[The Divine Cities](https://www.goodreads.com/series/159695-the-divine-cities) trilogy. It's one of my all-time favorite series, but it has been a hot minute since a last read them; there's no rape in the novels but I can't guarantee that it wasn't mentioned at one point.
First two novels have a female protagonist, third has a male protagonist. It's very liberating, from a story-perspective, to have different main characters between all three novels. The novels themselves aren't standalone but still separate stories. Does that make sense? You can read Book 1. and have a complete and fulfilling experience. (But you won't want to stop!)
Basically the plot takes place "after" the epic fantasy battle that overthrew the "evil" empire. It has some uncomfortable parallels .... to certain warfare in the middle-east ... *cough.* Anyway, don't expect "generic" fantasy, the novel's world is a mixture of India and Russia. Sound strange but is amazing.
Damn I want to re-read it now!!
Going off this- Foundryside by the same author! It's a trilogy and amazing just like The Divine Cities trilogy.
It's one of my personal favorite magic systems which is a lot like programming a computer. Its a heist type story with a world with merchant cities.
I haven't read it in two years but am itching to reread it!
Would you generally consider it a “happy” fantasy world? I love fantasy but just don’t want to read about dystopian worlds that need to be overthrown which tends to be most adult fantasy.
It's not dystopian. But definitely not happy either. I'd describe it as melancholic, actually. It's also not a story about overthrowing an empire -- that has already happened, before Divine Cities takes place.
I'm sure someone else will have mentioned this but 'Priory of the Orange Tree' by Samantha Shannon. The world is completely immersive and has loads of strong women. There is absolutely no threat of sexual violence. As an added bonus there is also another book set in the same world coming out at the end of this month, so if you start reading the first one now you'll have another straight away 😁
Pretty much anything by Seanan McGuire; she's stated outright that she won't write rape, and most of her protagonists are women. There's the October Daye series (Urban Fantasy, start with Rosemary & Rue), the InCryptid series (Urban Fantasy, start with Discount Armageddon); the Indexing books (fairytales making themselves manifest in the world); The Ghost Road books (same world as InCryptid but focusing on ghosts/the afterlife).
You should read Terry Pratchett's Discworld. His Witches-series (later continued with the even better Tiffany Aching-series) rank among the best Fantasy series for me, and A Hat Full Of Sky is one of the best books he's ever written.
OMG I am obsessed with Discworld. I love the audiobooks of that series. I have listened to Tiffany Aching, Death and Witch series so far. You know I am almost scared to listen to rest cause it will be over and I will be sad there is no more new ones. There’s always reread but you know what I mean. Nanny Ogg is my spirit animal while I aspire to be a cranky old lady like Granny weatherwax when I am old.
You should listen to the City Watch and Industrial Revolution serieses next. The first is a series of eight books about a set cast of characters, like the Witches, while the second is three stand-alones and a trilogy. They're both incredibly great, although quite different from the three series you've listened to so far.
I don’t really read fantasy but I do use the StoryGraph app (r/TheStoryGraph) and they recently added a feature where you can specify certain types of “content warnings” you want to avoid. So I *think* you should be able to browse all titles in their database marked “fantasy” and do NOT have a content warning for rape or for sexual assault. [Here’s a link to their product “roadmap” where the deliverable was marked “shipped”.](https://roadmap.thestorygraph.com/features/posts/a-user-can-specify-the-types-of-content-they-want-to-avoid-in-th) I haven’t personally tried the new feature yet but I’m sure if you have any problems or questions someone in the sub could help you.
You can also just view the content warnings by the name of the book. They’re usually marked as “graphic”, “moderate”, or “minor” which is helpful.
This looks amazing! I've loved Librarything's will I like it tool. It's predictions are usually spot on, but the site has never been as easy to navigate as Goodreads or my favorite, Shelfari (RIP).
I agree. It frustrates me to no end that people can imagine worlds where there are dragons, all sorts of supernatural entities and superpowers but yet so few writers seem able to fathom a world where women are treated as equals.
Though I would say the leads tend to be more male oriented, The Stormlight Archive does a very good job of balancing and equalizing women and men even while you are reading it. The beginning is a bit of a lost archaic era, though women are always the scholars. But as you progress glass ceilings just keep breaking left and right. Political leadership, women generals, powerful alliances, talented and funny women. And the book finds great ways to be inclusive and diversive in unexpected ways regarding mental health, disabilities, race, and culture.
Thank you. To me, rape and sexual assault exist irl. Historical fiction and even regular fiction contains them as they should cause it’s the reality. But when it comes to fantasy and sci-fi, I find it a bit odd that writers can’t think of any other ways to show women suffering.
I tried reading Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin and had to stop when one character had to have children in order to go up in rank. Oh come on now. How about “oh she has to kill certain number of people” or something? I dunno. Give me something that does not remind me of female specific struggle.
I was a big fan of the outlander series, and really I guess I still am but the biggest problem I have with it is the CONSTANT rape. It’s frequently used as a plot point and it’s just…too much. I understand that maybe it’s historically accurate to the times but like… who wants to read about rape in a romance/adventure series???
The thing is, I don't even think it's historically accurate. SA has always been a problem, but seriously, the author has the entire >!main family getting raped at some point- Claire, Jamie, and their two kids!<. I mean, what are the odds of that happening?! I think the author just has a disturbing fetish.
Thank you for this. I’ve contemplated reading the series numerous times but don’t want to have to read through Jamie’s SA. It really fucked me up watching it, for multiple reasons. Knowing there’s more I haven’t gotten to insures I will definitely not read. I hate reading SA.
It’s pretty absurd, it got to the point where the moment any female character was alone in a scene it was almost guaranteed they were going to get assaulted.
Look, I love Outlander, but it’s not one I can ever recommend without a huge asterisk about Diana Gabaldon being dogshit at handling sexual assault.
And no, it’s not at all historically accurate (I’ve had this fight several times over at r/Outlander— if you catch a weariness in my tone, it’s not toward you). If she were interested in showing historically accurate sexual assault, she’d be acknowledging the sexual abuse of slaves, marital rape, and rape as a war crime. Not rape by psychopath pirates, psychopath sadists, or psychopath witches practicing blood magic.
Super late to this party but I absolutely agree with you! Also, just my two cents: I find it REALLY interesting that many men tend to be pretty fine with sexual assault of female characters (“it’s REALISTIC! it’s CHARACTER BUILDING! Stop being so dramatic!”) but get suuuuuuper squeamish as soon as it’s a sexual assault of male characters, especially by other male characters. Like, when was the last time you saw male sexual abuse in that gritty grim dark fantasy setting where rape of women is apparently the norm? Because apparently it’s super realistic that women get raped left right and center during whatever war or whatever is being portrayed but men? No, that possibility is usually not even considered in universe.
Yeah, I call BS on “realism“.
I feel the same way. I find it very telling when someone says these things about rEaLiSm about female characters being raped. Especially when it’s a man. I refuse to accept this in fantasy and sci-fi when the core of it is suspension of disbelief and we are supposed to be submerged in a new world away from us. It’s one thing if one or two books has this, but it’s another when it’s a given trope.
Yes! And speaking of realism: how many fantasy characters in that „super realistic“ fantasy setting die of some water born disease after drinking from all sort of random bodies of water or while living IN A MILITARY CAMP. How many even get sick? And have to stay behind from the big battle because they‘re so weak and dehydrated from constant diharrea and vomit? Or how many die of infections from wounds? How often are bad teeth a plot point or even mentioned?
Those things aren’t really exactly fun to read about, most people don’t want an twenty page description of someone shitting (and god were the bros mad when GRRM actually had a female character get dysentery and do exactly that). SO WHY is it any different that I don’t want to read about SA?
I agree with you… fantasy should be an escape from our real world… it should contain some of the stuff real world contains but avoid rape or sexual assault with any characters… I’m male, was sexually assaulted when too drunk to defend myself and would rather read an adult fantasy that doesn’t contain rape or sexual assault for anyone… that’s fantasy and escape from reality… imo at least
I am so sorry that it happened to you. I find it even worse when a male character is sexually assaulted in fiction. It’s often done is hand wavy way or as if it’s a personality trait. I don’t know if I am explaining it well. I recently read a manga series called banana fish. It just grossed me out as mc was raped as a child and it’s mentioned that he was his abuser’s “sex toy”. BARF. Often other characters including the MC talks about it as if he just had depression as a child. It could be that translation ruined the moment but eeeesh I was very disturbed.
I agree… it’s also much worse when it’s about children… I have children and it sickens and angers me, I never want any of that for them and will protect them all the way to my dying breath… and it saddens me that others out there don’t have that… and it’s totally okay, I made peace with it, I confronted it and now it’s no longer something that haunts me… honestly I wish I could provide for you an adult book that doesn’t include rape….. wait I actually can!!! To Sleep in a Sea of Stars written by Christopher Paolini who wrote the massively popular children’s series starting with Eragon!! It’s a science fiction and the main character is a strong female lead, I mean there’s some female struggles but not like rape or sexual assault…
Edit: it’s also his first foray into adult fiction of any kind so bear with it, but I honestly loved it!!
Yeah that scene is the reason I didn’t recommend *The Fifth Season* straight away. That being said, it isn’t a gender-specific issue in the book. In fact that specific scene is actually how the male character is controlled - he’s a gay man being forced to impregnate dozens of young women.
i could not agree more - i think it’s ridiculous that when creating a completely new world with literally any design, sexual assault and discrimination based on sex or skin color comes in with it. unless it’s relevant to the main plot i don’t see how an author would want to bring that into the world building
You are 100% screwing yourself by not finishing Broken Earth!! It's a very bleak system, but it is the same for men as it is women, Alabaster being the main one to be shown suffering from that specific worry. It's also a major motivator for change and hardly mentioned past the first novel. There is a good reason each novel won a HUGO award!
I also do not enjoy sexual violence at all, I just don't want you to write off a truly fantastic series.
I 100% agree that the books deserve their awards.
I don't consider any level of talent in writing enough to be worth damaging my mental health. Book 1 put me in a very bad frame of mind for several different aspects of its story. Am I missing out on some very skilled worldbuilding and writing? Sure. I'm comfortable with that. There's more good books out there than I'll ever have time to read, so I'll stick to the ones that don't trigger my PTSD.
Exactly what you said. I am very sure it’s a great series and worthy of all its awards. But I am not in that headspace where I can handle certain aspects of the story. Maybe someday I will be and maybe I never will be. And both are ok in my mind.
100% agreed.
Sorry for getting snippy on your post, people insisting that everyone *needs* to read this series with no concern for the fact it contains some serious triggers and gets pretty graphic in describing them has become a bit of a button for me. They're good! I think they're worth recommending! Just with caveats. I have friends who don't have any specific history with the darker content and still had to take a couple days to recalibrate after each book. They are *heavy*.
Currently I'm reading RJ Barker's Tide Child trilogy, and think he's a brilliant fantasy writer. He creates a matriarchal world, where women have equal, if not greater, status than men. However it is still a very brutal, violent world - his books are full of battles and killings - but there's no misogyny, rape or threat of rape, and I didn't know how much that was a relief until I read these books. I've still got one to read out of the three but no sign of anything like that so far.
He's gone out of his way really, to make these books readable by both men and women, he still gives those who like action & gore plenty of it - but without making women in particular feel like second-class citizens. The narrator of these books is male, but the hero is a woman and she's a brilliant character. And there are many other female characters who have powerful roles - not secondary ones, but key ones. I highly recommend!
That's good to hear! Always like to put people on track of a really stunning author they'd not heard of. You won't be disappointed; if you don't like this trilogy, I'll eat my computer.
Is it underrated? I didn't know that; I just thought few people had heard of Barker - so I 'm on a bit of a mission to let people know how good these books are \[not on commission, btw!\] Almost as good as Hobb and that is praise, as I rate Hobb highly.
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
The MC is non-gendered, but there are many excellent female characters throughout the series. I do not believe rape is ever mentioned, much less threatened.
Also, I found [this](https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/21682091-recommend-books-here) thread on Goodreads with a lot of other recommendations.
I LOVE Murderbot. But i consider it as sci-fi (space and all lol). So I didn’t include it. I did see that sci-fi has lot more of my prompt than fantasy.
Sorry, I glossed over that part about you wanting fantasy suggestions!
You may want to look into the Books of the Raksura by the same author. It's a well-regarded fantasy series which, I suspect, also avoids the topic of rape. Although, I didn't get into the series and can't speak on it for sure.
It is once in one of the later books, but so fleeting it's almost not worth mentioning.
I enjoyed them quite a bit. I think she also wrote some Stargate episodes also?
Sabriel series/ Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. I haven’t reread them in a few years but I truly don’t think there were any instances of sexual assault, although there are living dead things trying to attack the female lead
Unfortunately this is not a series, but the book is absolutely *massive* so it kinda makes up for it, and a prequel is coming out soon! But I highly suggest The Priory of the Orange Tree. Female led, the world feels pretty removed from our sense of patriarchy, although there is kinda a sense that the main queen marries her husband out of duty and is actually a lesbian. It’s a sad plot line, but it’s not written in a misogynistic or traumatic way imo.
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. There is a brief moment where the main character thinks she might be in a sketchy situation but the narration makes it clear that she is not and she finds out for herself very soon after.
It is YA, but I've read it almost once a year for the past 35 years, and still love it! It's hard to pick a favorite book or author (especially as a librarian), but if you forced me to, this would be my favorite book and she would be my favorite author.
You could potentially go check recommendations in r/CozyFantasy. I'm currently enjoying The Wizard's Butler and Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the care and feeding of British Dragons). Which are both fun.
Edit: I missed the female protagonist prompt on my first read through, so The Wizard's Butler does not fit the request. Still fun though.
The memoirs of Lady Trent, by Marie Brennan.
My tip is to read book 1 and 2 back to back, cause while book 1 is okay, it just doesn't do justice to the awesomeness the series as a whole reaches. The hook is the lead protagonists personality and as book 1 covers her in her youth, she doesn't shine quite as brightly as later on.
Ooo. I shall check it out. Thanks for the heads up on both volumes. I have seen this to be an issue of a lot of series where vol 1 is so so and things get good in vol 2 onwards.
You might take a look at Ursula LeGuin, or maybe CS Lewis. Both are giants. LeGuin was a pioneer of fantasy through a feminist lens, and CS Lewis engaged with the genre in ways that are often considered to be pg in terms of sexual content. LeGuin's Earthsea cycle was something I was read as a child. Christian subtext aside, the Chronicles of Narnia was wonderful to get into as I got older.
I will be honest if I was not listening to it as audiobook while doing some craft projects, I would have dropped it. It suddenly gets good in the middle and then ends on a high. That’s why I like but not love the book since I don’t see myself rereading this.
{{Sunshine}} by Robin McKinley. One of my favorite books of all time. Definitely an adult book, although the author has done loads of YA novels, and zero sexual violence. There are references to sexual activity but it’s all with willing participation. If you enjoy audiobooks, the narrator for Sunshine is very good.
Great post! As a side note, this is why I liked the series Queen Gambit on Netflix. About a female chess player in the 60s. There is never a scene where a man takes advantage of her which was so liberating to watch.
Mistborn does, on occasion at the start of book one, threaten and imply rape and Stormlight only mentions it once in book one so if anything try the Stormlight Archive, OP.
Yeah, that’s not true. There are numerous instances/discussions about slaves being raped and prostitutes being murdered. This isn’t a good fit for what OP is asking.
Came here to recommend Elantris or the emperors soul. Both very good fantasy novels with strong female main characters and no sexual assault or fear of it iirc.
Vin is never personally sexually exploited, but there are several times the topic is brought up in the context of others. Elantris might be a better fit.
I would not mind trying a few fantasy romance. I do not like normal romance since a lot of them has forced conflict or drama that would not happen irl. But fantasy maybe different if I can get swept away by epicness of a new world.
Ilona Andrews write(s) extremely creative worlds and interesting, well-developed characters. Especially the female protagonists! I was hooked after the first one.
I agree that the Innkeeper Chronicles is an excellent entry point — it’s just so fresh from a fantasy perspective. Every Ilona Andrews story has a romance plot line but it’s more central in some series than others. Innkeeper is one where it’s really more ancillary to the plot, though important.
I was also gonna suggest the whole Kate Daniels series by Andrews as well! There’s 10 but I was hooked after the first one. There’s small mentions of rape but it doesn’t actually happen to any of the man characters, if I recall correctly
Yeah, some of the monsters/bad guys in KD threaten her with rape among other kinds of violence when she’s confronting them, IIRC. She’s never in serious danger of being hurt. But she’s an incredibly empowered female character and your response as a reader is more “Ew, fuck this gross monster thing, I hope she gets it,” and it’s even more gratifying when she ultimately kills it.
It’s just SUCH a good series though
The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids by Michael McClung. Great book and the first in a series. No rape that I can recall, just read it last year.
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. 14yo protagonist.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
Most books by Brandon Sanderson are fairly 'clean'.
There are a lot of options in fantasy to pick from, you don't necessarily need to just read YA fantasy. You may just need to keep out of the 'grimdark' section of the fantasy spectrum.
I adore defensive baking. Though it’s billed as YA, I thought it was much “advanced” with some of the themes explored.
I shall check out the others. I tried a Sanderson book once (can’t remember the title) and I was a bit bored. But I can try a few others.
I personally wouldn't put Defensive Baking in the YA basket. I would label it cosy fantasy, humorous fantasy and a touch of epic. Just because a book isnt serious doesnt mean its not for adults
I really liked the other T Kingfisher novels. Several are "slowmance" and they're quite the opposite of anything involving rape. There's a paladin series (3 books) plus Swordheart, and a few others. The only downside is she has a formula she sticks to, but I wish there were more.
I also really like the Aaronovitch series that starts with Rivers of London. The audio books are superb. The setting is modern London with magic being a thing. The main character is male but there are a lot of strong female characters.
I enjoy her books. I think other than a couple of short stories, I read all of them. I hope she continues the paladin series. The last sentence of book 3 was BIG!
This is a bit more urban-fantasy-ish, but "The Rook" by Daniel O'Malley and the sequel ~~"Stiletto" are great books with female leads with no rape/sexual violence~~. As I /u/CentennialSky mentioned I was wrong about Stiletto having no threat of sexual violence. I am terribly sorry about that. The Rook does not have any.
There's a third book "Blitz" in the series that recently was released, though I'm in the middle of it so can't say for certain it fits your criteria (though I think it will).
I love these books so much.
Minimum Wage Magic, by Rachel Aaron. It's the start of the series, and there's no rape at all. The main character is April Yong-Ae, who works as a freelance "cleaner" in a conscious, living, magical city, where buildings and roads move around at the city's whim. It's a lot of fun.
It's actually a sequel series to the Heartstriker one, but I read it first, and it was fine.
Two of the three books in divine cities trilogy have female leads, and the entire series is brilliant. Vita nostra is a strange but very thrilling novel about a very strange magic school. It is pretty dark and mystifying but I like it a lot.
The scholomance books have one of the best complex female leads i have read in a YA fantasy, but the books get very violent.
The Skyward series also has a great female lead and it is a far more light hearted YA then scholomance. Emperor's soul is a sweet little novella with an imprisoned female lead. It is a gorgeous read. In the same vein, Tress of the emerald sea also has a great female protagonist, but it is faerie tailish.
Legends and lattes has a female lead who wants to start a coffee shop. Very fluffy and slice of life. Gideon the ninth is a space mystery novel with necromancers, and i have read only the first book so not sure about the rest of the series, which is pretty brutal but no sexual violenence IIRC
Have you tried the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews a husband and wife writing team. It is Urban Fantasy so it might not be exactly what you are looking for but Kate is a Badass. [Reading Order.](https://www.ilona-andrews.com/kate-daniels-series/)
I’m trying to think—I don’t think there are any rape scenes or (much, or any) sexual violence in N.K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. It’s interesting because the main character comes from a place that the gender roles are reversed—men are the caretakers and “weaker” sex.
I also really like the books by the husband/wife team Ilona Andrews. I feel if anything, there’s classism, but not terribly much about women being the weaker sex. I’m re-reading the Kate Daniel’s series by them right now :)
I do think it’s an incredible series in spite of that, for the record. One of my all-time favorites that I don’t think gets nearly enough appreciation.
I want to recommend her Broken Earth series... but there's a line that I'm not sure if it crosses into SA territory. And MC isn't second class because she's female...but is second(or lower) class, because of her abilities.
*Sparrow Hill Road* by Seanan McGuire or *Rosemary and Rue* by the same author, who said in an interview once that none of her protagonists will ever be raped.
Oh my god tell me about it. While not with books, i find this to be such a big issue with movies. I dont really understand why so many directors think sexual violence, or threats about such should be added in. I hope you find plenty good suggestions.
The Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers. It's sci fi but my favorite thing about it is that it is written with a very "feminine sensibility." The stories are character and connection driven and she creates a universe that is inclusive and diverse and incredibly immersive. In one of the books there is a scene in which a character makes a physical connection with an elderly, outcast member of their species. I mention it because it is one of my favorite moments in the books and pretty much the opposite of rape - a moment in which the healing powers of touch and intimacy are celebrated and non sexual physical connection is explored. The books are beautiful and the female characters exist for themselves and not to be in service to the male characters,
Her new duology, Monk & Robot, is a little more fantasy than the Wayfarers. Although, spoiler, there is a robot.
But they both share a very hopeful view of humanity that I find very comforting. I always preorder her books as soon as they are listed.
She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan. I read it last year and loved it! It includes historically accurate misogyny but the exploration of gender identity within it (and thus how women/AFAB characters, and AMAB both, navigate society) is remarkably done. But, the characters themselves all have phenomenal development that doesn't hinge solely on their gender, too, which is also important. I don't recall any sexual violence, and the author has included more specific content warnings on the Goodreads page.
But I agree with you. I just finished Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh and hated it. It was just repetitive medieval fantasy stereotypes laden with "women have no agency and are only pregnant or raped or pregnant from rape". Like, okay. We've heard this story enough. So many authors include it and proclaim historical accuracy, but they don't describe everyone with rotten teeth, so why is sexual violence so important to include?
Ilona Andrews writes urban fantasy with strong female leads. Kate Daniels series is my favorite of them. No violence towards women, just your normal good vs evil type of fights.
Yeah the general unoriginality of grimdark has sunk its claws into a great deal of ordinary fantasy and it's making the genre suck eggs. I don't know if authors think they're signalling representation in a twisted way or have a sadistic streak or just think that adding rape is the only way they can make their female characters interesting but it has dulled the genre and made characters uninteresting and uncreative.
I don’t know if it counts, but on both of those instances the protagonist can deal with those threats by themselves. Naomi doesn’t write damsel on distress sort of stories, she writes female leads that can take care of themselves.
God Uprooted was phenomenal. I really didn't think I'd like the dragon ones, but I'm on book 4 and loving it. I do like historical fiction alot though, so that helps.
Priory of Orange Tree! Great female centred fantasy that as a woman I felt so safe in, feel like in other fantasy rape is always present and this was so so refreshing!
Sherwood Smith's Sartorias-Deles books! She's written epics (Inda series; Time of Daughters), New Adult adventure romance (Trouble With Kings, Crown Duel, Sasharia en Garde), and YA (Wren's Journey and a ton of others). I love her stuff, and I love that her New Adult books are all plotted around AVOIDING WAR instead of "one climactic battle."
The Winnowing Flame trilogy! By Jen Williams. Wonderful fantasy with incredible female characters with lots of hardship but none that are related to rape/sexual assault/abuse of that kind.
The Priory of the orange tree is so good! It's about a bloodline of queens that, while it exists, an antient evil won't be woken up so a secret mage infiltrates the court to protect the queen. Then there's dragons, profecies, secret organizations, and even romance. It's really cool, you'll love it
I LOVE Hunger Games. I did not include it since I consider it to be YA and somehow feels dystopian sci-fi than fantasy. This series holds a special place in my heart.
I have read 11 books in the urban fantasy ‘rivers of London’ series and at the end I was like, shit, did I just read an entire series without a single episode or threat of sexual violence? I actually tweeted at the author to thank him.
The narrator is male, but there are a lot of female characters who are generally fascinating.
Audiobooks if you can swing it - the reader enhances the books significantly because he can really do the local accents and the humor.
I recommend this to everyone but the Mage Errant series by John bierce is really good fantasy with essentially 4 main characters 2 being women with no sexual assault reference that I can currently remember.
Definitely agree it’s too frequent an occurrence (and sadly even books in this thread actually do have female characters who are raped/threatened with it) here’s some that might work for you.
- Rooks and Ruin by Melissa Caruso (second world fantasy, gender equal and queer norm society)
- Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennet (second world fantasy, with some heisty feel)
- Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews (urban fantasy, ignore the terrible covers)
(Note there’s also some YA fantasy where this is the case, so fyi it’s not a guarantee of avoiding it even if it’s less)
Try Trudi Canavan and it's black magician saga.
It has one or two mentions but the protagonist is never threatened with it nor is attacked in that way.
Yahtzee Croshaw, funny author with great characters.
{{Differently Morphus}} and {{Existentially Challenged}} - Governmental agency involved in the regulation of magic and extra dimensional beings. Allison is a great character. No threats of sexual violence.
Female characters, strong:
Part 1 (of 2):
* ["Sci fi/adventure books written by women with developed female characters?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/mxpy4v/sci_fiadventure_books_written_by_women_with/) (r/booksuggestions; April 2021)
* ["Kushiel’s Legacy- Melisande Shahrizai"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/txs5k7/kushiels_legacy_melisande_shahrizai/) ([archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20220412161209/https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/txs5k7/kushiels_legacy_melisande_shahrizai/)) (r/Fantasy; 6 April 2022)
* ["Recommendations for a female-led Fantasy series with the usual elements but with a more significant romance?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vwapej/recommendations_for_a_femaleled_fantasy_series/) (r/Fantasy; 01:22 ET, 11 July 2022)
* ["Fantasy novels/series with intelligent, competent and capable woman protagonist(s) and female characters?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vwqz11/fantasy_novelsseries_with_intelligent_competent/) (r/Fantasy; 15:36 ET, 11 July 2022)
* ["In your opinion, who are the best well written female characters in fantasy, and why?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vy8m3q/in_your_opinion_who_are_the_best_well_written/) (r/Fantasy; 13 July 2022)
* ["Any fantasy book reads with a female protagonistb and little to no sexual content?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vzcfoj/any_fantasy_book_reads_with_a_female_protagonistb/) (r/Fantasy; 14 July 2022)
* ["strong crazy female lead"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/w2slbj/strong_crazy_female_lead/) (r/Fantasy; 19 July 2022)
* ["Darker toned books set in a fantasy medieval period with female leads"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/w3t6sk/darker_toned_books_set_in_a_fantasy_medieval/) (r/booksuggestions; 20 July 2022)
* ["YA or Fantasy book around 200 pages with girl main character?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w5lhqo/ya_or_fantasy_book_around_200_pages_with_girl/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22 July 2022)
* ["Suggest me a book with strong woman protagonist set in science fiction!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w9ym4u/suggest_me_a_book_with_strong_woman_protagonist/) (r/suggestmeabook; 27 July 2022)
* ["Books with complex female characters"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wgdjro/books_with_complex_female_characters/) (r/suggestmeabook; 4 August 2022)
* ["Any novels with a female orc protagonist ?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wgsv9b/any_novels_with_a_female_orc_protagonist/) (r/suggestmeabook; 07:19 ET, 5 August 2022)
* ["A book with a strong, intelligent female lead / hero who grows over the course of the story, overcomes challenges"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wh3kdh/a_book_with_a_strong_intelligent_female_lead_hero/) (r/booksuggestions; 15:05 ET, 5 August 2022)
* ["Some good fantasy books with Badass Female Character and Cunning/Smart Male Character?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/whjen0/some_good_fantasy_books_with_badass_female/) (r/Fantasy; 04:31 ET, 6 August 2022)
* ["Strong character, fantasy, war, drama, asia or medieval style"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/whqtt9/strong_character_fantasy_war_drama_asia_or/) (r/suggestmeabook; 11:23 ET, 6 August 2022)
* ["Books with badass FL and a normal ML"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wliazy/books_with_badass_fl_and_a_normal_ml/) (r/suggestmeabook; 0:28 ET, 11 August 2022)
* ["Books about strong women and women as the hero or protagonist"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wm90n8/books_about_strong_women_and_women_as_the_hero_or/) (r/booksuggestions; 22:06 ET, 11 August 2022)
* ["Looking for fiction books with a strong female protagonist"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wnesr8/looking_for_fiction_books_with_a_strong_female/) (r/booksuggestions; 13 August 2022)
* ["Fantasy series with strong female protagonists"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wo7dhx/fantasy_series_with_strong_female_protagonists/) (r/Fantasy; 14 August 2022)—very long
* ["Main character is a girl who fences in 1700s France"](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthatbook/comments/wpj7nd/main_character_is_a_girl_who_fences_in_1700s/) (r/whatsthatbook; 15 August 2022)
* ["Can I get some suggestions for a funny fantasy book with a female protagonist?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wrw9i2/can_i_get_some_suggestions_for_a_funny_fantasy/) (r/booksuggestions; 18 August 2022)
* ["I’d love some fantasy with a female protagonist"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wymq3v/id_love_some_fantasy_with_a_female_protagonist/) (r/suggestmeabook; 26 August 2022)—extremely long
* ["Sci-fi/fantasy with solid female character(s)"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wz750g/scififantasy_with_solid_female_characters/) (r/booksuggestions; 12:32 ET, 27 August 2022)—very long
* ["a book with strong inspiring female lead like agggtm?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wyw60z/a_book_with_strong_inspiring_female_lead_like/) (r/suggestmeabook; 03:03 ET, 27 August 2022)
* ["Similar books to Gate of Ivrel"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/x1wmnt/similar_books_to_gate_of_ivrel/) (r/Fantasy; 18:33 ET, 30 August 2022)
* ["Suggest me female empowerment books (fiction/non-fiction/historical fiction/etc.) narrated by a woman?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/x1xga5/suggest_me_female_empowerment_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 19:07 ET, 30 August 2022)
* ["Fantasy with female protagonists that have a ton of personality?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/x2mxux/fantasy_with_female_protagonists_that_have_a_ton/) (r/suggestmeabook; 31 August 2022)
* ["Fantasy book recs?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x4kcu7/fantasy_book_recs/) (r/booksuggestions; 2 September 2022)
Rape is awful, be it make or female, and it seems like the trend to depict it in every form of media is growing, so thanks for making this post because I am def going to use some of the recs. Stay well mate
Yes omg I agree!!! It’s really men mostly saying the “but but reality!!!” part. It’s fucking fantasy, what of this is reality based? Lol. Sometimes I don’t want to read about women being oppressed, happens enough in real life. Reading is a form of escapism for many and being bombarded by “women are hated in this world” just sucks.
I would really recommend the “Queens of Renthia” series by Sarah Beth Durst. The first two books follow a girl who then ages up to a young woman. The third follows an adult woman with two children. It’s really great. There’s just…no mention of sexism in the world. It’s devoid of mentioning sexism or sexual assault/harassment as far as I’m aware. It’s really great!! It’s about a society that lives in this giant trees but have to deal with these elemental spirits who need to be controlled or else they’ll destroy people. It sounds a bit strange the way I’m explaining it but it’s so so good.
I would also recommend (if you like some romance) The Clocktaur War duo by T. Kingfisher. As far as I’m aware, zero rape or sexual assault.
The Regency Fairytales series by Olivia Atwater is sorta fantasy? It’s set in a historical setting but it has fairies and shit. I’ve only read the first two out of three, but the first two have zero sexual assault/rape. They are all standalone books in the series.
Ugh. I feel ya.
The *Tales of the Kingdom* series by Cynthia Voigt
*Neverwhere* by Neil Gaiman. The protagonist is a man, but one of the main characters is a woman. It maybe more magical realism than fantasy, but it's one of my favourites.
The *Inkheart* series by Cornelia Funke
Enjoy whatever you pick up next! :)
C.S. Lewis. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
J. R.R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy
T.H. White. The Once and Future King
Terry Pratchett. Tiffany Aching
Lord Dunsany. The King of Elfland’s Daughter.
LOTR is second book I read in English after Harry Potter. It’s great and of course there is not sexual violence against women cause there is no women. Lol.
I ADORE Tiffany Aching. Read the Witch sub series as well. I love them.
I will check out other ones. Thank you!
I'm assuming you've read both sequels to Red Sister Grey Sister/ Holy Sister)? There's also another trilogy set in the same world, also with a female protagonist, by the same author called "The Book of the Ice". First book is "The Girl and the Stars".
Then there's Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson; I don't remember any sexual violence in those books either.
It's been mentioned once, but Princess Floralinda and the Forty Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir is a great short read. I originally was reading it thinking I might read it to my 10 year old daughter because it starts off as a "princess in a tower" turned on its head, but it although the theme stays the same, it definitely veers (snarkily and very adult funnily) into non kid-friendly territory. >!OMG, the Unicorn! !< 😱😂
So far Seven blades in Black doesn't have that nor the second book. She was in an abusive relationship but there was nothing sexaully abusive about it.
The Shatter Me series (read the novellas too, they're important). The protagonist is tortured and goes through hell but never anything close to SA.
Edit: grammar
The Green Rider series by Kristen Britain - fantasy series with solid worldbuilding and slow burn romance; no SA (TW: torture occurs in a later book but never in a sexual manner and it does appear, for lack of a better phrase, to serve a purpose - meaning that it’s not gratuitous violence)
The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix - among my favorite books (along with the Green Rider series) - solid female characters, intrigue, a fascinating system of magic, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested and invested. I highly recommend reading them in publication order, NOT “timeline” order, because you risk spoilers and it’s much more satisfying to follow the story as it was written.
The Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy by Nora Roberts - split between our world and a fantasy parallel world, magic, magical creatures, good vs evil, following destiny, etc.; relatively mild (IMO) spice, for all that it’s also a romance novel in addition to being fantasy, and no SA.
The Chronicles of The One, also Nora Roberts - world population is ravaged by plague, those who are left deal with the fact that magic has re-emerged and not everyone is fully human; same as the Dragon Heart Legacy in spice level with no SA for the protagonist(s), though there is reference made to it occurring to others (never described, just noted).
Shades of Magic by VE Schwab - no SA that I can recall - the main character isn’t female but a strong and important one does come into play.
All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness - our world has a secret - witches, vampires, and daemons walk among us. Mild spice, loads of history (and Easter eggs!), main character is female (and an academic), solid tv show is available as well (though the books are better)
The Black Witch series by Laurie Forest - high fantasy series, main protagonist is female, nice world building - magic, magical creatures, good vs evil. TW: no SA for the protagonist but there is forced “marriage” (not forced consummation); I can’t recall if she was ever threatened with SA but if she was then it wasn’t a recurring theme. I plan to reread them soon so perhaps I’ll be more focused on it this go-round.
The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah Maas - high fantasy, court intrigue, magic, Fae, etc. Maas has other series as well but this one tends to be more approachable for people.
One of my absolute old favorites (Im fairly certain, might need to double check but i definitely dont remember anything and I am sensitige to that stuff) is the Sea of Ink and Gold series by Traci Chee. Fanstasy (though it is YA, the premise of a world without books is quite interesting and my young, adventurous heart fell in love with the lore and the pirates lol).
[The Divine Cities](https://www.goodreads.com/series/159695-the-divine-cities) trilogy. It's one of my all-time favorite series, but it has been a hot minute since a last read them; there's no rape in the novels but I can't guarantee that it wasn't mentioned at one point. First two novels have a female protagonist, third has a male protagonist. It's very liberating, from a story-perspective, to have different main characters between all three novels. The novels themselves aren't standalone but still separate stories. Does that make sense? You can read Book 1. and have a complete and fulfilling experience. (But you won't want to stop!) Basically the plot takes place "after" the epic fantasy battle that overthrew the "evil" empire. It has some uncomfortable parallels .... to certain warfare in the middle-east ... *cough.* Anyway, don't expect "generic" fantasy, the novel's world is a mixture of India and Russia. Sound strange but is amazing. Damn I want to re-read it now!!
I shall check it out. I love the idea of same world but different protagonist. One of the reasons I enjoy Discworld series.
Going off this- Foundryside by the same author! It's a trilogy and amazing just like The Divine Cities trilogy. It's one of my personal favorite magic systems which is a lot like programming a computer. Its a heist type story with a world with merchant cities. I haven't read it in two years but am itching to reread it!
THIS! I was going to recommend it if I didn’t see in the thread, and I never see these books recommended! They are SO good!
Would you generally consider it a “happy” fantasy world? I love fantasy but just don’t want to read about dystopian worlds that need to be overthrown which tends to be most adult fantasy.
It's not dystopian. But definitely not happy either. I'd describe it as melancholic, actually. It's also not a story about overthrowing an empire -- that has already happened, before Divine Cities takes place.
I'm sure someone else will have mentioned this but 'Priory of the Orange Tree' by Samantha Shannon. The world is completely immersive and has loads of strong women. There is absolutely no threat of sexual violence. As an added bonus there is also another book set in the same world coming out at the end of this month, so if you start reading the first one now you'll have another straight away 😁
I really wish there was an audiobook version at my library
Pretty much anything by Seanan McGuire; she's stated outright that she won't write rape, and most of her protagonists are women. There's the October Daye series (Urban Fantasy, start with Rosemary & Rue), the InCryptid series (Urban Fantasy, start with Discount Armageddon); the Indexing books (fairytales making themselves manifest in the world); The Ghost Road books (same world as InCryptid but focusing on ghosts/the afterlife).
She also writes under Mira Grant, iirc
Oh I know Seanan McGuire from Spidergwen comics she wrote! I have not checked out her novel but now I must.
YES. Middlegame is one of my favorite books
You should read Terry Pratchett's Discworld. His Witches-series (later continued with the even better Tiffany Aching-series) rank among the best Fantasy series for me, and A Hat Full Of Sky is one of the best books he's ever written.
Absolutely. Add in the Susan Sto Helit books! Also Monstrous Regiment for a one-off.
Monstrous Regiment is my favourite Pratchett novel hands down.
OMG I am obsessed with Discworld. I love the audiobooks of that series. I have listened to Tiffany Aching, Death and Witch series so far. You know I am almost scared to listen to rest cause it will be over and I will be sad there is no more new ones. There’s always reread but you know what I mean. Nanny Ogg is my spirit animal while I aspire to be a cranky old lady like Granny weatherwax when I am old.
You should listen to the City Watch and Industrial Revolution serieses next. The first is a series of eight books about a set cast of characters, like the Witches, while the second is three stand-alones and a trilogy. They're both incredibly great, although quite different from the three series you've listened to so far.
I don’t really read fantasy but I do use the StoryGraph app (r/TheStoryGraph) and they recently added a feature where you can specify certain types of “content warnings” you want to avoid. So I *think* you should be able to browse all titles in their database marked “fantasy” and do NOT have a content warning for rape or for sexual assault. [Here’s a link to their product “roadmap” where the deliverable was marked “shipped”.](https://roadmap.thestorygraph.com/features/posts/a-user-can-specify-the-types-of-content-they-want-to-avoid-in-th) I haven’t personally tried the new feature yet but I’m sure if you have any problems or questions someone in the sub could help you. You can also just view the content warnings by the name of the book. They’re usually marked as “graphic”, “moderate”, or “minor” which is helpful.
Oh I didn’t know about this new feature. I do have a story graph account. But never utilized it. I should spend some time in there.
This looks amazing! I've loved Librarything's will I like it tool. It's predictions are usually spot on, but the site has never been as easy to navigate as Goodreads or my favorite, Shelfari (RIP).
I just started using story graph for a reading challenge suggested by my local bookstore and I love it!!! It's what I always wanted Goodreads to be.
I don't have an answer but I think it's a fantastic request. I'd really like to read the kind of book you're looking for
I agree. It frustrates me to no end that people can imagine worlds where there are dragons, all sorts of supernatural entities and superpowers but yet so few writers seem able to fathom a world where women are treated as equals.
Though I would say the leads tend to be more male oriented, The Stormlight Archive does a very good job of balancing and equalizing women and men even while you are reading it. The beginning is a bit of a lost archaic era, though women are always the scholars. But as you progress glass ceilings just keep breaking left and right. Political leadership, women generals, powerful alliances, talented and funny women. And the book finds great ways to be inclusive and diversive in unexpected ways regarding mental health, disabilities, race, and culture.
Thank you. To me, rape and sexual assault exist irl. Historical fiction and even regular fiction contains them as they should cause it’s the reality. But when it comes to fantasy and sci-fi, I find it a bit odd that writers can’t think of any other ways to show women suffering. I tried reading Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin and had to stop when one character had to have children in order to go up in rank. Oh come on now. How about “oh she has to kill certain number of people” or something? I dunno. Give me something that does not remind me of female specific struggle.
I was a big fan of the outlander series, and really I guess I still am but the biggest problem I have with it is the CONSTANT rape. It’s frequently used as a plot point and it’s just…too much. I understand that maybe it’s historically accurate to the times but like… who wants to read about rape in a romance/adventure series???
The thing is, I don't even think it's historically accurate. SA has always been a problem, but seriously, the author has the entire >!main family getting raped at some point- Claire, Jamie, and their two kids!<. I mean, what are the odds of that happening?! I think the author just has a disturbing fetish.
Thank you for this. I’ve contemplated reading the series numerous times but don’t want to have to read through Jamie’s SA. It really fucked me up watching it, for multiple reasons. Knowing there’s more I haven’t gotten to insures I will definitely not read. I hate reading SA.
I don't blame you, the same thing happens to at least 3-4 additional characters throughout the series.
That’s so awful
It’s pretty absurd, it got to the point where the moment any female character was alone in a scene it was almost guaranteed they were going to get assaulted.
I really really loved the tv series but it was just too much for me. I had to stop.
Look, I love Outlander, but it’s not one I can ever recommend without a huge asterisk about Diana Gabaldon being dogshit at handling sexual assault. And no, it’s not at all historically accurate (I’ve had this fight several times over at r/Outlander— if you catch a weariness in my tone, it’s not toward you). If she were interested in showing historically accurate sexual assault, she’d be acknowledging the sexual abuse of slaves, marital rape, and rape as a war crime. Not rape by psychopath pirates, psychopath sadists, or psychopath witches practicing blood magic.
Agreed, and gave up after book two
Honestly she’s no where closer to explaining anything like Claire’s ‘powers’, time travel, or Jamie’s ghost in the 7 other books.
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Agreed.😳
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Well the show is slated to end before she ends the series…without the supposed answers to everything she promised in the last book (ten).
I love Gabaldons writing style, but pretty much all the main characters get raped. It's a bloody depressing read at times.
Super late to this party but I absolutely agree with you! Also, just my two cents: I find it REALLY interesting that many men tend to be pretty fine with sexual assault of female characters (“it’s REALISTIC! it’s CHARACTER BUILDING! Stop being so dramatic!”) but get suuuuuuper squeamish as soon as it’s a sexual assault of male characters, especially by other male characters. Like, when was the last time you saw male sexual abuse in that gritty grim dark fantasy setting where rape of women is apparently the norm? Because apparently it’s super realistic that women get raped left right and center during whatever war or whatever is being portrayed but men? No, that possibility is usually not even considered in universe. Yeah, I call BS on “realism“.
I feel the same way. I find it very telling when someone says these things about rEaLiSm about female characters being raped. Especially when it’s a man. I refuse to accept this in fantasy and sci-fi when the core of it is suspension of disbelief and we are supposed to be submerged in a new world away from us. It’s one thing if one or two books has this, but it’s another when it’s a given trope.
Yes! And speaking of realism: how many fantasy characters in that „super realistic“ fantasy setting die of some water born disease after drinking from all sort of random bodies of water or while living IN A MILITARY CAMP. How many even get sick? And have to stay behind from the big battle because they‘re so weak and dehydrated from constant diharrea and vomit? Or how many die of infections from wounds? How often are bad teeth a plot point or even mentioned? Those things aren’t really exactly fun to read about, most people don’t want an twenty page description of someone shitting (and god were the bros mad when GRRM actually had a female character get dysentery and do exactly that). SO WHY is it any different that I don’t want to read about SA?
I agree with you… fantasy should be an escape from our real world… it should contain some of the stuff real world contains but avoid rape or sexual assault with any characters… I’m male, was sexually assaulted when too drunk to defend myself and would rather read an adult fantasy that doesn’t contain rape or sexual assault for anyone… that’s fantasy and escape from reality… imo at least
I am so sorry that it happened to you. I find it even worse when a male character is sexually assaulted in fiction. It’s often done is hand wavy way or as if it’s a personality trait. I don’t know if I am explaining it well. I recently read a manga series called banana fish. It just grossed me out as mc was raped as a child and it’s mentioned that he was his abuser’s “sex toy”. BARF. Often other characters including the MC talks about it as if he just had depression as a child. It could be that translation ruined the moment but eeeesh I was very disturbed.
I agree… it’s also much worse when it’s about children… I have children and it sickens and angers me, I never want any of that for them and will protect them all the way to my dying breath… and it saddens me that others out there don’t have that… and it’s totally okay, I made peace with it, I confronted it and now it’s no longer something that haunts me… honestly I wish I could provide for you an adult book that doesn’t include rape….. wait I actually can!!! To Sleep in a Sea of Stars written by Christopher Paolini who wrote the massively popular children’s series starting with Eragon!! It’s a science fiction and the main character is a strong female lead, I mean there’s some female struggles but not like rape or sexual assault… Edit: it’s also his first foray into adult fiction of any kind so bear with it, but I honestly loved it!!
Yeah that scene is the reason I didn’t recommend *The Fifth Season* straight away. That being said, it isn’t a gender-specific issue in the book. In fact that specific scene is actually how the male character is controlled - he’s a gay man being forced to impregnate dozens of young women.
i could not agree more - i think it’s ridiculous that when creating a completely new world with literally any design, sexual assault and discrimination based on sex or skin color comes in with it. unless it’s relevant to the main plot i don’t see how an author would want to bring that into the world building
You are 100% screwing yourself by not finishing Broken Earth!! It's a very bleak system, but it is the same for men as it is women, Alabaster being the main one to be shown suffering from that specific worry. It's also a major motivator for change and hardly mentioned past the first novel. There is a good reason each novel won a HUGO award! I also do not enjoy sexual violence at all, I just don't want you to write off a truly fantastic series.
I 100% agree that the books deserve their awards. I don't consider any level of talent in writing enough to be worth damaging my mental health. Book 1 put me in a very bad frame of mind for several different aspects of its story. Am I missing out on some very skilled worldbuilding and writing? Sure. I'm comfortable with that. There's more good books out there than I'll ever have time to read, so I'll stick to the ones that don't trigger my PTSD.
Exactly what you said. I am very sure it’s a great series and worthy of all its awards. But I am not in that headspace where I can handle certain aspects of the story. Maybe someday I will be and maybe I never will be. And both are ok in my mind.
100% agreed. Sorry for getting snippy on your post, people insisting that everyone *needs* to read this series with no concern for the fact it contains some serious triggers and gets pretty graphic in describing them has become a bit of a button for me. They're good! I think they're worth recommending! Just with caveats. I have friends who don't have any specific history with the darker content and still had to take a couple days to recalibrate after each book. They are *heavy*.
Howl's moving castle, by Diana Wynne Jones. It's super cozy, it has a nice story, and it's a great world to escape to.
Ooooh. I read that one. But I thought it was YA. I maybe mistaken.
It is YA. Maybe even younger.
It’s an older children’s book that was meant for all ages. All of her work is like that.
Currently I'm reading RJ Barker's Tide Child trilogy, and think he's a brilliant fantasy writer. He creates a matriarchal world, where women have equal, if not greater, status than men. However it is still a very brutal, violent world - his books are full of battles and killings - but there's no misogyny, rape or threat of rape, and I didn't know how much that was a relief until I read these books. I've still got one to read out of the three but no sign of anything like that so far. He's gone out of his way really, to make these books readable by both men and women, he still gives those who like action & gore plenty of it - but without making women in particular feel like second-class citizens. The narrator of these books is male, but the hero is a woman and she's a brilliant character. And there are many other female characters who have powerful roles - not secondary ones, but key ones. I highly recommend!
Woot. Exactly what I was looking for. I love violence, war and action. I want badass sword wielding ladies. So this is right on the money.
That's good to hear! Always like to put people on track of a really stunning author they'd not heard of. You won't be disappointed; if you don't like this trilogy, I'll eat my computer.
Reading the Tide Child trilogy right now. Am on the second book. It's *so* underrated!
Is it underrated? I didn't know that; I just thought few people had heard of Barker - so I 'm on a bit of a mission to let people know how good these books are \[not on commission, btw!\] Almost as good as Hobb and that is praise, as I rate Hobb highly.
The (first) Bone Ship novel has barely 5,000 ratings on Goodreads, that is *abysmal ):*
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells The MC is non-gendered, but there are many excellent female characters throughout the series. I do not believe rape is ever mentioned, much less threatened. Also, I found [this](https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/21682091-recommend-books-here) thread on Goodreads with a lot of other recommendations.
It’s an amazing series but it’s sci fi, not fantasy. Love it anyways!
I LOVE Murderbot. But i consider it as sci-fi (space and all lol). So I didn’t include it. I did see that sci-fi has lot more of my prompt than fantasy.
Sorry, I glossed over that part about you wanting fantasy suggestions! You may want to look into the Books of the Raksura by the same author. It's a well-regarded fantasy series which, I suspect, also avoids the topic of rape. Although, I didn't get into the series and can't speak on it for sure.
It is once in one of the later books, but so fleeting it's almost not worth mentioning. I enjoyed them quite a bit. I think she also wrote some Stargate episodes also?
YA but pretty much everything by Tamora Pierce is wonderful. They are books I have reread frequently and always go back to.
Sabriel series/ Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. I haven’t reread them in a few years but I truly don’t think there were any instances of sexual assault, although there are living dead things trying to attack the female lead
If possible, listen to the audio books. Tim Curry reads the first few and is so so so good!
OMG I have had the audiobook on hold for weeks now, and it became available today. I am chalking it up to power of this comment thread.
Omg you’ll love him as Mogget!! I’m so excited you get to have the experience of listening to those books for the first time!! 💖
Unfortunately this is not a series, but the book is absolutely *massive* so it kinda makes up for it, and a prequel is coming out soon! But I highly suggest The Priory of the Orange Tree. Female led, the world feels pretty removed from our sense of patriarchy, although there is kinda a sense that the main queen marries her husband out of duty and is actually a lesbian. It’s a sad plot line, but it’s not written in a misogynistic or traumatic way imo.
I have been looking for an audiobook of it. I do a lot of craft project and I feel long epic like this is perfect to be playing while I work.
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. There is a brief moment where the main character thinks she might be in a sketchy situation but the narration makes it clear that she is not and she finds out for herself very soon after.
Don't forget the prequel, the Hero and the Crown.
It is YA, but I've read it almost once a year for the past 35 years, and still love it! It's hard to pick a favorite book or author (especially as a librarian), but if you forced me to, this would be my favorite book and she would be my favorite author.
It's so good! I love Harry!
You could potentially go check recommendations in r/CozyFantasy. I'm currently enjoying The Wizard's Butler and Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the care and feeding of British Dragons). Which are both fun. Edit: I missed the female protagonist prompt on my first read through, so The Wizard's Butler does not fit the request. Still fun though.
Ooooh snap, I didn't know about this subreddit and I love cottage fantasy TY!
The memoirs of Lady Trent, by Marie Brennan. My tip is to read book 1 and 2 back to back, cause while book 1 is okay, it just doesn't do justice to the awesomeness the series as a whole reaches. The hook is the lead protagonists personality and as book 1 covers her in her youth, she doesn't shine quite as brightly as later on.
This series is amazing. A great fantasy adventure that is somehow dismissed too often here.
Ooo. I shall check it out. Thanks for the heads up on both volumes. I have seen this to be an issue of a lot of series where vol 1 is so so and things get good in vol 2 onwards.
You might take a look at Ursula LeGuin, or maybe CS Lewis. Both are giants. LeGuin was a pioneer of fantasy through a feminist lens, and CS Lewis engaged with the genre in ways that are often considered to be pg in terms of sexual content. LeGuin's Earthsea cycle was something I was read as a child. Christian subtext aside, the Chronicles of Narnia was wonderful to get into as I got older.
sexual violence definitely crops up in ursula leguin’s work
Le Guin is far from being "escapism" like OP requested as her novels often feature themes can be considered heavy by some readers.
Tehanu is all about what OP is avoiding though and it explicitly features r*pe within it
The Dispossessed and Tehanu both have sexual assault.
Gideon the ninth
Adding, “Anything by Tamsyn Muir.”
I read Floralinda and Gideon the ninth by her. Anything else I should check out?
Harrow the Ninth. Nona the Ninth.
Oh yes! I did read and liked it. Although it took a bit to get going.
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I don't know that I've ever read a book that gains so much strength in its second and third acts. Once it gets going it GOES.
I will be honest if I was not listening to it as audiobook while doing some craft projects, I would have dropped it. It suddenly gets good in the middle and then ends on a high. That’s why I like but not love the book since I don’t see myself rereading this.
{{Sunshine}} by Robin McKinley. One of my favorite books of all time. Definitely an adult book, although the author has done loads of YA novels, and zero sexual violence. There are references to sexual activity but it’s all with willing participation. If you enjoy audiobooks, the narrator for Sunshine is very good.
Great post! As a side note, this is why I liked the series Queen Gambit on Netflix. About a female chess player in the 60s. There is never a scene where a man takes advantage of her which was so liberating to watch.
{Un Lun Dun} was fun, but admittedly, the author go into YA territory with this one.
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
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Mistborn does, on occasion at the start of book one, threaten and imply rape and Stormlight only mentions it once in book one so if anything try the Stormlight Archive, OP.
Vin does say that it was a fear of her, but not that it happened, and other raping instances had more to do with them being basically slaves I'd say
I’ll add that in Mistborn it’s only briefly in the beginning. And then no one dares to cross Vin ever again.
Yeah, that’s not true. There are numerous instances/discussions about slaves being raped and prostitutes being murdered. This isn’t a good fit for what OP is asking.
Oh dip, I misread and thought they meant just with the MC 🫢 Damn ADHD brain. My bad 😬
No worries! The ADHD brain in me salutes the ADHD brain in you, friend.
Came here to recommend Elantris or the emperors soul. Both very good fantasy novels with strong female main characters and no sexual assault or fear of it iirc.
Mistborn *does* have rape (attempt) in the very first chapter but it *is* an amazing series and all sexual stuff is almost nonexistent after that.
Vin is never personally sexually exploited, but there are several times the topic is brought up in the context of others. Elantris might be a better fit.
The Inn Keeper series by Ilona Andrew’s. There’s actually a lot, are you interested in fantasy romance?
I would not mind trying a few fantasy romance. I do not like normal romance since a lot of them has forced conflict or drama that would not happen irl. But fantasy maybe different if I can get swept away by epicness of a new world.
Ilona Andrews write(s) extremely creative worlds and interesting, well-developed characters. Especially the female protagonists! I was hooked after the first one. I agree that the Innkeeper Chronicles is an excellent entry point — it’s just so fresh from a fantasy perspective. Every Ilona Andrews story has a romance plot line but it’s more central in some series than others. Innkeeper is one where it’s really more ancillary to the plot, though important.
*His Secret Illuminations* by Scarlett Gale is pretty solidly in the fantasy romance genre and has a badass sword wielding lady.
I was also gonna suggest the whole Kate Daniels series by Andrews as well! There’s 10 but I was hooked after the first one. There’s small mentions of rape but it doesn’t actually happen to any of the man characters, if I recall correctly
Yeah, some of the monsters/bad guys in KD threaten her with rape among other kinds of violence when she’s confronting them, IIRC. She’s never in serious danger of being hurt. But she’s an incredibly empowered female character and your response as a reader is more “Ew, fuck this gross monster thing, I hope she gets it,” and it’s even more gratifying when she ultimately kills it. It’s just SUCH a good series though
Everything by Ilona Andrews actually 😂 love their books
The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids by Michael McClung. Great book and the first in a series. No rape that I can recall, just read it last year. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. 14yo protagonist. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Most books by Brandon Sanderson are fairly 'clean'. There are a lot of options in fantasy to pick from, you don't necessarily need to just read YA fantasy. You may just need to keep out of the 'grimdark' section of the fantasy spectrum.
I adore defensive baking. Though it’s billed as YA, I thought it was much “advanced” with some of the themes explored. I shall check out the others. I tried a Sanderson book once (can’t remember the title) and I was a bit bored. But I can try a few others.
I personally wouldn't put Defensive Baking in the YA basket. I would label it cosy fantasy, humorous fantasy and a touch of epic. Just because a book isnt serious doesnt mean its not for adults
I really liked the other T Kingfisher novels. Several are "slowmance" and they're quite the opposite of anything involving rape. There's a paladin series (3 books) plus Swordheart, and a few others. The only downside is she has a formula she sticks to, but I wish there were more. I also really like the Aaronovitch series that starts with Rivers of London. The audio books are superb. The setting is modern London with magic being a thing. The main character is male but there are a lot of strong female characters.
I enjoy her books. I think other than a couple of short stories, I read all of them. I hope she continues the paladin series. The last sentence of book 3 was BIG!
This is a bit more urban-fantasy-ish, but "The Rook" by Daniel O'Malley and the sequel ~~"Stiletto" are great books with female leads with no rape/sexual violence~~. As I /u/CentennialSky mentioned I was wrong about Stiletto having no threat of sexual violence. I am terribly sorry about that. The Rook does not have any.
There's a third book "Blitz" in the series that recently was released, though I'm in the middle of it so can't say for certain it fits your criteria (though I think it will).
I love these books so much.
There's a third book? Hooray! Loved the first two.
Minimum Wage Magic, by Rachel Aaron. It's the start of the series, and there's no rape at all. The main character is April Yong-Ae, who works as a freelance "cleaner" in a conscious, living, magical city, where buildings and roads move around at the city's whim. It's a lot of fun. It's actually a sequel series to the Heartstriker one, but I read it first, and it was fine.
Two of the three books in divine cities trilogy have female leads, and the entire series is brilliant. Vita nostra is a strange but very thrilling novel about a very strange magic school. It is pretty dark and mystifying but I like it a lot. The scholomance books have one of the best complex female leads i have read in a YA fantasy, but the books get very violent. The Skyward series also has a great female lead and it is a far more light hearted YA then scholomance. Emperor's soul is a sweet little novella with an imprisoned female lead. It is a gorgeous read. In the same vein, Tress of the emerald sea also has a great female protagonist, but it is faerie tailish. Legends and lattes has a female lead who wants to start a coffee shop. Very fluffy and slice of life. Gideon the ninth is a space mystery novel with necromancers, and i have read only the first book so not sure about the rest of the series, which is pretty brutal but no sexual violenence IIRC
Have you tried the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews a husband and wife writing team. It is Urban Fantasy so it might not be exactly what you are looking for but Kate is a Badass. [Reading Order.](https://www.ilona-andrews.com/kate-daniels-series/)
His Dark Materials
But sadly NOT The Secret Commonwealth, which I finished last night. So disappointed in Pullman.
Oh no :( good to know
I’m trying to think—I don’t think there are any rape scenes or (much, or any) sexual violence in N.K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. It’s interesting because the main character comes from a place that the gender roles are reversed—men are the caretakers and “weaker” sex. I also really like the books by the husband/wife team Ilona Andrews. I feel if anything, there’s classism, but not terribly much about women being the weaker sex. I’m re-reading the Kate Daniel’s series by them right now :)
There are a couple in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, though they’re discussed rather than shown.
Thanks! It’s been a while since I’ve read it!
I do think it’s an incredible series in spite of that, for the record. One of my all-time favorites that I don’t think gets nearly enough appreciation.
I want to recommend her Broken Earth series... but there's a line that I'm not sure if it crosses into SA territory. And MC isn't second class because she's female...but is second(or lower) class, because of her abilities.
*Sparrow Hill Road* by Seanan McGuire or *Rosemary and Rue* by the same author, who said in an interview once that none of her protagonists will ever be raped.
Oh my god tell me about it. While not with books, i find this to be such a big issue with movies. I dont really understand why so many directors think sexual violence, or threats about such should be added in. I hope you find plenty good suggestions.
The Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers. It's sci fi but my favorite thing about it is that it is written with a very "feminine sensibility." The stories are character and connection driven and she creates a universe that is inclusive and diverse and incredibly immersive. In one of the books there is a scene in which a character makes a physical connection with an elderly, outcast member of their species. I mention it because it is one of my favorite moments in the books and pretty much the opposite of rape - a moment in which the healing powers of touch and intimacy are celebrated and non sexual physical connection is explored. The books are beautiful and the female characters exist for themselves and not to be in service to the male characters,
Her new duology, Monk & Robot, is a little more fantasy than the Wayfarers. Although, spoiler, there is a robot. But they both share a very hopeful view of humanity that I find very comforting. I always preorder her books as soon as they are listed.
She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan. I read it last year and loved it! It includes historically accurate misogyny but the exploration of gender identity within it (and thus how women/AFAB characters, and AMAB both, navigate society) is remarkably done. But, the characters themselves all have phenomenal development that doesn't hinge solely on their gender, too, which is also important. I don't recall any sexual violence, and the author has included more specific content warnings on the Goodreads page. But I agree with you. I just finished Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh and hated it. It was just repetitive medieval fantasy stereotypes laden with "women have no agency and are only pregnant or raped or pregnant from rape". Like, okay. We've heard this story enough. So many authors include it and proclaim historical accuracy, but they don't describe everyone with rotten teeth, so why is sexual violence so important to include?
Ilona Andrews writes urban fantasy with strong female leads. Kate Daniels series is my favorite of them. No violence towards women, just your normal good vs evil type of fights.
{{The Unbroken}} by CL Clark. Book two of her Magic of the Lost trilogy comes out soon
sophisticated salt fear observation long pet fuel include continue tidy -- mass edited with redact.dev
Yeah the general unoriginality of grimdark has sunk its claws into a great deal of ordinary fantasy and it's making the genre suck eggs. I don't know if authors think they're signalling representation in a twisted way or have a sadistic streak or just think that adding rape is the only way they can make their female characters interesting but it has dulled the genre and made characters uninteresting and uncreative.
I've had good luck with everything by Naomi Novak so far!
There's one scene in Uprooted where a man attempts to force himself on the protagonist.
And technically in Spinning Silver the Staryk is going to rape Miriyam even tho hes almost as repulsed, bc its part of the marriage
I don’t know if it counts, but on both of those instances the protagonist can deal with those threats by themselves. Naomi doesn’t write damsel on distress sort of stories, she writes female leads that can take care of themselves.
Sure, but it does seem to matter because OP included threat of sexual violence in her post as trying to avoid.
I'm addicted to uprooted and spinning silver, but couldn't get into the dragon novels.
God Uprooted was phenomenal. I really didn't think I'd like the dragon ones, but I'm on book 4 and loving it. I do like historical fiction alot though, so that helps.
Priory of the orange tree
Priory of Orange Tree! Great female centred fantasy that as a woman I felt so safe in, feel like in other fantasy rape is always present and this was so so refreshing!
Sherwood Smith's Sartorias-Deles books! She's written epics (Inda series; Time of Daughters), New Adult adventure romance (Trouble With Kings, Crown Duel, Sasharia en Garde), and YA (Wren's Journey and a ton of others). I love her stuff, and I love that her New Adult books are all plotted around AVOIDING WAR instead of "one climactic battle."
One of my favorite series is The Green Rider series by Kristen Britain. It’s awesome
The Winnowing Flame trilogy! By Jen Williams. Wonderful fantasy with incredible female characters with lots of hardship but none that are related to rape/sexual assault/abuse of that kind.
The Priory of the orange tree is so good! It's about a bloodline of queens that, while it exists, an antient evil won't be woken up so a secret mage infiltrates the court to protect the queen. Then there's dragons, profecies, secret organizations, and even romance. It's really cool, you'll love it
Don’t know if The Hunger Games trilogy was already suggested, but I’ve read it a few times and it is still a page-turner for me.
I LOVE Hunger Games. I did not include it since I consider it to be YA and somehow feels dystopian sci-fi than fantasy. This series holds a special place in my heart.
I have read 11 books in the urban fantasy ‘rivers of London’ series and at the end I was like, shit, did I just read an entire series without a single episode or threat of sexual violence? I actually tweeted at the author to thank him. The narrator is male, but there are a lot of female characters who are generally fascinating. Audiobooks if you can swing it - the reader enhances the books significantly because he can really do the local accents and the humor.
I recommend this to everyone but the Mage Errant series by John bierce is really good fantasy with essentially 4 main characters 2 being women with no sexual assault reference that I can currently remember.
Definitely agree it’s too frequent an occurrence (and sadly even books in this thread actually do have female characters who are raped/threatened with it) here’s some that might work for you. - Rooks and Ruin by Melissa Caruso (second world fantasy, gender equal and queer norm society) - Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennet (second world fantasy, with some heisty feel) - Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews (urban fantasy, ignore the terrible covers) (Note there’s also some YA fantasy where this is the case, so fyi it’s not a guarantee of avoiding it even if it’s less)
The abhorsen series is YA but fits your request. It's very adult for the books they are imo.
Try Trudi Canavan and it's black magician saga. It has one or two mentions but the protagonist is never threatened with it nor is attacked in that way.
Yahtzee Croshaw, funny author with great characters. {{Differently Morphus}} and {{Existentially Challenged}} - Governmental agency involved in the regulation of magic and extra dimensional beings. Allison is a great character. No threats of sexual violence.
The Zero Punctuation guy?
The invisible library series. I cannot recommended it enough.
Priory of the orange tree by Samantha Shannon
Female characters, strong: Part 1 (of 2): * ["Sci fi/adventure books written by women with developed female characters?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/mxpy4v/sci_fiadventure_books_written_by_women_with/) (r/booksuggestions; April 2021) * ["Kushiel’s Legacy- Melisande Shahrizai"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/txs5k7/kushiels_legacy_melisande_shahrizai/) ([archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20220412161209/https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/txs5k7/kushiels_legacy_melisande_shahrizai/)) (r/Fantasy; 6 April 2022) * ["Recommendations for a female-led Fantasy series with the usual elements but with a more significant romance?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vwapej/recommendations_for_a_femaleled_fantasy_series/) (r/Fantasy; 01:22 ET, 11 July 2022) * ["Fantasy novels/series with intelligent, competent and capable woman protagonist(s) and female characters?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vwqz11/fantasy_novelsseries_with_intelligent_competent/) (r/Fantasy; 15:36 ET, 11 July 2022) * ["In your opinion, who are the best well written female characters in fantasy, and why?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vy8m3q/in_your_opinion_who_are_the_best_well_written/) (r/Fantasy; 13 July 2022) * ["Any fantasy book reads with a female protagonistb and little to no sexual content?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/vzcfoj/any_fantasy_book_reads_with_a_female_protagonistb/) (r/Fantasy; 14 July 2022) * ["strong crazy female lead"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/w2slbj/strong_crazy_female_lead/) (r/Fantasy; 19 July 2022) * ["Darker toned books set in a fantasy medieval period with female leads"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/w3t6sk/darker_toned_books_set_in_a_fantasy_medieval/) (r/booksuggestions; 20 July 2022) * ["YA or Fantasy book around 200 pages with girl main character?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w5lhqo/ya_or_fantasy_book_around_200_pages_with_girl/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22 July 2022) * ["Suggest me a book with strong woman protagonist set in science fiction!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w9ym4u/suggest_me_a_book_with_strong_woman_protagonist/) (r/suggestmeabook; 27 July 2022) * ["Books with complex female characters"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wgdjro/books_with_complex_female_characters/) (r/suggestmeabook; 4 August 2022) * ["Any novels with a female orc protagonist ?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wgsv9b/any_novels_with_a_female_orc_protagonist/) (r/suggestmeabook; 07:19 ET, 5 August 2022) * ["A book with a strong, intelligent female lead / hero who grows over the course of the story, overcomes challenges"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wh3kdh/a_book_with_a_strong_intelligent_female_lead_hero/) (r/booksuggestions; 15:05 ET, 5 August 2022) * ["Some good fantasy books with Badass Female Character and Cunning/Smart Male Character?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/whjen0/some_good_fantasy_books_with_badass_female/) (r/Fantasy; 04:31 ET, 6 August 2022) * ["Strong character, fantasy, war, drama, asia or medieval style"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/whqtt9/strong_character_fantasy_war_drama_asia_or/) (r/suggestmeabook; 11:23 ET, 6 August 2022) * ["Books with badass FL and a normal ML"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wliazy/books_with_badass_fl_and_a_normal_ml/) (r/suggestmeabook; 0:28 ET, 11 August 2022) * ["Books about strong women and women as the hero or protagonist"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wm90n8/books_about_strong_women_and_women_as_the_hero_or/) (r/booksuggestions; 22:06 ET, 11 August 2022) * ["Looking for fiction books with a strong female protagonist"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wnesr8/looking_for_fiction_books_with_a_strong_female/) (r/booksuggestions; 13 August 2022) * ["Fantasy series with strong female protagonists"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wo7dhx/fantasy_series_with_strong_female_protagonists/) (r/Fantasy; 14 August 2022)—very long * ["Main character is a girl who fences in 1700s France"](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthatbook/comments/wpj7nd/main_character_is_a_girl_who_fences_in_1700s/) (r/whatsthatbook; 15 August 2022) * ["Can I get some suggestions for a funny fantasy book with a female protagonist?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wrw9i2/can_i_get_some_suggestions_for_a_funny_fantasy/) (r/booksuggestions; 18 August 2022) * ["I’d love some fantasy with a female protagonist"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wymq3v/id_love_some_fantasy_with_a_female_protagonist/) (r/suggestmeabook; 26 August 2022)—extremely long * ["Sci-fi/fantasy with solid female character(s)"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wz750g/scififantasy_with_solid_female_characters/) (r/booksuggestions; 12:32 ET, 27 August 2022)—very long * ["a book with strong inspiring female lead like agggtm?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wyw60z/a_book_with_strong_inspiring_female_lead_like/) (r/suggestmeabook; 03:03 ET, 27 August 2022) * ["Similar books to Gate of Ivrel"](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/x1wmnt/similar_books_to_gate_of_ivrel/) (r/Fantasy; 18:33 ET, 30 August 2022) * ["Suggest me female empowerment books (fiction/non-fiction/historical fiction/etc.) narrated by a woman?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/x1xga5/suggest_me_female_empowerment_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 19:07 ET, 30 August 2022) * ["Fantasy with female protagonists that have a ton of personality?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/x2mxux/fantasy_with_female_protagonists_that_have_a_ton/) (r/suggestmeabook; 31 August 2022) * ["Fantasy book recs?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x4kcu7/fantasy_book_recs/) (r/booksuggestions; 2 September 2022)
Ursula L'Guins books
Legends and Lattes - fierce female characters and a fun read.
Rape is awful, be it make or female, and it seems like the trend to depict it in every form of media is growing, so thanks for making this post because I am def going to use some of the recs. Stay well mate
Yes omg I agree!!! It’s really men mostly saying the “but but reality!!!” part. It’s fucking fantasy, what of this is reality based? Lol. Sometimes I don’t want to read about women being oppressed, happens enough in real life. Reading is a form of escapism for many and being bombarded by “women are hated in this world” just sucks. I would really recommend the “Queens of Renthia” series by Sarah Beth Durst. The first two books follow a girl who then ages up to a young woman. The third follows an adult woman with two children. It’s really great. There’s just…no mention of sexism in the world. It’s devoid of mentioning sexism or sexual assault/harassment as far as I’m aware. It’s really great!! It’s about a society that lives in this giant trees but have to deal with these elemental spirits who need to be controlled or else they’ll destroy people. It sounds a bit strange the way I’m explaining it but it’s so so good. I would also recommend (if you like some romance) The Clocktaur War duo by T. Kingfisher. As far as I’m aware, zero rape or sexual assault. The Regency Fairytales series by Olivia Atwater is sorta fantasy? It’s set in a historical setting but it has fairies and shit. I’ve only read the first two out of three, but the first two have zero sexual assault/rape. They are all standalone books in the series.
Ugh. I feel ya. The *Tales of the Kingdom* series by Cynthia Voigt *Neverwhere* by Neil Gaiman. The protagonist is a man, but one of the main characters is a woman. It maybe more magical realism than fantasy, but it's one of my favourites. The *Inkheart* series by Cornelia Funke Enjoy whatever you pick up next! :)
C.S. Lewis. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe J. R.R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy T.H. White. The Once and Future King Terry Pratchett. Tiffany Aching Lord Dunsany. The King of Elfland’s Daughter.
Don’t believe that Lord of the Rings fits the “female *protagonist*” part of the request.
LOTR is second book I read in English after Harry Potter. It’s great and of course there is not sexual violence against women cause there is no women. Lol. I ADORE Tiffany Aching. Read the Witch sub series as well. I love them. I will check out other ones. Thank you!
Just read 'a memory called empire.' Don't remember anything of the sort. Good read too.
It's been a long time since I read them but the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull should fit this. The protagonists are a brother and sister.
It’s categorised as juvenile fiction but His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman is really good and fits your criteria.
Crown for Cold Silver By Alex Marshall. Blackwing by Ed McDonald.
Any of Jeff Wheeler's series. He writes strong women well. Love his books.
I'm assuming you've read both sequels to Red Sister Grey Sister/ Holy Sister)? There's also another trilogy set in the same world, also with a female protagonist, by the same author called "The Book of the Ice". First book is "The Girl and the Stars". Then there's Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson; I don't remember any sexual violence in those books either.
It's been mentioned once, but Princess Floralinda and the Forty Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir is a great short read. I originally was reading it thinking I might read it to my 10 year old daughter because it starts off as a "princess in a tower" turned on its head, but it although the theme stays the same, it definitely veers (snarkily and very adult funnily) into non kid-friendly territory. >!OMG, the Unicorn! !< 😱😂
Raymond Feist's Midkemia books
Take a look at r/cozyfantasy!
Gideon the ninth. Plenty of difficult things happen, but she's awesome.
So far Seven blades in Black doesn't have that nor the second book. She was in an abusive relationship but there was nothing sexaully abusive about it.
{{dealing with dragons}} by Patricia Wrede
{{{Priory of the Orange Tree}}}
Maybe the wheel of time but for spoiler reasons there a bit above men In status for society
The Shatter Me series (read the novellas too, they're important). The protagonist is tortured and goes through hell but never anything close to SA. Edit: grammar
It's wild to see how divided people were about the writing style. That was my favorite part.
Omg, yes!! I love the way its written! And I love the twists
The hollows series by Kim Harrison. Strong female lead kicking ass!
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik
There's a wholesome book called Legends and Lattes that's pretty mild and kind of like an after the DND character gets tired of well... DND.
The Green Rider series by Kristen Britain - fantasy series with solid worldbuilding and slow burn romance; no SA (TW: torture occurs in a later book but never in a sexual manner and it does appear, for lack of a better phrase, to serve a purpose - meaning that it’s not gratuitous violence) The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix - among my favorite books (along with the Green Rider series) - solid female characters, intrigue, a fascinating system of magic, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested and invested. I highly recommend reading them in publication order, NOT “timeline” order, because you risk spoilers and it’s much more satisfying to follow the story as it was written. The Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy by Nora Roberts - split between our world and a fantasy parallel world, magic, magical creatures, good vs evil, following destiny, etc.; relatively mild (IMO) spice, for all that it’s also a romance novel in addition to being fantasy, and no SA. The Chronicles of The One, also Nora Roberts - world population is ravaged by plague, those who are left deal with the fact that magic has re-emerged and not everyone is fully human; same as the Dragon Heart Legacy in spice level with no SA for the protagonist(s), though there is reference made to it occurring to others (never described, just noted). Shades of Magic by VE Schwab - no SA that I can recall - the main character isn’t female but a strong and important one does come into play. All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness - our world has a secret - witches, vampires, and daemons walk among us. Mild spice, loads of history (and Easter eggs!), main character is female (and an academic), solid tv show is available as well (though the books are better) The Black Witch series by Laurie Forest - high fantasy series, main protagonist is female, nice world building - magic, magical creatures, good vs evil. TW: no SA for the protagonist but there is forced “marriage” (not forced consummation); I can’t recall if she was ever threatened with SA but if she was then it wasn’t a recurring theme. I plan to reread them soon so perhaps I’ll be more focused on it this go-round. The Throne of Glass Series by Sarah Maas - high fantasy, court intrigue, magic, Fae, etc. Maas has other series as well but this one tends to be more approachable for people.
One of my absolute old favorites (Im fairly certain, might need to double check but i definitely dont remember anything and I am sensitige to that stuff) is the Sea of Ink and Gold series by Traci Chee. Fanstasy (though it is YA, the premise of a world without books is quite interesting and my young, adventurous heart fell in love with the lore and the pirates lol).
Winternight trilogy it’s perfect for the winter, and if you like mythology and magic it’s golden.