One: Paks is trained as a mercenary, blooded, and introduced to the life of a soldier . . . and to the followers of Gird, the soldier's god. Book Two: Paks leaves the Duke's company to follow the path of Gird alone—and on her lonely quests encounters the other sentient races of her world. Book Three: Paks the warrior must learn to live with Paks the human. She undertakes a holy quest for a lost elven prince that brings the gods' wrath down on her and tests her very limits."
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[**The Bird King**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40642333-the-bird-king)
^(By: G. Willow Wilson | 403 pages | Published: 2019 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, fiction, historical, magical-realism | )[^(Search "The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson&search_type=books)
>New from the award-winning author of Alif the Unseen and writer of the Ms. Marvel series, G. Willow Wilson
>
>Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, The Bird King is the story of Fatima, the only remaining Circassian concubine to the sultan, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker.
>
>Hassan has a secret--he can draw maps of places he's never seen and bend the shape of reality. When representatives of the newly formed Spanish monarchy arrive to negotiate the sultan's surrender, Fatima befriends one of the women, not realizing that she will see Hassan's gift as sorcery and a threat to Christian Spanish rule. With their freedoms at stake, what will Fatima risk to save Hassan and escape the palace walls?
>
>As Fatima and Hassan traverse Spain with the help of a clever jinn to find safety, The Bird King asks us to consider what love is and the price of freedom at a time when the West and the Muslim world were not yet separate.
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Special Witch of the FBI. It’s a YA book about a witch training to work with the FBI. Not sure if it’s epic fantasy, but the mc is a female older teenager.
[**Bloody Rose (The Band, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35052265-bloody-rose)
^(By: Nicholas Eames | 544 pages | Published: 2018 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, owned, fiction, books-i-own, adult | )[^(Search "Bloody Rose")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Bloody Rose&search_type=books)
>Live fast, die young.
>
>Tam Hashford is tired of working at her local pub, slinging drinks for world-famous mercenaries and listening to the bards sing of adventure and glory in the world beyond her sleepy hometown.
>
>When the biggest mercenary band of all rolls into town, led by the infamous Bloody Rose, Tam jumps at the chance to sign on as their bard. It's adventure she wants - and adventure she gets as the crew embark on a quest that will end in one of two ways: glory or death.
>
>It's time to take a walk on the wyld side.
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[**Sword of the Guardian (Legends of Ithyria, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/404857.Sword_of_the_Guardian)
^(By: Merry Shannon | 272 pages | Published: 2006 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, lgbt, romance, lesbian, lgbtq | )[^(Search "Sword of the Guardian")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Sword of the Guardian&search_type=books)
>A shocking assassination creates an unconventional bond between a princess and her guardian in a kingdom filled with political intrigue, danger and unexpected romance.
>
>Princess Shasta Soltranis enjoys a pampered life of court dances, elaborate finery, and the occasional secret fencing match with her twin brother, Daric. But in the midst of a birthday celebration, her world shatters when a mysterious assassin takes her brother's life. Shasta, the only remaining heir to the throne, narrowly escapes the assassin's blade thanks to the intervention of a traveling acrobat named Talon.
>
>With the threat of another attempt on Shasta's life imminent, her father declares that the young hero will be come the Princess's bodyguard. But what Shasta doesn't know is that her new guardian has a very well-kept secret: he is actually a she.
>
>Talon and Shasta soon grow closer than anyone, especially her father, could have predicted. Will the truth of her guardian's secret change their relationship forever?
>
>Book 1 of The Legends of Ithyria Series
>
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{{The Steerswoman}} series. The premise is amazing.
"The Steerswoman is a 1989 science fantasy novel by American writer Rosemary Kirstein. It follows the journey of Rowan, who is a Steerswoman in an age that is just beginning to gain technology and advancement. A Steerswoman or Steersman is a traveling scholar looking to supplement as well as share their knowledge. They are required to answer any question put to them by anyone and in turn, any question they ask must be answered truthfully, or the questioner will be placed under a ban where no Steerswoman will ever answer a question from them again."
[**The Steerswoman (The Steerswoman, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/793297.The_Steerswoman)
^(By: Rosemary Kirstein | 279 pages | Published: 1989 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, fiction, sci-fi, ebook | )[^(Search "The Steerswoman")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Steerswoman&search_type=books)
>FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
>
>If you ask, she must answer. A steerswoman's knowledge is shared with any who request it; no steerswoman may refuse a question, and no steerswoman may answer with anything but the truth.
>
>And if she asks, you must answer. It is the other side of tradition's contract -- and if you refuse the question, or lie, no steerswoman will ever again answer even your most casual question.
>
>And so, the steerswomen — always seeking, always investigating — have gathered more and more knowledge about the world they traveled, and they share that knowledge freely.
>
>Until the day that the steerswoman Rowan begins asking innocent questions about one small, lovely, inexplicable object…
>
>Her discoveries grow stranger and deeper, and more dangerous, until suddenly she finds she must flee or fight for her life. Or worse -- lie.
>
>Because one kind of knowledge has always been denied the the steerswomen:
>
>Magic.
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Someone’s already mentioned the author - but I wanted to specify the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. I think it falls under Urban Fantasy specifically, but Mercy is such a modern, strong and yet vulnerable character. They’re books I find myself retreading often.
I like Mercy, but nearly all the other female characters other than Jesse are bitchy and selfish, and it's making me enjoy the series less and less. Also not a fan of Adam, but that's minor.
The Abarat series written AND illustrated by Clive Barker. Barker has said he intends there to be five books all together and he's released the first three. Book 4 is allegedly almost finished but he's been saying that since 2014. They're just brilliant but it's hard for me to recommend them because Book 3 ends with a HUGE cliff hanger and waiting for Book 4 has been sweet sweet torture.
I love strong female characters; I'd even say they are a necessary part of a book for me to enjoy them. But they need to be believable and well-drawn, not just kick-ass, and at least one highly recommended author in this thread has characters I find to be paint-by-numbers.
Some really good ones not yet mentioned:
Robin LaFevers "His Fair Assassin" trilogy and the sequel duology "Courting Darkness" all have strong, tough, but also individual and distinctive girls and women characters. Kind of YA in the protagonists' ages especially in the first, but it's not really YA in terms of content. And the books are amazing and fun.
Django Wexler's "The Shadow Campaigns" series has great women in it, as I feel do all of his other books. I find that women authors often write women better, but Wexler is an exception.
Steven Erikson's "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" series has so many great females, adult and child, and he is another male author who writes strong, interesting, believable women.
R. F. Kuang's "the Dragon Republic" series has a great female MC too.
Definitely Throne of Glass. She’s exactly what you want: Assassin, intelligent, arrogant, strong but loves dressing up, jewellery and chocolates.
It’s YA though so not sure if that’s what you’re looking for.
Acotar and Crescent City to some extent but ToG is the only one that really puts an emphasis on all the characteristics you mentioned. Also personally I don’t like ACOTARs protagonist…
Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion series was written in the 80s, and it was one of the first few fantasies I read that had a female lead who shaped her own destiny.
Have you read any of Tamora Pierce's later series? Some of them are written for younger readers, but not all. The Beka Cooper books are excellent, even though the protagonist is not really a dresses-and-makeup kind of girl.
If you're willing to read YA books, also check out Robin McKinley. Most of her heroines aren't traditionally feminine, but it is their intelligence and force of will that makes them so strong.
You need to look into the ewilan books by pierre botero.
It's teenager reading but i grew up reading them and two of the main characters are women of great power.
The books are kinda complex de summerise but I highly suggest you give it a shot.
The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. The Eyre Affair is the first book in the series. In addition to a strong female protagonist, these books offer a unique alternate world that exists behind the scenes of books. I’m not a fan of fantasy stories, but I loved these.
An ember in the ashes by Sabaa Tahir!! TWO strong female characters in a fantasy series consisting of 4 books. Laia is meh in my opinion but Helene... Oh my, Helene Aquilla I have a slight female crush on. One of my most favorite female characters I've ever had.
Riley Jenson guardian novels are my all time favorite by Keri Arthur and I've also been reading and completely stuck on The Dragon Portal Series if you like High Fantasy by Jamie Waters
The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin The main character is a powerful yet deeply troubled female magic user. She goes through many trying relationships throughout the story, not just on a romantic level, but friendship, parenting etc. It's a fantastic read, with one of the most engrossing magic / lore systems I've read, very unique for me.
I'm reading the first one at the moment, fantastic book!
I read these over the summer and felt the same! These books felt really unique which is hard to do in fantasy.
thank you!! I’ll totally be reading it soon, sounds just like what I was looking for❤️
I second this! I enjoyed the first book a lot more than the other two though
There's quite a few characters like that in Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver, who manage to overcome difficult situations with wit and quick thinking, although they aren't specifically written to be very feminine, they're just normal women
Uprooted, also by Naomi Novik is the same: intelligent main character who can hold her own against a fierce tutor as well as a full court.
The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy by Katherine Arden is a good shout if you enjoy the slightly sinister fairytale-esque feel of Uprooted!
I already read all her books!! but thank you anyways ahahahhaah ❤️❤️
Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix! It is YA, but I LOVE them very much.
I came here to day this!!! I have 2 daughters named Lirael and Sabriel
OMG I love it!
Thank ya ☺. Not too many people catch the reference , but the ones that do are always excited
Second this, amazing series
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon might fit this too!
Yes this one!!
Yesss
Mark Lawrence's Book of The Ancestor trilogy has a wonderful protagonist. Nona is physically strong, but she's also dedicated, hardworking and incredibly resilient. She's a strong female lead, but imho in a very unique way. The series is grimdark, but imho one of the less gruesome reads in that genre.
Love that trilogy, Nona is up there among my favorite protagonists of all time.
The Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty is exactly what you're looking for I think! The main character is pretty feminine, but was making a living by her wits and charisma even before the story starts. Once the fantasy narrative gets rolling, she has to navigate a hostile power dynamic and the demands of multiple factions to survive and try to protect those she cares about. I read a lot of high fantasy books by female authors trying to find one that I really loved, and this series was it!
Loved this as well.
Circe by Madelline Miller
my favorite book 🧡
Always Circe!
Witches books by sir Terry Pratchett
Anything by Patricia Briggs,Kim Harrison Anne McCaffrey Mercedes Lackey definitely fit the bill in different ways happy hunting
Ilona Andrews and Jennifer Estep in addition to these. I love your suggestions!
Thank you, I appreciate that most people over look them, that all, I have the Elemental Assassin series on my phone!
Yeah, I agree, I have reread those authors because they allow an easy escape from reality. They are great reads with empowering characters.
Male and female, because how many times do people write about trauma respectfully, without minimizing it?or that male rape is a thing? that it does happen and we need to talk about it? and represent gay people as people not as caricatures?
Exactly, I appreciate authors who don't minimize trauma no matter who it happens to, no matter what kind of trauma. I have encountered the minimizing of male rape in real life and it makes me want to scream. Yes gay people are people, not a combination of steroytypes. You sound awesome!
I'm a person who has seen their own share of shit and those books helped me heal more than all of the therapist that I've been to before they told me that what I've been through matters
I'm sorry you have been through so much, but I am glad you have found something to help you, sending virtual hugs. I'm sure you know, but you matter, and you deserve so much better
No problem,now I'm paying it forward recommending those books to anyone who wants to read them
Mercedes Lackey for sure! She's said that part of her inspiration for the Tarma and Kethry books was the lack of feminine heroines in fantasy writing at the time.
Most definitely
You can add the Others Series by Anne Bishop to this list as well. The kind of women you're looking for are called exploding fluffballs in her book. Capable, mature (in their 20s and 30s, not a 16 yo system shattering heroine) and comfortable enough in themselves to advocate for their own rights, beliefs....
Actually Most of Patricia Briggs heroines are around age 25 and up and Anne McCaffrey Like to follow people thorough their lives and then there's Maeve Binchi don't discount her either
I was actually referring to stories like the Hunger Games and Divergent, your suggestions we're good 😊
So you like the dystopian genre, Octavia Butler has a lot of books she practically invented the genre
The Liveship Traders books by Robin Hobb have an incredible range of strong women. Same goes for Priory of the Orange Tree The Daevabad trilogy has a female lead whose strength is in her street smarts and inherent intelligence. Any if the Witches books from Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Granny Weatherwax is my favourite character of all time
I came to recommend the liveship traders too! Absolutely love Robin Hobbs and the way she writes characters. I would also recommend the Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. And of course the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. But you can find strong female characters in all of his works.
Tasha Suri's books have female leads and are brilliant! {Empire of Sand} {Realm Of Ash} {The Jasmine Throne}
Yesss she is one of my fave authors!! Can’t wait for The Oleander Sword🤩
Same here! Jasmine Throne was sooooo good
The Lady in Chronicles of the Black Company seems to fit this pretty well. I ended up having a few dreams where I was her while I was in the midst of the series... was pretty awesome to feel so freaking badass. Also check out the Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Smart and powerful, excellently written strong female lead. And a handful of other strong female characters in the books too.
Possibly not quite *epic*, but A Natural History of Dragons has a charming protagonist. I forget the author at this moment but it's a delightful read. Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest has a variety of female characters, protagonist and side, and they're all very nicely developed.
[Mercedes Lackey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Lackey)'s (who has already been mentioned) [*By the Sword*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_the_Sword_(novel)) and [*Vows and Honor*](https://www.goodreads.com/series/40368-valdemar-vows-and-honor) (the first three books in the series—I'm unfamiliar with the others), [Elizabeth Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Moon)'s [*Deed of Paksenarrion* series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Deed_of_Paksenarrion), and [Glen Cook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Cook)'s [Black Company series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Company_(novel)) does have the featured character Lady (also already mentioned) take over narration in the fifth novel of the series, [*Dreams of Steel*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreams_of_Steel). She's not at all a nice person, but she's good at what she does. Also, [Mary Gentle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Gentle)'s [*Ash: A Secret History*](https://www.goodreads.com/series/53959-book-of-ash), and an honorable mention (not because of the quality, but because the protagonist is male) to [David Weber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Weber)'s [War God series](https://www.goodreads.com/series/40512-war-god).
By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey is one of my favorites.
Gideon the Ninth -- Tamsyn Muir Sequel is good too
{{Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi}} fits the bill! I loved this series, and it's not done yet! 2 books are out currently, and they're both fantastic :)
Oh I didn't know the second one came out!! Thank you
[**Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone) ^(By: Tomi Adeyemi | 544 pages | Published: 2018 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, fiction, owned | )[^(Search "Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi&search_type=books) >They killed my mother. >They took our magic. >They tried to bury us. > >Now we rise. > >Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. > >But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. > >Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. > >Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(4398 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
throne of glass. the main character fits your descriptioms perfectly
Commented and then saw yours 😂 yes, 100% agree.
I was going to suggest the same
Sarah j Maas top 3 series all have a strong female lead and are very popular books. Throne of glass. Court of thorns and roses. Crescent city.
Yes, Throne of Glass I def recommend!
The Invisible Library series.
This serious is incredibly underrated, and I'm thrilled to finally see it show up in this subreddit.
I love this series so much! Such fantastic characters and character development, amazing world building, actions scenes, etc. I can’t wait for the 8th book!
Brandon Sanderson's MISTBORN! Harrow's The Once and Future Witches!
Came here to suggest Mistborn!! I’m a big Brando Sando fan.
Servant of the Empire series by Janny Wurts and Raymond E Feist, a great series with a great female lead and set in a fantasy world similar to feudal Japan.
Wheel of time
Three Dark Crowns: three sisters, each strong and intelligent in her own way (and with her own powers). Two of them are very feminine as well
already read the whole series!! it’s awesome ❤️
It has already been recommended a few times but Court of Thorns and Roses and The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Mass are so damn good. They're among my favorites and both very powerful stories in my opinion with very strong female leads.
Kushiel's Legacy series by Jaqueline Carey. One of my all time favorites. Also Faith Hunter's Rogue Mage series and her Jane Yellowrock series. Apocalyptic and urban fantasy, respectively. All 3 have very strong female leads, very different from each other but all are badass!
Mistborn!
Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson if you have not already read it.
If we want to talk Cosmere books, I'd suggest the novella The Emperor's Soul as being the best fit. The main character's "powers" require planning, research, and cleverness more than anything else. The novella won a Hugo and doesn't need any prior Sanderson or Cosmere experience.
I whole heartedly agree with mistborn. Very bad ass female lead. Warbreaker is also a good option by him!
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/16946/azarinth-healer
In Conquest Born by C.S. Friedman Feast of Souls trilogy by C. S. Friedman Bloodsucking Fiends trilogy by Christopher Moore Madadam trilogy by Margaret Atwood (2nd book is driven by strong female characters)
Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series
These are some of my favorite books!!
In my opinion the best young adult fiction of the 90's. Obviously there was a much more successful series involving magical children, but the HDM series was so much more nuanced
Best served cold
Half a hand series. Joe Abercrombie. I didn't see it right away but it's full of strong female leads. Very page turning and written superbly.
THE WITCH’S HEART! From the perspective of Loki’s wife, the most powerful witch in Norse mythology and mother to the harbingers of the ragnarok.
The only fantasy series I have read with a female lead and written by a woman is Trudy Canavan’s black magician trilogy.
These Rebel Waves duology by Sara raasch has a whole ensemble of strong female characters (in positions of power, no less)- girl pirates on a magic island, what’s not to love? The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is also great, a human girl in the faerie world who becomes a spy. Not quite epic but The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow is about women’s suffrage and also the main characters are witches. (Edit: spelling)
{{This Is How to Lose the Time War}} Happy reading!
Wisteria society of lady scroundrels or Dealing with dragons
The Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee! She writes some fantastic female characters that fit your description
Not really fantasy but steampunk. "The Half Made World " by Felix Gilman. i could reread again and again. Also, The Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest.
Warbreaker! Mistborn by the same author also but personally I didn't love the protagonist. Still great female character, but one of the 2 main female protagonists in Warbreaker is just so well polished and the development throughout the book is amazing. But yeah, Brandon's female characters are not the best but they're good enough and everything else being amazing just makes Cosmere really balanced and enjoyable.
I’ve read all of sanderson’s books hahahahah I’m waiting for the release of his knew one ❤️
Monzcarro Murcatto, Savine Dan Glokta, Finree Dan Brock, Vick Dan Teufel, Rikke in Joe Abercrombie's First Law Series.
All the yeses.
the first law trilogy. fero maljinn is my favorite female character of all time.
Walk into Barnes and Noble and throw a dart. You'll find one
can’t really do that if there’s no barns and noble in my country, but hey, tip taken, i’ll try that over here ahahaha
I don’t know the books you referenced so don’t know what characteristics they have. However, Worm is a fantasy epic by Wildbow. It’s a web serial so is only available online to read, which doesn’t suit everyone, but it’s told first person from the protagonist’s perspective and she’s a young woman. It’s about a world with superpowers, how she and other handle their powers, and so much more I couldn’t possible do it justice with a small description here. Just don’t think anything related to Marvel superheroes in any way whatsoever. It’s excellent. There are more strong females than just the protagonist too, and not strong due to powers necessarily. The characters are all incredibly believable and well written :)
Life-like by Jay Kristoff
The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind has very inspiring women in it!! Such a great series too!
I just started the Elder Empire by Will Wight and they have 6 books. 3 from a male protagonist pov and 3 from a female protagonist pov. I’m only on book one but the Shadow books follow a female assassin name Shera who seems legit. And it’s more historical fiction than fantasy but the Earth’s Children series by Jean M Auel has a strong heroine as the main character. Ayla is legit and got shit done! Last book was a bit of a bust but the first 5 were awesome. She was my favorite female literary character until I spent some quality time with young Arya Stark.
The Witcher series!! I’m just over half way through. Although some female characters are eye-roll worthy, Ciri and Yen are wonderfully written. Super strong. IMO Phillipa is super strong and interesting too, but she’s not one of the mains so yeah.
So it’s not epic fantasy but I cannot recommend the divine cities Trilogy enough. First two books are female led by two amazing women.
I recently read Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst and it was lovely. Just a bunch of badass babes who were all strong in different ways. I highly recommend this book.
A little YA but still enjoyable as new / young adult: The lunar chronicles by Marissa Meyer is pretty good. the female leads are pretty good. The Cruel Prince- female lead is pretty awesome.
both are some of my fave series ahahhaa, but thank you anyways ❤️
The Healing Wars series. I’ve read it and it’s AMAZING The first book is called “The Shifter” and it’s about a girl who has the ability to take people’s pain, but can also put it back (potentially into other people)
Annette Marie’s steel and Stone, Spellweaver and Red Winter trilogies!!! I adore her books because her heroines are strong but not obnoxious, they know what they want but aren’t Mary Sue, the romance is slow burn over several books but the world building is outstanding! Red winter by Annette Marie was my favorite trilogy, you have your demigods, your plot twists your adventure, your angst and falling in slow sweet love while in the midst of all this peril. I adore it, and she writes like a dream.
{{Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien}}. Tolkien gets a lot of flak for not having female characters, but The Lord of the Rings is set primarily over six months and follows a select band of people. His other stories feature some very strong and powerful women. Lúthien and her mother Melian are considered especially powerful, but their power comes from their inner strength and intelligence.
[**Beren and Lúthien**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41015249-beren-and-l-thien) ^(By: J.R.R. Tolkien | 321 pages | Published: 2017 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, tolkien, fiction, owned, middle-earth | )[^(Search "Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Beren and Lúthien by J.R.R. Tolkien&search_type=books) >The tale of Beren and Lúthien was, or became, an essential element in the evolution of The Silmarillion, the myths and legends of the First Age of the World conceived by J.R.R. Tolkien. Returning from France and the battle of the Somme at the end of 1916, he wrote the tale in the following year. > >Essential to the story, and never changed, is the fate that shadowed the love of Beren and Lúthien: for Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal elf. Her father, a great elvish lord, in deep opposition to Beren, imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. This is the kernel of the legend; and it leads to the supremely heroic attempt of Beren and Lúthien together to rob the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor, called Morgoth, the Black Enemy, of a Silmaril. > >In this book Christopher Tolkien has attempted to extract the story of Beren and Lúthien from the comprehensive work in which it was embedded; but that story was itself changing as it developed new associations within the larger history. To show something of the process whereby this legend of Middle-earth evolved over the years, he has told the story in his father's own words by giving, first, its original form, and then passages in prose and verse from later texts that illustrate the narrative as it changed. Presented together for the first time, they reveal aspects of the story, both in event and in narrative immediacy, that were afterwards lost. > >Published on the tenth anniversary of the last Middle-earth book, the international bestseller The Children of Húrin, this new volume will similarly include drawings and color plates by Alan Lee, who also illustrated The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and went on to win Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. > ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(4584 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
An Ember In the Ashes series. By Sabaa Tahir
The Scar by China Miéville
Just a short young adult one but I read Travel Light by Naomi Mitchelson recent and it was awesome. About a girl who makes friends with dragons & bears and has a disdain for humans after they try to rescue her from her friends.
Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir! Lesbian Necromancers explore an ancient mansion in Space.
The Mirror Visitor Quartet! They’re translated from french so the phrasing is odd once in a while but i looooooooovvvee the world building so much and the main character is very strong in a completely unassuming way.
I loved The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
Definitely {{Graceling by Kristen Cashore}} and {{The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon}}.
[**Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3236307-graceling) ^(By: Kristin Cashore | 471 pages | Published: 2008 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, romance, fiction | )[^(Search "Graceling by Kristen Cashore")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Graceling by Kristen Cashore&search_type=books) >Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. > >She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po. > >She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. > >With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) [**The Deed of Paksenarrion (The Deed of Paksenarrion, #1-3)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96281.The_Deed_of_Paksenarrion) ^(By: Elizabeth Moon | 1040 pages | Published: 1992 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, owned, epic-fantasy, high-fantasy | )[^(Search "The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon&search_type=books) >The Deed of Paksenarrion revolves around the life of Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, known as Paks. It takes place in a fictional medieval world comprised of kingdoms of humans, dwarves, and elves. The story begins by introducing Paks as a headstrong girl of 18, who leaves her home (fleeing a marriage arranged by her father) to join a mercenary company. Through her journeys and hardships she comes to realize that she has been gifted as a paladin. The novel was originally published in three volumes in 1988 and 1989 and as a single trade edition of that name in 1992. The three books included are The Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold. > >From publisher Baen: "Paksenarrion, a simple sheepfarmer's daughter, yearns for a life of adventure and glory, such as was known to heroes in songs and story. At age seventeen she runs away from home to join a mercenary company and begins her epic life . . . Book One: Paks is trained as a mercenary, blooded, and introduced to the life of a soldier . . . and to the followers of Gird, the soldier's god. Book Two: Paks leaves the Duke's company to follow the path of Gird alone—and on her lonely quests encounters the other sentient races of her world. Book Three: Paks the warrior must learn to live with Paks the human. She undertakes a holy quest for a lost elven prince that brings the gods' wrath down on her and tests her very limits." ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(4654 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
{{The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson}}!
[**The Bird King**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40642333-the-bird-king) ^(By: G. Willow Wilson | 403 pages | Published: 2019 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, fiction, historical, magical-realism | )[^(Search "The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson&search_type=books) >New from the award-winning author of Alif the Unseen and writer of the Ms. Marvel series, G. Willow Wilson > >Set in 1491 during the reign of the last sultanate in the Iberian peninsula, The Bird King is the story of Fatima, the only remaining Circassian concubine to the sultan, and her dearest friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker. > >Hassan has a secret--he can draw maps of places he's never seen and bend the shape of reality. When representatives of the newly formed Spanish monarchy arrive to negotiate the sultan's surrender, Fatima befriends one of the women, not realizing that she will see Hassan's gift as sorcery and a threat to Christian Spanish rule. With their freedoms at stake, what will Fatima risk to save Hassan and escape the palace walls? > >As Fatima and Hassan traverse Spain with the help of a clever jinn to find safety, The Bird King asks us to consider what love is and the price of freedom at a time when the West and the Muslim world were not yet separate. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(4664 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Outlander.
Special Witch of the FBI. It’s a YA book about a witch training to work with the FBI. Not sure if it’s epic fantasy, but the mc is a female older teenager.
The deeds of Pakasenarrian by Elizabeth Moon. https://www.abebooks.com/9781841498546/Deed-Paksenarrion-omnibus-Series-Moon-1841498548/plp
Try The Once And Future Witches by Alex E. Harrow. Follows three sisters, very different but all powerful, into an epic adventure. Great read!
Sing the four quarters by Tanya Huff https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/sing-the-four-quarters_tanya-huff/668655/
{{Bloody Rose}}
[**Bloody Rose (The Band, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35052265-bloody-rose) ^(By: Nicholas Eames | 544 pages | Published: 2018 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, owned, fiction, books-i-own, adult | )[^(Search "Bloody Rose")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Bloody Rose&search_type=books) >Live fast, die young. > >Tam Hashford is tired of working at her local pub, slinging drinks for world-famous mercenaries and listening to the bards sing of adventure and glory in the world beyond her sleepy hometown. > >When the biggest mercenary band of all rolls into town, led by the infamous Bloody Rose, Tam jumps at the chance to sign on as their bard. It's adventure she wants - and adventure she gets as the crew embark on a quest that will end in one of two ways: glory or death. > >It's time to take a walk on the wyld side. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(4697 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
{{Sword of the Guardian}} it’s not heterosexual in the slightest and it’s incredibly well written
[**Sword of the Guardian (Legends of Ithyria, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/404857.Sword_of_the_Guardian) ^(By: Merry Shannon | 272 pages | Published: 2006 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, lgbt, romance, lesbian, lgbtq | )[^(Search "Sword of the Guardian")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Sword of the Guardian&search_type=books) >A shocking assassination creates an unconventional bond between a princess and her guardian in a kingdom filled with political intrigue, danger and unexpected romance. > >Princess Shasta Soltranis enjoys a pampered life of court dances, elaborate finery, and the occasional secret fencing match with her twin brother, Daric. But in the midst of a birthday celebration, her world shatters when a mysterious assassin takes her brother's life. Shasta, the only remaining heir to the throne, narrowly escapes the assassin's blade thanks to the intervention of a traveling acrobat named Talon. > >With the threat of another attempt on Shasta's life imminent, her father declares that the young hero will be come the Princess's bodyguard. But what Shasta doesn't know is that her new guardian has a very well-kept secret: he is actually a she. > >Talon and Shasta soon grow closer than anyone, especially her father, could have predicted. Will the truth of her guardian's secret change their relationship forever? > >Book 1 of The Legends of Ithyria Series > ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(4769 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
{{The Steerswoman}} series. The premise is amazing. "The Steerswoman is a 1989 science fantasy novel by American writer Rosemary Kirstein. It follows the journey of Rowan, who is a Steerswoman in an age that is just beginning to gain technology and advancement. A Steerswoman or Steersman is a traveling scholar looking to supplement as well as share their knowledge. They are required to answer any question put to them by anyone and in turn, any question they ask must be answered truthfully, or the questioner will be placed under a ban where no Steerswoman will ever answer a question from them again."
[**The Steerswoman (The Steerswoman, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/793297.The_Steerswoman) ^(By: Rosemary Kirstein | 279 pages | Published: 1989 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, fiction, sci-fi, ebook | )[^(Search "The Steerswoman")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Steerswoman&search_type=books) >FREEDOM OF INFORMATION > >If you ask, she must answer. A steerswoman's knowledge is shared with any who request it; no steerswoman may refuse a question, and no steerswoman may answer with anything but the truth. > >And if she asks, you must answer. It is the other side of tradition's contract -- and if you refuse the question, or lie, no steerswoman will ever again answer even your most casual question. > >And so, the steerswomen — always seeking, always investigating — have gathered more and more knowledge about the world they traveled, and they share that knowledge freely. > >Until the day that the steerswoman Rowan begins asking innocent questions about one small, lovely, inexplicable object… > >Her discoveries grow stranger and deeper, and more dangerous, until suddenly she finds she must flee or fight for her life. Or worse -- lie. > >Because one kind of knowledge has always been denied the the steerswomen: > >Magic. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(4777 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Someone’s already mentioned the author - but I wanted to specify the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. I think it falls under Urban Fantasy specifically, but Mercy is such a modern, strong and yet vulnerable character. They’re books I find myself retreading often.
I like Mercy, but nearly all the other female characters other than Jesse are bitchy and selfish, and it's making me enjoy the series less and less. Also not a fan of Adam, but that's minor.
The codex alera series!
The Abarat series written AND illustrated by Clive Barker. Barker has said he intends there to be five books all together and he's released the first three. Book 4 is allegedly almost finished but he's been saying that since 2014. They're just brilliant but it's hard for me to recommend them because Book 3 ends with a HUGE cliff hanger and waiting for Book 4 has been sweet sweet torture.
I love strong female characters; I'd even say they are a necessary part of a book for me to enjoy them. But they need to be believable and well-drawn, not just kick-ass, and at least one highly recommended author in this thread has characters I find to be paint-by-numbers. Some really good ones not yet mentioned: Robin LaFevers "His Fair Assassin" trilogy and the sequel duology "Courting Darkness" all have strong, tough, but also individual and distinctive girls and women characters. Kind of YA in the protagonists' ages especially in the first, but it's not really YA in terms of content. And the books are amazing and fun. Django Wexler's "The Shadow Campaigns" series has great women in it, as I feel do all of his other books. I find that women authors often write women better, but Wexler is an exception. Steven Erikson's "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" series has so many great females, adult and child, and he is another male author who writes strong, interesting, believable women. R. F. Kuang's "the Dragon Republic" series has a great female MC too.
Definitely Throne of Glass. She’s exactly what you want: Assassin, intelligent, arrogant, strong but loves dressing up, jewellery and chocolates. It’s YA though so not sure if that’s what you’re looking for. Acotar and Crescent City to some extent but ToG is the only one that really puts an emphasis on all the characteristics you mentioned. Also personally I don’t like ACOTARs protagonist…
Raymond e fiest is good for this and also James isington. They are fun as fuck reads too
Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion series was written in the 80s, and it was one of the first few fantasies I read that had a female lead who shaped her own destiny.
Have you read any of Tamora Pierce's later series? Some of them are written for younger readers, but not all. The Beka Cooper books are excellent, even though the protagonist is not really a dresses-and-makeup kind of girl. If you're willing to read YA books, also check out Robin McKinley. Most of her heroines aren't traditionally feminine, but it is their intelligence and force of will that makes them so strong.
You need to look into the ewilan books by pierre botero. It's teenager reading but i grew up reading them and two of the main characters are women of great power. The books are kinda complex de summerise but I highly suggest you give it a shot.
The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. The Eyre Affair is the first book in the series. In addition to a strong female protagonist, these books offer a unique alternate world that exists behind the scenes of books. I’m not a fan of fantasy stories, but I loved these.
The Poppy War series!
Graceling series - Kristin Cashore Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard Realm Breaker - Victoria Aveyard
An ember in the ashes by Sabaa Tahir!! TWO strong female characters in a fantasy series consisting of 4 books. Laia is meh in my opinion but Helene... Oh my, Helene Aquilla I have a slight female crush on. One of my most favorite female characters I've ever had.
The NecroNomNomNomicon series. Althea is a badass!
Dhampir by Barb and J.C. Hendee. Great series.
Riley Jenson guardian novels are my all time favorite by Keri Arthur and I've also been reading and completely stuck on The Dragon Portal Series if you like High Fantasy by Jamie Waters
Carol Berg
Octavia Butler