Boss Ass Bitches in YA

Today is National Dog Day, which is super duper fantastic. AND it's Women's Equality Day, which is also super duper fantastic. And so today the blog is all about some of my favorite boss ass bitches in YA.

The following is a list of just a few strong, sassy, and stubborn female characters who are fighters. They have their own battles and are far from perfect (though really, perfect doesn't exist), but they will still fight to the end. They'll fight for themselves and the people they care about and their people and their homes, but they'd also be extremely likely to fight for women's rights. They just happen to prove that women can do anything men can do, and do it better. In short: these ladies will lift their pinkies when drinking tea, but they also have daggers hidden up their sleeves and they ain't taking any of your shit.

Also, I only did one character per author, so, you know, I couldn't list all of Sarah J. Maas's characters (because nearly every woman would fit, except for that bitch Nesryn).

The Queen // Mor // A Court of Mist and Fury

It would've been all too easy to put six of Sarah J. Maas's leading ladies on this list, but I had to pick only one. I narrowed it down to Lysandra and Mor, but in the end Mor won. She's immortal and she's been through hell and back, and she's a warrior. She'd rather die fighting than not fight at all. It also doesn't hurt that she's Fae and fierce as hell.

The Activist // Victoria Darling // A Mad, Wicked Folly

Victoria's a shoo-in for this list because she literally fights for women's right at the beginning of the movement in A Mad, Wicked Folly. She exists in a time where women are objects, she's arranged to marry an insufferable man, and art is her frowned upon passion. So she fights for her right to paint--and her rights as a women.

The Spy // Verity // Code Name Verity

I'm not saying the squad needs a spy, per se, but it wouldn't be a hindrance, and Verity would be perfect for the role--especially since she's a British one who was captured by Nazis. Verity understands a very specific subject: sacrifice. She knows what to do to safe others and the greater good above herself, making her a fighter and an asset.

The Mediator // Suze Simon  // The Mediator

You can't do a post about badass women in YA and not include the one and only Suze Simon. She excudes badassery and wears "I Ain't Taking Your Shit" as a perfume. Suze is a mediator for the dead, meaning that she can see ghosts and helps them cross over to wherever it is they're supposed to go. And she also just happens to wear shoes are perfect for ass kicking. Even if her mediating isn't always the gentlest or most subtle, it's still a helpful trait.

The Security // Eve Rosser // Morganville Vampires

Eve will put a bedazzled stake through your heart whether you're human or vamp. She is one-hundred-fifty percent her own person who walks around with her held high, despite the fact that she's a full-blown goth living in a town full of vampires. You can try to mess with Eve and underestimate her, but you'll find yourself with your ass flat on the ground.

The Warrior // Penryn Young  // Penryn & the End of Days

Penryn is a human put into an unfortunate situation when angels turn naughty and take over the world--and one of them takes her little wheelchair-bound sister. She ends up going to the ends of the earth to get her sister back and will stop at nothing to save her--and the rest of humanity. "Though she but little, she is fierce." And she will name a sword PookyBear. Because that's what warriors do.

The Empathizer // Grace // Some Boys

I decided to put Grace on this list because she had to go through shit when her school's Golden Boy raped her and no one believed her because of who he was and how she dressed. It put Grace through hell, but she wore her skin like armor, held her head high, and persevered and fought for justice. I think this snarky girl would kick ass on a squad of boss ass bitches.

The Fixer // Tess Kendrick // The Fixer

Tess is super duper not a fan of bullies or bad guys winning and getting away with murder. She's a justice fighter and doesn't like people getting special treatment just because of status. And it doesn't hurt that she's ridiculously good at fixing the most difficult of things.

The Handmaid // Sybella  // Dark Triumph

Sybella is a handmaiden of Death, an assassin nun trained in all the methods of exacting deaths wishes. (So, basically, she's a squad necessity.) She's a fighter who's seen horrible things and been through horrible things, and she still keeps fighting. Sybella isn't a reaper in the sense that she's evil--she is far, far from that. She can be snide and snarky and stubborn, but she only ever kills one thing: evil.

The Masquerader // Delilah Bard // Shades of Magic

I know the Shades of Magic series isn't YA, but I find it odd to have a list of boss ass bitches and not have Delilah Bard on it. I mean, is there anything she can't do? She's a cross-dressing thief with dreams of seeing the world and who isn't afraid of facing death head-on. Who wouldn't want her on their squad?

The Avenger // Kate Thompson // Vengeance Road

It's the wild, wild west! And when Kate's father is murdered she dresses like a boy and chase down his murder so that she may avenge his death. That ferocity would be super beneficial for the girl squad, and also, she has a horse.

The Hacker // Kady Grant // Illuminae

EVERY TEAM OF ANYTHING NEEDS  A COMPUTER GEEK IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. Kady is that person. She's a hacker extraordinaire and can also fight spoilery things, and we need her if we are going to take over the world.

The Princess // Lia // The Remnant Chronicles

Lia's one of the first people I knew would be on this list, because I recently read the Remnant Chronicles and the character development really turned her into a fighter. She's able to see people as one and realize that, in order to fight, we need to fight as one in order to be successful. Picking sides is a setup for failure.

ALL HAIL // BOW TO NO ONE

Who are your favorite boss ass bitches?