Another ICE ARC Giveaway!
The response to Sarah Rees Brennan's giveaway of Advance Reader Copies (ARCs) of ICE and Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER last week really blew my mind. I read through all the wonderful comments to her blog post and was nearly brought to tears by all the people who were looking forward to reading about Cassie's adventure. Thank you all so much. The only downside was that I felt kinda bad that only one person would end up winning Sarah's ICE ARC.
And then... FATE INTERVENED!
Last Wednesday was a rather big day for me. I got to go into NYC to visit my editor and the publicity/marketing team at Simon & Schuster, which was eleven kinds of awesome! After listening to them describe all their fabulous ideas about the upcoming release of ICE, my publicist gave me a present, another ICE ARC! He probably read my last post and gave me the ARC out of pity... But I choose to interpret this as a good omen, a sign that I should -- dare I say MUST -- give this ARC away!
Now, of course, I could give it to my mother, who has been asking for one for some time... And that is certainly what a good daughter would do... But where's the fun in that?! Much more fun to give it to ONE OF YOU!
Just leave me a comment and raise your hand if you want to be entered in the giveaway. I'll pick a winner at random next week.
Sorry, Mom...
Also, you may have noticed that I FINALLY figured out how to put a Blogger Followers Widget in the sidebar. Not that this is a particularly difficult thing to do... But hey, I'm still proud of myself for figuring it out. Anyway, for those of you who like to read this blog, this should make it easier for you to do so. Just click the follow button and my blog posts will automatically pop up in your Blogger reading list. So easy. So fun! And since I'd love to get new followers, now that the lovely widget is up and all, I'm prepared to sweeten the deal. Anyone who raises their hand in the comments to enter the ICE ARC giveaway AND also becomes a new follower of this blog (or is one already) will be entered TWICE in the giveaway. TWICE! That's, like, a whole extra time!
Finally, I had so much fun reading about everyone's favorite minor characters and character hobbies in the comments to Sarah Rees Brennan's post that I want to do something similar here. Cassie, the heroine of ICE, is by far the most kickass character I've every written. She's way braver and stronger than me. She tracks polar bears across the Arctic sea ice. She scales a mountain, hikes through a blizzard, dives into the freezing ocean, flies through the air on the back of the North Wind... I, on the other hand, am afraid of frisbees. And pretty much any other sport that involves objects flying toward me at high speed. I could never be like Cassie. So I live vicariously through books, through Cassie and all the other kickass heroines I love to read about.
Which brings me to my question for you: Who are your favorite kickass heroines? You don't have to answer to be entered in the contest, but I'd love to chat about your favorites in the comments.
To sum up: Comment. Follow. Chat about kickass heroines. Win free ICE ARC!
posted by Sarah Beth Durst @ 10:39 PM
156 comments
156 Comments:
Me! Me me me me me me me!
(Please? :-))
Me! Pick me! :D
Favourite kick-ass heroines? Does Buffy count?
I always loved Dahl's Matilda as a child. As a grownup, I am fond of Lyra Belaqua in Pullman's His Dark Materials series.
Me! Pick me! :D
Favourite kick-ass heroines? Does Buffy count?
I always loved Dahl's Matilda as a child. As a grownup, I am fond of Lyra Belaqua in Pullman's His Dark Materials series.
Also, many of the kickass heroines I'm most fond of seem to have "K" names: Keladry, Katniss, Katsa ... maybe "K is for Kickass"?
Belgatherial: Buffy totally counts! "I can beat up the demons until the cows come home... and then I can beat up the cows." I wish they would show Buffy reruns. I miss that show.
Janni: I love Keladry and Katsa. Which book is Katniss from?
me me me! ::follow follow follow::
I am very glad Buffy counts 'cause we'd have to have a showdown if she didn't XD
But to be fair...hmm...OH I KNOW I have two, and they're both from Anne McCaffrey--the Rowan (that's right she's so awesome she was always referred to as THE ROWAN. As in 'The Rowan is pissed off and likely going to level this place if we don't get our butts in gear!' ::cuddles her The Rowan book::
And the other is Lessa, from the original Dragonriders of Pern trilogy. She scared me. I mean seriously. She scared half the male members of the book to begin with, but she was something fierce.
And Janni--Katsa! Oh yes! I'm adding Jaz Parks, Kate Daniels and Thursday Next to the list as well, because seriously...watch'em kick anyone's ass!
Gasp! Sarah! Katniss is from The Hunger Games! You haven't read The Hunger Games?! It's a goodun. Though, I'd give up a thousand Hunger Games for a chance at Ice. Pick me! Pick me!
Lexie: Lessa was fierce. I always thought she'd be a really annoying person to know but a cool person to be. (Especially if being her meant I could have her dragon! Loved Ramoth!)
Okay, I am just about shaking with excitement. Can I have a THIRD entry for pre-emptively following your blog and a FOURTH one because you have followed my blog? (I'm still a little bit freaking out about that.) Okay, so I'm kidding. Maybe.
I love Harry from The Blue Sword. And Vin from Mistborn (if the trilogy had no other merit (scoffscoffscoff it has so much it blows my mind, but we're speaking hypothetically), it would be worth reading just for the awesome that is Vin).
I'm totally down with Katsa and Katniss. (I cannot believe you haven't read The Hunger Games and choose to believe instead that you had a momentary brain lapse.)
Going into another genre (gasp!), I have recently decided that Melinda from Speak is probably the best narrator/heroine I've ever read.
What's really funny is that Katsa is from Graceling, Katniss is from the Hunger Games, and their respective sequels are FIRE and CATCHING FIRE.
It's clearly the year for K heroines in Fire books specifically. :-)
My favorite heroine is Ally from the Trickster novels by Tamora Pierce, but I'm also a big Hermione Granger fan!
Um... would you ship to Australia? If so, count me in! I must admit, my name is down on Sarah Rees Brennan's journal as well, but it's probably going to be ages before 'Ice' comes out in Australia. This is adequate justification, right?
I am also fond of Buffy, though she's not my favourite character from the show. From literature I've narrowed it down to two. Aerial from Meredith Ann Pierce's 'Darkangel Trilogy' thinks of herself as weak and cowardly but does awesome things, like ultimately saving the Moon (which is where the story is set). Elspeth Gordie from Isobelle Carmody’s ‘Obernewtyn Chronicles’ is emotionally dysfunctional, which beautifully balances out her extra strong, kickarse mind powers and the fact that she has a prophecy all of her very own.
Enna Isilee: I think I am the only person on the planet who hasn't read Hunger Games. *ducks head in embarrassment*
Q: Harry is one of my favorite heroines. I think I've read Blue Sword at least twenty times. It's one of my comfort reads.
Janni: I scooped up an ARC of Fire at BEA and can't wait to read it.
Kelly013: Ally is a fabulous heroine. I love smart characters.
Boojumlol: The Darkangel trilogy is gorgeous. I think Willow is my favorite Buffy character. Or maybe Giles.
So...Katniss!! And Emer from Dust of 100 Dogs. And Aerin from The Hero and the Crown if you want to get old school!
That is so cool that you got to go into S&S. I got a tour of Hachette right after BEA and it was awesome to get a behind the scenes look at the whole book making/marketing process.
I have a couple of favorites: Katniss from THG, Katsa from Graceling, Rose from Vampire Academy.
Count me in please! Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Rose from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, no doubt.
Q you're a fan of the Mistborn books too? ::big smile:: I practically obsessed over them when I read them originally (I'm waiting for the third book to make its way to me so I can have a copy of my own--I borrowed a copy from the library before). And boojumlol Elspeth is pretty awesome too. I'm a fan of the Obernewtyn Chronicles XD (though it took America long enough to bring the new books out!)
And Sarah don't worry I had no idea who Katniss is...I've only read part of the Hunger Games and wasn't keen on that part. Suzanne Collins was really cool though (I met her at BEA briefly, but didn't pick up a copy of Catching Fire, didn't seem fair since I wasn't gonna read it).
I love a lot of Tamora Pierce's heroines- they're always so fierce and bold. And I agree with a previous commenter about Emer from Dust of 100 Dogs- she was way kickass.
I also became a follower, though I've already got you on my LJ friends list, lol.
I so hope I win. :)
Lenore: The S&S visit was fantastic. Everyone was really nice. Also love Aerin (though I ADORE Harimad-Sol).
Fantastic Book Review: Rose is definitely strong. I liked the training scenes in those books. I'm a sucker for training scenes.
Liyana: I wonder what Buffy and Rose would think of each other... They'd probably make great sparring partners.
Lexie: I didn't get a chance to meet her. There were huge lines for her ARC.
BookChic: Tamora Pierce's heroines are definitely in my list of favorites. I love all her protagonists. (I love her minor characters too, actually.)
I have been a follower for quite a while - someone pointed me to your hilarious obscure fairy tales, and then I discovered you had a book, and it was wonderful! And another book! And I made my library patrons read your books! And...you get the picture.
I think my favorite kick-ass heroines would be Tamora Pierce's Becca and Patricia C. Wrede's Cimorene.
Sarah I fell into her line thinking it was for a different author. And since I'm kind of oblivious when I'm by myself (I was reading Fire by Kristin Cashore and listening to my iPod 'cause I hate standing around with nothing to do) I didn't notice until I was practically at the table I was in the wrong line (the line I wanted was next door...I had apparently merged into the wrong line somehow), but I met her and said thank you, but I didn't need an ARC...I feel like I might have insulted her tho -.-
Jennifer: Hi! Thanks for introducing yourself! So glad to hear you liked my books!! Becca and Cimorene are awesome. I love how irritated she is by the princes who try to rescue her.
Lexie: I saw someone at BEA confuse the bathroom line for an author line. :)
sarah XD I swear BEA is so much people-watching fun. moreso then any other convention I go to honestly. I mean at Otakon most of the fun is watching folks in their gigantic costumes trying to weave their way through crowds!
I WANT this one!
And I'm def. going with Katniss!
alana from tamora pierce's books is pretty amazing.
i would love to be entered in the drawing. :)
meaghan_koci (at) yahoo (dot) com
Lexie: Suddenly I'm imagining everyone at BEA forced to attend in costumes...
Becca: Lots of votes for Katniss here. I really have to go read Hunger Games now. (And Hush, Hush, of course!)
Californiameaghan: Alanna rocks. She was definitely one of my fictional role models -- I wanted to be a writer just as badly as she wanted to be a knight, and I found her story really empowering.
Sarah: I think I would die of laughter to see some of the attendees in costume! Or the authors XD I think that should be next year's theme--Author's should show up for autograph signings in character costume! For some it won't be so bad...but well I feel really bad for the authors who like characters in leather...
Favorite kick-ass heroines? Since I'm doing a marathon of the show at the moment, definitely Buffy. (I think almost any Joss Whedon female character can fall into the 'kick-ass heroines' category, though.) I agree on Katniss, too, I really did enjoy her in that book. She was so awesome. Another two are Cecelia and Kate from "Sorcery & Cecelia OR The Enchanted Chocolate Pot."
I can't wait for ICE, since it's based on one of my favorite fairy tales. :D
Count me in!
Lexie: I'd overheat in Cassie's Arctic-wear... :)
Miranda: I love Sorcery and Cecelia! Also loved Eleret from The Raven Ring by Patricia C. Wrede.
Natasha: Counted! Thanks for stopping by.
I'm in agreement with many of the names already mentioned (Buffy, Katnis, Katsa, Harry and Aerin). In addition, I utterly adore Tiffany Aching, Susan Death, Lady Sibyl Vimes, Angua and Granny Weatherwax, all from Terry Pratchett's Discworld Books. Daphne from 'Nation' is pretty rockin', too.
There's no way I could leave out Marian from 'Outlaws of Sherwood.' I used to reread that book every summer back when I was doing Ren Faire.
Awesome contest! Please enter me! As far as fav heroines, does Bridget Jones count? I know she's pretty normal in her hopes, fears, want of a small butt and perfect guy, but hey it takes guts to realize the perfect guy is right in front of you (even if he did wear a hideous sweater) and then make it happen ;-) Just my $.02.
would kazul count? she's the dragon king from the enchated forest chronicals. i also like alanna. she's cool. right now, though my favorite heroine is creelisel, or creel from dragon slippers.
Ladyjoust: Tiffany Aching and Granny Weatherwax are awesome. I looove that series. No one does details like Terry Pratchett.
Aimee: Bridget Jones counts. I'd never have had the guts to wear that bunny outfit and then carry on a conversation...
Anonymous: Ooh, I love Kazul! One of my favorite dragons. Up there with Ramoth. Creel is great too!
This is making me want to reread so many books...
Wow - heaps of ideas for reading here... and since you've already implied you will ship to Australia, I'm jumping up and down with my hand up too!
Racking my brains for a favourite kick-ass heroine who has not yet been mentioned... of course! Polgara from David Eddings :D
I'm following... I even followed on twitter & facebook too. Does that get me extra credit?
I am not raising my hand (much as I want to) because I am trying this new thing I heard about called "patience." But I have to mention a few heroines:
A shout out to River and Zoe from "Firefly."
Don't leave out Buffy's mom -- remember when she shook the axe at Spike in "School Hard"? Overworked, under-appreciated, and a single mom, but she wasn't going to let some punk mess with her daughter.
Ellie from Carl Sagan's "Contact" (both book AND movie): she totally kicked butt and showed so many young girls they could be scientists!
I've just re-watched both the Keira Knightley and Colin Firth adaptations and started re-reading the Austen novel, so I have to mention Elizabeth Bennet.
:D well you can always wear it for the Winter Meet-up ALA (I think its ALA) does! How perfect? I wanna see Scott Westerfield dress up as one of his characters XD
and double shout out for Zoe and River!
(sorry for hijacking your thread Sarah...)
Hermione Granger! She rocks.
Please enter me in the giveaway! I really really really want to read Ice.
Schelle: Yes! Polgara! I wanted to be her. I have a metal rose on my bookshelf that I bought at a craft fair because it reminded me of the rose Durnik gives her.
Cathie: Buffy's mom was an excellent character. And River clearly kicks butt. I haven't read that zombie Pride & Prejudice yet so I don't know how well Miss Bennett fairs in a fight, but she counts as a strong character regardless...
Lexie: I never thought about what Tally wears... Tally counts as a strong character. She's always leaping off stuff.
Priya: Hermione is excellent. I love smart characters.
Also want to toss out there: Stephanie/Valkerie from the Skullduggery Pleasant books (particularly Playing with Fire). Anyone know if there's going to be a third one?
I remember Alanna fondly, and I love Buffy and Zoe, but I think I'm going to have to go old-school and say Eowyn. Oh, and Janet from Tam Lin!
(I think I might be a new poster, unless I'm not. Been reading for a while, but I don't usually speak up.)
Sarah: Thanks for posting! Nice to meet you. Eowyn, definitely classic. And Janet is a great choice. Regardless of which retelling, she's always strong. I love stories where the damsel saves the dude-in-distress.
I want to enter too! Though only once... having finally figured out how to set up google reader, I'm just going to stick with it. :)
My favorite heroine is Sorcha from Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier... coincidentally, also a fairy tale retelling.
Hi, I got this link from Sarah Rees Brennan's blog, and I still think Ice sounds awesome, so... me? please?
Favorite kick-ass heroines are Buffy, Veronica Mars, and Lirael from the Abhorsen trilogy.
Over here! Me! :D
Er. How 'bout Sophie, heroine of Howl's Moving Castle? And, yeah, Buffy, of course. Oh, and agent 355, from Y:The Last Man.
I would love to be entered! :)
As for heroines... I have a special place in my heart for Ella from the book "Ella Enchanted." She doesn't really start out as kickass, but she accomplishes so much by the end of the book that you have to admire her.
I completely agree on Matilda and Lyra, both of them were absolute role models for me! And Queen Kettricken from Robin Hobb's Assassin and Tawny Man books, she is one classy lady. <3
Oh, and, please pick me! :D
*raises hand to be entered*
Kara from Battlestar Galactica is definitely one of my all time favourite kick-ass heroines, but all these comments here are providing lots of recommendations for others. Yay for unintentional book recs!
Leah: Ooh, I love Juliet Marillier's books!
Laura: Welcome! Thanks for dropping by. Excellent characters. And Lirael has one of the my favorite talking-animal characters too, the Disreputable Dog.
Wavesofwood: Sophie is awesome. I love the scenes with her and Calcifer.
*raises hand* Me me me please! With a cherry on top!
BladesoftheValkyrie: She is a perfect example of someone who learns to be kickass. I wish they'd done a better job with the movie. It could have been so good, but singing and dancing?? Really?? (And I say this as someone who loves musicals and saw CATS four times...)
Shadiash: Ooh, I haven't read those. *adds to TBR list* I did like her Liveship Traders books.
Luthienlupin: I haven't watched Battlestar Gallactica. (One of those shows where I missed the beginning and then felt I'd never be able to catch up... Same problem with Heroes. I'm way too behind now.) Someday I'll have to rent the first season...
Yay! This is great. Enter me, please. :)
I'm also spreading the word on twitter, so perhaps/hopefully some people will come over!
Boo: Thanks for the cherry on top. Extra fruit is always appreciated. :)
Branquignole: Awesome! Thanks so much for spreading the word!
*raises hand* Me, please? I am intrigued by awesomeness involving polar bears and sub-zero temperatures, despite being a Southern hothouse flower.
I'd love to be entered in the contest! *raises hand*
Also, historically: Eleanor of Aquitaine. I've always loved reading about her and her life. In terms of books and their fictional heroines, I always loved Tamora Pierce's Alanna. Granted, she ran around as a boy half the time, but still. :D
I want! :D
Chaos2112: I like to be temperature regulated. No hothouses and no iceboxes for me. Part of the reason that I wrote about the Arctic was that it gave me this great excuse to do a ton of research on a place that I knew I'd never visit. (My favorite really-cold detail: if you cry while you're out in arctic-cold, your eyelashes will freeze and break off.)
MillyFoxe: Have you read A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver? My favorite Eleanor of Aquitaine book.
Two entries for the price of one? I am SO sold.
As for kickass heroines... well, I generally don't read many books that DON'T have awesome main characters. But some of my favorites: Lyra Silvertongue (which the premise of Ice reminds me very much of), Lirael from the Abhorsen trilogy, Firekeeper from her series by Jane Lindskold, Arya Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire, and Door, from Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. That's five. Five is a good number, right?
does it make me lame to say that I've always found Jane Austen's Lizzie Bennet to be the most kickass heroine ever? she's got sarcasm, wit, she's well read! And she's not afraid to turn down smouldering men and their marriage proposals :)
more currently, though - I loved Una from "Ahab's Wife" and Harry of McKinley's "The Blue Sword." Fantastic folks!
that said, I'd LOVE to be considered for the ARC! Sounds like an AMAZING book :)
Stardancer: :)
Beth: Five is a good number. I'd wondered if anyone was going to mention Firekeeper. I loooved Wolf Captured.
Sarah you can take me outta the running for the ARC. I won the copy over at Sarah Rees Brennan's journal, so it wouldn't be fair to possibly win again :D
And gosh sure are a lot of favorites...
Tumbling0after: Pride & Prejudice and The Blue Sword are two of my all-time favorite books. I love the training scenes in Blue Sword. And of course when she kicks everyone's butt in the trials...
Lexie: Congrats! I hope you like it!!
have no fear! I shall I shall...and its inspired me to figure out my Reading Theme for November! ::big grin::
I feel most immensely guilty for reading your blog so often and failing to comment! I am not very good at having anything to say beyond 'You are awesome. Your books bring me joy beyond words - can I have 'Ice' now please?' which would probably get kind of dull with repetition! But I am trying very hard from now on to do so! (This is me sticking up my hand so far I hit the ceiling and possibly broke a finger, by the way!)
And ooh favourite kick-ass heroine...I cannot have favourites in terms of anything to do with books! But I have always loved Sabriel from Garth Nix's book of the same name - she was smart and brave and not afraid to be honest. And whilst she was great with a sword, she did more damage with her bells, which I think is unbelievably kick-ass. :)
I also love Daine, from Tamora Pierce's 'The Immortals' series. Much of my childhood was spent wanting to be her.
And if we can have TV show characters, I say Juliet from Lost. She is understatedly kick-ass in every single way and I love her.
YESSSSSSSS! Oh, please, please, PURR-LEEEEEZE pick me!
Lexie: *grins back*
Hannah: I love Daine too. I wouldn't want to be her because of the whole childhood-trauma thing with what happened to her family, but I'd love to have her wild magic...
Sara: :)
Sarah: This is a good point! I think I was indeed thinking more of the magic/being a strong person than the actual life events. Although on the other hand, I was a strange child who used to think it would be an interesting life experience to be kidnapped so you never know.
Hannah: LOL. I used to include "magic wand" on my Christmas list to Santa every year. This continued for a somewhat embarrassingly long time...
Me, me!
Oh, favorite awesome heroine... not sure I can come up with one. I have awesome favorite female villains, but heroines? (What does that say about me?)
Probably Nita from The Young Wizards books - hanging out with giant sharks and getting ready to be eaten by one to save the world is incredible kickass.
Sarah: Oh that's so sweet! Unfortunately I was too tragically sceptical of magic to have such ideas. My Christmas list was always very dull, except for the times when I was mad at my parents and asked Santa to send my real parents to take me back to the palace. I was a secret princess you see. Obviously.
If I had to list all my favorite kickass heroines, we could be here a while... Tamora Pierce's Alanna is a classic, of course, and possibly, along with Patricia C. Wrede's Cimorene, one of the first ones I remember. I always loved Sophie from Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle, because she's an amazing, kickass heroine, but she's hardly your typical one. And Angela Gennaro from Dennis Lehane's Kenzie-Gennaro detective novels, for a touch from the non-fantasy side!
i'd like one.
my favorite heroine is definitely buffy, though I've got to give props to Nancy Drew.
Raises hand!
Ice Arc giveaway? How so awesome?? Can not comprehend. I hope I win!
*crossesfingers*
Count me in!
bball11kt@sbcglobal.net
Annie: I love Deep Wizardry. I cry every time I read it. Most awesome shark ever. Who are your favorite villains?
Hannah: I was a secret unicorn princess. (It varied whether this meant I was a princess of the unicorns or an actual unicorn...)
Bedlamsbard: Alanna, Cimorene, and Sophie are all favorites of mine. I don't know Angela Gennaro, but then again, I tend to only read books that have either dragons or talking cats...
Pick me! :D
Here from SRB's blog, I'd love to be entered!
Favourite Kickass heroine - Polly from Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones - she takes a while to get going, but ends up totally fierce.
MiaDust: Nancy Drew should definitely be mentioned. I heard that in early editions of the first Nancy Drew books, she actually carries a gun...
Mabel: :)
Katie: Counted!
Erin: :)
Bananrama: Welcome! I haven't read Fire and Hemlock in AGES. Must reread. And really want to reread Howl's Moving Castle after so many people reminded me about Sophie. And Homeward Bounders too, purely because it's awesome.
*raises hand* hallo!
You love "A Proud Taste For Scarlet and Miniver"? Now I KNOW I am in the right place!
I am linking to this post on my blog - not because I think I need anymore competition in this lovely giveaway - but because I need to make a TBR or RR list from your comments!!! Thanks for the great idea :)
Count me in, please (and I just registered to follow your blog, too)! I'd love an ARC of ICE.
As far as Heroines go, I'm partial to Susannah from Stephen King's Dark Tower Series (especially from book 3, 5, and 7).
And don't worry, I haven't read Hunger Games either
Ooooh, kickin' heroines is one of my very favorite topics. Any of the leads in Tamora Pierce's books, of course. And Katsa from Graceling - love her so much!
Wow, this book looks so darn awesome. Pick me please!!
Silentstep: Hallo!
Schelle: Thanks for linking! This has expanded my TBR list (and my to-be-reread list!) too.
Karisha: Now I don't feel so alone. :) Though I suppose I lose points for not having read Dark Tower... *adds to TBR list*
Biblauragraphy: Love all of Tamora Pierce's heroines. And minor characters. And animal characters. And divine characters. And...
Eranim: Thanks!! I'm rather partial to it. :)
When I was young, there was this book, something like The Adventures of Adventure Cat!, something silly anyway. She decided to explore the world and dodged under cars, defended herself against snakes, my memory is dodgy but it was pretty awesome. So when I was still in the single digits, my hero was a young kitten. Yeah.
As many others have said, I'm sure, I still like Lyra in His Dark Materials.
Me me! Please enter me! *raises hand*
Hat: Kittens count. A kick-butt heroine doesn't need to be human... :)
Rebecca: Entered. :)
I'd absolutely love an ARC of your book!
I think my favourite heroine is Sabriel from Garth Nix's The Old Kingdom trilogy. She's unsure yet determined at the same time, which is a strange mixture. It's hard to put my finger on quite why I like her so much, but I do.
Count me in!!
Favorite amazing heroines who can kick some trash?
Sabriel, Thursday Next (but more in the "I can outsmart you until you ruin yourself." But I think that counts, right?), Princess Cimorene, Tamora Pierce's heroines, and Mercy Thompson (Patricia Briggs).
I could go on. ^_^
Chelle: Sabriel is great. Lirael too. (I think I'm partial to Lireal because of the dog...)
Allanna: What book is Thursday Next from? Mercy Thompson is great.
I also like Tinker (from Tinker by Wen Spencer). And Del from Jennifer Roberson's Sword-Dancer books. Also Kerowyn and Tarma from Mercedes Lackey...
I would love a chance at that ARC of Ice!
As for totally kick-arse heroines, I will have to choose Katsa from Graceling, Katniss from Hunger Games, Harry from The Blue Sword, Elspeth from the Obernewtyn Chronicles (still two more to go...),Eleret from The Raven Ring and from non-literary works River Tam from the tv series "Firefly" - you really cannot resist a ballerina/ martial arts expert. They are deadly but so graceful too:)
Oh, and I totally forgot my newest favorite heoine, Aeirin Renning from Academy 7! Such a great book. I just really hope Anne Osterlund can get the two sequels published soon!!!!
I reeeaaally want! I'm a new follower too.
My favorite kick-ass heroine is definitely Kate Daniels.
You cannot forget Kahlan from the Sword of Truth Series by Terry goodkind!! She is so kick ass i named my first Daughter after her (well I changed the spelling slightly to Kaelyn but that is who she is named after - The mother confessor herself!!)
Here from Sarah Rees Brennan's blog, would like to be entered in the drawing pretty please and my favorite kick-ass heroine of all time has to be Karrin Murphy. I adore her partially because she's gone through a lot of emotional shit and come out stronger, partially because she's teensy and cute (tiny... and FIERCE) and can still wipe the floors with the protagonist, partially because she refuses to turn herself off or tone herself down for anyone, and partially because she has the all-too-rare character trait of "listens to information and makes appropriate use of it." With the direct result that she only gets more awesome as the series go on.
Seconding Harry from the Blue Sword, all of Tamora Pierce's heroines ever (including Rosethorn thankyouverymuch), the Sorcery and Cecelia girls, and Cimorene and Morwen. And the Pratchett ladies. Ooh, and Kim from Mairelon the Magician!
*winding down now for realz*
Miss Clark: Eleret is awesome. I love the recurring bit about blocking her throwing lines.
Jacqueline: Welcome! Kate Daniels is fabulous. I can't wait for Magic Bleeds. I devoured book 3.
Steff: Now that's loyalty to a character! (And it is a great name.)
*Raises hand* Count me in!
Tigerkat24: Welcome! Which book is Karrin Murphy from?
Your comment about tiny and fierce makes me think of Magpie Windwitch, another awesome (and tiny) heroine from the Faeries of Dreamdark by Laini Taylor.
I also love Rosethorn and Morwen -- they're the kind of characters that I wish were real people so I could be friends with them.
Spirit_rider16: Counted!
Hi there!
"Ice" sounds really interesting, there was a movie about the princess who married a polar bear (actually a prince) which I LOVED as a kid, plus Lyra from His Materials, who is, btw, pretty kickass for a twelve year old, I especially liked how she talked her way out of tricky situations (and got the nickname "Lyra Silvertongue"). Mmm... who else?
♥ The Queen from Alan Bennett's "The Uncommon Reader", this will seem like an unusual choice to mention to a YA author but it's much harder to be kickass when you are sixty something and kind of believe you have done everything you will ever do (and that's mostly follow the protocols and advice of royal advisors) but the Queen (of England) opens a book, and then another and she finds herself in them and then she decides that she *has* to do something about it, with this newfound understanding of the world she's found and does.
♥ This one is from a YA novel, the POV character is a guy, but he becomes friends with this girl called Marisol and she kind of steals the book (he falls for her, naturally). She doesn't do anything exceptionally heroic, except, maybe, being true to yourself even when it's painful and difficult it's harder than killing a monster.
♥ Which is basically why Gypsum, the main character in "A fistful of Sky" kicks ass. She's from a magical family but her own powers fail to show and she has to deal with that difference (and disadvantadge since even though they love her they are not above using their powers on her if they think it's for the best)and the difference of being a fat person and also someone young who doesn't quite know what to do with herself. And she doesn't just make the best of it, she grows up, takes control, accepts what she likes and changes what she doesn't.
♥ This might make it seem like I'm not much for sword-using gals but I really liked that "Guide to Defeat an Evil Overlord"(by Cassie Claire) chick who taught the evil overlord how to competently direct his army and then rescued herself and the prince sent to rescue her.
I've added your feed to my livejournal, btw, and I would like to be entered in the contest :)
Evalangui: Hi! Thanks for adding my feed. So cool that you mentioned A Fistful of Sky. I love that book. I love all of Nina Kiriki Hoffman's books, but that's the one that I've reread about a dozen times.
Anyone read Julie Kenner's Demon Hunting Soccer Mom books? Love those. Kate Connor totally kicks butt.
Hi again:
You're the first person I mention that book (A Fistful of Sky) to that recognizes it! Let alone loves it so I'm kind of grateful myself for that. I have tried other books by her but I haven't found any that spoke to me the sam way that AFoS did, what's your second favourite?
Karrin Murphy is, google says, a character from The Dresden Files.
*goes investigate other kickass heroines*
Evalangui: I think my second favorite Nina Kiriki Hoffman book is Past the Size of Dreaming. I haven't read her newest yet but really want to -- I think it's about Gyp's older sister.
Guess Karrin Murphy isn't quite as tiny as Magpie Windwitch. Magpie is only a couple inches tall. :)
I came back to check on the recommendations here, and realised I forgot to mention one of my very favorites: Rachel from Archangel. And others might not agree, but I always thought Jane Eyre was pretty kick-ass.
I wants it! XD
Oh, I want to be entered. Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase?
I follow you through Bloglines.
Hmmm.. favorite heroine? I really like Veronica Mars right now. My roommates has gotten me addicited by watching all her DVDs.
Of course, book-wise, Princess Cimorene was my favorite since I first read Dealing with Dragons. That book was what got me into fantasy.
My current favorite kickass heroine would have to be Katniss from the Hunger Games! Belivable girl who is kickass but has flaws! I love her with a pasion. Other favorites would include Catherine from Sarah Cross's book Dull Boy, Suzy turquoise blu from Garth Nix's keys to the kingdom series and isabelle Lightwood from Cassandra Clare's Mortal instrument series.
Oh and I forgt to mention I would love a copy of Ice!
Pick me! I am all kinds devastated from not winning Miss Brennan's contest!
Would Love Love Love. (see, with capital "L's" even)
As far as heroines go, Death and Rose Walker from Sandman are incredibly cool, as is Cordy form Buffy, But my favorite atm is Temari from Naruto (manga counts yeah?)- she really shows the boys how to kick ass
Would Love Love Love. (see, with capital "L's" even)
As far as heroines go, Death and Rose Walker from Sandman are incredibly cool, as is Cordy form Buffy, But my favorite atm is Temari from Naruto (manga counts yeah?)- she really shows the boys how to kick ass
Me! :D
Me 113?
Me pleeeeease!
Oh, I love Lirael as well. But I think of her more as...someone relatively normal more than a heroine? Character-wise I might even like her a bit more than Sabriel.
Sarah: I could be convinced about Jane Eyre... It's been so long since I've read that book that I can't really remember any specific scenes, just general ambiance...
Slythwolf: :)
Alyssa: Cimorene is great. I always loved the cherries jubilee scene. Always wondered what that tasted like. Also always wondered what Turkish Delight tastes like (assuming it exists outside of Narnia).
Dr.FumblesMcStupid: Isabelle Lightwood is cool. Clary isn't a wilting flower either, which is nice. Dull Boy is on my TBR stack. I've heard really good things about it.
L: Don't be devastated! Thanks for coming by!
Ness: Manga counts, though I'm kind of embarrassed to admit I've never read any manga. No particular reason. I'm sure there's a lot of it I'd like. I just haven't taken the plunge. I have watched all of Escaflowne, though...
Susan, Laura, and Lucifer: Hi!
Chelle: Yeah, I agree with you.
Your book looks beautiful and sounds awesome! I would love a chance for a copy!
Sasha Li
past.participle at gmail dot com
Sasha Li: Thanks so much!!
Wow. I'm late to the party, but here's me *waving my hand*.
My favorite character isn't "kickass" in the traditional sense. That is, she doesn't actually kick anyone.
But she fights with what she can-- even though for a time that something is little more than showing up.
I'm Talking about Kate Sutton of The Perilous Gard. And that "fighting" despite her lack of inherent... anything is what I find so inspiring.
And this is my I've been following you (the old-fashioned way?) on Bloglines for close to a year, so here's my second entry!
I love this folktale and enjoy reading the different versions of it.
Somebody already said that Murphy's from the Dresden Files, and no, she's not fairy-tiny, just human-tiny. Five-foot-even in her socks, I believe is the count. Since our protagonist is about six-foot-seven, he sees her as itsy-bitsy. And yet deadly.
Also somebody else mentioned The Perilous Gard! I adore that book. It's worth much adoration and love. Kate Sutton is perhaps not a kickass heroine in the traditional sense, but for Elizabethian England, she certainly is--her conversations with Christopher at the bonfire and at the end show a remarkable amount of sense and strength for the era. The young Lady Elizabeth also makes an appearance, and I think we could count her as a kickass heroine as well. Huzzah for queens?
Amy Jane: You're not late. No worries. :) Perilous Gard has been on my TBR list for a while. It's a Tam Lin retelling, right?
Tigerkat24: *moves Perilous Gard up higher in TBR stack*
I just became a follower and would love an ARC of Ice, please!
I have been following SRB's blog and nodded absently when she plugged ICE, but then sat up with a start when I realized she was talking about the new fave author at my house. My two girls and I love Julie's clever determination as she negotiates your tangled fairytale world. (We may even have an auxiliary bit of the Wild hiding at the back of my closet since things go in and don’t really come out the same, if ever!)
Another recent favorite kickass character is Isabelle Lightwood from Clare’s Mortal Instruments. She has to be tough to cover her vulnerability in the demon-fraught city.
Yup-- related to TamLin, and definitely based on the lore surrounding the ballad, but itself is more of a spin-off... if that's the right word.
TamLin the ballad exists in the PG world, which it can't, really, if it's a true re-telling.
That would be like the twins of the 1998 "Parent Trap" watching the 1960s "Parent Trap" during a sleep-over...
Carol: *blush* That's so cool to hear! Thanks!!
Amy Jane: LOL. That would be rather awesome. It would be best if they watched it and didn't notice any similarities...
I want to win! Hm, kick-ass heroines... I'm a big fan of Alanna from Tamora Pierce's series. I like all of her heroines really from that world.
Now I'm following you! :) Please give me your book! lol.
Did someone just mention Perilous Gard? I love that book... I also like Pope's other book: Sherwood Ring, but that's a whole 'nother story.
I would love to be entered in the ARC giveaway because my name is Cassie too. :D *has not yet met any polar bears, other than in a zoo, however*
I'd say that Perilous Gard is a retelling of Tam Lin, but it's a really, really self-aware retelling. Tam Lin is a ballad in the world, yes, but I think Randal says it's a true story, and the Queen doesn't like him singing it, because of that? At any rate, Kate figures a lot of stuff out because of the Tam Lin ballad.
Hmm. There's a term for this. I wouldn't call it a parody, but I can't think of anything better than "self-aware retelling." Help, smarter people?
Kristen: I'm a big fan of Alanna and all her friends/relatives too. I really don't know how to choose which of them is my favorite... I've "known" Alanna the longest, but Daine has that whole animal-power thing. I love that Ally is smart, and I admire Kel's attitude...
Meltintall3: Glad you haven't met a polar bear outside a zoo! They aren't all that friendly to people. In fact, when they aren't whisking them away to ice castles north of the north pole, they have been known to eat people.
Tigerkat24: There must be a term for it, but I'm blanking too...
Tigerkat: I think the word you want is metatextual?
Sarah & Tigerkat: Metatextual! Yes, that's it. *hits self on head with English degree* Thanks, Sarah.
I like Cayce Pollard from William Gibson's Pattern Recognition. I also loved Matilda as a child. I'm a huge Buffy fan also, though she isn't my favorite character. I might pick Anya and Giles.
I would like a copy of your book.
It's hard to pick a favourite kick-ass heroine!! I think one of mine would be from back in the day when I was reading Tamora Pierce... what was the name of the heroine who could shape shift into an animal? I really liked her as a character. Also the heroine from DAUGHTER OF THE FOREST by Juliet Marillier (Sorcha, I think? For some reason I can't remember any names today).
Kinda liked my heroine from my first manuscript too, but as that's unpublished (and will forever remain so) no-one else will ever get to meet her. :(
Oh, also Sophy from Georgette Heyer's THE GRAND SOPHY. She was pretty awesome.
Can I enter the contest, pretty please? :) Also now following you.... :)
Kristin: I think Giles is my favorite. Also love Willow, especially in episodes when she's evil.
Ruth: I've never read any Georgette Heyer. Is Grand Sophy a good one to start with?
Wow Crazy comment posting.
And, once again. BEA sounds like heaven. They have LINES for getting ARCS? And they had ARCs of FIRE and CATCHING FIRE? *stab* Why must I live on the other end of the country?
I'd like to enter! I follow your blog, and have been dying to read Ice (truthfully speaking, I actually had a dream about it...hahaha!).
Favorite heroines...definitely Hermione Granger, Dashti from Book of a Thousand Days...and doesn't Lizzie Bennet pretty much kick butt the good ol' Austen way? :D
::raises hand:: I would love a chance to win an ARC of Ice!
Andi H.
Sarah: THE GRAND SOPHY's definitely one of her better ones. My problem is that with historical fiction, I like the characters to be true to their period - which is usually the case in Heyer's books - but Sophy is a little bit more modern than is really likely in Regency England. That said, it's still one of my favourite Heyer books.
Georgette Heyer, as far as I understand it, basically created the genre of Regency England romances. Some of her books aren't great, but I'd recommend THE GRAND SOPHY for her most ass-kicking heroine. Sophy decides she wants something done, so she makes it happen. :) No swords or martial arts involved, but she's a very decisive and likeable character.
Oh wow. I want this SO badly...
Hmm..I'm kind of tired right now...I love Shannnon Hale's Enna.
(here through Sarah Rees Brennan's link)
I'd love an ARC of Ice!
Kickass heroines I have loved (most of these have been mentioned already, but what the hell!):
Cimorene from Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede.
Alanna from Tamora Pierce's books about her.
Maria from The Taking of Mariasburg and Riley from A Band of Angels by Julian F. Thompson.
Matilda by Roald Dahl.
Laura from Changeover and Harry from The Tricksters by Margaret Mahy.
Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. [And Millie, and Janet, and Nan (and Estelle!), and Angelica, and Helen, and Ann, and Polly, and Tanaqui, and oh, especially Maree...]
Janet from Tam Lin (by Pamela Dean especially).
Eddy from War for the Oaks by Emma Bull.
Sabriel by Garth Nix.
Elizabeth Bennett in P&P by Austen, of course.
Dorothy in the Oz books.
Betsy from the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace.
Emily and Anne and Rilla and Valency of L.M. Montgomery's books.
Susan from the Discworld books (and Tiffany, and Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg... I could go on).
Nancy Drew!
Amelia Peabody from the Elizabeth Peters books.
Karrin Murphy from the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher.
Harry & Aerin from the Robin McKinley classics.
The protagonists of Tanith Lee's Biting the Sun (a compilation of two novellas) and The Silver Metal Lover.
Meg Murry from A Wrinkle in Time and Polly from An Acceptable Time by Madeline L'Engle.
Kate from The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope (I also like her Peggy from The Sherwood Ring).
Hua Mulan from the traditional Chinese poem.
Portia from The Merchant of Venice and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare.
Media-wise, off the top of my head, Sarah Connor from the Terminator franchise and Fiona from Burn Notice both kick a lot of ass.
Wow, apparently I was in a mood to think about books. Sorry for the length! I'd better stop here even though I suspect I could just keep going...
Incidentally, I second The Grand Sophy as a good place to start for Georgette Heyer; I also love Frederica. They both have excellent heroines.
Also, Thursday Next is from the Jasper Fforde series that starts with The Eyre Affair and is indeed terrific.
Enna Isilee: In prior years, each booth would have mountain of free ARCs. This year, you mostly had to wait for an author signing to snag an ARC. But I still managed to wander off with several that I'm very excited to read.
Perfectgoodluck: Love all those choices. Book of a Thousand Days is brilliant and beautiful. And it is a truth universally acknowledged that Miss Elizabeth Bennet is awesome.
Andi: ::waves hello:: (I'm torn as to whether I prefer the double colon or the asterisk to denote action. Both are cute punctuation marks. Perhaps not as cute as my beloved semicolon, but still...)
Ruth: *adds the Grand Sophy to TBR pile* Thanks!
Rin: Shannon Hale writes great characters. Dashti is my favorite (the guts it took for that scene where she's naked...) but Enna is great too.
Jen: Wow, awesome list! I haven't read The Taking of Mariasburg is years. I remember really liking The Grounding of Group 6...
The Changeover is fantastic. I think I've reread that one a dozen times. It was paranormal romance before that became a real subgenre.
Love Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, though that book freaked me out about college because everyone in it was able to quote long passages of literature and I worried that I'd be out of place at college because all I could quote was a few lines from Romeo and Juliet. I should reread it...
Lyra Belaqua (His Dark Materials), Temari no Sabaku (Naruto) - her awesomeness defies the bounds of manga, all the Tortall (and circle) girls, Katniss (The Hunger Games), HESTER SHAW (Mortal Engines) - she has the same name as me :D and Sophie Hatter of Howl's Moving Castle (however much that makes me sound like a ten year old).
Also (ehem) PICK ME ME ME ME ME (me)
AH NOES, forgot two:
Maewen Singer of the Dalemark series (Diana Wynne Jones) and Max (Maximum Ride)
Respondere Sarah Beth: Turkish Delight is a real desert/ candy/ sweet in Europe that is actually popular in England. It is made from starch and sugar and flavored with anything from rosewater to pistachios.
Here is a picture: http://www.tulumba.com/mmTULUMBA/Images/turkish_delight_250.jpg
And I cannoy believe that I forgot Valancy Snaith! One of my favorite books ever, but her version of kick-ass is a much quieter sort, not that it takes any less courage... Still, I love her to pieces!
Whoa! I just went to your post about "Ice" to read a bit more about it. It sounded really really good, and I was starting to wonder if I should look at getting it when it comes out... when I noticed the blurbs from Tamora Pierce and Juliet Marillier!
I find that funny as I mentioned both authors as creators of my favourite kick-ass heroines - and if they're both fans of yours, that says a lot about you! Juliet Marillier's definitely one of my favourite fantasy authors.
Congrats on getting such great blurbs from both authors!
And the only thing stopping me from pre-ordering now is that it won't show me the UK cover... is it the same as the US? Cos that's a beautiful cover.
Enter, please!
- Katie
readwhatyouknow[at]gmail[dot]com
Raises Hands
Hester: I adore Howl's Moving Castle. Totally doesn't make you sound ten. It's a good book at any age!
Miss Clark: Turkish Delight looks elegant enough to be served by the witch. It doesn't look tasty, though... Kind of reminds me of marzipan.
Ruth: Thanks!!! I adore both Tamora Pierce and Juliet Marillier's books so I was absolutely thrilled.
Honestly, I have no idea what the UK cover will look like. More likely than not, it will be the same as the US cover, but I really don't know. I keep checking amazon.co.uk in hopes of finding out!!! So glad you like the US cover! I'm totally enamored with it.
Katie: Entered!
Marylynn: :)
Oh, I love Grounding of Group Six! I could never figure out why Julian F. Thompson wasn't more popular.
Tam Lin bears up under re-reading beautifully -- so many layers! I think I was already at college when I first read it, and at a tech/sci school at that; geek movie quotes were much more required. It mostly just made me homesick for Minnesota. But I can see your worry! I wish there were an annotated Tam Lin, because I have a sneaking suspicion I've only caught maybe half the references, if that.
Also! One more kickass heroine who definitely ought to be on this list: Cordelia Naismith of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books.
Jen: Cordelia Naismith is a GREAT addition to the list.
Also, no one has mentioned Sookie Stackhouse yet... Also Suze from the Mediator books (Meg Cabot).
The Irregulars(plus Iris!)from the Kiki Strike books, Winter from Leven Thumps( she can freeze things!), Sabrina and Daphne from The Sisters Grimm, Katrina Katrell("They call me Kartina,Katrina Katrell/and I hope you all fall down a bottomless well." Poems are awsome!)from Zorgamazoo, and Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Air, and House of Many Ways are some of my favorites.
Thursday Next is from Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series (He also writes a Nursery Crimes series, where Nursery Rhyme characters are the detectives. Quite fun!). The first book is "The Eyre Affair." It's in an alternate universe. VERY fun. ^_^
I had head about it for a few years before reading it. The first four are really good.
With your wonderful retellings of fairy tales, I think you'll enjoy both series. (Seriously, my husband and I always look forward to your next one. And I'm NOT sucking up. Gospel truth!!)
Me, me! I am 3/4 through INTO THE WILD and I want to read more of your work!
My favorite heroine...well, from fairy tales it would be Rapunzel (hence my love of INTO THE WILD). I was nicknamed Rapunzel as a kid for having really long blonde hair. I'm also a fan of the girl in the old Jack Tale Whitebear Whittington (which I kinda sorta think ICE might have some influence from....maybe???)
I personally ADORE Aerin from THE HERO AND THE CROWN. She tries and fails so many times, but never ever gives up.
Meg from WRINKLE IN TIME...she doesn't think she's worth anything, but when push comes to shove, she still stands up to do the right thing.
Lucy Pevensie from NARNIA...she believes in herself, and never questions her beliefs.
Orual from TILL WE HAVE FACES...she makes hard decisions...then admits when she's wrong.
Yelena from Maria Snyder's STUDY trilogy (starting with POISON STUDY). She is a broken person--but she doesn't give up, and she's not given up on life.
Moonstone House: Great choices! After reading Kiki Strike, I totally wished the book had existed when I was younger so I could form my own Irregulars...
Allanna: *adds them to TBR pile* Thanks!
Beth: So glad you're liking Into the Wild! I always wanted long, Rapunzel-like hair. Took me until after college to finally abandon the poodle look and grow my hair out. It's long now. Still extremely curly. Requires a bottle of gel just to cooperate with gravity. Great choices for heroines!
I am so excited. I just stumbled upon your blog and read about ICE. Please pick me. Yes me!!!!! I am a library media specialist and the kids need books like this. I need a book like this. They adore fantasy, fairy tales and anything in the magic realm.
I loved reading your blog.
Wisteria, Bookworms Dinner
bookwormsdinner.blogspot.com
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