Today is International Women’s Day so in celebration I think it is appropriate to look at some fierce females in fiction. Over the years there have been some serious kick-ass heroines written. Which ones made the list? Check it out below!
Let’s start with the definition of fierce.
- Aggressive: characterized by showing aggression or anger
- Violent or Intense: characterized by the violence or intensity of the forces, activity, or participants involved
- Profound: deeply and intensely felt and often aggressively expressed
Now that we have a clear definition of fierce, let’s see which females fit in the best.
Emerson Cole from Hourglass by Myra McEntire
While Emerson isn’t a gladiator type warrior she has to fight her own personal demons all while figuring out how to rewrite the past. Emerson has clearly been through a lot: the loss of her parents, a freak out in the cafeteria that gets her sent to boarding school and then there is the seeing dead people thing. Through everything Emerson finds a way to survive even when it would just be easier to give up. Emerson’s fierceness comes from within. It is seen in how she deals with situations and how she cares for people.
Bilquis SanGreal from Devil’s Kiss by Sarwat Chadda
As the youngest and only female member of the Knights Templar, Bilquis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn’t normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a soldier in her order’s ancient battle against the Unholy. Billy, as she is known by her ‘family,’ is fierce in every sense of the word. She endures physical battles and slaying demons as well as experiencing intense emotions not always of the pleasant variety.
Elisa from The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Elisa is definitely not your typical heroine. Initially she has poor self esteem, allows herself to be bullied by all around her, and she sees food as her only comfort. What makes Elisa fierce is her journey. Elisa finds confidence in herself and her destiny. Her transformation can only be made by someone who is fierce by nature even if they didn’t know it.
Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Katsa is a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents—swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa’s Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Katsa’s fierceness comes from not only her ability to kill but her desire to help those in need. Even while she is being used by her uncle as a weapon she seeks to fight against him for truth and justice.
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
At this point, Katniss Everdeen is probably one of the most known female characters in fiction. She is fierce because she has to be. She is the provider for her family in a world that is not kind or caring. Katniss is strong in ways that most people never could be. She is self sacrificing and brave. During the Hunger Games Katniss does what she must in order to survive and return home to her family. She is smart and there is no one that wields a bow and arrow better than her.
Did your favorite fierce female make the list? Tell us who you think is the fiercest of them all.