My Top 10 Literary Heroines

I love to read. I read everything I can get my hands on, preferably fantasy, preferably adventures, preferably with awesome female role models. It’s nice when people write about women who are interesting and complex, because that’s how women actually are. Some can rock it like Beyonce, others can kick serious butt like Supergirl. And some, like Lorelai Gilmore, are simply fantastic in an average day.

I’ve come across many amazing women in books, here are my top ten:

Hermione Granger - Harry Potter

First and foremost, the leading lady in fantastical fiction, cleverness, and sheer guts. Hermione is smart. She knows she’s smart and even when she gets teased, she doesn’t back down. She makes it cool to know everything and anything. Her brain, confidence, and determination pretty much defeated Voldemort. Sure, Harry did the actual defeating. But would Harry have lived past 11 years old without Hermione? No. Hermione is awesome, she is the definition of awesomeness. And I think she was the only one who actually punch Malfoy even though he totally deserved it many times.

Aly Cooper - Trickster’s Choice

I love these books. Aly is the cheeky daughter of the King’s Champion and the Lord of Spies. She’s got great genes. She wants to follow in her father’s footsteps as a spy and when the god of mischief takes a liking to her, she sets off on her own adventure. She is fun and clever, loves information, and can take down an empire. Sometimes the most important person is not the princess, it’s the girl who gets the princess on her throne.

Kat Bishop - Heist Society

Kat comes from a family of thieves who teach her everything she needs to know to succeed in the family business. Naturally, she takes these powers and uses them for good. She tracks down art stolen from families, specifically during World War II, and returns it to the rightful owner. Super cool, huh? She leads a group compiled of her billionaire boyfriend, her glamorous cousin, her computer genius best friend, and her adorkable Scottish cousins. It’s a very entertaining dynamic.

Tessa Gray - Clockwork Angel 

Tessa is also a big reader. She deals with her move to Victorian London with Dante quotes and perfectly penned letters. She is introduced to the shadow world and totally conquers it. She discovers she’s a strange new kind of warlock, learns how to fight, masters her powers, and shows up everyone with her literary knowledge.

Emma Cairstairs - Lady Midnight

Emma lives in the shadow world as well, but as a modern day shadowhunter in the city of angels. She’s tough, she’s sassy, and she doesn’t take no for an answer. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to uncover truth and find justice. Also, this book incorporates Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee” which is beautiful. She manages to uncover this massively messed up organization despite everyone telling her  to give up and accept what they tell her. Also, the cover on this book is my absolute favorite out of all Cassandra Clare’s books.

Marianne Daventry - Edenbrooke

Marianne is the kind of girl that just wants to explore, spin in a meadow, and enjoy the weather. Her cranky rich grandmother sends her off to an estate in hopes that Marianne will snag a suitor, but Marianne just wants to have an adventure. She’s unconventional. She doesn’t care about being fashionable like her sister. But just because she’s more carefree doesn’t mean she’s a pushover. She takes on bandits, kidnappers, and snobs in a stride and with a good attitude, which is its own superpower.

Mustang - Red Rising

Mustang, also known as Virginia au Augustus, is basically a princess. She is a gold, top of the food chain. Does that stop her from screwing with the system and throwing her dad’s idiocy in his face? Nope. She’s a survivor. She starts out as a wild card, but as the action escalades it becomes clear that she is a necessary part of the impending revolution. It becomes clear that Darrow can’t overturn the world without her. She’s the cold, calculating brain behind the operation. Seriously, you do not want to mess with her.

Rachelle - Crimson Bound

This modern take on Little Red Riding Hood is dark and sexy and complex. It’s an impressive take on a children’s story. Rachelle is a villain determined to do some good in her messed up world. She’s convinced she’s doomed for, but she’s not getting dragged down to her own personal hell without a fight. I like Rachelle because she’s not too precious. She knows she’s flawed and she embraces her mistakes. She sees herself as a demon, yet she’s wonderfully human and relatable. She condemns herself for so little, but forgives others for so much. She’s easy to root for and believe in. She’s also very entertaining and has a wicked streak that makes me laugh. Her friendship with Amelie is adorable, her relationship with Erec is exciting, and her interactions with Armand are cute I guess.

Kendra Sorenson - Fablehaven

Kendra is the ultimate responsible older sister, quiet straight A student, model child. So she should be totally boring, right? No. She follows rules most of the time, but her little brother pushes her to explore more. And she does explore on her own. If she hadn’t, she never would have discovered the clues her grandpa left around the house about the secret fantastical reservoir he managed. Once she and Seth are introduced to the world of Fablehaven, they work together to save it multiple times. Kendra becomes a favorite of the Fairy Queen, wields a legendary sword, and escapes several villains, all at the ripe age of 14. She’s just a good kid. She’s nice to her brother, she takes care of her family, and embraces this crazy new world. She doesn’t freak out about unicorns or cry about demons. She takes it and goes with it and does her best.

Anne Shirley - Anne of Green Gables 

We have reached the ONE. Anne with an e, my kindred spirit, and soul sister. I love Anne. She runs around meadows with flowers in her hair, scares herself with her own daydreams, and sobs over her stories. She’s a dreamer, an optimist, and a true friend. She’s not perfect. She does many strange things, but either doesn’t care how odd she looks or pretends not to. She is sensitive about her bright red hair and has a short temper. She sets her heart on things like puff sleeves and somehow making her freckles disappear. She’s just adorable and relatable. She works hard and is incredibly smart. I love her friendship with Diana and her competitiveness with Gilbert. She grows up so much in each book and just becomes this stunning young woman.

Reading about amazing women who take on life’s challenges despite their flaws is inspirational, especially to young girls. Instead of reading about girls who constantly obsess over their insecurities, I want to read about girls who know they’re not perfect but are confident anyway. Instead of pouring over pages full of girls who change how they feel about themselves because of boys, I want to read about girls who fight for what they believe in.

Because honestly, girls are awesome.