The young adult genre, possibly more than any other, tends to be a genre of trends. Dystopian novels such as The Hunger Games and Delirium are hugely popular now, while vampires are yesterday’s news. But another trend is also deserving of attention: stories starring tough teenage girl protagonists à la Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Whether it’s in reaction to popular novels featuring heroines that are little more than damsels in distress, such as Twilight’s Bella Swan, or simply a sign of our postmodern age, more and more female characters are inhabiting the role of rescuer rather than rescued.
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Move over, Katniss: Moira Young’s heroine, Saba, is twice as tough and, arguably, twice as likeable as Suzanne Collins’s much talked-about protagonist.
Saba’s quest is to rescue her brother Lugh from a superstitious “king,” a journey that thrusts her into the path of slave traders, a band of Amazon-like female freedom fighters, and a handsome outlaw named Jack. Saba’s skills at hand-to-hand combat, archery, and instigating rebellions are on constant display in this compelling novel.
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
While the main character of Bacigalupi’s award-winning book isn’t female, Ship Breaker prominently features an array of warrior women (and girls). These include a wealthy castaway, Lucky Girl, who despite her “soft” upper-class upbringing has as much courage and swagger as the aptly-named Nailer, and Pima, a tough-talking, burly ship breaker who’s head of Nailer’s “Light Crew.”
The novel is gritty, violent, and impossible to put down, and the female characters all but leap off the page. In the end, it is Lucky Girl who saves Nailer from his life of toil and hardship, Prince Charming-style, and carries him away on her luxury ship to brighter shores and a better life.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
The acclaimed author of Blackbringer weaves an equally mesmerizing tale in Daughter of Smoke and Bone. The novel’s globetrotting heroine, Karou, struggles to discover her mysterious heritage as an assortment of angel-like beings wreak havoc on her already-abnormal teenage life as an art student in haunting, haunted Prague.
Raised by monsters and accustomed to being sent on dangerous errands, Karou is a witty, courageous warrior and a highly compelling narrator.
While other novels (The Hunger Games; The Golden Compass) can be credited with fuelling (or re-fuelling) reader interest in warrior girl protagonists, the above novels are taking the archetype and interpreting it in new and exciting ways. YA readers can expect more female warriors to emerge in the coming years as the film versions of The Hunger Games give legs to the trend, providing a much-needed counterpoint to the Bella Swans of yore.
Heather Fawcett - Heather Fawcett is a Vancouver-based writer and editor. She holds an M.A. in English Literature and specializes in teen fiction, having ...
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