The best fantasy books with strong female protagonists

Mia Corvere – the protagonist of the Nevernight Chronicles – and her offsider Ashlinn Jarnheim are very close to being my absolute favourite female protagonists of all time. I adore their partnership, and I enjoy how ruthless and practical both of them can be—while also caring very much about those they love.

Mia wants revenge for the execution of her father when she was a small child, she trains under a mysterious mentor throughout her childhood so that she can attend a violent assassin school. There, she intends to learn everything she needs to be good enough to take down her father’s killers. Of course, it’s not quite as easy as all that, but Mia’s journey is a twisty, interesting, complex one that will leave you compulsively turning pages. This is a dark, moody, and sometimes gruesome read. If you prefer your fantasy a little lighter, be warned before starting this. But Jay Kristoff is a masterful writer, and he’ll draw you in from the very first page.

When I read this book, it was so different from anything I’d read before it, and that remains the case a few years later! This is a darker read, with lots of gross parts – so be warned. Having said that, Gideon Nav, the protagonist of this book, is hands down the most entertaining narrator I’ve ever read, and that’s why I’ve picked her here. Her offsider, Harrowhark, is her polar opposite, and the two of them are such a fantastic pairing, I honestly couldn’t stop turning pages to read more of their interactions.

Gideon is Harrowhark’s cavalier (read: bodyguard), while Harrowhark is a necromancer (hence the gross parts). The two are thrust into a twisty locked-room-type mystery scenario with a bunch of other necromancers and their cavaliers (there are a lot of characters to keep track of) in an empty house on an abandoned planet. And something is taking them all out one by one…

This is a well-written and engaging tale! As with keeping track of characters, following what's going on isn't always easy (I'm not going to pretend I totally followed everything that was going on with the necromancy stuff), so the recommendation with this one is just to buckle in and enjoy the ride and forget trying to make sense of every little thing. 

Lila Bard. That’s really all I need to say here. She shares screen time with the other protagonist of this book, Kell, but she is far and away the best character in this series – which is saying something, because VE Schwab is a masterful writer, and all her characters are brilliantly written (especially Kell’s coat, which almost comes a close second to Lila for me). Think swashbuckling, knife-wielding, devil-may-care attitude with a well-hidden soft center, and you’ve got Lila Bard. In addition to great characters, Schwab weaves a fantastic fantasy tale, switching between different universes (multiple Londons!!) with pirates, magic, and some awesome fight scenes. This book (and series!) just got better and better as it went along, and this was in no small part due to Lila Bard’s sheer awesomeness. 

I adore Ead!! Unsurprisingly, that's why I’m including this book in my recommendations. One of three central characters (including my second favourite in this book – Sabran), Ead won me over because she’s just fantastically capable, but not showy about it at all. She’s the kind of person you’d love to have at your side through thick and thin. 

I got a little bit of a Robin Hobb vibe from this book which also made it a winner for me because I love all of Hobb’s work. This is a monster of a book (and it’s a standalone), but the pacing moves quite quickly despite the length and I never got stuck or felt like it bogged down in too much detail. The world building is fantastic and brings the story to life.

I have an absolute favourite book character and her name is Manon Blackbeak.

No, she’s not the main protagonist in this book (although Aelin Galathynius is awesome), and that’s why I’m recommending the fourth book in this series rather than the first, because it’s really where we start to Manon come into her own. She is vicious, unapologetic, fiercely loyal, and just so cool. Yet for someone so hard and tough, her bond with her wyvern, Abraxos, gives you all the feels. I loved how Manon’s plotline developed further in Queen of Shadows and her showdown fight with Aelin at the end was one of the best I’ve ever read. 

This is a fantastic series by Maas, with a trove of great characters. My experience was that book three – Heir of Fire – was where the story really began to find its footing. By halfway through Queen of Shadows I was thrilled and delighted by the story and couldn’t wait to see where it went next.