International Women's Day-Badass Female Protagonists
It's #InternationalWomensDay and we are celebrating some of the best female protagonists in YA over here at the Book Corner. These are my personal picks, but I'd love to hear what your favorites are!
Celaena Sardothien is a lethal, sarcastic, brutal, and all-around badass warrior. She has been tortured beyond belief, but will put her life on the line to save her friends. She met a pretty bleak fate at the end of Empire of Storm, so I'm anxious to see what is in store for her next.
Mara Dyer. When I first started reading YA, this was one of the first series I read. Besides having one of my favorite male counterparts in a series to date (NOAH SHAW!), it also has a great female lead. Mara has a special power that threatens to destroy her. As she struggles to figure what her power means, she is pushed to the breaking point. She's powerful, she's flawed, and sometimes she toes the line between good and evil. But one thing is certain, touch Noah, and she'll end you.
For our book club rotation last year, this was my pick. I absolutely think this should novel should be offered in a reading cycle in schools. It takes a hard look at rape culture in today's society. In this story, Alex is seeking revenge for the murder of her sister, Anna. Alex has trained her body to become the ultimate weapon, but in doing so, she has cut off the outside world. When a few classmates come into her life, the walls of her cage slowly start to breakdown. Even though her friends chip away at her hard exterior, she is still determined to get her revenge.
Helene Aquilla, a torch against the night. All I'll say about Helene right now is that she is a FIERCE WARRIOR that has had almost everything stripped from her. She is put in an impossible position where she has had to make some of the most gut-wrenching decisions. I am so scared for her in the upcoming 3rd book, A Reaper at the Gates. I just want her to survive.
I can't wait for readers to be introduced to Rielle and Eliana. My personal favorite is Eliana. She makes some terrible decisions that result in tragic consequences, but she does it all to keep her family safe. What I like most about her character is that you can see the turmoil that rages within her when she makes a questionable choice. I am anxious to see how she deals with some of the discoveries that have been revealed about her family history in book 2.
Emelina Flores is such an underrated character. What makes her stand out in YA is that she doesn't have any special superpowers. What she lacks in power, she makes up for in stealth and deception. She is cunning and is hell-bent on avenging her family. With the events that unfolded in book two, I'm anxious to see where her new position of authority will take her.
Last but not least, Beatrice Prior. Oh Tris. I will hold this character near and dear forever. Still till this day, I feel so invested in her journey and story. Like a lot of the other characters, she was stripped of most of her family and friends. She had a brother that made the ultimate betrayal. But she pushed through. She mastered bravery through her fears and came out on the other side. She learned what it meant to be self-sacrificing. Many times throughout the books, she made decisions where I wanted to reach through the books and smack her. She wasn't perfect by any means. But she fought and loved, hard.
Now I want to know, who are your favorite book heroines? An important piece of what makes these characters so great are their flaws. Because underneath it all, that's what makes them human, regardless of the world they live in.
