Sword-Wielding Heroines in Fantasy (26 books)

Listopia > Sword-Wielding Heroines in Fantasy

Fantasy books where the protagonist is
1) A woman
2) A warrior by trade (soldier, knight, paladin, squire, etc)
3) Someone who wields a sword as her primary weapon of choice

This is meant to be a narrow list. Some examples below of what it does NOT include:
• Books whose primary plot is romance (though the heroine may find love as a side-plot).
• Strong female characters who are primarily spies, magic-wielders, courtesans, or anything other than warriors.
• Books with only a side character who meets the criteria.
• Dystopian, Science-Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, or Romance genres.

There are plenty of lists that cover these other categories, so please keep the books in this list focused! In particular note that simply having a woman with a sword on the cover isn't enough (there's a different list for that).

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All Votes Add Books To This List

1	Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.27 avg rating — 137,582 ratings score: 684, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	In the Hand of the Goddess (Song of the Lioness, #2) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 103,000 ratings score: 578, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Song of the Lioness, #3) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 84,091 ratings score: 572, and 6 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Lioness Rampant (Song of the Lioness, #4) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.28 avg rating — 93,796 ratings score: 482, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	First Test (Protector of the Small, #1) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.25 avg rating — 63,649 ratings score: 467, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Page (Protector of the Small, #2) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 52,073 ratings score: 462, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Squire (Protector of the Small, #3) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.30 avg rating — 55,307 ratings score: 457, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Lady Knight (Protector of the Small, #4) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 55,594 ratings score: 452, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #2) by Robin McKinley 4.21 avg rating — 55,281 ratings score: 394, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Blue Sword (Damar, #1) by Robin McKinley 4.20 avg rating — 63,175 ratings score: 392, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Tiger’s Daughter (Ascendant, #1) by K. Arsenault Rivera (Goodreads Author) 3.86 avg rating — 4,214 ratings score: 289, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Sheepfarmer's Daughter (The Deed of Paksenarrion, #1) by Elizabeth Moon 4.12 avg rating — 13,791 ratings score: 198, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Oath of Gold by Elizabeth Moon 4.27 avg rating — 8,087 ratings score: 196, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Divided Allegiance by Elizabeth Moon 4.18 avg rating — 7,134 ratings score: 194, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Deed of Paksenarrion (The Deed of Paksenarrion, #1-3) by Elizabeth Moon 4.33 avg rating — 14,195 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Of Deeds Most Valiant (Poisoned Saints, #1) by Sarah K.L. Wilson (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 909 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	A Woman of the Sword by Anna Smith Spark (Goodreads Author) 3.73 avg rating — 237 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Unnamed (The Book of Names Duology, #1) by M.S. Masood (Goodreads Author) 4.42 avg rating — 241 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Girl Who Kept Winter (The Winter Epic #1) by Giao Chi (Goodreads Author) 3.56 avg rating — 450 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The King's Peace (Tir Tanagiri, #1) by Jo Walton (Goodreads Author) 3.54 avg rating — 786 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Legend of Fei by Priest 4.35 avg rating — 168 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Art of Prophecy (War Arts, #1) by Wesley Chu (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 6,115 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1) by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 512,923 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Heart Protection by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang 4.29 avg rating — 127 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon, #1) by Alison Goodman (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 62,975 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The King's Name (Sulien, #2) by Jo Walton (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 463 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars