Welcome to the latest episode of Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck -- Urban Fantasy Edition! Check out the Literary Characters Who Do Suck and Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck - Fantasy Edition. This week we're taking a look at urban fantasy. I combined supernatural, adult urban fantasy, and YA urban fantasy to make one list (and still only managed to find 11 chars), so let's see who made the top 10.
#10. Alexandra "Allie" from Everlost by Neal Shusterman. YA Supernatural. Allie's smart and resourceful, has a mind of her own, and her moral compass isn't always tuned correctly. I love flawed characters. And the book itself? Awesome.
#9. Mira from the Dark Days series by Jocelynne Drake. Adult Urban Fantasy. What I like about Mira is that she's a proper vampire. Meaning she's centuries old and evil, but not pointlessly so. She can beat you up, but she's not exactly a superhero. While she may not be totally awesome, she's still pretty good. And the book itself (Nightwalkers)? Not too shabby.
#8. Nina Harrison from The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks. YA Urban Fantasy. Part of this book's charm is that the vampires aren't super sexy undead bodies of supreme power. They're pretty weak, in fact. But that doesn't stop Nina from (reluctantly) going on a quest to save her friends. And the book itself? Awesome.
#7. Phoebe Kendall from Generation Dead by Daniel Waters. YA Supernatural. Phoebe is one of the few Goth Literary Chars who is actually goth. She's not perky underneath, she doesn't skip around only listening to Evanescence, and she doesn't love shopping so so much. Plus, she's pretty cool all around. And the book itself? OMG SO AWESOME.
#6. Kaylee Cavanaugh from the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent. YA Supernatural/Urban Fantasy. Ah, good old chars who, while they may not know what's going on, they can figure it out pretty well. They have cool heads in dire situations, a proper sense of moral obligation, and still manage to make a few stupid mistakes here and there. Of course, they figure out how to fix them in the end. And the book itself (My Soul To Take)? Awesome.
#5. Mercedes Thompson from the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Adult Urban Fantasy. Mercy's not just around to be the focus of the attention of ten differently-oriented-but-all-incredibly-attractive-supernatural men, which seems to be what most adult urban fantasy is all about. No, Mercy's there to actually be cool, fix cars, and moodily turn into a coyote. This book really teaches you not to judge by a cover. And the book itself (Moon Called)? Surprisingly Awesome.
#4. Clarissa "Clary" Fray from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. YA Urban Fantasy. Tiny and clumsy, Clary is a pretty average urban fantasy heroine. Not strikingly beautiful and not too extraordinary in general (or so it seems! *very surprised at Clary's totally surprising talent*). So Clary may not be a completely original heroine, but Cassandra Clare actually pulls it off in this case, whereas every other tiny, clumsy, oh-so-normal char can get annoying. And the book itself (City Of Bones)? There's a reason I've read it 4 times and have my own copy.
#3. Kerry Nowicki from Companions Of The Night by Vivian Vande Velde. YA Urban Fantasy. If you know me at all, you know about my obsession with Vivian Vande Velde, and that obsession is not without reason. Fantasy, historical, supernatural, science fiction, urban fantasy, juvenile, young adult, Velde can do it all, and she does vampires spectacularly. Evil hilarious vampire? Check. Twisty plot? Check. Good heroine? Check. Kerry freaks out in the beginning, making her realistic, but gets over it and makes herself team up with Evil-Hilarious-Vampire in order to save her family. And the book itself? OMG SO AWESOME.
#2. Claire Danvers from the Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine. YA Urban Fantasy. Easily the best young adult urban fantasy series, Morganville Vampires has what ever urban fantasy book should: evil vampires (see #3). Claire is introduced as a sixteen-year-old in advanced placement in college because she's so smart, and what's awesome is that she proves to actually be a genius, it's not just a clever ploy to get a sixteen-year-old heroine. Claire looks like a bit of wimp, but people constantly underestimating her is what allows her to continually get through ridiculous situations intact. And the book itself (Glass Houses)? Awesome.
#1. Sookie Stackhouse from the Southern Vampires series by Charlaine Harris. Adult Urban Fantasy. Oh yeah, you knew this was coming. Of course Sookie is around the top of the list. She's hilarious, adorable, and can read minds. Throw that in with a southern accent and killer vampires and you've got a fabulous heroine. And the book itself (Dead Until Dark)? Aaawesome.
There you are, the 10 heroines of urban fantasy who don't suck. And only one honorable mention: Cathy Vickers from the Cathy series by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman.
This weekend: a review by moi, Persy! Next Wednesday: Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck - Classical And Historical Edition!
--Persy
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