I love reading about resourceful young ladies who are in charge of their own destinies i.e not waiting for some guy to save the day. Let me first say, it’s great that they exist, so authors – please keep them coming! Because popular fiction (as well as film) has been overpopulated with clueless heroines that don’t have anything but their great looks when a time of danger arises.
That said, I’ve also noticed that my interest for the butt-kicking heroine starts to decrease the minute she turns into a superwoman. Meaning, no challenge (whether physical or emotional) is ever too demanding for her. Why is that?
Well, it’s boring for one thing, knowing that she’s just too perfect! After all, having flaws and insecurities is what makes a character that much more relatable and intriguing! Take away all the flaws, and there’s no personality left, you know what I mean?
See below my Top 5 list of butt-kicking heroines:
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1. Katniss in The Hunger Games
Katniss rules this throne, or what do you think? Resourceful, brave, skilled and clever. A fighter. Or else she would never have survived the Hunger Games. Yet human, what with her insecurities in regards to her emotional life. She is such a wonderfully drawn character, definitely one of the factors to why I loved The Hunger Games so much.
2. Katsa in Graceling
She has the grace of killing (or so she thinks), which obviously makes a particularly bad butt-kicking heroine. There is nothing she cannot do, and she saves the day quite a few times, including the lives of Po and Bitterblue. Yet, she is also struggling with her past and her identity as someone burdened with such a terrible grace would do. In short, despite her superwoman abilities, she comes off as a very human girl, who gradually learns to accept who she is.
3. Yelena in Poison Study
All through the Study Series, Yelena is only trying to survive, and considering the number of dangers she is faced, this is not a small task. She too realizes this, and starts practising her self-defense tactics. When her magic abilities increase, she grows even stronger, until if feels as if there is nothing she cannot do. She started off as a vulnerable yet resourceful young lady, and gradually becomes this superwoman. I am not entirely sure I liked the end result, but I did like watching the transformation.
4. Tally in Uglies
She starts of as an innocent and naive 16-year old, then grows into the most bad-ass butt-kicking heroine I’ve seen in some time, almost too much bad-ass if that’s possible? Just like with Yelena in The Study Series, I loved watching Tally’s transformation, but had a bad gut feeling with the end result in the third book Specials, as it was, like I said – almost too much bad-ass. In the fourth book Extras however, a softer side is hinted again in Tally, which warmed my heart.
5. Rose in Vampire Academy
Witty and sassy Rose is a butt-kicking heroine by nature, as she is sworn to protect her best friend Lissa, as well as all mortal Moroi vampires. In the first book she is somewhat immature though, only thinking about the best for her and Lissa, and less about the consequences of her actions. I am sensing that she will change into a more responsible character though, with time, as I read more books. Looking forward to that!
Runners up:
Evie in Paranormalcy
Zara in Need
Clary in The Mortal Instruments
After Twilight... 
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