Fantasy Books for Women
"BestFantasyBooks.com guide to Fantasy Books for Women"
Women want different fantasy books then men. I've heard many women complaining most fantasy novels are 'boy' fantasy. Sound familiar? You know, fantasy books with male protagonists,
pathetic females whole sole role is only to be saved by the hero, and ham-fisted romance.
While admittedly, most fantasy books are geared toward the male reader, there are some very well written books that will appeal to women.
To aid the ladies in the quest to find good fantasy literature that appeals to their sensibilities, I've listed the Top 10 Fantasy books for women.
#1: Liveship Traders (Robin Hobb)
Book Flap Description
Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships--rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. The fortunes of one of Bingtown's oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia.
For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy unjustly denied her--a legacy she will risk anything to reclaim. For Althea's young nephew Wintrow, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard ship, Vivacia is a life sentence.
But the fate of the Vestrit family--and the ship--may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider. The ruthless pirate Kennit seeks a way to seize power over all the denizens of the Pirate Isles...and the first step of his plan requires him to capture his own liveship and bend it to his will....
The author and protaganist are both woman. This is a very strong series with a realistic character and realistic, often complicated, relationships. Romance is a strong element in this book, but it's not handled in the ham-fisted method that abound in most fantasy books. But good romance is not the only thing this book has going for it. The world Hobb has created is simply marvelous. This is one landscape you just want to explore; it's quite simply, magical. Robb's prose is also top notch and her descriptions transport you into the fantastical world she has created. I highly highly recommend this book to both men and women. If you want a fantasy that's different, compelling and has some very strong female characters who will appeal to all woman, read this series!
#2: The Sevenwater Trilogy (Juliet Marillier)
Amazon DescriptionLovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment. But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift-by staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever. When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire to save her beloved brothers, and a love that comes only once. Sorcha despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all...
Mariner writes some of the best female characters in the fantasy genre. These fantasy books are good. Really really good. With some intelligent, complex, and interesting female protagonists and some really well handled romance, this trilogy is a gift to all women -- and men. It's Celtic fantasy with a very strong romantic element, a lush, vivid world, and some really compelling characters -- especially the protagonist (a woman). Fantasy written by a girl, for the girls. This is romantic fantasy at it's best. Read!!
#3: Kushiel's Dart (Jacqueline Carey)
Amazon Book DescriptionThe land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt. Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission...and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair...and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear. Set in a world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess, this is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel's Dart-a massive tale about the violent death of an old age, and the birth of a new.
Unique, passionate, sad, jubilant -- these are all words that come to mind when reading Carey's tremendous effort. These are fantasy books for women (and guys too). The protagonist is a woman and probably the most complex female character in the entire genre of fantasy.
#4: The Lions of Al-Rassan (Guy Gaverial Kay)
Book Flap DescriptionThe ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan -- poet, diplomat, soldier -- until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever. Meanwhile, in the north, the conquered Jaddites' most celebrated -- and feared -- military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, driven into exile, leads his mercenary company south. In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve -- for a time -- the same master. Sharing their interwoven fate -- and increasingly torn by her feelings -- is Jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose own skills play an increasing role as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond. Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, The Lions of Al-Rassan is both a brilliant adventure and a deeply compelling story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when hardening beliefs begin to remake -- or destroy -- a world.
Gaverial Kay has never written a bad fantasy novel. He always populates his worlds with fully realized characters. His female characters are always strong with sassy personalities and strong intelligence.
#5: Archangel (Sharon Shinn)
Booklist Description Next in line to become archangel in the angel-led dominion of Samaria, Gabriel must lead the next chorale praising the god Jovah, which means he needs a wife--fast--to sing beside him. Guided by the local oracle and the light emanating from the Kiss of the Gods (a homing device in his wrist), he finds his Jovah-selected fiancee in a common Edori slave girl named Rachel. The marriage proves, however, anything but romantic. Far from rejoicing in the sudden freedom that her marriage brings, Rachel quickly becomes a thorn in Gabriel's side, using her newfound influence to help her downtrodden Edori brethren. Displaying sure command of characterization and vividly imagined settings, Shinn absorbs us in the story of how Rachel and Gabriel eventually unite in true love and respect. With place-names such as Gaza and Jordana, she tantalizingly hints at her Samaria's connection to an ancient Israeli past, and she tempers the angelic milieu with talk of her angels' technological heritage in an entertaining sf-fantasy blend that should please fans of both genres.This is Fantasy written just for women. With a strong love story and some interesting world building, this SF-Fantasy hybrid is a heavenly success. The two protagonists loath each other and it's interesting to see how their relationship evolves over span of the novel. Those looking for a complicated love story, look no further then Archangel -- it's a fantasy book that will make the women swoon!
#6: The Ruins of Ambrai (Exiles, Vol. 1) (Melini Rawn)
Amazon Book Description
Fleeing persecution to build a free colony on the planet Lenfell, the magic-wielding Mageborns find their new home torn apart by civil war between the Mage Guardians and the Lords of Malerris. Reprint.
Melini Rawn is a great at writing realistic female characters. The description of the novel does not do it justice. This is a wholly character driven book, with complex, deep characters and an enticing world. Unlike some of the other fantasy books for women mentioned, the entire plot is not based off romance, but the strong female characters, well-developed world, and addicting plot make this a must read for the fairer sex.
#7: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
Book Flap Description
At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England?until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight.
Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear.
A remarkable book with written in a sort of Victorian-era flowery prose. The flowery prose my be off-putting at first, but the memorizing story soon sucks you right in. Romance is a definite (and important) element in this novel, but it is certainly not a romantic fantasy. However, the strong narrative, rich characters, and compelling story make this a novel that must be read. Women who especially love the Jane Austin style settings and prose will especially be delighted.
#8: Dragon and the Phoenix Joanne Bertin)
Amazon Book DescriptionOnce every thousand years the phoenix of Jehanglan burns to death in a magical release. For millennia the emperors of Jehanglan have tried to harness the awesome power of the phoenix's rebirth. One has finally succeeded, using black magic and the enslavement of a dragon. Far away at the Crown of the World, Dragon-lord Linden and his new wife, Maurynna, are trying to live the life of happy newlyweds. But all is not well. Since her first Change into dragon-form, Maurynna has been unable to duplicate it. And as her inability to Change drives her into a dark abyss of depression, Linden begins to doubt the love he was once so sure of... At this time of personal crisis, these two must journey to Jehanglan and marshall all of their diplomatic and martial skill to penetrate the treachery of the empire and set free the phoenix. But to do so they must face the dragon--the dragon who just might be a Dragonlord gone mad....
Another great fantasy book for women. This book is romance masquerading as a fantasy novel. But, it manages to do justice to both genres. Even though romance is the primary force in this novel, the story is very well written and the author has a definite knack for creating exotic landscapes and strong interpersonal relationships. With lots of romantic tension between the two main characters and a strong plot, this is a thoroughly enjoyable book. It's actually one of the better romantic fantasy novels out there. If you enjoy the standard elements of a romance novel with the trappings of a fantasy world, this book will satisfy you.
#9: Dragon Prince Trilogy (Melini Rawn)
Amazon Book Description
Melanie Rawn's best-selling debut is a novel of love and war, magic and madness, and deadly dangerous dragons that hold the secret to unimaginable wealth that could prove key to mutual peace-or a bloody tyrant's reign. And among it all, an idealistic young ruler struggles to civilize a culture that understands the strength of the sword-but has yet to discover the true power of knowledge
Those ladies wanting some epic fantasy with a female bent, well, this is what you've been waiting for. This is not your standard peasant boy becomes hero and beats up dark lord plot, however. It's epic fantasy on a grand scale with a cast of very strong female (and male) characters. The romance relationship between the male and female protagonists is the main focus of this novel, but the world building is first class with an interesting magic system, lots of political tension, and a strong plot. For those girls want fantasy book with action and good romance, this is your book.
#10: Rhapsody (Elizabeth Haydon)
Amazon DescriptionRhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world-- a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody's aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep within the Cauldron.
I was quite impressed with this novel when it first came out. Haydon creates an interesting world, some interesting characters, lots and lots of tension, and a hell of a lot of romance. While romance in a fantasy book is not unusual, this book is all about the romance. I'd probably say this novel is a pretty strong combination of a genuine fantasy novel mated with a bodice ripper romance. The combination works. Don't expect anything deep or original, but the main character (a woman) is an interesting character. The hero characters however are a bit too perfect. The sequel books radically lower the quality (Haydon falls prey to the "milk the cow" disease) but I recommend reading the first book if you are looking for some strong romantic fantasy.
Thank you for all the recommendations... Top 25, Great, Good, Women, Kids! I've always enjoyed fantasy, but have only read a few of the books on your lists. I can't wait to get started. Prompting my search for best books was N.K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, Book One of the Inheritance Trilogy. Very enjoyable! Unfortunately, Book Two probably won't arrive until 2011 so I need a few things to read between now and then.
Try Patricia Mckillipp for mysterious, award-winning writing, beautiful prose and no swooning!
I agree, I enjoy all kinds of Fantasy books, but I especially love to feel emotionally connected to the characters. Being female, I often connect better to well written female characters.
I previously mentioned Ursela K Le Guin and Garth Nix. I would like to also add some authors of young adult fantasy with great girl leads: Scott Westerfeld, Libba Bray (Gemma Dyle books are amazing), and Cassandra Clare.
if you want torture dark and female there's about 100 pgs worth of gruesome and completely described torture by a cult of women in Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule. In fact it describes how young girls are captured and tortured so they can in turn torture a variety of men. gruesome but entertaining.
Traci Harding series are fantastc, strong memorable characters with a mix of medievel, present date and futuristic storylines! Well done to a great aussie writer!
A suggested reading for those that enjoy strong female main characters along with a mix of medievel, present date and futuristic plots has to get a hold of Traci Hardings fantasy series. She began with the ancient future trilogy which is followed by the celestial triad series along with the mystique trilogy and her new series the triad of being which im reading atm. They are fantasic plots that are easy to follow with memorable and lovable characters up until the last page! Highly recommended! Especially because she is a fellow Aussie!
Crikey! Some people may be reading WAY too much into the intent of this list. I LOVE high fantasy and it has been very difficult to find truly good recommendations of fanatsy fiction series that have strong female protagonists (with or without strong male main characters). Try a search on Google or Bing and its slim pickins. This list has led me to some series that I love and may have not found otherwise. PLEASE ADD SOME MORE RECOMMENDATIONS!! I can appreciate the classics like Tolkien, Jordan, and Martin but my preference is well-written, character-based high fantasy that I can emotionally connect with the protagonists. Even in the best novels it is much easier to find that connection with female protagonists than with male, at least for me. Plus, some of the series with female leads turn out to be simple mindless romance, but the majority of your recommendations are not that (unless otherwise noted!) I'm halfway thru Liveship Traders and have read most of the others, so I need some more of the good stuff!! :o)
@kissmequic
To be fair, you were offended because a list on the internet categorized women. Imagine what reading Conan would do to you.
I was specifically googling and searching for fantasy books with a female lead and some romance that didn't involve me trawling through the blurbs of online bookshops - basically this list!
Ta very much for that, i'll check some of these out.
I'd also recommend Maria V Snyders "study books" altho they are in the young adult section i'd say they are on the outside edge, a little too disturbing at times to give to a teenage girl. Also Alison Croggon's books of Pellinor are awesome, loved every word.
So in summary, i was searching for some novels which are specifiacally female targeted and driven but not too 'feminist' 
i found them here, easily laid out with a comment on each. So Tas very much for that.
What I see here is a bunch of people getting so caught up in a differentiation between men and women that they are failing to even comment on the books themselves. Perhaps it would have been better to title it "Books with strong female characters"... or "Books that aren't a boy's tale of coming of age". In case you mistake that comment for me being a chauvinistic male I am indeed a woman (working in a strongly male dominated field, no less) and I love Fantasy... I love the gritty Erikson and Martin, I love the Lord of the Rings, I love all of Neil Gaiman's works, I love the hilarity of Terry Pratchett, I love the childish fun of Harry Potter and the Dealing with Dragon's series and I even enjoy some of the wishy washy drivel that you read once just because you are looking for a quick unchallenging read (although I have no illusions about it's quality).
When there is discrimination going on it is important to point it out... but pointing out that many of the top fantasy stories of our time really are "Boys tales" is just reality... what this list states as it's purpose is to highlight some of the books that are "Girls tales" instead... It isn't to say that guys won't like these books just as much as we (girl's) like those "boys tales". Just that they are a little bit of a different mold. And I was pleased to see entries that are among my favourite books (although a little dissappointed that the Black Jewels trilogy didn't show up in this list... as they are some of my favourite reread comfort books).
And the picks made here are, in my opinion fairly decent ones.
The Kushiel's Dart Trilogy, for example is one of my favourite series ever. The characters (both male and female) are amazingly rendered, the prose is so smooth it melts into the background and you forget you're reading. The plot is overarching and strong and the twists are clever... the books are certainly not mystery novels but they have some of those elements in that they are led by the quest to uncover intrigue and that if you pay attention all of those little details are there and when the answer is revealed you have those genuinely perfect moments of "oooooh!" as all those little details fall in to place perfectly with nary a loose end or contradiction.
And while a strong theme of the novels is love it certainly wouldn't classify as a romance... It really is hard to place in the subgenre classification and really is it's own series.
Ship of Magic (and the other Liveship Traders books) is a similarly spectacular if completely different read of the sort you cannot put down. It follows a few main characters all of whom are strong and distinct and the complexities of the moral and societal issues that are involved in the world are dealt with so deftly that they are worthy of some of the great science fiction writers that handle such things so well. This is all occurring in a very lively and alive world with action and suspense filling every page. Anyone who has ever been interested in ships ever will not be dissappointed by the realistic and thoroughly researched and believable ship-board descriptions.
And of the books on this list that I have read not a one of them is only about the female characters... in fact what makes them excellent is the strong characterization of all of the characters. Besides just suggesting that women and men have a tendency to think slightly differently isn't discrimination... it's truth... look into some neuroscience. The genders may be equal but equality does not mean identicallity. There is no doubt in my mind that systematic gender discrimination is still going on (www.amptoons.com)... but personally... I feel this list is more about the books than it is about the gender gap...
ABSOLUTELY LOVED KUSHIEL'S DART TRILOGY...
I was surprised it didn't even get an honorable mention on your "man's list"
I think Ursela K. Le Guin's novels, especially "The Other Wind" and "Tehanu", are some of the best written books out there (and my personal all time favorites). The books even address gender issues in a graceful and intelligent way. Women who are looking for real female characters, not just romance that happens to be in a imaginary land will love them.
Garth Nix is a male author who is able to write female characters very well. They are just as complex and powerful as his male characters, nor are they some idealistic fantasy (which many women authors are guilty of creating as well).
Marion Zimmer Bradley and her co-writer, Diana L. Paxton created characters whose strength lay within their femininity. A refreshing embrace of all that make women different but equally valuable (I'm speaking in general, not specifics). She also has some kick but female warriors as well.
While I think the list was a great idea, how about calling it the Fantasy/Romance list?
I understand many of the offended comments left on this page; however, I appreciate your effort in making this list. While all of my favorite fantasy novels/series are found on other pages, I do enjoy reading books that have strong female protagonists, which many of the novels listed on the other pages do not. I have one friend in particular who only likes to read novels about strong women and is always complaining about weak females in other novels, so such a list would be perfect for her. I don't see your top 25 books as "the men's page" as a previous commenter noted; instead, I see that you made an effort to make a separate page that includes books that some women readers may prefer. I don't see that as condescending or sexist. Also to say that women count as "one of the biggest readerships" of fantasy seems kind of silly, since there are only two genders and men clearly read more fantasy than women. While I see myself as a feminist, I think it is dangerous to make claims of sexism based on the idea that *some* women *may* have different preferences than men. Essentialism can be dangerous, but it is true that one can often make generalizations about the genders with a degree of accuracy. For example, I wouldn't recommend the Sookie Stackhouse novels to any man that I know, regardless of how much I like them, because I assume that most men like different things in a novel than many women do. Don't be so damn sensitive.
The Fantasy novels I truly love generally have strong male and female characters, working side by side. Women aren't as weak and delicate as men seem to think we are. We survive childbirth, don't we? I like military action & blood & violence in a novel as much as the next "guy".
