Top 10 - Favorite Heroines that Kick Butt

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  

This week's topic is Top Ten Favorite Heroines that Kick Butt.

I honestly thought this would be an easy topic but as I sat down to make my list I realized that my list of heroines is fairly short as most of the books I read have a male lead hero.  Hmm....what exactly does that say about my book choices?

In no particular order of favoritism:

1. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games series.  Hands down, the moment she chooses to sacrifice herself to the games to save her sister earns her a place in my list.  Not to mention she is a self taught archer who is fully capable of feeding not only herself but her family and surviving the games.

2. Rose Hathaway from The Vampire Academy series.  I'd want her on my team should I need to fight off Strigoi.

3. Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments series.  Thrust into a world she never knew existed she quickly learns to be the fighter she was born to be and goes about saving those she loves most.

4. Hadassah from The Mark of the Lion series.  Talk about a woman who has incredible faith in the power of her God!  I don't want to give too much away for anyone who may want to read this series eventually but let's just say that though she isn't physically strong, this woman is emotionally and spiritually a giant!

5. Lucy from The Drake Chronicles book 1.  Having just started this series, I found Lucy to be stronger in terms of her capabilities than her best friend Solange who is the only born female vampire who either will make it through the change at 16 or will die.  Lucy is a better fighter despite her human weakness and better prepared for the world of danger around them.

6. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.  Book smarts come in real handy in this wizarding world.  Who better to have beside you than someone who has read every book and in turn knows a ton of spells because of that knowledge?

My last heroines all come from A Song of Ice and Fire....because those books are just that cool and I couldn't choose which heroine was better than another so I went with them all.

7. Daenerys Targaryen from A Song of Ice and Fire series.  At a young age she is arranged to be married to a savage warrior and experiences vast heartache in a short amount of time only to rise up strong and capable and to lead thousands of people to freedom.  Plus...she is the mother of dragons.  Therefore, she rocks.

8. Catelyn Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire series.  This woman suffers unimaginable grief and heartache as a wife and a mother.  Yet her loyalty and devotion to her house and that of her husband stands strong and she continues to fight with her intellect to protect her son Robb and to help gain his position as King in the North.  

9. Arya Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire series.  At a very young age she is separated from her family and forced down a road that is filled with despairing situations and often times situations that seem hopeless.  She is a little warrior!

10. Cersei Lannister Baratheon from A Song of Ice and Fire series.  Love her.  Hate her.  Makes no matter what your feelings towards her are (and I loathe her), she is one conniving and manipulative woman who rules the roost for sure!  She has learned from the masters of deception and she uses that to gain power and influence climbing the ladder until she is Queen Regent when her son takes the throne.  Plus she is a fierce mother who will do anything to protect her children.

I'm sure there are many, many more that I just didn't think of but these are the ones that came to mind this morning.  Who made your Top Ten list of Kick Butt Heroines?  Leave me a comment!