Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Heroines

The Broke and the Bookish host a weekly meme of Top Ten Lists.

This week's question is:

Top Ten Favorite Heroines From Books (Or you could pick movies/tv)

Karou 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

She is a character that people can respect. She is kept in the dark for the whole first book, but she doesn't let that stop her from going after what she thinks is right. My only complaint would be that she lets things get in the way of her own happiness, but in the middle of a huge generations-long war I can forgive her for that (since there are bigger things going on around her). She also knows that sometimes the best decisions are not the easy ones (like when she has to team up with some not-so-favorable allies. Finally, she is all about breaking down prejudice (to be fair Madrigal was more about this, but Karou starts to believe in this too). She believes in a better way to live and she's strong enough that she's able to convince people around her that she's right.

Cinder

Lunar Chronicles

Cinder is a cinderella character, but unlike Cinderella she doesn't just sit back and let things happen to her (either misfortune or good things). She actually takes control of her situation when she needs to. And as she learns that she has a duty to her people she doesn't cower (or if she does, she doesn't cower too long). She fights back. And even though she makes mistakes she keeps trying. That's worth a lot in my mind.

Eve Dallas

In Death

She is haunted by a pretty rough past, but she's also smart, strong, and brave. And she overcomes a lot as the series goes on. Her biggest downfall is her inability to trust/love (also because of her past), but what makes her strong is that she learns to face that and overcome all the things that were done to her when she was too young to fight back. Also, she's really good at figuring out mysteries and murder cases.

Tessa

Infernal Devices

She starts out pretty low. She is an orphan and she is kidnapped as soon as she lands in a foreign land. But the great thing about Tessa, is that despite her circumstances (or maybe because of them) she learns who she really is. As she becomes confident in being herself by the end. She keeps getting pushed down (by villains, by people who should love her, by uncontrollable forces), but she also keeps getting back up. And the best part of Tessa is that she truly cares and loves. Also, she doesn't just run into danger without thinking, she does get into sticky situations but she is not just running into bad situations and making them worse by not thinking things through.

  

River Tam & Zoe Washburn

Firefly

Joss Whedon writes great ensemble casts. And he also writes pretty great female characters. I mean he came up with Buffy for goodness sakes. But I think the unsung heroes of the Firefly series are the girls. Because all of the female characters in the show could kick just as much butt as the boys. And I love that sense of equality. Also, River Tam is technically the most powerful of anyone on the show, so that makes her kind of awesome.

Arya

Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)

I loved Arya since I first read the books. And she's still pretty kick butt in the TV show. She survives, but she still has this sense of purpose that some of the other Stark children have lost. I think that she doesn't always know where she's going or what she needs, but she knows that she needs to keep moving. She knows that things aren't right and she decides to take action instead of hiding like some of the other characters do (*cough* Sansa *cough*).

Choi In-Ha

Pinocchio

In-Ha has a (made up) affliction called "Pinocchio syndrome" where she will hiccup every time she tells a lie (or is even keeping a secret knowingly). So she is a very blunt heroine. She doesn't get caught up in trying to hide her feelings. She just says what she thinks is right and she have a very strict moral compass. She is the perfect foil for the main character of the show, Choi Dal-po, who is keeping a whole world of secrets. Also, they have the best chemistry and fall very sweetly in love. Also also, I love Park Shin-hye who plays In-Ha,

Im Soo-Ah

Shut Up Flower Boy Band

Soo-Ah never wavers. She knows what she wants and who she loves. She's loyal and she's smart. She's also the middle of a love-triangle. But she doesn't waffle between the two love-interests. She very plainly loves Kwon Ji-Hyuk and makes that clear even when Yoo Seung-hoon doesn't want to listen. 

Claire Abshire

The Time Traveler's Wife

There is something quietly strong about Claire. She loved the same man since she was a child. She accepted his time traveling and waited for him, and she was so sure of him and herself the whole time. Even when Henry wavered, Claire stood strong. She was his rock and she gave him something steady in his life. She had to deal with the hardship of waiting and being left behind, but she never stopped loving him. I think that the book is very well-titled. Because even though it is Henry who deals with the time traveling, it is Claire who seems like the true hero in the book.