Hey, im searching for a (character driven) fantasy book written by a female author with a female lead, who despite being strong doesnt loose her feminity over it. So absolutely no “not like the other girls” characters pls. I want a strong mc whos feminity is part of her, which she’s proud of. The book also would preferably not be solely romantasy. I love love love interpersonal relationships in books a whole lot but i would prefer the romance not being the sole focus.
I really enjoyed ‘Godkiller’ by Hannah Kaner.
Kissen, the main character isn’t your typical “chosen one” hero. She’s a professional god killershe. She’s an amputee who uses a prosthetic leg, and Kaner writes this so authentically. She’s lived through some serious trauma (The first chapter is a dramatic and slightly traumatic ordeal) but she isn’t broken. She’s capable, very grumpy and shows that being a strong woman doesn’t mean you have to be perfect but is about keeping on going.
Broken Earth Nk Jemsin
Spinning Silver, Uprooted, and the Scholomance Trilogy by Naomi Novik are all great. The first two are stand alone novels that retell fairy tales (Rumplestiltskin and Rapunzel I think). The Scholomance books definitely wrestle with femininity and what it means for the protagonist to be a strong woman.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik fits the bill! Uprooted by the same author should also fit.
I like these too! Uprooted probably fits the feminine theme a little better, but I like Spinning Silver more. Both good books though.
The Lioness Quartet and the Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce may fit the bill here. They may be aimed more at a teen audience, but both are about girls needing to prove themselves in the face of a lot of adversity.
These books helped to shape my worldview when I was younger and they hold a very special place in my heart.
Came here to recommend Tamora Pierce. She was similarly a big influence on teenage me, and I have a lot of respect for her. A lot of what she wrote were things I badly needed to hear when I was that age. I haven’t reread any of her work recently, but I’m sure it holds up well.
Circe - Madeline Miller. It’s a great take on the mythological figure. Tuches theames of solitiute, selfgrowth, moderhiod and beeing a bad ass witch.
The Steerswoman’s Road by Rosemary Kirstein
I came here to say this. I love those books so much. I wish she would finish the series, or at least give us notes on how she was planning to continue and end it
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. and all of her other books. My wife and I read through them all together, and the Throne of Glass series was definitely my favorite.
This is what I’m came here to say. I could not even tell you how many times my wife has read the entire series.
The series is pretty freaking cool! Unique world building; characters that are interesting, flawed, and impactful; and very well written. The connections between SJM’s 3 series are also amazing.
Maybe The Fifth Season? I wouldn’t say the leads in that series are particularly masculine but I’m not sure that they’re overly feminine either. But motherhood and daughterhood are both pretty big parts of the story. There are some romance elements but they’re really not the focus of the main story. It’s a Hugo award winner and an exceptional story.
I came here to recommend this as well. While I wouldn’t describe the MC as overly feminine, the fact that she is a woman is definitely part of the story and the wider commentary.
This is what I came to recommend too.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built is a cozy novella by Becky Chambers. I enjoyed the setting and the main characters experience. I think they are NB but female presenting. Part coming of age, part Walden’s Pond. Worth a read if you like robots, solarpunk, determination
Sunward by William Alexander is similar in vibes (cozy, robots, far future) but moves to space. Our main character has to save her found family and decide what’s most important to her.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo is Buffy the Vampire Slayer in book form. There’s some longing but not much romance.
Mister Magic by Kiersten White is a modern retelling of IT. Friends experienced some trauma as kids and have all chosen to deal with it in their own ways. They must come back together as adults and Figure It Out ™️
Nah psalm for the wild built is full middle of the road enby. I’m almost there but slightly on the masc end and it suited me perfectly to identify with the protagonist directly.
Thanks for sharing! It’s a thing I don’t quite understand but I enjoy reading about characters with different experiences. Books can be mirrors or windows
Juliette Mariller - Daughter of the Forrest
It is the first book in a historical fantasy series that follows a an Irish family through several generations.
It is loosely based on an old fairy tale where a witch turns 6 brothers into swans and their sister is set to an impossible task to free them.
The writing style takes a little time to get into, IMO, but once you do, I think it is un-put-down-able.
The rest of the series is also great, mixed gender protagonists in the other books.
Roots of Chaos series is great and seems to fit these criteria. (The Priory of the Orange Tree, A Day of Fallen Knight, Among the Burning Flowers).
I can recommend Ascendance of a Bookworm by Miya Kazuki
Series 2 and 4 of Robin Hobb’s main universe follow female leads who absolutely fit this. Liveship Traders and Rain Wild Chronicles.
They can technically be read stand-alone, but I’d highly recommend reading the whole universe in order. It’s pretty quick.
The whole universe would be around 20 books by now, wouldn’t it?
googling
Oh, hey, she has some books out that I haven’t read yet. BRB, gotta add them to the list.
5 sub-series, each 3-4 books. They are pretty short, so they go fast.
Series 3 is a sequel to 1, series 4 is a less-direct sequel to 2. Series 5 acts as an ending for 1/3 and epilogue for 2/4. I believe she is currently writing series 6, which will follow one of the main characters from 5. It’s all written chronologically though.
I’ve read most of these, plus the Soldier Son trilogy. She’s writing more? Fantastic! I’ve loved all of her books. Robin Hobb is easily one of my favorite authors.
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Chalion series, especially the second, Paladin of Souls. Also it’s just a superb book. One of my all time favorite authors.
Curse of Chalion is my all-time favorite book! Paladin of Souls is a great recommendation for this thread.
