Traditionally, men have always been the stars of the show. They were always the lead characters in books, and this made it hard for a lot of young girls to relate to some stories. It's always easier to enjoy a book and understand the main characters when you can relate to them in some way.
Thankfully, times are changing. There are more female leads in books than there ever used to be, and this means there are some incredible series and novels to try out. So, for this article, I want to show you some amazing books with strong female leads as the main character:
The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games is one of the best series out there today. It's set in a dystopian world where multiple districts have to send off children to fight against one another in the hunger games. It's a thrilling series of books that has loads of twists and turns. In fact, as this blog post from the University of Southern California shows, two of the books in the series ended up as the best-selling novels of the decade.
The main character is Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who enters and wins the hunger games. She is a fantastic female lead as you really get a sense of how strong she is - both physically and mentally. Katniss doesn't depend on the men in her life to get her out of trouble, she's the hero. It's an excellent series to fall in love with, and there are film adaptations to watch afterward as well!
Divergent By Veronica Roth
Another book series that's set in a dystopian world and follows an absolute badass female lead. Divergent is about a society that's split into different warring factions. Like The Hunger Games, it was one of the bestselling novels when it was originally released. There are also film adaptations of this, so you can get more than your fill after you've read the books! The female lead is called Beatrice Prior , and she's torn between her family and achieving her true potential.
It's a pulsating story that takes you with Beatrice as she goes through tough initiations and various trials. Soon, she discovers a conflict that could rock the society to its very core. So, she takes on the role of the ass-kicking hero who tries to save everyone she loves. Again, it's a brilliant series if you love action-packed books that show girls can be just as fierce as guys.
Throne of Glass By Sarah J Maas
Fans of the fantasy genre will love this series. Throne of Glass is the first book, and it follows Celaena Sardothien. She's a young assassin who falls foul of the Crown Prince and enters into a deal with him. She agrees to fight for him in a competition to find out who the best royal assassin is.
The book takes us on a journey as we follow Celaena through a whole host of battles. She has to fight against other assassins, defeating loads of warriors along the way. If she wins all of her battles, then she gets granted her freedom! Things take a turn for the worst when people start turning up dead before the competition. She fears for her life as she could be next, so she tries to uncover the mystery before it's too late. It's a genuinely intriguing book as most fantasy novels have male characters as the core leads. Throne of Glass proves that women are just as good as men at delivering a thrilling fantasy adventure with all the necessary twists and turns.
The Fault in Our Stars By John Green
Many of you might have read this book already, but I couldn't leave it out. If we're talking about books that have strong female leads, then this is one of the best. The other three books on this list are similar in that the female character is a physically strong being. They get into fights, they go up against men, and they come out on top. This is different. Hazel, the main character, is fighting against a terminal illness. She shows a different kind of strength. It's a heart-wrenchingly brilliant book that plays with your emotions throughout. You really feel like you're dealing with a strong character at all times, and it's a wonderful way to show how much strength we have inside us.
If you're interested in reading books with strong female leads, then check out these four options. The first three are series, so you have plenty of reading to do! If you want to enjoy more books based on the brilliance of women, then check out my article on the best seven books that celebrate the success of women .
