LIFE CHANGING READS #4: INSPIRING YA HEROINES

LIFE CHANGING READS is occasional blog feature in which I talk about books that recently (or in the past) had a big impact on me and left me in the state of slight addiction in one form or another.

It is no secret that I struggle with leading female characters in YA genre. It happens quite often that I'm annoyed by their communication issues, naivety, childishness and indecisiveness. So whenever I come across strong inspiring YA heroine in book, my heart rejoices and said book goes straight to my favorite list. Let me introduce you to my ideal female heroines of YA genre:

Rae Carson. Author who writes awesome YA female leads and my initial inspiration for this post. Her Lucero-Elisa from Fire and Thorns series is perfect example of strong teenage heroine who does not crack under the pressure. Lucero-Elisa is smart, clever and resourceful heroine that depends on her own abilities. Lucero-Elisa is spirited girl with tremendous responsibility who always takes time to think things through instead of stupidly rushing into them or making hasty bad decisions. Lucero-Elisa should be a model example to all other bookish heroines who wants to be worthy of our admiration.

Lee Westfall (another of Rae Carson's creations) from Walk on Earth a Stranger is an ordinary girl forced to live not so ordinary life. She is a kind of female character that makes me proud to be of the same gender as her. Lee is strong admirable heroine who is able to take care of herself in all situations (not some damsel in distress). Hardships of living in Golden Era America made a tough girl out of her. As (young) female in that particular period, she had to prove her worth twice as hard as any man. And she did. Oh boy, did she. Leah may not be perfect but she is a heroine to look up to. I wish there were more characters like her in YA books.

Another example of my ideal female Young Adult heroine would be Penryn Young from Penryn & the End of Days series by Susan Ee. Penryn is survival-smart, brave, determined and loyal. There is not a single annoying feature about her. Of course, she is not perfect, she is a human after all. But her behavior and reactions were very appealing to me on personal level which is always a crucial factor for creating strong bond between reader and narrator of the book. If I cannot in any way condone with character's behavior, there is no chance of enjoying the story for me.

WHAT ATTRIBUTES DO YOU VALUE THE MOST IN YA HEROINES?

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE FEMALE LEADS IN YA LITERATURE?

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