Top Ten Tuesday 10.30.12

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten is Top Ten Favorite Kick-Ass Heroines.

Now, this is a topic I can get into!

1. Luna Lovegood - I must resist from making this list all Harry Potter characters, so I'm going to just mention my favorite female character. I love Luna, she's so comfortable with herself that she doesn't give a crap what other people think of her. She's also fearless, and often underestimated by her peers.
2. Eliza Braun - From the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. My favorite kick-ass woman in this series is actually the villain, but this is about heroines, so I'll write about Eliza. She can be a bit daft sometimes, but she can kick ass, literally. What's really great about her though, is that she's a real person - she also has a heart, and plenty of flaws.
3. Amaranthe Lokdon - From the The Emperor's Edge series. I've only read the first book in this series, but I already like Amaranthe. Not only is she physically able to take care of herself, but she uses her intelligence and instincts to get herself and her friends out of scrapes.
4. Celia Bowen - From The Night Circus. Celia is an incredibly powerful, creative, independent soul who refuses to be used as a puppet. She eventually takes charge over her own life.
5. Catriona O’Hanlon - From The Huntress. The Huntress is a part of a series, and each book has a different heroine, but Catriona was my favorite. She's incredibly skilled in weaponry, and has a cunning intelligence that keeps herself one step ahead of her adversaries.
6. Marya Morevna - From Deathless. I'm sure a lot of stuff in this book went over my head, except what an awesome character Marya was. Her character growth is amazing. She starts out as a young girl just wanting to see the world, and she ends up being an independent minded woman who accepts each change in her life with grace.
7. Lune - From Midnight Never Come. I actually just finished this book, and it's the first in a series that I plan on continuing. Lune's a great example of how a kick-ass heroine doesn't have to be physically strong. She doesn't fight, but she has a cunning intelligence that keeps herself alive. She is seriously put through the ringer, but somehow finds the strength to get up and try to make her life better.
8. Hero Jarvis - From the Sebastian St. Cyr series. In a series set in the early 19th century, Hero is ahead of her time. She's against marriage, and is for women being able to make a life for themselves. And while her intelligence is her main strength, she's not afraid to physically protect herself.
9. Eleanor Glanville - From Lady of the Butterflies. Now, Eleanor was a real person, but I'm still including her. She was a free spirit who fought against the restraints of 'ladylike' behavior, which, in the 17th century, were stifling. Interested in nature, she becomes a scientist, which leads to her downfall. However, she's resilient, and this is where she is truly kick ass.
10. Fiona Finnegan - From The Tea Rose series. Fiona in incredibly fearless, even when she doesn't think she is. At first, she is literally running for her life, while trying to also protect her little brother. She makes a life for both of them using her brains and wits. And this is just the first book.

Yay! I actually thought of 10!