Book Heroines Tag

Nevillegirl tagged me for the Heroine Tag. For which, apparently, there are no rules – so, yay, all of the non-literary heroines, because I’m still getting back into the reading side of things *resists listing her own heroines*. And, actually, this was a really difficult tag to do. Talking about favourite books is all well and good, but this was delving deeper into the very characters of the books I read and films I’ve watched.

Which heroine would you trade places with?

Y’all know I was born in the wrong century, let alone the wrong decade. Despite the scrapes she gets herself into, I think it’d be pretty nifty to swap places with Lady Alexia Maccon from Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series. Her intelligence and scientific curiosity far makes up for her literal lack of soul. Plus, I do like the idea of being Italian-blooded (says the half-Polish lady). I’m not sure about being married to werewolf Lord Maccon, but the last few months have opened my eyes to further appreciating the male sex and everything in/appropriate they do (sorry, Nevillegirl!).

Which heroine would you push off a cliff while hoping that there are some jagged rocks at the bottom?

Uhh… None? If I don’t think I’ll like a book or a heroine, I tend to avoid it, so I can’t slip in answers like Twilight, or Divergent or something.

A heroine you couldn’t care less about? (They’re so bland that they don’t even trigger the hate in you.)

I would feel bad (for writers, not the characters) answering this question, so I’m not going to make a remark. It’s more that the characters just don’t spark my imagination or relatability. Books like that I’d probably DNF.

A heroine you thought you wouldn’t like but ending up liking, and/or vice versa?

I’m not usually a fan of contemporary romance heroines – they’re either too soppy or too I’m-a-bad-girl-and-the-guys-can’t-touch-me – but Nicole Helm’s Grace from Too Close to Handle has the right mix of tough and personal attributes that I’ve warmed to her.

Too, it took me a great deal of time to warm up to Martha Jones. After all, she was Rose’s replacement (I recently started reaching the Rose serieses, and there still is that spark about her that lights up the programme). But the older I’ve got, the more I’ve realised her sacrifice and how brave she was.

A side heroine who is much more interesting than the main heroine?

I’ve got to agree with Nevillegirl here and go with the ladies in the Skulduggery Pleasant books. I love Tanith, but China Sorrows is also fascinating because she doesn’t seem to be a plainly good or bad character. Sure, she’s supported some crazy and evil people/gods/figures – and thus done some bad things to Skulduggery in her life – but, to me, she’s one of the good guys, even if she doesn’t act or talk that way. I certainly feel sad for all the bad things she goes through in the books.

Which heroine would you want as your friend?

Valkyrie Cain from the Skulduggery Pleasant series. Reading the books, I imagine her as my friend anyway. We are similar ages and have similar senses of humour, so it would work I reckon.

Which heroine do you wish would just CHOOSE between the guys (or girls) in her love triangle?

Okay, I have yet to get my hands on the rest of the series (20th birthday presents, anyone?), but I can tell that Raine Benares may have to choose between the tall, handsome elf *swoon* or the best friend who just might be going to the dark side. Ho hum. It’s high fantasy, so I should expect that, but right now I know what’s best for Raine.

A “bad girl” heroine?

I rather dislike the term of ‘bad girl’, for the images it conjures. However, I will provide the character of Emma Bannon from the Bannon and Clare steampunk series by Lilith Saintcrow. She’s a Sorceress Prime, and, as we discover in the course of the books, her discipline is not exactly close to white. Interesting.

A “good girl” heroine?

Of course, I’m going to choose a classical heroine for this question. A lot of modern heroines aren’t so straight-laced. (The question you want to ask is ‘a good boy hero?’. 😉 ) Emma (from Austen’s Emma) means well despite being a tad obtuse – I get that’s the point of the novel, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to put my head in my hands and be mortified for the things she says and does. Great fiction, though.

Your favorite heroine of them all? (If you can’t choose, pick your top three.)

I think Hermione Granger has to be one of my favourite heroines. We the generation who grew up with the Harry Potter three did look up to her. Well, I did, as someone with curly hair, buck teeth and *ahem* intellect. 😛 Reading that Hermione was not afraid to be smart – back when diversity in writing had not yet reached portraying well the smart kids – helped me to be proud of being smart, too.

I am tagging these heroic ladies:

1. Lillian Woodall
2. Jae Dansie
3. Yawatta Hosby