
It’s time for you to read a book with a strong female lead!
I love reading. I love reading books with women in them. I especially love reading books with a super strong female lead! I’m not talking about the stereotypical “I’m not your average girl” characters. What I mean is either a protagonist that exudes confidence and courage, a leading lady that has searing emotions that end up becoming her strength, or a surprising spitfire that you grow to love.
As you read through some of my suggestions, you may come across stories that surprise you! I surprised myself by adding A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I will say that the further you get into the series, the more the female characters progress. Some of these badass babes begin as the villain or antihero, like in Into the Heartless Wood, but I still think they’re incredibly written and have merit. Other titles, such as Wicked Lovely or Three Dark Crowns include a full cast of bombshells and I’m totally here for it!
related posts
Book Review: Into the Heartless Wood // Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo // 28 Adorable Contemporary Romances

30 Novels With Badass Female Characters
You can find a synopsis of each book below, along with links to buy a copy for yourself! Make sure to follow me on Goodreads to read my reviews and bookstagram to see my aesthetic photos of these titles and more.



The Grishaverse Trilogy – Leigh Bardugo
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
Buy the trilogy: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
A Court of Thorns and Roses (series in progress) – Sarah J Maas
Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price …
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.
Buy the series: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life.
When she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Read my review | Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V.E. Schwab
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
Read my review | Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Shades of Magic Trilogy – V.E. Schwab
Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.
Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.
Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.
After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.
Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.
Buy the trilogy: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Falconer Trilogy – Elizabeth May
One girl’s nightmare is this girl’s faery tale
She’s a stunner.
Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, has everything a girl could dream of: brains, charm, wealth, a title—and drop-dead beauty.
She’s a liar.
But Aileana only looks the part of an aristocratic young lady. she’s leading a double life: She has a rare ability to sense the sìthíchean—the faery race obsessed with slaughtering humans—and, with the aid of a mysterious mentor, has spent the year since her mother died learning how to kill them.
She’s a murderer.
Now Aileana is dedicated to slaying the fae before they take innocent lives. With her knack for inventing ingenious tools and weapons—from flying machines to detonators to lightning pistols—ruthless Aileana has one goal: Destroy the faery who destroyed her mother.
She’s a Falconer.
The last in a line of female warriors born with a gift for hunting and killing the fae, Aileana is the sole hope of preventing a powerful faery population from massacring all of humanity. Suddenly, her quest is a lot more complicated. She still longs to avenge her mother’s murder—but she’ll have to save the world first.
Buy the trilogy: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



Into the Heartless Wood – Joanna Ruth Meyer
The forest is a dangerous place, where siren song lures men and women to their deaths. For centuries, a witch has harvested souls to feed the heartless tree, using its power to grow her domain.
When Owen Merrick is lured into the witch’s wood, one of her tree-siren daughters, Seren, saves his life instead of ending it. Every night, he climbs over the garden wall to see her, and every night her longing to become human deepens. But a shift in the stars foretells a dangerous curse, and Seren’s quest to become human will lead them into an ancient war raging between the witch and the king who is trying to stop her.
Epic, heartbreaking, and darkly atmospheric, Into the Heartless Wood is the story of impossible love between a monstrous tree siren and a boy who lives at the edge of her wood.
Read my review | Read my author interview | Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Echo North (series in progress) – Joanna Ruth Meyer
Echo Alkaev’s safe and carefully structured world falls apart when her father leaves for the city and mysteriously disappears. Believing he is lost forever, Echo is shocked to find him half-frozen in the winter forest six months later, guarded by a strange talking wolf—the same creature who attacked her as a child. The wolf presents Echo with an ultimatum: If she lives with him for one year, he will ensure her father makes it home safely. But there is more to the wolf than Echo realizes.
In his enchanted house beneath a mountain, each room must be sewn together to keep the home from unraveling, and something new and dark and strange lies behind every door. When centuries-old secrets unfold, Echo discovers a magical library full of books-turned-mirrors, and a young man named Hal who is trapped inside of them. As the year ticks by, the rooms begin to disappear, and Echo must solve the mystery of the wolf’s enchantment before her time is up, otherwise Echo, the wolf, and Hal will be lost forever.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Sound of Stars – Alechia Dow
Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity?
Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population.
Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. Deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, humanity’s emotional transgressions are now grounds for execution. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When a book goes missing, Ellie is terrified that the Ilori will track it back to her and kill her.
Born in a lab, M0Rr1S (Morris) was raised to be emotionless. When he finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. They’re both breaking the rules for love of art—and Ellie inspires the same feelings in him that music does.
Ellie’s—and humanity’s—fate rests in the hands of an alien she should fear. M0Rr1S has a lot of secrets, but also a potential solution—thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous road trip with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while making a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (series in progress) – Roseanne A. Brown
For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.
When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?
Read my audiobook narrator interview | Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo
A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.
So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.
Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
With the Fire on High – Elizabeth Acevedo
With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



Wicked Fox (duology) – Kat Cho
A fresh and addictive fantasy-romance set in modern-day Seoul.
Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret–she’s a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox who must devour the energy of men in order to survive. Because so few believe in the old tales anymore, and with so many evil men no one will miss, the modern city of Seoul is the perfect place to hide and hunt.
But after feeding one full moon, Miyoung crosses paths with Jihoon, a human boy, being attacked by a goblin deep in the forest. Against her better judgment, she violates the rules of survival to rescue the boy, losing her fox bead–her gumiho soul–in the process.
Jihoon knows Miyoung is more than just a beautiful girl–he saw her nine tails the night she saved his life. His grandmother used to tell him stories of the gumiho, of their power and the danger they pose to humans. He’s drawn to her anyway.
With murderous forces lurking in the background, Miyoung and Jihoon develop a tenuous friendship that blossoms into something more. But when a young shaman tries to reunite Miyoung with her bead, the consequences are disastrous . . . forcing Miyoung to choose between her immortal life and Jihoon’s.
Buy the duology: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Renegades Trilogy – Marissa Meyer
Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone… except the villains they once overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.
Buy the trilogy: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Lunar Chronicles – Marissa Meyer
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.
She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
Buy the series: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



You Should See Me in a Crown – Leah Johnson
Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.
But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down . . . until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.
The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Friend Zone (series in progress) – Abby Jimenez
Kristen Petersen doesn’t do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don’t get her. She’s also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.
Planning her best friend’s wedding is bittersweet for Kristen—especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He’s funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he’d be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it’s harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.
The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Bone Grace (duology) – Kathryn Purdie
Bone Criers have a sacred duty. They alone can keep the dead from preying on the living. But their power to ferry the spirits of the dead into goddess Elara’s Night Heavens or Tyrus’s Underworld comes from sacrifice. The gods demand a promise of dedication. And that promise comes at the cost of the Bone Criers’ one true love.
Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become the matriarch of the Bone Criers, a mysterious famille of women who use strengths drawn from animal bones to ferry dead souls. But first she must complete her rite of passage and kill the boy she’s also destined to love.
Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Yet when he finally captures one, his vengeance will have to wait. Ailesse’s ritual has begun and now their fates are entwined—in life and in death.
Sabine has never had the stomach for the Bone Criers’ work. But when her best friend Ailesse is taken captive, Sabine will do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means defying their traditions—and their matriarch—to break the bond between Ailesse and Bastien. Before they all die.
Buy the duology: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



Wicked Lovely Series – Melissa Marr
Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty – especially if they learn of her Sight – and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.
Rule #2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.
Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention.
But it’s too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost — regardless of her plans or desires.
Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.
Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr’s stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.
Buy the series: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
All the Stars and Teeth (duology) – Adalyn Grace
Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice.
She will reign.
As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer — the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.
When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.
But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder — and more peril — than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.
I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.
Buy the duology: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill – Abbi Waxman
The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.
When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They’re all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She’ll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It’s a disaster! And as if that wasn’t enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn’t he realize what a terrible idea that is?
Nina considers her options.
1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)
It’s time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn’t convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It’s going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



The Flatshare – Beth O’Leary
Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met…
Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.
But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird – Josie Silver
Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’d been together for more than a decade, and Lydia thought their love was indestructible.
But she was wrong. On her twenty-eighth birthday, Freddie died in a car accident.
So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants to do is hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life–and perhaps even love–again.
But then something inexplicable happens that gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened.
Lydia is pulled again and again across the doorway of her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there’s an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Because there’s someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay.
Written with Josie Silver’s trademark warmth and wit, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a powerful and thrilling love story about the what-ifs that arise at life’s crossroads, and what happens when one woman is given a miraculous chance to answer them.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Kyoshi Novels (duology) – F.C. Yee
F. C. Yee’s The Rise of Kyoshi delves into the story of Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom–born Avatar. The longest-living Avatar in this beloved world’s history, Kyoshi established the brave and respected Kyoshi Warriors, but also founded the secretive Dai Li, which led to the corruption, decline, and fall of her own nation. The first of two novels based on Kyoshi, The Rise of Kyoshi maps her journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice who is still feared and admired centuries after she became the Avatar.
Buy the duology: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



Caraval Trilogy – Stephanie Garber
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic.
Buy the trilogy: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Hunger Games Series – Suzanne Collins
Could you survive on your own in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.
Buy the series: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Red Queen Series – Victoria Aveyard
This is a world divided by blood—red or silver. The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change. That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.
Buy the series: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop



Stepsister – Jennifer Donnelly
Isabelle should be blissfully happy – she’s about to win the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn’t the beautiful girl who lost the glass slipper and captured the prince’s heart. She’s the ugly stepsister who’s cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s shoe … which is now filling with blood.
When the prince discovers Isabelle’s deception, she is turned away in shame. It’s no more than she deserves: she is a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant.
Isabelle has tried to fit in. To live up to her mother’s expectations. To be like her stepsister. To be sweet. To be pretty. One by one, she has cut away pieces of herself in order to survive a world that doesn’t appreciate a girl like her. And that has made her mean, jealous, and hollow.
Until she gets a chance to alter her destiny and prove what ugly stepsisters have always known: it takes more than heartache to break a girl.
Buy the book: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
Three Dark Crowns Series – Kendare Blake
When kingdom come, there will be one.
In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.
But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.
The last queen standing gets the crown.
Buy the series: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop
The Blood of Stars (duology) – Elizabeth Lim
Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is pitch-perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh.
Buy the duology: Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop

Do you have any favorite books with especially badass female characters?
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Lindsey says
Oh my goodness, I’m ashamed that the only ones of these I’ve read is the Flatshare and Hunger Games, although a Song of Wraith and Ruin is nearing the top of my TBR pile right now. The covers and the fact that they have strong female characters means I definitely want to check out all of these now – thanks for the recommendations!
Stephanie Whitman says
Don’t be ashamed! Those are excellent picks to begin with. I’m so glad that you’re planning to read A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. I hope you love it as much as I do. It’s fantastic!!
Claudia says
I just downloaded ACOTAR because there was a Kindle Deal yesterday! I’ve seen The Sound of Stars more than once, now, so I’m tempted!
Stephanie Whitman says
Haha! I hope you enjoy it. That first book is an absolute doozy and I hate it with a fiery passion, but it gets better after that 🙂
Loïne says
I have read so many of these!! I feel super proud haha. Recently, I’ve read Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner with a strong female lead. It’s a highly feminist novel that I strongly recommend if you’re looking for some girl power and a bit of fantasy.
Great article as always! Keep writing! xx
Stephanie Whitman says
Oooh I haven’t heard of that one prior to your suggestion, so I’ll need to check it out! Thanks for the recommendation, friend!
Eleanor Jones says
I need to try the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo- and I’ve heard so much about it! Thank you for sharing these recommendations, I love a strong female lead x
Stephanie Whitman says
You definitely need to check it out! It’s definitely one of my favorites and I wrote a whole review on it 🙂
A Cup of Wonderland says
I’m so happy to see Evelyn Hugo appear on this list – she’s definitely such a strong lead and really vivid character that’s still with me even though I read the book over. year ago now! So happy to see Rise of Kyoshi and Sound of Stars on this list too as I really want to pick them up soon!
Stephanie Whitman says
YESS! I loved it (which is why it got a solo review a couple of weeks ago!) And I’m so glad you’ve even heard of Rise of Kyoshi and The Sound of Stars. Those are great books – The Sound of Stars was one of my favorites last summer!
Kayleigh Zara says
I’ve read so many of the books on this list and I love them. The flat share was one of my favourite isolation reads during lockdown last year. Loved this post x
Stephanie Whitman says
That makes me happy! I’m glad you enjoyed The Flatshare. It’s one of my favorite contemporary romance novels 🙂
Taylor says
SOO Many of these are on my TBR right now, and I’m hoping to get to them in 2021! One of my favorite female leads is Helen in Happiness for Beginners!
Stephanie Whitman says
Ooh I haven’t read that one but I’ll definitely need to add it to my list. Thanks for the recommendation!
Katrina says
I’ll have to add some of these to my TBR! I just finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo yesterday and it was incredible. Such a thrilling read.
Stephanie Whitman says
It seems like right now is a super popular time to read it because I’ve had several friends finish it within the last couple of weeks! It’s such a good book!
Lizzie says
What an amazing round up of books! The Hunger Games was always one of my faves! All of these sound incredible!
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
Stephanie Whitman says
I mean, Katniss is such a classic “leading lady” that I just HAD to include that trilogy!
Sarah Styf says
I love Elizabeth Acevedo. She is so fantastic.
Stephanie Whitman says
Agreed!!! I’ve loved everything I’ve read by her, but these two certainly stood out to me the most. I specifically adored The Poet X because I listened to the audiobook and it was narrated by Elizabeth. She did a phenomenal job performing!
Brooke Ressell says
Wow! So many greats on this list. And the best part is I haven’t read all of them. Adding a bunch to my list. Thanks!
Stephanie Whitman says
I’m glad that I can provide some new recommendations!
Katie says
I love this. Definitely saving this to keep coming back to x
Stephanie Whitman says
That makes me so happy to hear. I hope you can find some new favorites from the list 🙂
Lucy says
The Flat Share was my favourite read of last year and I like the sound of these other books too! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Stephanie Whitman says
The Flatshare is such a great book! I know a lot of people love it too – and for good reason. It’s a phenomenal contemporary romance and Tiffy is such a strong woman!
Katy says
Love this list, I’m expanding my reading list, so will definitely add some of these!
Stephanie Whitman says
That’s great to hear! I hope you can find some inspiration from this list 🙂
Jen Keefe says
YES! Thank you so much for posting this list. I realized about five years ago how important it is for me to fill my mind, head and ears with the voices of strong women! Avatar is incredible! I’m not sure if there is a graphic novel for this one but have you watched the show Stephen Universe? It is uber progressive and made up of ALL FEMALE superheroes. Oh my gosh. I could cry just thinking about it! My favorite show ever!
Again, thanks for the post!
Stephanie Whitman says
I’m so glad that you liked this post! It’s great that you’ve been incorporating that kind of entertainment into your life! I have watched Stephen Universe, but it’s not something I regularly watch – in fact, as a whole, I don’t watch a ton of tv (as I’m so busy reading books haha)
Vanessa says
I haven’t read any of these yet but I definitely added some to my list! Thanks! 🙂
Stephanie Whitman says
Oh wow! None of them?! I hope you do get a chance to read some of them!
Tanvi Rastogi says
I have read a few you have on here and adding others to my list. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was one of my favorite reads the year before.
❥ tanvii.com
Stephanie Whitman says
That will forever be one of my favorite books. It’s like Abbi wrote it about me haha.
Hannah says
I have a few of these on my bookshelf waiting to be read! I’m excited to read them now.
Stephanie Whitman says
That’s so exciting to hear. I can’t wait to find out what you think once you’ve read them 🙂
Alexia MyBookVision says
Thank you soooo much for this list. My wishlist has grown enormously 😅
I also love book with strong women, the last one I read was Heresy by Melissa Lenhardt : a group of women who decided to live by themself in the far west time 🙌🏻
Stephanie Whitman says
That’s so awesome to hear! I hope you thoroughly enjoy lots of these titles in the future 🙂 I haven’t heard of that book before. I’ll have to check it out. Sounds fascinating!
Rosie Ireland says
Yess I am so happy that you have created this post, I need more famle heavy books to read!
Rosie
Stephanie Whitman says
That’s awesome to hear! I hope this inspires you to pick up some new titles!
Lauren says
This is a great idea for a blog post. I am wanting to read more this year and always looking for book recommendations. Thank you for sharing this list.
Lauren http://www.bournemouthgirl.com
Stephanie Whitman says
Well, my blog is always gonna have new book ideas for you if you need suggestions 😉
taffy says
wow what a great compilation of books. i love them because, for a change they have great female leads. will definitely read a few of these over the weekends
Stephanie Whitman says
There are definitely plenty of books with female leads, but I think some of them are stronger than others. These are just my favorites!
Lee says
Oh you know I am all for anything with a strong female lead! yaaasssss! I’m pinning this so I can keep coming back to it when I need new book ideas! I have three on my list right now (just started the first) but am adding some of these after that!
Stephanie Whitman says
Heck yes!!! I can’t wait to hear what you think if you do read any of these. Which are the three on your list right now?
Charity says
I always love a novel with a strong female lead. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome list!
Stephanie Whitman says
Me too, clearly! I know these are all over the place, genre-wise, but they’re just some of my favorites!
Merry Sari says
Feel so guilty because I only have 5 of these books on my list! I’ve heard about The Rise Of Kyoshi before but I haven’t read the books yet. Thanks for the recommendations x
Stephanie Whitman says
Oh gosh, there’s no need to feel guilty!! It’s an extensive list and several of them are series! There’s plenty of time for all the books you want to read 🙂 Rise of Kyoshi is a great place to start – especially if you like AtLA!
Rach says
What a great list!! I feel like lately I have been picking up books with amazing female leads. I don’t know if I naturally gravitate towards them or not but it is rare for me to find a book with a male lead haha.
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Stephanie Whitman says
That’s so awesome! I don’t think I read many books with male leads in general, but sometimes the female leads aren’t as strong, if that makes sense. Like, sometimes they’re just described as “different from other girls” but the only difference is that they like to wear sneakers and no makeup. It’s important to me that they actually have good character arcs!
Deborah says
What a great list! I’m still on the waitlist for Evelyn Hugo and I so want to read that! I also just got on the waitlist for Addie LaRue per your recommendation! Can’t wait to read them!
Stephanie Whitman says
Ooh that’s so awesome to hear! Definitely two of my favorites and I’m hopeful that you enjoy them as much as I did!
Raji says
I’ve read most of these and I totally agree, these are all great examples of books with strong female leads. I should really get around to reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo one of these days. Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie Whitman says
It’s so fun to know that you’ve read most of them! Great choices 😉 I think you’ll love Evelyn Hugo. It’s a phenomenal story!
Cristina Rosano says
Oh wow, I haven’t read even half of them but added to my never-ending TBR! Just finished The Flatshare and totally loved Tiffy, Gerty and Rachel! Have A song of wraiths and ruin on my shelves and can’t wait to start that. Thank you for sharing x
Stephanie Whitman says
Oh my gosh, The Flatshare is one of my forever favorite contemporary romances. It was just so well done!! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂 A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is FANTASTIC. Such a good story with so many emotional, thought-provoking moments.
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
Definitely need to add a lot of these to my TBR! Strong female leads are my favorite!
Stephanie Whitman says
Me too! There are a lot of books with female leads that aren’t particularly fierce or admirable, but these books and series caught my attention!
Kristina says
That’s awesome that you compiled a book list with strong leading ladies!