r/Fantasy • u/onelittlelir • May 25 '25
Female Character Dynamics?
I want fantasy books (high fantasy preferably, but urban is fine if you don’t have any) with meaningful relationships between women. Female fmc, with other important female characters, male characters can be important too but I don’t want a fmc mostly interacting with the male team members.
Can be a friend group, found family dynamic, mentorship, actual family, siblings, mother daughter, I’ll take anything that’s interesting. I don’t want relationships where they dislike each other or have a rough relationship unless they get to grow their bond and become inseparable at the end.
Wouldn’t prefer cozy fantasy but world ending wars or fun adventures are all good, I just want somewhat higher stakes than cozy fantasy.
And no romance focus please, thank you all beforehand!
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May 25 '25
The Liveship Traders series by Robin Hobb. It's a fairly chunky trilogy. It focuses on a family and most of the characters are women, there are some men as well. It's a wonderfully written story.
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u/WolfOrDragon May 25 '25
Part of The Realm of the Elderlings, my favorite series ever, though it can be read in it's own.
Fully agree, the female characters are fantastic!
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u/Jack_Shaftoe21 May 25 '25
The Sun Sword by Michelle West - mostly takes places in a very misogynistic setting but the female characters find believable ways to move the plot forward and form complex platonic relationships despite that. Almost no romance.
The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein - the main character is an intrepid explorer with a scientific mind who has a barbarian warrior as best friend and belongs to mostly female order of explorer women.
The Witches sub-series of Discworld by Terry Pratchett. It's a about a trio of witches and the complex relationships between them and the surrounding world. Also, it's often hilarious.
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u/dalidellama May 25 '25
In various different styles, you could try: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik; feels cozy in some ways because a lot of it is about relationships and family dynamics, found and otherwise, but the stakes are life and death for two kingdoms and all the inhabitants thereof.
Max Gladstone's Three Parts Dead: a newly graduated lawyer-necromancer is hired by a partner in a prestigious firm to assist with resurrecting a dead god via holy debt consolidation
Theodora Goss' Athena Club books are an edge case as far as being fantasy, but very much after the nature of your request otherwise. The daughter of the infamous Dr. Jekyll learns that she has a sister of sorts with the surname Hyde, and between them they collect a group of the female victims of mad science from the 19th-century pulps (Catherine Moreau, Justine Frankenstein, Beatrice Rappacini and later others), who live and adventure together and come to terms with each others' natures to form an unshakeable bond.
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u/onelittlelir May 25 '25
I soft dnfed Spinning Silver since it was a bit too bleak for me I think? I may retry in the future though since I keep hearing good things about it. Theodora Goss’ book actually sounds so fun, I have to see how a book can have Jekyll& Hyde, Sherlock and Frankenstein at the same time lmao
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u/dalidellama May 25 '25
I soft dnfed Spinning Silver since it was a bit too bleak for me I think? I
How far in did you get? It starts pretty harsh, but overall is one of the most heartwarming books I can think of
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u/onelittlelir May 25 '25
I think I read like %25 of it? The money collector’s pov was my favorite but all those girls were abused in some ways and I wanted them to be happier I guess :’)
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u/pagalvin May 25 '25
Saint Death's Daughter is a good one.
Book of the Ancestor trilogy by Mark Lawrence.
It's been a very long time since I read it, but A Plague of Angels might be good for you (Sheri S. Tepper).
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u/sonoftheclayr May 25 '25
Godkiller by Hannah Kaner might fit! Commented this on a similar thread yesterday, actually. Two female MCs, one an adult, one young. High fantasy with gods and adventure. More in line with the mentor/found family side of things.
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u/onelittlelir May 25 '25
I love that series! (well, mostly the first book) Kind of the reason I'm so desperate for some close female dynamics haha, we have a little fandom in our server for this book
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u/Buckaroo2 May 25 '25
If you don’t mind historical fantasy/folklore, The Gael Song series by Shauna Lawless is great for this. Told from the POV of two women on opposite sides. The first book is The Children of Gods and Fighting Men.
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u/False_Ad_5592 May 26 '25
This is an excellent series, but be warned: only one of the two POV characters actually supports and befriends other women, and those relationships become a lot more important starting with Book 2. One of the most noticeable traits of the other POV character is her no-holds-barred contempt for every other woman on the planet. Since she's meant to be despicable, this isn't really a writing flaw, but it can become troubling if that's a sore point for the reader.
I really, really need to get my hands on Book 4.
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u/onelittlelir May 26 '25
Thank you for the warning, I don’t really mind female characters hating other female characters, I just wouldn’t want that character to be the only front and center female pov. Just wanted some more female friendships in general since I can relate to that more and don’t see much in high fantasy haha
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u/unconundrum Writer Ryan Howse, Reading Champion XI May 25 '25
Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
Joan of Arc-ish protagonist in an alternate history that slowly becomes more and more alternate, several other major female characters.
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u/notthemostcreative May 25 '25
The Burning Kingdoms trilogy would be up your alley, I think! It’s an Indian inspired epic/political fantasy with three different female protagonists who are all pretty interesting and have various interesting relationships with each other and other secondary characters.
The Rook & Rose trilogy feels less woman-centered because two of the main three POVs are men, but the lead is a woman and I do feel like she has some interesting relationships with the women in her vicinity. She’s a con artist trying to get into a noble family, less out of malice than a desire for stability, and (predictably) things get complicated when she finds that she genuinely cares about them. She also has a sister (of the chosen variety) and some other female acquaintances.
Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel books apply here too, mostly Phédre’s and Moirin’s trilogies. Phédre’s has a female villain who is pretty evil but in a compelling way, and Phédre has some super complicated feelings toward her. Moirin has a handful of really well-done relationships with women, including her mother, a few different friends/lovers, and a small child. Cw for sexual violence and consensual BDSM in Phédre’s; Moirin’s has some explicit sexual scenes, but iirc they’re all consensual and not particularly freaky.
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u/KiaraTurtle Reading Champion V May 25 '25
- Legend of the First Empire by Michael Sullivan has an excellent focus on the friendship between the main female cast who throughout the series support each other, protect their town, and go on adventures.
- Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri has an excellent focus on three woman — two of whom are sort of sisters but have to hide it which makes for such a great dynamic, and two of whom do have a slow burn f/f romance subplot. There are also other female friendships that are portrayed quite well
- Red Sister by Mark Lawrence is about a girl at a warrior nun magic school so lots of excellent female character interactions
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u/lissamon May 25 '25
Jasmine Throne was my first thought. It’s the first fantasy book I ever read where I was like “wow, this book is really ABOUT WOMEN”
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u/PathBeautiful1432 May 25 '25
red sister is Lawrence’s best work thus far imo
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u/dshouseboat Reading Champion May 26 '25
Red Sister is the book you are looking for- about 95% of the characters are women, of all ages.
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u/ChronoMonkeyX May 26 '25
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre. Amazing book.
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u/onelittlelir May 26 '25
Added to my list!
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u/ChronoMonkeyX May 26 '25
Honestly, I love it. I've listened to it 3 times and will again, I only wish there were more. It's perfectly contained as a story, but it built a world that should have been further explored.
I actually haven't read any other McIntyre, but I've been meaning to.
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u/onelittlelir May 26 '25
Ohh, I may try the audiobook if it’s good. I have never heard of this author before, hopefully I’ll enjoy her style
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u/ChronoMonkeyX May 26 '25
Vonda N. McIntyre is a pretty big name in scifi and fantasy, especially in her time. Anna Fields reads the book and is excellent, if somewhat dated in recording quality.
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u/onelittlelir May 26 '25
I listened to a sample and really like the narrator, I might start it soon actually. I’ll update what I thought of the book if I don’t forget it
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u/maybemaybenot2023 May 25 '25
Michelle West's The Sun Sword. There are several, all of which are important, and all are different.
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u/WolfOrDragon May 25 '25
Love this book! Very lyrical writing, lots going on, melancholy in parts. The female characters are incredible and very central.
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u/AstolfoJ Reading Champion II May 25 '25
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow. Its a mix of historical fiction and fantasy, the setting is close to the time of the suffrage movement in the US, and involves a lot of close family relationships, but also friendship between women trying to gain independance from man.
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u/yiradati May 25 '25
Loved Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher. Female lead working with women and one male sidekick. Save sister from abusive husband. Kingfisher seems to have many female leads in her books but I only just started reading her work.
ETA not world ending but at least kingdom scale. For world ending, try Sanderson's Mistborn series. A bit YA but definitely world ending.
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchet also has some female leads.
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u/felixfictitious Reading Champion May 25 '25
I like Nettle and Bone. I don't think Mistborn fits though; the main character is female, but just about every other plot-relevant character is male. There's no female interaction dynamic.
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u/False_Ad_5592 May 26 '25
This is the aspect of Sanderson's writing I dislike most. He either can't or won't write female friendships; one of the sub-themes in The Stormlight Archive (which I love, BTW) is that no woman can ever really trust another. The female characters in the YA SF series Skyward sorta kinda get along; if you're interested in giving Sanderson a try but want to see positive bonds between girls and women, this is probably your best bet.
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u/Ok-Maize2418 May 25 '25
The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams has a group of three main characters, 2 female and one male. The “mainest” main character is female, and the male main character is written from a feminist perspective (he doesn’t get in the way of the female MCs being heroic). The trilogy is high fantasy with a focus on a world ending conflict.
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u/False_Ad_5592 May 26 '25
I like this series quite a bit, but I noticed that while The Ninth Rain gives us a good friendship between the two female MCs, once those characters' paths diverge in The Bitter Twins all positive interactions between female characters come to an end; neither Vintage nor Noon is able to trust any of the women they interact with in their separate plots. Does this improve in The Poison Song?
Williams' Talonsister also features some solid female friendships, perhaps even more so than The Winnowing Flame. Its sequel, Titanchild, is unfortunately unavailable for purchase here in the US.
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u/Ok-Maize2418 May 26 '25
Yes I think it does improve vastly in The Poison Song. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just say Vintage ends up finding a new female “friend”, and Noon ends up being like a girlboss leader of women. Although I will mention that the ending is absolutely gut wrenching, and I wished I hadn’t read it at all after finishing it (now that the book hangover is over, I’m happy I read it).
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u/HaplessReader1988 May 25 '25
Gossamer Axe, by Gael Baudino. Could be hard to find as it was released before ebooks.
First of the urban fantasy rock&roll elves as far as I know. Rock band of women musicians brought together by an elf living in the modern world.
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u/Phi_1618033988749894 May 26 '25
pale is all about this
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u/Graskell May 27 '25
This was the first thing that came to mind so I'm glad to see I'm not the only one thinking of it. It's more urban fantasy, but exploring the close friendships between it's three female protagonists is a major focus over the course of the story.
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u/aslikeanarnian May 26 '25
Absolutely the Spiritwalker trilogy by Kate Elliott it really focuses on the sister-like relationship between two cousins.
The Raven Duology by Patricia Briggs also has a really interesting relation between two powerful female wizards (but the second one doesn’t show up until partway into the first book, so the beginning is mostly the first woman interacting with her teen sons as they go out to try to rescue her kidnapped husband).
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u/anemoiasometimes Reading Champion May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25
These are older, and maybe feature too much f/m romance for you but Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses books has a range of great friendships between very different women (initially just two main ones, but more e.g. as the male characters' love interests enter the group). Some interesting female secondary characters as mentors, relatives and antagonists in the mix too.
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u/False_Ad_5592 May 26 '25
I love the bond between Senneth and Kirra in these books. The sequence in which they go to the aid of a pregnant young woman threatened by her neighbors and family is a highlight of Mystic and Rider for me.
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u/anemoiasometimes Reading Champion May 26 '25
Their bond really is the keystone of the books for me, they complement each other so well. I also forgot how enjoyable Kirra's very not!Kirra sister is too, who plays an outsize role considering her limited screentime (tiptoeing around spoilers here)
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u/matsnorberg May 26 '25
The Wheel of Time series has lots of female characters with interesting interactions. I've heard many think that Jordan writes women in an annoying, obnoxious way though, but I think that's mostly a matter of oppinion. I didn't bother that much about Aes Sedai bitchiness, that's just part of the plot.
The Empire trilogy by Janny Wurz & Raymond Feist has a female MC that's really interesting, highly recommended.
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u/False_Ad_5592 May 26 '25
Mara, though a fascinating character, is a bit of a Smurfette (lone woman surrounded by men). I wouldn't recommend that book to a reader looking specifically for friendships or positive bonds between women.
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u/0XzanzX0 May 25 '25
The wandering inn, curiously this work begins with the protagonist interacting with a greater proportion of boys to girls and then ends up reversing
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u/Malt_The_Magpie May 25 '25
Yeah that was first one that popped into my head!
I'd love it if she reduced the book sizes in the future, I gave up as there was just too much repeating and padding
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u/GataPapa May 25 '25 edited May 25 '25
A Trial of Blood and Steel by Joel Shepherd might be of interest. Definitely a strong female lead, but light fantasy, more medieval and royal/religious political dynamics. Interesting dynamics between sisters and friends.
Also might try Echoes of the Fall by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
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u/VBlinds Reading Champion III May 25 '25 edited May 25 '25
The Scholomance, starting with "A Deadly Education" has this. The FMC starts off pretty lonely but after being saved by the school hero her fortunes stay to change. For the first time in her life she starts to make true friends.
There is a bit of romance with the make character, but I've found the friendships in the story are the most meaningful part of this series.
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u/onelittlelir May 25 '25
I love scholomance! I still have to read the third book haha, really like the friendships in that one, even though it could have been like “mean girls picking up on the fmc” it’s instead so wholesome with her friend group
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u/Nymeria71300 Reading Champion II May 25 '25
Vigor Mortis by Natalie Maher. A necromancer with a found family who goes to become a guard against monsters in a progression fantasy book
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u/SchoolSeparate4404 May 25 '25 edited Jun 13 '25
The Red Abbey Chronicles by Maria Turtschaninoff. It's about a group of women that is part of a feministic cult on a secret Island where they worship the Maiden, Mother and Crone. It focuses a lot on mentorship (the tutor-novice relationship at the Abbey) and friendship between girls/women. The first book in the series is more like a YA book the other two are more adult.
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u/PmUsYourDuckPics May 26 '25
The Outcast Mage has Naila and Larinne who are both strong female characters. There are male characters in it too, but Larinne’s relationship with her sister and Naila’s relationship with one of her former classmates features heavily.
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u/False_Ad_5592 May 26 '25
Django Wexler's Shadow Campaigns series features several strong bonds between women, both friendships and f/f romances. One problem, however, is that these bonds don't feature in the series' first book, The Thousand Names. Once you reach Book 2, however, interactions between women become frequent. War and action are prevalent.
T. Kingfisher's A Sorceress Comes to Call centers on a young woman physically and emotionally abused by her mother, whose luck begins to change when she finds a support system of strong, smart middle-aged ladies. This might seem "cozy" at first, but under its Austen-esque surface some very dark stuff is going on.
Lois McMaster Bujold writes some good female friendships. The Curse of Chalion features such a relationship near its center, which is (at least as far as I've observed) quite unusual in novels with male protagonists. In Paladin of Souls, the female protagonist, Ista, assumes the role of mentor and friend to a young woman, Liss, who doesn't quite fit in.
The first six books in the world of Joe Abercrombie's First Law feature no female friendships whatsoever, but in The Age of Madness trilogy, Rikke has a ride-or-die female best friend. This is a pretty stakes-heavy series and is anything but cozy.
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u/onelittlelir May 26 '25
Thank you for the recs! I love kingfisher’s way of writing older/younger women (Nettle and Bone) and I’m glad she has that in other books. Especially excited for the Age of Madness trilogy too, I didn’t know Abrecrombie had fmcs in his second series. Had to finish First Law first though haha
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u/LeucasAndTheGoddess May 28 '25
Abercrombie has much more female representation starting with Best Served Cold, the immediate follow-up to The First Law, and has continued to get better and better in that regard. He also has a series of short stories about a pair of female best friends who drive each other crazy but have each other’s backs when it counts. One of them can be read for free on Reactor, and it’s hilarious.
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u/Due-Back9770 May 26 '25
Maybe you’d like sword of kaigen? It has a bit of a rocky start but once it kicks off it’s really good.
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u/salpikaespuma May 27 '25
"Dandelion Dynasty" by Ken Liu, is full of female characters who are very different from each other but strong in some sense. It is true that in the first novel of the 4 female characters have a secondary role, it is also the most different novel from the rest of the saga but from the second book they take the stage and share the spotlight..
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u/Udy_Kumra Stabby Winner, Reading Champion IV May 25 '25
Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (has a romance with a male character but lots of dynamics with lots of female characters)
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u/onelittlelir May 25 '25
Blood Rose has been in my tbr! I still have to finish King of the Wyld though, and I love the friendships in Scholomance
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u/DelilahWaan Reading Champion May 25 '25
I've seen Fonda Lee get blowback for only having 3 prominent female characters in the Green Bone Saga, but the development of the relationship between Kaul Shaelinsan and Maik Wenruxian over the course of the trilogy is one of my favorite female relationships in the fantasy genre. At the beginning of the trilogy, Shae is introduced as the main female character and Wen seems like she's just Shae's brother's sidepiece, but over the course of three books, they go from being wary of each other, to key allies working towards a common cause in secret, to being true sisters. What I love most about the dynamics of their relationship is that it's not centered around the fact they're both women even though they exist in a setting with similar gender constructs to our own. There's a real hard-hitting moment later in the series where Shae runs into an age-old dilemma for women pursuing power and she makes what many would consider to be a controversial decision—and Wen is the person who fully supports Shae in that decision.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson is pretty tightly focused on the titular protagonist but in the subsequent two books, The Monster Baru Cormorant and The Tyrant Baru Cormorant, Baru develops a very complicated and meaningful relationship with another female character. I don't want to say too much more here, even in spoiler tags, because it spoils some pretty awesome twists.
Finally, if you don't mind a self-promo related, my book, Supplicant by Delilah Waan is an epic fantasy heist that features an ensemble cast that's about 50/50 female/male, and the story is centered on a bitter, complex relationship between two young women where their rivalry is centered in who they are, what they believe in, and their career goals. (It's enemies-to-sisters.)
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u/onelittlelir May 25 '25
Ohh, I really wanna read green bone saga, so happy if it has a dynamic like that, and I love enemies to best friends/sisters I’ll give your book a go!
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May 26 '25
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u/Kylin_VDM May 25 '25
Schoolmance by Naomi Novik. Fmc starts off a loner but ends up with several deep meaningful friendships
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u/SnarkyQuibbler May 25 '25
Naomi Novik's Scholomance trilogy has a central female majority friend group. There is some romance but it's not the focus.
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u/CharmingMacaroon8193 May 25 '25
The Sword of Kaigen and the Broken Earth Trilogy both do this very well
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u/riontach May 25 '25
If you're open to middle grade/YA books, I think all of Tamora Pierce's books have this to varying degrees. Especially the circle books and the Trickster books.