Cuz Rebel Girl, You're the Queen of My World...

MY TOP 3 KICK ASS FEMALE LEADS

I'm a huge fan of fantasy novels, horror, and mystery thrillers.  Therefore, I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that strong, likable, kick ass female leads didn't come along very often. Sure, some of the books had strong, awesome female characters (the Wheel of Time series), but it wasn't like they were the main characters. They were either love interests, sages of wisdom, or some bump on the road to greatness for the male lead. So imagine my surprise, and pleasure, at finding a strong, kick ass, female lead in the first set of Urban Fantasy books I was forced to read recommended. I was more than reluctant to start them, since I had no reason to think that a "fantasy" novel by a female author would be any good and, honestly, did not expect to get past 50 pages, let alone a whole book. Since then, I have realized that some of these contemporary female authors are amazing, and there is NO ONE better to write the kind of female leads women everywhere want to read.

These are MY top 3 (I reserve the right to change them as I read more UF/PNR)

#3 Chess Putnam

Chess Putnam, from the wonderful Downside Ghosts books by Stacia Kane. Chess is not your traditional female lead. In any capacity. I was apprehensive when I started these. A drug addict as a heroine? I didn't see how that would work. But page by page, Chess grew on me. I feel so much compassion for this character. The angst, the heartache, the pain, the highs and lows of her drug use, really got to me. I want her to get better, I want her to WANT to be better. A more fucked up lead I've never read, or loved and sympathized with. She has the darkest of pasts. Concrete, legitimate, dark and depressing reasons she is what she is today. She places no worth on herself.  It's sad, it makes your heart contract with sympathy. She is often surprised by Terrible's (Ladies, be prepared for Terrible) favorable opinion of her. She doesn't realize, she IS smart, useful, skilled, WORTH something. You can't help but be charmed by her, feel for her... deeply. You want to hug her, comfort her, sometimes you want to shake her, to talk some sense into her. But always.... always you will want things to work out for her. In love, life, or her unconventional work. You want to help her stop all the self destructive things she does. She IS kick ass, she is so brave, she saves herself, others, Terrible, more often than she gives herself credit for. She is powerful, smart, thoughtful and kind in a world that makes it hard to care about others. And I think she is VERY under appreciated (much like the books).  It isn't often a character makes you feel for her the way Chess does. If you aren't already captivated by Stacia Kane's world of Downside Ghosts, I would strongly recommend giving Chess a chance to worm her way into your heart. Ya dig?

#2 MacKayla Lane :

Ah Mac. Mac whom I connected with almost instantly due to her love for her sister and her need to know what happened to her and to exact revenge. Mac, who I also maybe got a little annoyed by initially... pink Mac. I could picture the world she came from. Unicorns, butterflies, rainbows, sunlight, fluffy white clouds, where everything was gay and shiny and pretty. I bet you the girl probably got upset when she chipped a perfect, pink fingernail.  As for having to stand up for something, against something, ha! Not her thing.

But this is where KMM impressed the hell out of me. Mac matured, grew steel balls, a steel spine, and an iron stomach, and toughened up FAST. All to survive, to not roll over and play victim to fate. All the while retaining something of her fluffy world. Somehow, she got hard core without actually losing herself (even though she did have quite an identity crisis on her hands at one point or another). I love that the city she has come to call home is overrun by Unseelie and she finds time to buy a PINK cake (much to Barrons' chagrin). To make a pink MacHalo. To dance around singing, wearing that ridiculous hot pink MacHalo. To flirt with cute guys. I get that struggle not to lose your "pink" to a world of black and grey. I love her for it.

I love that it wasn't easy and simple for her to become Kick-ass Mac. Like all real things in life, it took hard work, determination, steel. That she matured enough to realize that Barrons was exactly the man (?) for her, and she didn't need those three little words from him to realize what they had was real.  That it mattered. How many women can boast that? If I were ever in the middle of a supernatural apocalypse, I would give a body part to have her on my team (preferably not one I need to fight in said apocalypse). If I ever wanted someone to go get a manicure or new shoes with me, I'd want Mac with me. I would love for her to regale me with stories of V'lane, Barrons, Christian, or any of the very fine men she has come across in Dublin. As a friend and ally, she would be unrelentingly loyal. She would not give up. What more could one want? If all that isn't enough, I would gladly high five the girl who got Barrons to give her a manicure and fall in love with her. Kudos Ms.Lane. I will always be impressed by you. As Barrons so succinctly states :

"You're the wild card, Mac. I've thought that since the beginning. This thing thinks you're epic. So do I."

 

#1 *drum roll please* Merit (yes...just Merit. THAT is how kick ass she is) :

Before my foray into the world of the Chicago vamps, I wasn't eager.  I thought "ugh, ANOTHER vampire series? Should I even bother?" I bothered.  I got hooked.  I went through those books so fast it was insane, and as soon as I was done, I started a reread. And let me tell you, Merit and Ethan are worth it all. But I'm here to talk about Merit. No book can keep me interested if the female lead isn't worth her weight in gold. Merit, she's my girl. I get her. I nod my head along with pretty much everything she says or does. Sure, sometimes she can be wrong, but it's usually because she's hurt, or emotionally compromised. And I get that too. She was born for the role of Sentinel; or should I say reborn?  Merit is strong in the way my favorite female comic book characters are: skilled at fighting with that sexy katana of hers, fiercely, truly, deeply loyal. She is determined to do the right thing, or to die trying.

I love her relationships with almost every character. I can see why everyone, especially Ethan, is so enthralled by her. Her innate grace at handling situations, her adorable obsession with food, her love affair with chocolate (one which I fully understand and appreciate), her willingness to help and be all she can be, her contagious lust for life. It may have taken her a while, but I think she came to terms with the immortality and power thrust upon her, beautifully, with the time she had. I fell in love many times when I read this series. With Chloe Neill, with Merit, with Ethan (multiple times). But Merit is the one who I admired, who I wanted to befriend, who I wanted to hug and console at times, to take out for a great meal, to joke around with and witness that sparkling wit and killer sense of humor. Sentinel of Cadogan house, protector, savior, she is all that and so much more. When she first gets turned against her will, she says to herself, in reassurance, "I'm still me." And goddammit Merit, you are you. You are so much more than even you imagined you could be. And to think you are still growing, still learning, getting stronger, more aware of the sheer awesomeness that is you. I love that about you. Each book makes me love and admire you more and wish you were real so we could be friends. Ethan sums it up beautifully, as always.

"Always remember," he whispered to me, "that you are an uncommon soldier, whatever they say. And you are quite a thing to behold."

Honorable Mention:

Leila from Jeaniene Frost's Once Burned. It's too soon to say for sure whether she is going to be on my list, but I can safely say Leila is my favorite JFrost female character to date. I can not wait to read more of her (and Vlad). The heroine with strange, unexplained powers who has joined the circus, to somehow blend in somewhere, had me from the get go. I loved her. She wasn't whiny, she was brave, her mind worked under pressure, she was willing to take chances, and had love and loyalty for her family and friends. Solid heroine. I love a girl who can embrace and wield all her power, who isn't intimidated by someone else's power, one who makes the best of a less than perfect life. She is interesting, funny, smart and I eagerly await the next installment.