Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas (Eight Maids Kick-Assing)
I am super excited to be a part of the 12 Days of Christmas event hosted by Between My Lines!
On the eighth day of Christmas, Jessica recommended to me...
Eight Maids Kick-Assing
1)
Celaena Sardothian, Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
First of all, Celaena is an
assassin, which is way awesome in itself. She has been brought out of the salt
mines to compete to be the King’s Champion, a role she may not want, but one
she needs to survive and gain her eventual freedom. She is a complete badass.
She just is. She is strong, cunning, precise, and has been hardened by her
experiences and losses. Just when we see
her to start to soften and open herself up to love, everything comes crashing
down around her and her ruthlessness made me cringe. There is so much to
Celaena than meets the eye and when you discover that she’s not just an ordinary
girl, your mind is blown. In the most recent book, we see a broken woman rise
up from the ashes like a phoenix and I was left in awe of her resilience and
strength. She is always the first person
I think of when someone asks me who I would consider a strong heroine.
2)
Mercy Thompson, The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
In a world of supernatural beings, Mercy isn’t really
all that special. She’s a shifter, but really has no special abilities- not
like the werewolves, vampires, or fae she finds herself amongst. However, because of Mercy’s associations with
these mythical creatures, she often finds herself in some pretty hot water. She
is such an admirable character though. She puts others’ needs and well-being
first. She is tough as nails and I
really liked that about her- even when she’s been completely broken down , she
still manages to pick herself back up and move forward.
3)
Cat Crawford, Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost
Cat is a half-vampire who is hell
bent on destroying the undead forces in hopes she will find her father- the
vampire who hurt her mother and ruined her life. Along the way she meets Bones,
an incredibly alluring, sexy vampire bounty hunter- she forms an unlikely
partnership with the vampire- he agrees to help her find her father and she
will train with him to become a lethal weapon. And boy does she! Together,
these two are unstoppable! Cat is not
without her flaws though. She makes mistakes and has regrets, but she still
comes out stronger because of them.
4)
Feyre, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Feyre is by far one of my favorite
maids kick-assing. She’s not an assassin like Celaena, or a supernatural being
like Mercy or Cat. She’s a human who is desperate to take care of her family.
She is a true survivor and will do what she must to ensure they are at least
fed. Feyre has incredible heart and
spirit and I love the lengths she goes to for the ones she loves. With no
training or special powers, she will
venture into faerie lands and learn once again how to survive against a race
she has been raised to loathe with every fiber of her being.
5)
Elisa, Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson
When we first meet Elisa in The
Girl of Fire and Thorns, she wasn't a very likeable protagonist. She lacked
confidence in herself, felt inferior to her older sister, and felt the need to
gorge on food to make herself feel better. However, after being married off and
kidnapped, Elisa slowly starts to transform. After returning to the palace,
Elisa is far from the same girl who was kidnapped. She has faced hardships she
never dreamed of. She had to learn to survive on her own and not depend on
someone else to take care of her. In The Crown of Embers, Elisa is still
transforming into the woman she's meant to be. She now has a kingdom to run and
has to face betrayal at every turn, not knowing who she can truly trust. She
also sets out on quest to discover the true nature of the Godstone she carries.
I love how unyielding Elisa becomes in The Bitter Kingdom. She vows to rescue
Hector and makes decisions for the good of her kingdom and her people. Yet, she
also manages to secure her happiness as well- which let's face it- she
deserves! What I absolutely loved the most about Elisa was the fact that she
learned to feel beautiful in her own skin. It doesn't matter what anyone else
but her thinks and I think that really shows maturity on her part. Sure, Hector
finds her beautiful, but what's important is that she finds herself beautiful.
6)
Kaliope, Goddess Wars trilogy by Trisha Wolfe
Kaliope is one kick ass female and you all know by now how much
I love fierce, strong protagonists in my books. Kaliope has gone through some
major trials in her past and still bears a heavy burden. She feels that her
clamp in her chest is a curse, where her mother had always praised the goddess
that it was a gift. Not many know of the stolen mercury that runs through her
blood and Kaliope prefers to keep it that way. She serves as one of the
Empress's Protectors and she puts duty and honor above all else. Upon receiving
a promotion to be the leader of the prestigious Nactue Guard, her first
assignment is to protect a prince (the last of his line) from a neighboring
kingdom. I loved how devoted Kal was to her friends and her fellow Protectors.
She was always willing to put herself at risk for the sake of others and I
think that right there tells you just what kind of person Kal really is. Up
until the very end, Kaliope is willing to make the hard sacrifices to protect
the ones she loves.
What one word would I use to describe Kal? Resilient.
What one word would I use to describe Kal? Resilient.
7)
Sydney Sage, Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead
Sydney definitely doesn’t start off as
someone I’d consider to be very kick ass. However, her character goes through
so much development and her once solid beliefs are rocked to the very core,
forcing her to reexamine her life and the job she’s been doing for the
Alchemists.
I
was so proud of Sydney though in the most recent book, Silver Shadows. She is
resilient! No matter how many times people try to break her, she just won't be
broken and I really admired her for the way she handled her situation. It takes
her awhile to accept the fact that she needs to play the game in order to be
free. Sydney doesn't want to play the game. She has finally become her own
person and has her own thoughts and beliefs. The last thing she wants to do is
pretend she's complacent and agreeable. Sydney is smart though and she realizes
she must do what she needs to if she wants to escape.
8)
Lela Santos, Guards of the Shadowlands trilogy by Sarah Fine
I love Lela. She is such an awesome protagonist. She is
fierce, strong, and determined. She has dealt with some serious stuff after
having grown up in the foster care system and having dealt with a certain less
than desirable foster situation. She keeps people at a distance and is not
overly emotional (she does NOT like to be touched). Nadia was the first person
she let in- the first person to know all the shit she's endured and the first
person who actually cared about her.
Lela has changed a lot since we first met her in the first
novel. A lot of it has to do with Malachi, but it also has to do with her inner
strength.
And there you have my eight maids kick-assing recommendations!
Make sure you follow along with the rest of the tour for more great book recs!
Dec 26th: Two Chick Lits – Lola @ Lola’s Reviews
3 comments
OK of all these the one I feel most guilty about not reading is Throne of Glass. I have it since Christmas last year and I am definitely cracking it open soon! I'm taking on less review books this year just to make time for my own ones and this is one of my high priority reads.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree that Lela from Sanctum is a true maid kick-assing! I love her.
I have Girl of Fire and Thorns too so I'll make sure I remember about her character development when I start and try not to judge her too harshly!
Thanks for the recs Jess, so many I want to get to in 2015!
I read and enjoyed the first Throne of Glass and all but the last one of Mercy Thompson series. Good choices, some new to me, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing list! Completely agree about Sydney (I love that you chose her, I think a lot of people would overlook her), Lela, Cat, and Elisa! I still need to finish the Night Huntress series, and I'm so excited for A Court of Thorns and Roses.
ReplyDeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.