Five strong female leads in fiction

Born in New Zealand, Sarah A. Parker now lives on Australia's Gold Coast with her husband and three young children.

At the Waterstones blog she writes:

When the Moon Hatched—the first book in my Moonfall Series—[is] a new fantasy romance that takes place in a rich world full of dragons and unique creatures, the story itself centred around resilience, grief, and the eternal power of love.

First things first, I love strong female leads. I find them endearing, inspiring, and thought provoking. As some of you may know, the FMC in my own story is a strong female protagonist with quick wit and a dark past, and writing her has been an incredible journey that has challenged me in the most surprising ways.

Parker tagged "five other stories with strong female leads," including:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

It’s fair to say this story set my heart on fire. Katniss is a blaze of courage, hope, compassion and resistance in a cruel dystopian world, her journey from resourceful to the symbol of a revolution both harrowing and inspiring. Her resilience and fierce loyalty to those less capable help define her as a powerful force against oppressive regimes.

In my opinion, Katniss is one of the most iconic heroines in contemporary literature.

Read about the other entries on the list.

The Hunger Games also appears on Robert Lee Brewer's list of ten of the best dystopian novels ever written, Patti Callahan's list of five SFF books featuring protective siblings, Off the Shelf's list of ten incredible literary parties, Chevy Stevens's list of the best survivalist thrillers, Amanda Craig's top ten list of the best-dressed characters in fiction, Sarah Driver's list of her five favorite fictional siblings, Meghan Ball's list of eight books or series for Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, Jeff Somers's lists of "five pairs of books that have nothing to do with each other—and yet have everything to do with each other," top five list of dystopian societies that might actually function, and top eight list of revolutionary SF/F novels, P.C. Cast’s top ten list of all-time favorite reads for fantasy fans, Keith Yatsuhashi's list of five gateway books that opened the door for him to specific genres, Catherine Doyle's top ten list of doomed romances in YA fiction, Ryan Britt's list of six of the best Scout Finches -- "headstrong, stalwart, and true" young characters -- from science fiction and fantasy, Natasha Carthew's top ten list of revenge reads, Anna Bradley ten best list of literary quotes in a crisis, Laura Jarratt's top ten list of YA thrillers with sisters, Tina Connolly's top five list of books where the girl saves the boy, Sarah Alderson's top ten list of feminist icons in children's and teen books, Jonathan Meres's top ten list of books that are so unfair, SF Said's top ten list of unlikely heroes, Rebecca Jane Stokes's top ten list of fictional families you could probably abide during holiday season and top eight list of books perfect for reality TV fiends, Chrissie Gruebel's list of favorite fictional fashion icons, Lucy Christopher's top ten list of literary woods, Robert McCrum's list of the ten best books with teenage narrators, Sophie McKenzie's top ten list of teen thrillers, Gregg Olsen's top ten list of deadly YA books, Annalee Newitz's list of ten great American dystopias, Philip Webb's top ten list of pulse-racing adventure books, Charlie Higson's top ten list of fantasy books for children, and Megan Wasson's list of five fantasy series geared towards teens that adults will love too.

--Marshal Zeringue