Most of my favorite characters are men. I don’t know if this is because I see men as more attractive characters, or if they are written to be more likeable. For example, in The Mortal Instruments, I adore Jace, but don’t care about Clary. Jace is written as charming and witty, and in comparison Clary seems bland. Let me know if it’s my point of view, or if you also feel that characters are written this way.

When I find a likeable, badass, female character in a book, it is very refreshing. Here is a list of the baddest lit(erary) bitches. This list is not in order of preference.

1. Cassie Sullivan

Short for Cassiopeia. A badass from Rick Yancey’s The 5^th Wave. I’ve only read the first two books, but so far Cassie has infiltrated alien lairs and saved her brother multiple times. She handles the apocalypse like a fucking boss. The movie adaptation of the book sucked. Don’t bother watching it, but definitely take the time to read the books.

2. Katniss Everdeen

From Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. An obvious choice. No explanation needed.

3. Rose Hathaway

From Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series. I love Rose because she’s a hilarious badass. Her determination to save Dimitri is incredible. Vampire Academy is one of my favorite YA series of all time, and I plan to do a review soon.

4. Nimona

From Noelle Stevenson’s Nimona. A very enthusiastic assistant. I picked Nimona because of her loyalty. I’m no Hufflepuff, but I do value loyalty.

Speaking of Hufflepuff, I have picked three characters from Harry Potter.

5. Hermione Granger

Obviously.

6. Minerva McGonagall

The best teacher. Doesn’t take any shit. Is sometimes a cat.

7. Luna Lovegood

A freak. I love it. I was in a Harry Potter class last semester and I had to write a paper about someone who I believed was in the wrong house. I said that Fred and George should have been in Slytherin (if this disturbs you, let me know and I will post that paper, which I got 100% on, btw). You could argue that Luna belongs in Gryffindor, because she’s not afraid to be herself and doesn’t give a shit about others’ opinions of her.

8. Denver

From Toni Morrison’s Beloved. While a ton of batshit craziness is going down at Denver’s house, she goes into town and keeps her family afloat while Beloved, who may or may not be a ghost, continues to cause major problems. Denver is lowkey the hero of Beloved.

9. Elizabeth Bennett

From Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. My copy of the book, in this post’s image, is from rockpaperbooks.com. Although her mother has been trying to get her married for her entire life, Lizzy refuses two marriage proposals. She will not marry Mr. Collins, therefore she has good judgement.

10. Scarlett O’Hara

From Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind. Gone with the Wind is problematic for several reasons, but I admire Scarlett’s perseverance after the war. Although she is criticized for not following the traditional womanly ways of the South, she supports her entire family after the war and makes sure that no one starves. Also, she will not faint for attention.