In honour of International Women’s Day that was earlier this month, I wanted to shoutout some really strong female characters. I want to also make a note that I am not just talking about raw strength/power but also emotional strength and survival. You can be a strong women without having loads of power.

Slight spoilers for:

• The Broken Earth
• Mistborn 1-3
• Circe
• The Poppy War

Moiraine – The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan

I have only read the first 3 books of this series so I am not sure on what happens further down the line but what I love about Moiraine is not only is she a super powerful channeller she is also incredibly intelligent. I really enjoy her scenes in the book as you don’t really understand her motives as she is such a secretive character who exudes this power and mystery. She knows more than she’s letting on and I love watching it all unfold and also there is something super satisfying by having one of the most magically powerful characters in the series being a woman!

Circe – Circe by Madeline Miller

Now when I think about emotional strength this is one of the characters I think of instantly. Circe endures a lot through this novel, betrayal, heartbreak, assault and still manages to persevere through those traumas. She becomes a safe space for many others and still tries to maintain a positive outlook of life itself after experiencing so much devastation. I think she is incredibly strong!

Essun – The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

I have only read the first book in this trilogy FYI so this is all based from my opinions from Book 1. Not only is Essun a very powerful character herself but similar to Circe she overcomes so much personal heartache and trauma. Her existence in itself is a very scary and dangerous life, not knowing who to trust or how people will react to you and she overcomes barrier after barrier, obstacle after obstacle. Another strong woman!

Vin – Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

Now I have read this entire trilogy and one of the things that stands out to me about Vin is her character development. Yes, she is a very powerful allomancer and that does make her strong but what I also think needs to be praised is her ability to start trusting people. In Book 1 she doesn’t trust anyone but herself and struggles to understand how people can just willingly trust another person and over the series you slowly see her begin to trust the people around her. I think it’s beautiful, she has so many reasons not to trust others but she overcomes her anxiety and fear and that is truly powerful.

Rin – The Poppy War Trilogy – R.F. Kuang

Again, I have only read the first book in this trilogy. Now what makes Rin strong to me is one she is incredibly intelligent, she has such a determined personality but she is constantly fighting against a system built to fail her and we watch her knock those walls down. It was super satisfying to read and also yes there are magical elements involved in her powers but she can also just absolutely beat you in a physical fight which I think is 10/10 amazing!

So, yes this is just a couple of female characters I wanted to give a shoutout to. I do plan on doing a male version and again I want to highlight things other than just pure strength as there is so much more than just pure power.