My Favourite Female Characters From Books I Read This Year
Written by Harita Odedara, a literature enthusiast
Over the years, I have read hundreds of female protagonists, antagonists, and sidekicks. But some continue to linger in my mind long after the last page has been turned. They live in my mind(rent-free) hogging up my thoughts and emotions and they do not seem to let them go. I can't decide whether I want to date them or be them (the ultimate tragedy).
So here I am presenting you my top favorites from this year’s reads. Pull up your guards because as good as they are at stealing hearts, they can kick ass even better.
1. Fang Runin from The Poppy War trilogy
There is no one better to kick start this list other than Rin. We follow Rin's journey from her early teenage years living as a war orphan with abusive foster parents to leading her own armies into battle as a General. It was absolutely thrilling reading her character grow, make mistakes, fight conflicts inside-out and turn into this imposing, brutal but heartening person. Rin, you have my heart forever.
2. Gideon Nav from The Locked Tomb series
Necromancer? Necromancer in space? Wait a minute... lesbian necromancer in space? Sign me up already. I knew the book was going to be a banger just by looking at the premise but boy I was not ready to be swept off my feet by Gideon. She is chosen cavalier to the heir of the ninth house, Harrowhark Nonagesmius (pretty royal name eh?). She is armed with her knuckle knives, black glasses, and heavy sarcasm.
3. Inej ghafa from the Six of Crows duology
Inej or better known as The Wraith by everyone—she works as the Dregs’ spy. Though a lot of Grisha verse females are terrific, I love inej the most. Even while working with "criminals", she does not lose sight of her faith in her god. She names all of her knives after saints (how cool is that?). If I was ever pulling off an impossible heist, I would want her on my team.
4. Addie Larue from The Invisible Life of Addie Larue
If you're aware of BookTok, I’m sure you've come across this book. And the hype is well-deserved. To escape marriage and habitual life, Addie Larue strikes a deal with the devil to live forever. But with the devil, there are no blessings without a curse. The curse to be forgotten by everyone she ever meets. But Addie has a spine of steel and she is set on living her life despite all odds. I was smitten by her from the beginning. No one might remember her life, but I am never going to forget her story.
5. Stevie Bell from the Truly Devious series
A true-crime aficionado, Stevie has a soft spot for mystery and crime. When she is admitted to the Ellingham Academy, a private school tucked between the mountains of Vermont, we all know what follows... An unsolved murder mystery — one which she is set on solving during her time at the school. She was an easy character to relate to and entertaining throughout the story. Now, whether or not she manages to solve her case, we are going to leave that mystery up to you to find out (hint; go pick up the book!)
6. Adelina Amouteru from The Young Elites series
Now, we wouldn't want all our ladies to be good, sweet heroines would we? SO to spice up this list we have Adelina Amouteru, the protagonist/antagonist of the story with powers to create dark illusions from nothingness. We see her character shaped by people's judgment and discrimination against her because of her powers and appearance. From a naïve girl wanting justice to a powerful, ruthless queen getting her revenge, hers is a story, or may I say a villainous origin story you do not want to miss.
7. Mariam from A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khalid Hosseini has an incredible penchant for creating characters that rip out your heart to reverse their place. And his magic worked with Mariam as well (how many times did I cry?... Yes). She is an illegitimate child of a wealthy businessman of Herat city, growing up in the outskirts with her mother. She is married off to Rasheed at the age of 15 and resents but puts up with his foul nature and abuse because she has been plagued with the guilt of being a harami (bastard) child which only grows with her mother's death. Yet Mariam has a remarkable endurance that enables her to survive in rough times.
8. Evelyn Hugo from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Hers is a story of ruthless ambition and forbidden love (a fascinating combination don’t you think?). She carved her way to Hollywood with brilliance and poise. She secured her place in stardom for more than 4 decades. But the glamorous life of Evelyn Hugo had its own dirty secrets. She did what she had to do to achieve success. And she was not sorry for it. It's rare to come across such characters who use their arsenal unapologetically.
9. Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief
Watching Liesel deal with the loss of family, the death of her brother, coming to trust her foster parents, and adjusting to her new life on Himmel street was nothing short of phenomenal. I loved every moment of it. She said, "I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right". And she did.
10. Marriane from Normal People
It's been a few months since I have read the book. Initially, I wasn't sure of my feelings towards Marriane's character. They still remain jumbled, but they've certainly grown over time (distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?). My emotions have gone from, “Ugh, why would you do that?” to “Please let me hug you and protect you”. I absolutely adored Daisy Edgar-Jones' portrayal of Marriane in the web series. (Go check it out here)
Okay, we covered a wide variety of characters today. Comment down below which one intrigued you the most and tell us about your favorite female characters.
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