17 books with kick-ass female protagonists

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, disappeared over 40 years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

There’s a reason The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is so popular and her name is Lisbeth Salander.

Letty Dobesh, a gorgeous, degenerate thief, is fresh out of the clink and back to her old tricks — in this case, burglarizing suites at a luxury hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. But when she’s surprised by returning guests on her last room of the day, she’s forced to hide in the closet to avoid getting caught and inadvertently overhears a hitman being contracted to murder the wife of a wealthy lawyer. This series is so exciting, it inspired the TNT series Good Behavior. 

You are sure to fall in love with Letty as she thrillingly discovers her conscience. 

Having grown up an orphan in the home of her cruel aunt and at a harsh charity school, Jane Eyre becomes an independent and spirited survivor — qualities that serve her well as governess at Thornfield Hall. But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him whatever the consequences or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving her beloved?

Charlotte Bronte was writing about badass women before badass women were even considered badass. Jane Eyre may be the biggest badass of them all.

This historical adventure set in the mid-15th century tells the story of Lada and Radu, the children of Vlad Dracul, prince of Wallachia (modern-day Romania). Shouldered with the inescapable curse of being female and the unrelenting burden of her beautiful, sensitive and physically inept brother, Radu, Lada is perpetually spoiling for a fight. When her father tries to secure his throne by giving the children as hostages to the Ottoman Empire, Lada and Radu must find a way to survive and thrive in a world where no one cares if they live or die.

I just finished this read and let me tell you, there is no heroine more fiery than Lada. I loved it!

At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State — and she would do it alone.

Talk about going all in for self-discovery. Strayed is such a rich, kick-ass character, you’ll think you’re right on that trail with her.

When 19-year-old Feyre kills a wolf in the barren woods near her home in Prythian, she thinks it might be enough to help her family survive another long winter. Instead, a monstrous creature soon comes to the cottage, accusing Feyre of murder and demanding she return with him to the Fae realm as payment for the life she took.

This book is Cinderella-meets-fairies with a female heroine you don’t want to mess with. One of my faves of 2015. 

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now 17 years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

The premise behind the Reboot series is so unique, as is protagonist Wren.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them — the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Allie’s journey to the dark side is fascinating. Another vampire heroine who is anything but typical.

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach — an “outlander” — in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Claire’s journey only gets crazier and crazier as the Outlander series progresses, and her character only gets more and more interesting.

Sixteen-year-old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future — and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Derveaux.

Evie is one of my favorite heroines right now. She is as kick-ass as she is relatable.

When 16-year-old Katniss’s young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. She sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

Who would we be if we didn’t include The Hunger Games‘ Katniss Everdeen on this list? She has inspired girls across the world with her strength.

In her early 30s, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want — husband, country home, successful career — but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success and set out to explore three different aspects of her nature against the backdrop of three different cultures.

Gilbert’s story is a true one, which makes her leap of faith into the unknowns of the world all the more riveting and bold. 

Fighter Mia Anderson has faced the dark side of life and survived. But just getting by is no longer enough. To fund her new life with her baby sister, she’s determined to beat the reigning king of the male fighters in New York’s underground MMA circuit, Tray “Fox” Knox.

When searching for kick-ass heroine books, Mia tops multiple lists.

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable.

What better kick-ass heroine than one who lives in a world where women’s bodies are controlled by others?

Grown-up Meg, tomboyish Jo, timid Beth and precocious Amy. The four March sisters couldn’t be more different. But with their father away at war and their mother working to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Whether they’re putting on a play, forming a secret society or celebrating Christmas, there’s one thing they can’t help wondering: Will Father return home safely?

Though all the women are strong in their own right, Jo is definitely the feistiest of the four. If you haven’t read this classic, get on it.

Nancy Drew solves her first mystery when the accidental rescue of a little girl who lives with her two great-aunts leads her on an adventurous search for a missing will.

The female Sherlock Holmes, she is just as witty and just as willful. It’s a series for all girls to read.

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her 17-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Penryn isn’t naturally kick-ass but she picks it up quickly with her sister at stake. Her journey is a mix of toughness and vulnerability that is addictive.

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