10 Fantasy Books with Badass Female Leads
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It was hard to narrow this list down to ten books. There are so many fantastic examples of fantasy books with strong female leads, all with different takes on the genre.
But I like to keep our fantasy book lists short and sweet, so in this post, we’ve rounded up ten of the most epic fantasy books with badass female leads. Whether you love dragons, magic, epic quests, or heart-breaking betrayals, you’ll love one of these books.
Fancy reading a fantasy book about pirates? Check out our pirate book list here!
Top Fantasy Books with Badass Female Leads
To be included in this list, the book had to have an obvious female lead character (without reliance on a male secondary character), elements of fantasy, and no spice. A few of the books listed have light romance, but the focus is on epic battles, quests, magic, and deep character development.
Do you have a recommendation for epic fantasy books with female leads? Let me know in the comments at the end!
Chosen
by KF Breene
“A necklace is a great way to allow someone to choke you without having to bring their own supplies,” she muttered.
Shanti is desperate to find her people. Under the constant threat of war, the lands have been decimated by the Graygual, a ruthless nation that forcibly takes any land they come across.
As the Chosen, it’s up to Shanti to find her people and bring them home safely.
Sanders and his army cadets are out on a mission when they find Shanti – starving, dehydrated, and almost dead. They immediately take her back to their base days before they’re due to return from their patrol.
She always thought she was the only one with her gifts until she met Captain Sanders. The difference is that she’s trained in the art of war, and he’s woefully unprepared for what’s to come.
Soon, the war catches up, and Shanti has no choice but to reveal who she is and hope her saviours will stand with her and fight. Of course, they could turn her over to Xandre, the warlord, and change the entire course of the war.
This book is part of a high fantasy series with war, magic, high stakes, and a strong female lead who develops throughout the series. It is a highly captivating and fast-paced story.
She who became the sun
by Shelley parker-chan
This is a number-one bestselling fantasy book and a reimagining of the rise of power of Zhu Yuanzhang – a rebel who defeated the Mongols, unified China, and founded the Ming Dynasty.
When a seer arrives in a famine-stricken village, she tells the fate of a brother and sister. For the son, there’s greatness in his future. For the daughter, an unremarkable life.
Living a harsh life under Mongol rule, a bandit raid arrives in 1345 and wipes out their entire village. Her brother meets an untimely death, but Zhu refuses to live up to her fate.
She takes her brother’s identity and starts her new journey to defeat the harsh rulers, avenge her brother, and reach greatness.
But with the seer’s vision constantly in her mind, can she ever escape what’s already written in the stars?
This is a truly wonderful fantasy book with a female lead filled with betrayal, love, triumph, and an epic quest. You’ll be on the edge of your seat the entire time. The author also has a website with some helpful history on real historical figures, so you don’t need any prior knowledge of the Ming Dynasty to love this book.
Daughter of Darkness
by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr
Next on our list of epic fantasy books with female leads is Daughter of Darkness. Deina is a Soul Severer, tasked by Hades with shepherding souls from the mortal realm to the underworld. She’s trapped and forever cursed to fulfil this role for the God of the underworld.
Until Orpheus offers her a way out. If she can rescue Orpheus’s wife from the underworld, he’ll give her fortune and her freedom.
A chance like this will never come again, so Deina ventures into the underworld to find Eurydice and bring her back to the land of the living. It should be an easy job for a Soul Severer, but Hades isn’t going to give up one of his souls easily.
Daughter of Darkness is a YA fantasy novel; it’s a dark retelling of Greek mythology and is perfect for anyone who loves epic quests.
When women were dragons
by Kelly Barnhill
“In a world where girls and women are taught to be quiet, the dragons inside them are about to be set free …”
Set in 1950s America, women are kept small and controlled by their husbands and the men who rule society. But that’s about to change.
Alex was just four when she first saw a dragon in the neighbour’s garden, but she always thought it was just her imagination. Then her mother went missing for a week, and when she finally came home, she was covered in burns and scars like she’d been fighting monsters.
As she grows into a teenager, Alex desperately wants answers. Little does she know, the mass Dragoning is coming, and it’s going to change the world forever.
If you’re a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale, you’ll love this fantasy book with badass female leads. It’s a poignant and feminist dive into misogyny with deep, complex characters.
A deadly education
by Naomi Novik
I’m not one to get sucked in by TikTok book trends, but this one hooked me from the first page. This is the first book in a fantasy trilogy all about a magic school like no other.
No teachers, no holidays, friendships are never real, and there are only two ways out: graduate or die.
El came prepared for this school. She’s got powers capable of levelling mountains, so the monsters that stalk the halls will be easy to handle.
But she never wants to hurt other people, so she’ll only use her powers if she absolutely has to.
Hilarious and over-the-top, this book is like Harry Potter if it was taken to new extremes. You’ll love it if you like your fantasy books with magic, heroes, and snarky teens.
Godkiller
by Hannah Kaner
“You are not welcome here, Godkiller.”
A New York Times bestseller and the first in the Fallen Gods trilogy, Godkiller is a must-read fantasy book with a strong female lead.
After Kissen’s family were killed by the zealots of a fire god, she made a living killing gods – and she loves what she does.
But then she runs into a god she can’t kill: Skedi. He’s bound to a young noble, and they’re both on the run from assassins.
Their only hope is to travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside. There, they can beg favour, and hopefully, both live to see another day.
Pursued by demons and treading through a world on the brink of Civil War, this quest will be a deadly one.
This book does end on a pretty abrupt cliff hanger, but book 2 in the series is available, so you can immediately get your fix after finishing!
Throne of Glass
by Sarah J Maas
We can’t make a list of fantasy books with badass female leads without including Sarah J. Maas. She’s a master of high-stakes fantasy, and this book is definitely one of her best.
Celaena Sardothien wants her freedom, and only the cruel King of the Throne of Glass can grant it.
All she has to do is defeat twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a deadly competition. Easy enough, right?
If she wins, Celaena will become the King’s Champion and earn her freedom.
But when her competitors start mysteriously dying, it’s clear that there’s something else hidden in the castle, and Celaena’s fight for freedom is about to become a desperate fight for survival.
The Priory of the Orange Tree
by Samantha Shannon
I always think of The Priory as a modern fantasy classic, and it’s a book filled with incredible female characters.
The House of Berethnet has ruled for a thousand years, but unless Queen Sabran the Ninth can produce a daughter, her control over the realm will disappear.
Assassins are getting closer, hoping to kill the Queen before she can have an heir, and her time is running out.
Ead is the Queen’s lady-in-waiting, a powerful mage in a secret society; she protects the Queen using forbidden magic.
It’s tough to convey the complexity and awe of this book in a short description, but it features talking dragons, dragon riders, multiple houses vying for power, and a long list of characters you’ll love.
One reviewer called this book a feminist Game of Thrones, and I think that hits the nail on the head.
The Deed Of Paksenarrion
by Elizabeth Moon
If you want epic fantasy books with strong female leads and no romance, this one is for you.
When Paksenarrion faces a life of submitting to a husband and a lifetime of poverty, she decides to take matters into her own hands.
Leaving with not much more than her grandfather’s sword, she gets recruited into Duke Phelan’s latest company of soldiers for hire.
She’s a skilled fighter, but bad luck seems to follow her around. After getting stabbed by an ensorceled knife, she barely survives and starts experiencing far too many near misses in battle.
Is she attracting evil forces that want to claim her life? Is she putting the others in her company in mortal danger? Or is there something else going on?
If you’re into epic battles and fight scenes, this fantasy book is for you. Paks goes up against spider-minions, orcs, and corrupted men in her quest for her true destiny.
Green Rider
by Kristen Britain
On her way home from school, walking through the forest, Karigan is contemplating her latest threat of expulsion when a horse bursts through the brush and strides right at her.
On its back, an almost-dead messenger with arrows protruding from his neck. He slumps down to the floor, and Karigan watches as the life slowly drains from him.
She can’t save him, but he has a message that needs to get to the king. The man makes her swear to get the message back to the king in his place. It’s life or death, and nothing can stop her.
With his last breath, he tells her to beware of the shadow man and then leaves her alone in the forest, the new Green Rider.
What Are Your Favourite Fantasy Books with Badass Female Leads?
Each of the fantasy books on this list is fantastic in its own right. From epic quests and dragon riders to devastating betrayals and harsh battles, they have it all. And each writer is beyond talented — it’s tough to choose a favorite from this list.
The only real question is, which one will you read next?
Still looking for books for your TBR? Our next book list has magical novels with elves (and some epic steam-punk trolls?) — head to the Elf book list here!
