[Contains spoilers for these book series: The Mara Dyer Chronicles and The Fifth Wave]

It was a lot harder for me to create this list than the one for the male book characters as there aren’t that many female characters that I love, but here are my top 8:

• Mara Dyer (The Mara Dyer Chronicles)

Mara is leading my top 10, because I can understand how it is to have a dark side and be misunderstood. She is constantly trying to gain control over her powers so she wouldn’t hurt anyone and when she decides that she doesn’t want to do that anymore, I’m actually quiet proud of her. I can understand if others don’t like her, because she is a little bit scary and cruel, but life didn’t quiet gave her the chance to turn out any other way. She isn’t this typical nice, innocent girl that falls in love with a bad boy or who evolves to be this strong female character to protect others. She is, like they said in the books, an anti-hero and this fact is what really made me addicted to this series and her character.

• Cassie Sullivan (The Fifth Wave)

She’s a really good example for a bad ass female character, something I think should be more common in books. Cassie doesn’t need a boy to protect her or to handle things for her. She does everything by herself and even though she lost her parents and her brother was taken, she never really broke down. Her relationship with Sam as well as with Ben is my favorite thing in the books (and I’m still extremly sad that she died at the end and that she and Ben didn’t end up together). Cassie sacrifices her life (instead of letting someone else take her place) at the end of the last book to save her loved ones and for that she will always be my inspiration and hero. The only one you should rely on is yourself!

• Katy Swartz (Lux Series)

Her passion for books and just the fact that I can relate to her in so many ways makes me love her so much as a character. She’s strong and independent, but also clumsy and vulnerable. I mean, she never lets anyone treat her badly, but she wasn’t a born fighter or supernatural creature either. At the end of the series, you can see how much she truely has evolved and I live for her fun fights with Daemon as well as for her friendship with Dee. She is also one of the few female book characters who isn’t descibed as abnormal perfect and beautiful, which I really like. The most relatable female character of all fictional books I’ve read until now, for sure.

• Sky Bright (Finding Sky)

What fascinates me about Sky the most is how she handles her broken soul and her tragic past. She is literally a mess when she meets Zed and he helps her to not overcome her past but to make it a part of her that makes her so much stronger. And even though she never got to know love, she is one of the most lovable and caring female characters I got to know, which I find really surprising and different.

• Emma Carstairs (The Dark Artifices)/ Blue Sargent (The Raven Boys)

Emma and Blue are both really though and strong, even though it might not seem like they are. They have no problem with leading others or proving to everyone around them that they are independent and old enough to make their own decisions and fight for what they believe in. Emma’s relationship with Julian and Blue’s relationship with Gansey and the rest of the Raven boys show their character really well and you can see that they have no problem keeping up with the male characters.

• Lena Duchannes (Beautiful Creatures)

Lena was the first female character I fell in love with. The constant inner fight between good and bad she had to lead, really impressed me. She is a really complex character and her love for books, music and poems made it easy for me to relate to her. To save the one she loves, she would sacrifice everything even her own life.

• Lucy Pevensie (Chronicles Of Narnia)

Narnia doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the books, but I needed to mention Lucy in this list as Narnia is one of my favorite childhood novels. I always wanted to find a secret door to another world too. Lucy grows up in the shadow of her bigger sister and finds a way to accept herself and the fact that she isn’t Susan. She starts out as this little, curious girl who transforms over the course of the books into this grown up, brave and beautiful woman. Her imagination is what lead everyone to Narnia and it’s what makes Lucy herself and somehow I believe that my imagination is the most important part of myself as well.