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One thing that you do not always see in the fantasy genre are good interesting female characters. The following fantasy books, though, have complex female characters who are strong and heroic in their way.
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Bear and the Nightingale takes place in ancient Russia where Vasya was born with the magical abilities to see and talk to spirits and other animals. One day her father decides that Vasya needs a stepmother and marries Anna, the sister of the czar. Unfortunately, Anna is a religious fanatic who believes all the forest spirits are evil and bans the household from worshiping them. As the people worship less of the household spirits, an ancient evil starts awakening. The book is an atmospheric, immersive dark fairy tale. Vasya is a great heroine who wants more than what women's roles are in her society. It is followed by two sequels The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Circe is a retelling of the Greek myth of the goddess who wants to be mortal and take part in human lives. As a girl, Circe develops a keen interest in human lives and then falls in love with a fisherman. She also discovers that she has magical powers and can turn men into animals. Threatened by her growing magical powers Zeus banishes her to a faraway island. This book tells her backstory and how she got to be the witch that Odysseus encounters in The Odyssey.
The City of Brass by S.A Chakraborty
The City of Brass is an Arabic-based fantasy that takes place first in modern-day Egypt where the main character Nahri is a con artist who has mysterious powers. One time while conning someone she accidentally summons a djinn named Dara. She then gets transported to the magical world of Djinns. The book is filled with magical adventures in a different world, fantasy, magic, and magical creatures. Nahri is a smart and cunning main character who also has hidden talents. There are two more books in this series: The Kingdom of Copper and The Empire of Gold.
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
The Fifth Season is the first book in the Broken Earth trilogy. In this story, the main character Essun wakes up and finds her son dead and her daughter kidnapped by her husband. The story has three main characters who are not afraid to protect what is theirs. This fantasy series is dark, immersive, and exciting. It is followed by two more books in the series: The Obelisk Gate and The Stone Sky.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
It is 18th century France, and Addie Laure is running away from her wedding because she does not want to get married. She meets Luc, who offers her a deal to live forever and not get married. However, Luc's deal comes with a catch: whoever meets Addie will forget who she is immediately after seeing her, and she will be unrecognized for the rest of her life. One day hundreds of years later Addie meets someone who can remember her. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a fantastic, dark, sad novel where you cannot wait to see what happens next. It is also great to figure out how Addie is going to escape her curse.
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
The Poppy War is the first book of an East Asian-inspired fantasy trilogy that is based on ancient China. It stars the main character Rin who tested into the elite Military academy of the Nikara Empire even though she is poor and the region of her country is discriminated against. However, her time at the academy is cut short when the Mugen, an ancient enemy, attack and the students go to war. The Nikara empire used to be very powerful but has weakened and grown vulnerable to outside threats. The Mugen attack mercilessly and do a lot of damage. Rin becomes a strategic leader and wants vengeance against the Mugen. Rin also gets visions from a magical beast called the phoenix. Rin is a fantastic protagonist in the story; she is fierce and a leader. She is also a ruthless and complicated protagonist who does pretty dark things throughout the story. The book is followed by two sequels: The Dragon Republic and The Burning God.
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
Ship of Magic takes place in a world of pirates, sea serpents, dragons -- and magical talking liveships, which are ships that are sentient and alive. One of the main characters Althea has grown up thinking she would inherit the family liveship Vivacia after her father dies. Instead, her father leaves it to his son-in-law Kyle who is a bully who only cares about profit. Althea refuses to serve on the crew under Kyle and goes to make her way and become captain of her ship. This fantasy series is slow, deep, and immersive -- with some of the best character development I have ever read in a book and deep sadness at times as well. The story continues in the next two books of the series: Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Spinning Silver is a story about Miryem, who comes from a family of moneylenders. However, her father is bad at his trade and gets her family deeply in debt. To get her family out of debt Miryem becomes a merciless moneylender who has a reputation for being able to turn items into gold. Her talent begins to attract supernatural creatures, especially the King of the Frost who wants Miryem in order to see how she turns items into gold.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
The Ten Thousand Doors of January is a portal fantasy where the main character January finds a door to a different world that transports her from New England where is she living as the ward of Mr. Locke, the head of the New England archaeology society who is also not who he seems. January then finds a book that is eerily similar to her own life and talks about the doors between worlds. January becomes determined to figure out what these doors are and why the book reflects her life. Along the way, she makes many friends -- and many different enemies. This is a magical adventure that is fast-paced and has a lot of adventure. January is also a very interesting heroine who is very smart and crafty.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Warbreaker is a book where the two main characters are the sisters Vivenna and Siri, who are princesses from the Country of Idrian. Vivenna has been engaged to marry the Prince of Hallandren (Idrian’s ancient rival) but their father decides at the last minute to send Siri instead. Concerned for Siri's safety and lack of knowledge of the conniving Hallandren court, Vivenna goes to rescue Siri. Meanwhile, Siri must understand the court and uncover secrets to survive. This book has great characters and a really interesting magic system. Vivenna and Siri are complete opposites who go on interesting journeys and get a lot of character development.
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Author: Caitlin J.