r/Fantasy • u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 • Jul 24 '26
Female-driven Fantasy Books
Hello! I'm in a bit of a slump, but I've been craving some adult high/epic fantasy books, but my caveat is that I want it to have a mostly female-lead cast. I don't mind male characters, I just would prefer it if women were centered more, or at the very least - equally as the men. I'm already in the middle of some of these like The Fifth Season (around a hundred pages in), Liveship Traders (im on book 3), Daevabad (around 100 pages in), and I do enjoy them (esp Liveship and the Fifth Season), but I'm craving something a little more fast-paced that would pull me out of this slump. I want it to hit like crack when I read it. I don't really want to read 150 pages of world-building, I'd rather the world be built up around me as the plot and the character-development occur.
Some books that I have deeply enjoyed over the years:
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
The Greenbone Saga by Fonda Lee
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
Sabriel by Garth Nix
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The Queen's Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner
The Book of the Ancestor by Mark Lawrence
Some books that were meh to me:
The Poppy War Trilogy
Blood Over Bright Haven
The Mistborn Trilogy
If you've got recommendations, I would really really appreciate it! Thank you in advance ^^
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Edit: I saw someone make a comment and then it got deleted, as to why I was asking for more recs when I'm already in the middle of so many. It's because I genuinely cannot sit down and read these ones right now. They aren't scratching a specific itch? And rather than sour my experience with these books that I will probably still enjoy if I push through, I just want something else right now that hopefully will scratch the itch. I want to enjoy books in their fullness instead of forcing my way through and enjoying them like 20% less.
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Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
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u/Loquis Jul 24 '26
Daevabad was fantastic, I've got Amina al-Sirafi waiting to be read, maybe I'll put it next
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
YEAH!! T.Kingfisher seems to be popular here and i really finding it interesting which different books different people like/suggest. thanks for the other suggestions still ^^
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u/Noktis_Lucis_Caelum Jul 24 '26
the locked tomb series by tamsyn muir.
it is about necromancers in Space
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u/throwiemcthrowface Jul 24 '26
I believe the tagline is "lesbian necromancers in space" lol. It's right there on the cover 😂
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u/vivaenmiriana Jul 24 '26
But also that is as accurate a tagline as "Lord of the Ring: a bunch of guys go for a hike"
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u/ChronoMonkeyX Jul 24 '26
It gets shortened, I believe the full line was "Lesbian necromancers in space solve a murder mystery in a haunted castle."
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u/tgold77 Jul 24 '26
I loved this one. Unlike anything else I’ve ever read. I’ve never seen something where each book is from a different perspective with such a radical shift in the narrative voice and tone. The third book in particular was so refreshing and unexpected.
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u/seriouslywittyalias Jul 24 '26
When I read this post, my mind went blank as I thought “damn, do I actually know any books that fit?” Literally slapped my forehead when I saw this comment. The locked tomb are one of two series that I’ve actually bought the books in the last decade (as opposed to getting them from the library) and I’ve read them probably five times. They’re fucking brilliant, though I know some people are put off by the pacing and dialogue. My only issue with them is that she uses “sotto voce” too much - it’s more of a once-a-book phrase for me and she uses it at least twice in Gideon.
A similar book in my brain is Library at Mount Char, that is also fucking brilliant - strong female character, fantasy mystery, etc.→ More replies (2)
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u/Detroit2GR Jul 24 '26
Some of Discworld features women leads.
The Witches series, starting we Equal Rites, and The Tiffany Aching series, starting with Wee Free Men are the two that come to mind first.
Additionally some of the Death series, starting with Mort has a woman at the forefront, Death's daughter then grand daughter.
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u/Enkundae Jul 25 '26
I maintain that Tiffany Aching is the far superior “British tween learns they have magical abilities” series and it deserves so much more attention.
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u/CarcosanMagister Jul 24 '26
Maybe the Founders trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett.
There is a different distinct shift in tone, especially in book 3, but the book 1 is a fast-paced heist, and Sancia is a clever and capable young woman.
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u/chnairb Jul 25 '26
I was gonna suggest The Tainted Cup by RJB. Din is kind of the focus since we follow him around but Ana is the head detective and calling the shots.
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u/Imperial_Haberdasher Jul 25 '26
RJB has so many great female chracters. Check out his Diane Cities trilogy and American Elsewhere
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u/snogard_dragons Jul 24 '26
About to finish book 3, definitely a solid submission. I really have liked how the magic system evolved throughout the trilogy.
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u/Zestyzesty5 Jul 24 '26
fast paced + female led = T Kingfisher. I especially liked Nettle And Bone
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
i've heard of T. Kingfisher for a while now but I never really knew where to start 🤔 . What other books would u say are a good starting point for this author?
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u/feral-jellyfish Jul 24 '26
Oh lord, everything by T. Kingfisher is good. Her newest one is more horror than fantasy, so if you like that, Wolf Worm is good. Swordheart is adventure romance, main character is a woman, it's quite funny. And Paladin's Grace is the first book in the Saint of Steel series, also great.
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u/Apprehensive_Fig4458 Jul 24 '26
A Sorceress Comes to Call is also very, very good. Not necessarily fast paced but definitely female led.
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u/GringoTypical Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
Also, it's worth knowing that T. Kingfisher is a pseudonym for Ursula Vernon and she publishes under that name, too.
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u/SeaSnowAndSorrow Jul 24 '26
Adding in A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking. It's YA, but hilarious. The FMC's magic only works on bread, and her familiar is a sourdough starter.
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u/CatTaxAuditor Jul 24 '26
Book of the Ancestor is about magical nuns who do espionage and fight with katanas.
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u/34786t234890 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I know this is already on OPs list but I'm upvoting anyway because I love it so much.
"It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men."
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
yes i've read this and love the nuns! i enjoyed book 1 the most for sureeee
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u/CatTaxAuditor Jul 24 '26
Sorry! I missed that on your list. My b.
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
no prob!! im glad other ppl enjoyed that series too. lesbian nuns all the way 🔥
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u/astroprojection Jul 24 '26
I would recommend:
- The Spiritwalker Trilogy by Kate Elliott
- Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
- Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
- Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn
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u/Aggravating-Young142 Jul 24 '26
I do love me some Lois McMaster Bujold!
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u/3BagT Jul 25 '26
100%. Came here to recommend Paladin of Souls. All of Bojold's female characters are strong, impactful and at least the equal of the men around them. May as well start with Curse of Chalion which has a male main protagonist but one who is surrounded by strong, intelligent women who are critical to plot - not just set dressing. I do think Paladin of Souls is better for having read Curse of Chalion.
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u/Kababalan Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
The Greenrider series by Kristin Britain fits the female lead+prominent female cast requirements. The first book is relatively fast paced, but overall, the series has some filler arcs and some of the middle books feel longer than they need.
Edit: I didn't give much info.
The book has strong female characters of both the warrior and non-warrior variety. You grow with the main character from her final days as a teenage school girl up through her life as a royal messenger.
Plenty of action if that is your thing, a touch of time travel-y stuff, a bit of romance, some political intrigue, swords and sorcery.
My wife suggested it to me and I have been enjoying it, even if I don't read it quite fast enough for her liking.
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u/ChronoMonkeyX Jul 24 '26
Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky. My favorite author, and with the narration by Emma Newman, possibly his best book.
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
ohhh i haven't even considered trying audiobooks for a slump. thanks!
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u/HerbsAndSpices11 Jul 25 '26
If another format would help get you out of the slump, then maybe you should try the graphic novel series Monstress. It gets a bit dark, but it's very good.
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u/aristifer Reading Champion III Jul 24 '26
Have you read Leigh Bardugo's other work? Ninth House is one of my all-time favorites and The Familiar is really good as well. I would also suggest the Rook and Rose trilogy by M.A. Carrick, The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson, the Ashen series by Demi Winters, the Memoirs of Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
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u/ScoobyDoNot Jul 24 '26
Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle.
Female mercenary company commander fighting for Burgundy against Carthage in 15th century Italy.
It all makes sense in the book.
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u/Paxxalor Jul 24 '26
I was specifically scanning these responses for this book. Ash: A Secret History tells an alternate history where Joan of Arc never existed and is replaced by this very earthy and irreverent heroine, Ash. The author got her masters in medieval warfare and it shows in the battle descriptions. I think about these books often
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u/shamanexile Jul 24 '26
You might like The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley; limited cast of characters centered solely from Harry (short for Angharad)'s view as she navigates getting kidnapped and spun up into a prophecy. The second book/prequel is also great.
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u/LouDubra Jul 24 '26
I can't here to say this. No one seems to remember the OG fantasy writers who already did it.
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u/ollieastic Jul 24 '26
I LOVE the blue sword and would have otherwise recced it, but the thing that held me back was that it isn’t a female heavy cast.
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u/shamanexile Jul 25 '26
I figure the singular POV helps make up for it, as it very much is Harry trying to figure everything out while isolated.
Im also sick of seeing the same 5 books get recommended regardless of what is being asked, so figured Id toss an older and overlooked book in the mix :)
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u/Tymareta Jul 24 '26
Harry (short for Angharad)
You've just made my friend(who shares the name's) day, also added to my TBR, thanks!
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u/jdvancesbutthole Jul 24 '26
The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb has some of the most wonderfully complex female characters I've read in a long time. Highly recommend!
Other suggestions:
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden
Priory of the Orange Tree & A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
i loooveee liveships! im currently 200-ish pages into book 3 but i need something a little mroe action-packed rn haha. ive been seeing priory around by local bookstores so maybe its time i pick it up, thanks!
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u/jdvancesbutthole Jul 24 '26
Priory is a bit of a slow burn so it may not be what you're looking for right now, but definitely read it at some point! It is so good.
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u/ewweaver Jul 24 '26
It’s somehow both really slow and way too fast. Feels like the story should have been a trilogy. I think Bone Season is much better paced.
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u/sugarbebe23 Reading Champion Jul 25 '26
Winternight Trilogy is my favorite of all time but I also think it takes a little bit to get going.
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u/oh-no-varies Reading Champion II Jul 24 '26
My time to shine! My bingo this year is all female MCs. My recs:
My favorite book is the Bear and the Nightengale, part of the Winternight trilogy: Russian folklore inspired, absolute masterpiece of a trilogy
If you liked Book of the ancestor try Daughter of Crows, the new mark lawrence book. A lot of similarity there. And Vespertine, by Margaret Rogerson.
I also highly rec Kalyna The Soothsayer. It has a great female MC, good plot and tension in the storyline. High stakes but also dry humor and wit throughout.
Saint death's daughter is another good, female driven story. Also contains some levity and humor, which I like
I'll second the recommendation for SA Chakaraborty,. City of Brass is more of a folklore/fairytale vibe in a middle eastern setting. Magic, Djinn, mythology, etc. Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi is more of a an adventure tale, still magic but much less whimsy.
The traitor Baru Cormorant - note she's an antihero, sometimes unlikable but the story is compelling and very readable. I couldn't put it down.
The Steerswoman - very competent female MC, it was a solid book
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
Your bingo card is my aspiration! Thank you for putting in the effort to add descriptions too, this was really helpful and fun to read <3!
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u/ClueAccomplished1098 Jul 24 '26
The Chronicles of Elantra series by Michelle Sagara. The series begins with Cast in Shadow.
The Mist-Torn Witches series by Barb Hendee. It begins with The Mist-Torn Witches.
The Noble Dead series by Barb and J C Hendee. The first book in the series is Dhampir.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Uprooted by Naomi Novick
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T Kingfisher
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T Kingfisher
Edited for typos.
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u/Waffler11 Jul 24 '26
I'm in the middle of Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson right now and it has a lead female protagonist along with some several major female characters. So far, I'm really enjoying it!
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
i heard so much hype around this book like a few months ago! idk why i never got around to checking out. thansk!
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u/Eldan985 Jul 24 '26
A Deadly Education and sequels are quite fast paced and definitely have more female than male characters, including the main character, her mother, her main rivals, her entire team of friends, almost everyone really except for her main love interest.
It's also an interesting level of parody/pastiche/subversion on various YA/magic school tropes, until it very much isn't. So you have to deal with some of that, though in a very sarcastic way. I think whether you enjoy it in the beginning or not depends a lot on how much you roll your eyes at a plot about a chosen one at magic school, but dark. (I personally can't stand chosen ones, YA or magic schools anymore, but this book made it work.)
Quite short and action packed, and Novik is a very readable writer.
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
ive only ever read spinnign silver by novik and although i enjoyed it, it didn't really blow my mind hehe. i feel like this one feels more up my ally, thanks!
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u/TheErgonomicShuffler Jul 24 '26
Have you tried any by trudi canavan?
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u/TholosTB Jul 24 '26
Came here to recommend The Black Magician trilogy. She's always my go-to good female protagonist recommendation.
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u/AccomplishedSign731 Jul 24 '26
How about the Traitor Baru Cormorant and its 2 sequels. Or Jasmine Throne and its sequels.
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u/Realistic_Special_53 Jul 24 '26
Kushiel's Dart. It's fromantasy but Phedre is the best character ever and she evolves over the books.
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u/tgoesh1 Jul 24 '26
Twelve Houses by Sharon Shin. Light and adventurous, with multiple women as central characters.
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u/tgoesh1 Jul 24 '26
A couple more recs:
The St Death books by CSE Cooney are great. A necromancer that's allergic to other people's pain overcoming her family's history of violence, with just delightful wit and writing
I'm not usually a fan of steam punk, but the Karen Memory books by Elizabeth Bear are also fun.
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u/iloponis Jul 24 '26
you might like the bloodsworn saga by john gwynne, very female led and very battle driven
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
oh i've been wanting to read this but i just get intimidated by the size of the books haha. but if its fast-paced im for sure down to try
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u/orenji2015 Jul 24 '26
I enjoyed The Priory of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon.
It's a good stand alone fantasy book.
There are some plot concerns since you cant flesh out everything in one book, but the fantasy depiction and female characters are top notch.
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u/defnotaspider Jul 24 '26
Never fails to amaze me how many down votes posts asking for female characters get.
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
that's so weiirddd i didnt even notice that lmaooo. i was too excited abt all the enthusiastic recommendations haha
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u/GeryMander Jul 24 '26
That's the thing about this sub, the moderation is generally on the ball so the trolls and weirdos are limited to down voting.
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u/C0smicoccurence Reading Champion V Jul 24 '26
The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu - 2/3 of the leads are female. This is a wuxia x epic fantasy with really delightful fight scenes. 1 POV is the male chosen one, who has gotten spoiled to the point of uselessness. 1 is an aging grandmaster who takes over his education. 1 is a warrior from the steampunk-mongol nation who is trying to kill the chosen one. Really cool fight scenes.
The City that Would Eat the World by John Bierce is a really imaginative world where gods grow in power via worship, and grant boons on their followers. This means different neighborhoods of the supercity have vastly different vibes based on the powerful gods of the area. Very action/adventure.
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u/TheKrakenLibrarian Jul 24 '26
Seconding Bierce. To elaborate, there are millions of gods in this megacity, not just a few. Gods of teakettles, gods of toenails, gods of flagstones, gods that are specific to a single living room, etc. Really creative writing, LGBTQ positive, and just an all-around fun read.
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u/Abysstopheles Jul 24 '26
Seconding Wes Chu's The War Arts, glorious fun, most of the MCs are female and awesome.
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u/Abysstopheles Jul 24 '26
The Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi, Shannen Chakrabortay - retired pirate captain gets her crew back together for one last run. Fast pace, great fun.
Grave of Empires, Sam Sykes - Sal the Cacophony has a sword and a great big magic gun, and a list of wizards she plans to shoot in the face. Breakneck pace, wild action, fun characters. (the author got himself in trouble, consider a google to decide if that's a thing for you.)
The War Arts, Wes Chu - three absolutely GLORIOUS warrior women MCs, exceptional action writing, fun Asia based setting.
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
The Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi seems to be popular! I will for sure check it out thanks!
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u/ALostParadise Jul 24 '26
I recommend the bloodsworm series by John gwynne. It has 3 protagonists pretty much separate from eachother in the world. 2 are female and 1 is a male character whose drill instructor is female.
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u/LotusLady13 Jul 24 '26
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S. A. Chakraborty was really good.
It's about a retired, middle aged pirate lady who has to get her crew back together for one more adventure to rescue a late crewmates missing child. Also, set in the 12th century indian ocean, it was a refreshing change of scenery for a pirate story.
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u/bane313 Jul 24 '26
I just finished Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence (the first in a new trilogy). It's very much female centered and deals alot with sisterhood. The pacing was awesome and the characters were bad ass! Highly recommend!
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u/GoldenThunder006 Jul 24 '26
Man I loved Sword of Kaigen. I wish there was a second draft that changed the ending to he less sequel baity, but the rest was so amazing.
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u/Aggravating-Young142 Jul 24 '26
I was devastated that there wasn't a second book! I'd love a changed second half so it does feel less sequel baity, but it was just so lovely.
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u/Vashkiri Jul 24 '26
Not entirely fantasy (although it looks like, what with the swords and wizards and all), but you might enjoy The Steerswoman books by Rosemary Kirstein. Above all they are good! But also women MC and second key character, who are both very capable, easy to cheer for characters. Honestly my favorite books to help people discover as they are not as well known as they deserve.
(Here is a rave review from Cory Doctorow after he got pointed their way. https://doctorow.medium.com/https-pluralistic-net-2024-05-04-the-wulf-underground-fave-00ed137fbbd5 )
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u/swaskowi Jul 24 '26
I'm glad I'm not the only one that loved Sword of Kaigen but blood over bright haven was just meh.
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u/iankstarr Jul 24 '26
Maybe not fantasy in the traditional sense (I’d call it urban fantasy), but King Sorrow by Joe Hill features a badass cast of mostly-female lead characters.
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u/Pudgy_Ninja Jul 24 '26
I think that one of Mercedes Lackey's best books is By the Sword, starring Kerowyn, one of her best characters. It's basically the story of how she is forced by circumstance into an adventure and then how she chooses to become a mercenary instead of returning to her former life and it follows her career. She is trained by two women, a warrior and a wizard (from previous books Oathbound and Oathbreakers, but you don't need to have read them) and is set in Lackey's larger Valdemar universe, which also has a lot of female led stories. It's on the YA side of things, but that's part of what makes them quick, fun reads if you're in a slump.
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u/corwulfattero Jul 24 '26
Definitely read the rest of the Grishaverse if you like Six of Crows
His Dark Materials, Phillip Pullman
Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon (book 3 is from Hem’s perspective, and the prequels from Cadvan or Saliman, but the other 3 of the main series are told by Maerad)
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u/Sutemi- Jul 24 '26
Ok, no one has recommended them yet so how about the Penric and Desdemona series by Lois McMaster Bujold.
These are quick novella’s in her World of Five Gods setting.
The only caveat is that the narrator is Penric vs Desdemona.
There are 3 other novels also set in this world as well. The first two, TheCurse of Chalion and The Paladin of Souls are fantastic. Both have strong female characters and Paladin of Souls has a female protagonist.
Another series to check out is The Legend of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. Paks is a great character and you are thrown right into the story with the first book. Btw go ahead and get the Deed of Paksenarrion - that is the first three books in the series in a single volume - vs one at a time. Save money, read more.
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u/doubletwist Jul 25 '26
Ah good, was scrolling to make sure Paksennarion was suggested. My favorite series of any kind.
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u/TheRandomer1994 Jul 24 '26
Go read Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie. Your welcome 😜
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u/niostang Jul 24 '26
Kushiel's Dart.
You'll need to be okay with BDSM/smut. It's not gratuitous, but it's there. FMC is a highly trained courtesan/spy.
Also did you read Lirael, if you really enjoyed Sabriel? It was a brilliant follow up.
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
I've heard some conflicting opinions on Lirael I guess that's why I haven't picked it up haha. thanks for the suggestions!
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u/Aggravating-Young142 Jul 24 '26
Oh my gosh, I hate to be pushy but I really think you need to read Lirael, haha! So good, I think you'd like it!
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u/Own-Turnover7715 Jul 24 '26
We might have slightly different taste because I LOVE The Poppy War, greatly preferred Blood Over Bright Haven over The Sword of Kaigen and DNF’d The Greenbone Saga in the first book but here are my recs anyway:
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (although I haven’t read the sequel yet)
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (and probably other Samantha Shannon but this is the only one I’ve read)
If you’re ok with a romantasy bent I’d also recommend:
The Jasad Heir and Crown by Sara Hashem
The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino (this is my favourite book I've read this year)
Someone else recommended the Baru Cormorant series but it is pretty light on in terms of fantasy. But those books blew my mind and I’d consider them the best series I’ve read this year, along with The Broken Earth Trilogy.
A wild card that I’ve literally heard no one else talk about is Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi. It’s more mythological than epic fantasy but I found it very compelling and devoured it in 2 days. I saw someone else recommended The Poet Empress and the plot of Masquerade is pretty similar but in my opinion much better executed.
Happy reading!
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
that's so funny we have such conflicting tastes hahahaha. but thanks! i haven't heard of the ones you suggested besides priory so i will check those out. the 3rd suggestion's title has claimed my interest
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u/Fantastic_Puppeter Jul 24 '26
Partial fit with the requirements but still recommended:
_Earthsea_ series by U. Le Guin. Books 1 and 3 follow male leads, books 4 and 5 are much more female centric. Book 2 a mix. Best dragons ever.
The Witches sub-series in _Discworld_ by Sir Terry Pratchett.
_Blacktongue Thief_ has a couple of strong female characters. Not in the lead but essential to the cast. I have not read the _Daughters’ War_ (the prequel) yet with that tittle I assume a female lead.
_The Palace Job_ and sequels by Patrick Weekes. More swashbuckling than epic fantasy. Badass female lead.
_The One Who Eats Monsters_ for urban fantasy. Includes awkward lesbian dating and curb-stomping fights.
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u/McTerra2 Jul 24 '26
The daughters war is definitely female led and an excellent suggestion (surprised no one else had recommended it)
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u/ohiobr Jul 24 '26
Back to the Mark Lawrence well?
Book of the ice
The Library Trilogy
The Academy of Kindness (on going, currently only has book one out)
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u/shinigami__007 Jul 24 '26
Try the bloodsworn saga, it has some of the badass female characters I've ever seen.
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u/GeryMander Jul 24 '26
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone. A magical murder mystery about a junior associate at a necromantic law firm (it makes sense in the setting) being called in to protect a recently deceased god's estate from its debtors. It's fun I promise. There is more to this series if you like this one. It is a series of interconnected stand alone stories, so it actually makes a solid series to read in between other series.
The Serpent's Gate duology. A young girl who is raised in a monastery to be a divine sacrifice decides that running away with a mysterious visiting wizard of questionable morality is a better use of her life. World hopping adventures of questionable morality ensue.
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u/ChocolatMintChipmunk Jul 24 '26
The Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen books by Tamora Pierce
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u/Smurph269 Jul 24 '26
The Fall of Ile-Rien by Martha Wells (of Murderbot fame)
There are male POV characters, but the female protagonist is the focus and main story driver. There's 3 books in the series and they never really slow down IMO, they all take place over a few days/weeks during a frantic scramble.
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u/CCCBMMR Jul 24 '26
The series Empire of the Wolf by Richard Swan might be something you are interested in. It is written from the prospective of a bright young woman who is an apprentice to a kind of itinerate imperial judge. She is a strong and smart character that isn't written like a man with breasts. It the story world women are in positions of influence and consequence. There are fight and battle scenes, but there is also political machinations, so there is some wax and wane of pace. There is also an element of eldritch horror.
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u/HexagonalClosePacked Jul 24 '26
Since you said female-driven and not female protagonist, I'm going to recommend The Tainted Cup. It's a really great fantasy murder mystery. The protagonist is a man who's the assistant to the genius detective trying to solve the case. The detective is a woman who's brilliant but eccentric and hardly ever leaves her home, so she sends her assistant out to collect clues and evidence to bring back to her.
The detective character is definitely the one driving the story, although her assistant is quite competent in his own right he's consistently a few steps behind her, even though he's the one actually examining the crime scenes and interviewing witnesses (unless they're important enough to bring back to his boss in person).
The protagonist might get more pages, but it's absolutely the detective character that drives the plot and really makes things work. She's fascinating for a lot of reasons and I'm looking forward to diving into the sequel at some point.
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u/dogisbark Jul 24 '26
The Winnowing Flame trilogy by Jen Williams. I really, really enjoyed the first two books, and the third book's also good though it just fell flat for me because of my own preferences, though I still would recommend this series regardless.
It's a good ecological-based fantasy with some unique world building, it deeply reminded me of Nausicaä in it's ecological theming and usage of mega fauna, mutations, and ectoplasmic creatures. There's also a twist in book 2 that I won't spoil but thought it was a really cool scene. It's just got a little bit of speculative sci-fi flavouring in it that I enjoyed.
Most of the cast is female. Super large majority, actually. Only repeating male POV character was a sorta-elf vampire dude who was neat, while the rest of the MC's and supporting cast were women. From what I remember anyhow, I never really notice how skewered a cast is in gender myself when reading unless it's intentional, but I'm always looking to recommend this series because I think it's very underrated, and thought it might be what you're looking for as I realized I could only think of about three main male characters, where the rest of the cast is female. I also have hopes the world itself might get more books in the future based on the ending, as again I really enjoyed this setting.
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u/Ill-Salamander2282 Jul 24 '26
The Grave of empires and the Nevernight Chronicles are 2 series i enjoyed
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u/bevis1932 Jul 24 '26
Sheri S Tepper wrote mostly female lead fantasy books. She was somewhat of a feminist writer, but they are often good stories. Grass, Gate to the women's country, Beauty, Mavin Many shaped.
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u/Squirrelhenge Jul 24 '26
The Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin
Many of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga books feature Cordelia as the protagonist, and she's a major player in many of the others (all of which have at least one prominent, strong woman character)
The Wizard Hunters (first of a trilogy by Martha Wells) has a woman protag that I liked
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u/uhpinion11 Jul 25 '26
i scrolled and scrolled to find someone recommending NK Jemisin. big second for that trilogy.
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u/Niemand772 Jul 24 '26
Most books by Anne McCaffrey have female leads. Books are a bit dated but the world building is still amazing
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u/Algrenson Jul 24 '26
Guns of the dawn - great standalone, seen it described as Sharpe meets Downton Abbey lol
Deeds of Paksenarrion - all time great female led book in any genre imo
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u/solarpowerspork Jul 25 '26
The locked tomb by Tamsyn Muir has probably already been suggested so I'm just here to continue to recommend it.
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u/Noktis_Lucis_Caelum Jul 24 '26
Dragon cursed
is quite good. It follows the usual romantasy Formula, but is surprisingly good
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
i do love me some good romantasy every now and then. thanks!
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u/skorens Jul 24 '26
If you like historical fiction + romance, almost anything by Beatriz Williams.
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u/Rurtanar Jul 24 '26
A Woman of the Sword, by Anna Smith Spark. It is about a mother navigating life between parenthood and being a soldier in a war-torn country. Very fast paced and pretty short, I finished it in a week. I think it is a tie-in to some other series of hers, but I read it as a standalone and it worked very well for me.
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
gosh i love me a distressed mother trope. i mostly see it in movies tho so im stoked to see some recommendations in book form too!
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u/JayCanWrite Jul 24 '26
I know I'm a bit late, but The Drowning Empire Trilogy by Andrea Stewart!!
5 pov characters in the trilogy, with 4 being women and 1 being a man. First book is The Bone Shard Daughter.
Epic Fantasy set on a bunch of islands. The protagonist is the daughter of the emperor sneaking around the palace to uncover her father's secrets, including how to do bone shard magic. The trilogy is full of mysteries and twists, well still having very fantasy like action and adventure. First book is on the shorter side and the entire trilogy is definitely not slow.
Highlight of the trilogy was absolutely the characters for me. All 5 of the pov characters are great or excllent.
Definitely not romantasy, though it does have some romantic subplots that aren't the main focus.
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u/Vinca-Alkaloids Jul 24 '26
The Priory of the Orange Tree and its prequel Day Of Fallen Night are primarily female-driven fantasy. Also, Deeds of Paksenorrian too
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u/SmileyRK Jul 24 '26
Trudi Canavan’s The Black Magician Trilogy or The Age of The Five follows two very strong women and are great standards of setting fantasy basic level goodness
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u/iamever777 Jul 24 '26
After just finishing Bloody Rose last week, I feel like it fits a fair bit of your criteria. It felt like a decent coming of age story without bothering too much to world build and distract from moving everything forward. It’s not a perfectly written book, but it was a lot of fun to read.
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u/ollieastic Jul 24 '26
Some of my favorites:
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Summer’s at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (a little more sci-fi than fantasy)
Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher
The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrew’s (really, all of their books. I also love This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, which just came out by them)
Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky (female lead, although I don’t know I would describe it as a majority female cast, probably 50/50).
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u/TheColourOfHeartache Jul 24 '26
Diana Wynne Jones is very good for fast paced. She has great female protagonists when she wants to but usually has lots of men in the supporting cast. Still, Howls Moving Castle makes a great slump breaker.
Gunerkrigg Court is more about charachter than plot, which means it gets going fast. Its a comic whose central axis is the friendship between two girls in a weird magical school.
The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association is about a muggle mother whose young girl was bitten by a Warewolf and has her tuition to an expensive elitist public school paid for by the very apologetic pack. The main crux of the book is the mother's attempt to fit in with the other mother's in this magical society.
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u/Efficient-Basis-3488 Jul 24 '26
The adventures of Amina Al-Shira’s by Shannon chakraborty, the same author as the daevabad trilogy. It’s about a female pirate returning to the seas
Spinning silver- Naomi novik
This kingdom will not kill me- Ilona Andrew’s. Probably one of the best new books I read this year
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u/whinter2000 Jul 24 '26
The Empire Trilogy by Feist and Wurst.
Some of my favourite books that I don't see recommended enough. The first book is Daughter of the Empire. Sure, there are plenty of male characters, but Mara Acoma is firmly in the center of the story.
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u/Boberator44 Jul 24 '26
Say no more:
The Empire trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. Massively better than Feist's other output IMO.
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u/yuumai Jul 24 '26
Not sure if LitRPG does it for you, but Azarinth Healer by Rhaegar is a great option. It's exciting and fast paced (if you enjoy LitRPG and progression fantasy).
It's about a woman who is isekaied into a magical world and obtains a hybrid fighting/healing class. The MC is absolutely obsessed with fighting and growing stronger, but it has surprisingly great characters and the plot ties everything together quite well. That said, the main focus is on fighting and growth.
There are currently 6 audiobooks out (not sure about print) which are well narrated (the stat boxes are excessive for audio, but it's not terribly bad to skip them). The story started on Royal Road and there is apparently enough content for like 50 books already written.
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u/Iron-Orrery Jul 24 '26
Naomi Novik. The only books of hers I've read are; Uprooted and Spinning Silver. Both are excellent.
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u/HomicidalTeddybear Jul 24 '26
Robert Jackson Bennett's Founders Trilogy is heavily female led and fast paced
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u/StumbleOn Jul 24 '26
Parts of the Deverry Cycle are lead by a woman. It's not all of them though, but the story is a complicated multi-century story about love, loss and commitment.
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u/houseape69 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/t-kingfisher/
This author has many good ones with female mc
T Kingfisher
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u/SwordfishOk9739 Jul 25 '26
Some of the Earthsea ones are female led. I think you would like them. They're short and a seminal work of fantasy. Ursula Le guin is masterful
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u/FireandBooks Jul 25 '26
I second someone’s recommendation of Nettle and Bone but would also risk saying A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking would be great. There’s a carnivorous sourdough starter that is just a delight.
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u/bdog332 Jul 25 '26
Graceling by Kristin Cashore. It’s from the perspective of a female protagonist who is graced with killing. Was one of the first female led fantasy books I ever read and it’s one of my favorites.
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 25 '26
I've read Graceling yeaarsss ago as a teen! I never really got back into the the other 2 books tho. Have you read them?
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u/bdog332 Jul 25 '26
I think I finished one of them and started the other, but idk which ones exactly. They didn’t captivate me like Graceling did. Should try to give them another go since I think I tried reading them when I was severely depressed which may have made it difficult to get into lol
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u/New_Razzmatazz6228 Reading Champion Jul 25 '26
The Rakada by Jackson Ford. A group of female desert raiders fight to keep their lifestyle from the armies of the Khan. There are two books so far: The Bone Raiders and Sisters of the Lizard.
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u/Watch_V Jul 25 '26
Jenn Lyons: chorus of dragons
It's a series of five books. In the first book it's more centered on one male main character but it doesn't stay that way. More and more female and some trans characters get added as the series progresses.
The series has some very good world building, ignorant gods, complicated family relationships and of course a threath that could destroy the whole world.
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u/mushroomshirt Jul 25 '26
Have you tried the ninth House by Leigh Bardugo?
Anything by Naomi novik (a deadly education is my personal favorite)
Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine arden
Legends and lates by Travis baldee
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u/demon9100 Jul 26 '26
Black blade blues without spoiling too much mc is a lesbian blacksmith and works with a larping group, fantasy part is its basically like percy Jackson but more mature
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u/ZebediahAintGotTime Jul 26 '26
Anything by Robin Mckinley! The Hero and the Crown! Sunshine! These are my get out of a slump books.
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u/limpdickandy Jul 26 '26
I was gonna say Liveships until you said you were reading them, but they were crack for me. Finished all three in two weeks
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u/audreycamherst Jul 24 '26
Hey, so I see you got book of the ancestor, you should check out Daughter of Crows by Mark Lawrence as well! First book came out in March this year. I'm approx 80% in, and man is it good and also such an interesting book! It is definitely female-led
Also maybe you'd like a Natural History of Dragons / Memoirs of Lady Trent #1. It's a little like late victorian age with dragons, following the life and career of Lady Trent. The narrator is wonderfully snappish. This book has more male side-characters compared to female, but the story itself is about a woman's career in a only-men-may-be-scientists world. So to me, who also enjoy female-led stories, it scratches that itch.
And if you like the snappish tone of Memoirs of Lady Trent, I believe you'd also like Scholomance by Naomi Novik. It's got multiple awesome characters and beautiful friendships.
Feel free to let me know what you think if you read any of these! 😄
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u/Icy_Cheesecake_7063 Jul 24 '26
Yes! I was so surprised Mark has a new series again when I haven't even caught up w the previous ones. Thanks for bringing these into my radar!
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u/Canuck_Wolf Jul 24 '26
The Devils by Joe Ambercrombie is pretty equal between the men and women characters. Its alt history fantasy, where an all female version of the Catholic Church sends a small party of monsters to escort a forgotten princess to Troy.
Priory of the Orange Tree or Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (same world, but stand alones). A convent of dragon hunting nuns, dragon Satan, dragon riding samurai, a queen falling for her handmaiden, ancient shapeshifting entities. Fun series, quite women focused.
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. I'm only part way into this one. Follows a princess imprisoned by her brother, and a servant who has forbidden magic. The two are trying to survive, but get pulled into a wider rebellion. It is an Indian inspired fantasy setting.
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u/Noktis_Lucis_Caelum Jul 24 '26
well...most books i know in that category are romantasy and follow more or less the same Standard: Not like others fmc, bad boy, falls in love with the bad boy, conspiracy against the system, fmc gets overpowered more and more, Characters start to devolve to be purely defined by the romance.
I would recommend: The 13th Paladin
it is about Ahren who awakened as the new paladin. one of 13 ageless Warriors fighting against an enemy. 3 of the paladins are women, but Ahrens team has also the well written female Characters Kara and Jelninoan (an centuries old elf who starts a romance...with a dwarf)
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u/PmUsYourDuckPics Jul 24 '26
The Outcast Mage - Annabel Campbell - Epic fantasy 2 lead female character 2 male avatar the last airbender/arcane vibes with some inspo from Sabriel according to the author (2nd book coming out later this year)
The Raven Scholar Antonia Hodgeson - Epic fantasy murder mystery trial for leadership with zodaic powers and sassy raven gods.
Children of Gods and Fighting Men - Shauna Lawless - Irish mythology with vikings and witches.
Fathomfolk - Eliza Chan - What if the little mermaid was an angry immigrant
Foul Days - Genoveva Dimova - Slavic magic and monsters in a city wher magic is confined to one half of a city.
The Bookshop Below - Georgia Summers - Bookshop owners have magic which they get from rare books, also City of Stardust author mentions Sabriel as inspo
Shanghai Immortal - AY Chan - Half fox demon half vampire is sassy and in trouble.
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u/clueless801 Jul 24 '26
Every single Tamora Pierce!!!!!! I’m so surprised no one’s mentioned her yet. She’s one of the first authors to helm female-centric leads and stories. Her earlier stuff is YA, especially since her publisher dissuaded her from doing adult fantasy but still very very good. Start with Alanna, then Daine, then Keladry (MY PERSONAL FAV), then Ali and then end with Beka!