Hello again dear reader or listener!
It is a bright and sunny day in Italy, the weather is getting warmer, and my pollen allergies are on the horizon.
However! It is International Women’s Day and in honor of that I thought of listing 7 of my favorite leading ladies written by some of my favorite female authors across recent SFF! These characters are all different examples of womanhood and inspiring in their own respective ways. Be it for their character traits, their drives and goals, the varied types of femminity they present, the journeys they go through, or the catharsis they achieve for the reader who sees themselves in them.
In no particular order then:
H.M. Long’s Mary Firth in The Winter Sea Trilogy is what you call an iconic Queen (TM). If you liked Elizabeth Swan from Pirates of the Caribbean you’re going to love Mary.
Paired with her no nonsense attitude, her character development throughout the first two books is strong and ongoing and I cannot wait to see how she faces the coming challenges in book three!
Tamra and Raia are not only an excellent entry in the found family pantheon but they exemplify the power of determination and stubborness against all odds, in this fantasy standalone by Sarah Beth Durst.
The drives behind each of them might be different but the goal is the same, i.e. take power over their lives away from those who stole it and claimed it as their own. If they solve political conspiracies in the process, well that’s an added bonus!
If you support women’s rights, but Hell if you don’t also support women’s wrongs, Anna from Jennifer Thorne’s Diavola is the character you can relate to the most. Not least because of all the feelings of secondhand anger, aggravation, and frustration that come from dysfunctional family gatherings. Diavola is not only a darkly humorous hell of a good time, but its ongoing commentary on so much of what it means to be the kind of woman that doesn’t fit simple/trad molds hits the spot oh so well.
With Laura Iven in The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden adds to her cadre of powerful leading ladies. It is no secret this book affected me deeply and part of the reason why is for how human it was. This story was so many things, with one being an unapologetic and unfiltered view of a woman’s reality during the First World War. How far might she go to save her brother and what walls does one need to build or let fall to make it through to the end? And what do you do after everything? Laura is a potential answer to all of those questions and a mirror through which you can see yourself more clearly.
Fantasy with lots of Body Horror? Check.
Distaster Bisexual? Check.
Brb, I’m gonna go fight a god? Check.
Karys Eska in Kerstin Hall’s Asunder is not only the biggest mood for every harried freelancer everywhere, but she is the imperfect protagonist of one’s dreams. Hall gives us a fully rounded, ever evolving, troubled woman doing her very best in the face of frankly pretty shitty odds. And it is superb.
Loulie al-Nazari in Chelsea Abdullah’s The Stardust Thief is another hardworking woman (TM) that has no time for other people’s messes and yet she is wrapped up in one despite her best efforts. Loulie is an interesting and imperfect character who needs to learn that independence does not come at the sacrifice of depending on others and letting them aid you. I loved the start of her journey in this first book and I cannot wait to see how it continues and how she will grow into a bigger and better badass than she already is, as The Sandsea Trilogy continues.
Andrea Stewart is no stranger to writing strong, well rounded leading ladies, and even though it is pretty hard to pick out a favorite from her (as of this post) four published works, for the purposes of this list I’m focusing on Hakara from The Gods Below. For an extremely simple reason too. She is one of the characters I’ve related to the most in recent times because of her dark or sassy sense of humor at the most inopportune moments. If it’s a coping mechanism, it’s nobody’s business.
What about you dear reader/listener? Who are some of your favorite leading ladies or female authors that never fail to inspire, entertain, comfort, or make you feel seen?
Do you agree with my picks? And if you haven’t read any of these books yet, you know what my next words will be: run don’t walk to read them, you have such treats ahead!
Until next time,
Eleni A.E.
Leave a Reply