* Harrowhark Nonagesimus from The Locked Tomb
* Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games
* Sciona from Blood Over Bright Haven
* Nona Grey from Book of the Ancestor
* Katsa from Graceling
I love this type of protagonist. Extremely good at what they do, probably angry at the world, and a little emotionally stunted and unlikeable.
Would love some recommendations for more! Ideally in sci fi or fantasy.
Also, PLEASE do NOT recommend me any books that “solve” the protagonist’s problems by pairing her off with a man who mellows her out to the point where she’s no longer the person she was.
I know some of my examples are YA but please no YA either!
Thanks in advance!
by IReadBooksSometimes
8 Comments
I personally did not like Iron Widow but it sounds like you might
El from Naomi Novik’s Scholomance series.
Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy fit the bill here IMO. It’s a magic school setting in which the main character is a prickly loner whose magical specialty is mass destruction.
The broken earth series
Iron widow
The girl with the dragon tattoo and it’s sequels. Lisbeth Salander is one of my favorite badasses
Signy Mallory in Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh
If you’re looking for “strong female protagonists” I’d also recommend The Broken Earth series by N.K. Jemisin and maybe The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty – but I don’t know if I’d say they are angry and/or self-destructive exactly. Just badass.
Nesta from Sarah J Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Initial impressions are that of bitchy older sister (initial trilogy is told from the POV of her youngest sister), she gets her own book later on – A Court of Silver Flames – and much more is revealed.