I’ve always loved a good fantasy heroine — especially the kind who pushes back against the world around her. The ones who don’t sit quietly. The ones who carve their own path, even when it costs them. Over the years, these characters haven’t just entertained me — they’ve helped shape the way I see the world, the kind of women I admire, and the stories I want to tell.

So, I thought I’d share a few of my favourites — the women I keep coming back to long after I’ve closed the book.

🦸‍♀️ Addie LaRue from The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

 This book completely swept me away — and Addie herself is unforgettable. She’s a woman who says no to a life that feels too small and dares to want more. I love that about her. There’s such loneliness in her journey, but also such fierce independence. She reminds me to hold onto my voice, even when no one else seems to hear it.

🦸‍♀️ Alyce from Malice by Heather Walter

 I’m a sucker for a good villain origin story, and Alyce’s is one of the best I’ve read. She’s complicated, angry, magical, vulnerable — and completely unwilling to fit into anyone else’s mould. Her journey is messy and emotional, and I found myself rooting for her even when I didn’t know if I should. She made me think a lot about how power is framed, especially for women.

🦸‍♀️ Opal from Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

 Opal is stubborn, sharp-tongued, and maybe a little broken — which makes her exactly the kind of heroine I love. I fell in love with Opal’s grit and dry humour. She’s not polished or perfect, but she feels real, and her haunted-house-meets-haunted-heart story absolutely worked on me.

🦸‍♀️ Matilda from Matilda by Roald Dahl

 Matilda was one of the first characters I saw myself in. Bookish, curious, quietly clever — I adored her. As a kid, I wanted to be her. As an adult, I still kind of do. There’s something magical about a child who refuses to shrink to fit the expectations around her. She taught me that stories — and smarts — are their own kind of superpower.

🦸‍♀️ Griselda from The Old Crones Club (yep, one of mine)

 This might be a bit of a cheat, but I can’t leave her out. Griselda was one of my favourite characters to write, though she didn’t make it easy. I imagined her as part Dame Maggie Smith, part Humphrey Bogart, all wrapped in a blanket of world-weary sarcasm. But the more time I spent with her, the more her sharp edges revealed something softer underneath — a deep well of sadness, strength, and loyalty. I think she’d hate for saying that!

These women aren’t perfect — but they’re brave in ways that don’t always look like bravery. They mess up. They doubt themselves. But they keep going. They keep choosing to be themselves, no matter what the world expects.

And maybe that’s why I keep writing women like them.