Top Ten Favorite Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's theme is Top Ten Tuesday Rewind, which is a chance to go back through the archives and choose a past Top Ten to do, or maybe re-do.

I've chosen to list my Top Ten Favorite Heroines (in no particular order):

1. Éowyn (Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien) - Shieldmaiden of Rohan! (top right)
2. Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) - To me, she is the original heroine.
3. Mary "Jacky" Faber (Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer) - "A girl what's meant for hangin' ain't likely to be drowned."
4. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling) - I had to include the clever, bookish girl!
5. Lisbeth Salander (Millennium series by Stieg Larsson) - petite hacker chick and total badass (middle right)
6. Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë) - a heroine that sticks to her morals and refuses to accept defeat in any form
7. Arya Stark (A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin) - the tomboy
8. Daenerys Targaryen (A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin) - another strong, epic female character (bottom right)
9. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) - The Girl Who Was on Fire!
10. Sabriel (Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix) - This little necromancer gets things done!

Honorable Mentions:

• Eilonwy (The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander) - for her dedication and charm
• Evie (Paranormalcy by Kiersten White) - for her feminine strength
• Alanna (Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce) - for her steadfast determination
• Raisa ana'Marianna (The Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima) - for her work ethic
• Deryn Sharp (Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld) - for her sense of adventure
• Lina Vilkas (Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys) - for her unshakeable hope

These are all strong, admirable heroines for various reasons. I think that a lot can be learned from each of them. Every one of these ladies has certainly earned my respect.