YA's Top 10 Most Badass Heroines

Most of YA's leading ladies are amazing. They've got superpowers, humor, spunk, skills, and, of course, awesome quotes. It's not easy picking the top dogs... *Warning: Spoilers for Crown of Midnight, Scarlet, The Elite, The Hunger Games, and Allegiant.*

10. Annabeth Chase

(Percy Jackson and the Olympians)

Our first entry is the daughter of Athena. Annabeth is a genius, a great architect, and a loyal friend. Her flaws help her feel very real, and her humor cana lways make us laugh. Even in thef ace of danger, she keeps her cool and isn't arfaid to take risks.

9. Juliette Ferrars

(Shatter Me)

Juliette starts out as a broken, scared girl who is terrfied of herself and her deadly ability to kill with her touch. As the series progresses, she becomes stronger and braver, embracing her abilites. She's not afriad to speak her mind, and once she sets her mind to something, there's no changing it. She'll stand her ground no matter what.

A lot of the books are her thoughts, which helps us get a better understanding of her character, and she totally ensnares you in her story.

8.Celaena Sardothien

(Throne of Glass)

So, not only is Celaena an assassin, she a princess. With magic. Growing up in a criminal underworld where it's kill or be killed, Celaena's hardened herself and has been trained to be a ruthless, effective, killer.

She's also the rightful queen of Terrasen and training to use her magic to harness the power of fire. If anyone can lead a rebellion, it's her. She's also a little vain and has a short fuse, but I love her for it. Nobody's perfect. Celaena's brave and, despite her profession, listened to the little angel on her shoulder.

7. America Singer

(The Selection)

In her competition for the crown and the hand of the prince, America has won the hearts of the people with her candidness, radicalt hinking, and kindness. Since she never planned to enter The Selection, she just wants her friends to be happy. Her advice helps Maxon and her pure(ish) motives help her friends pull themselves higher in the ranks oft he competition. She even risked her safety to try and defend Marlee, She's hardly ladylike, not afraid to fight rebels and dishing out the odd crotch shot here and there. (God, I almost died laughing that one time in the gardens...) And who could forget the time she met Maxon? Shallow indeed...

6. Linh Cinder (Or "Cinder")

(The Lunar Chronicles)

Cinder is our cyborg Cinderella. Much like America, she's come from nothing and become a force to be reckoned with. Cinder is a brilliant mechanic who, along with her friend Iko the android, has escaped multipule governments, kidnapped a prince (For his own safety) at his wedding, become the world's most wanted criminal, and is searching for the cure to a deadly virus. Not to mention that she's a Lunar princess trying to evade her insane aunt, the Lunar queen. And did I mention the powers? Girl's got mind control. I want mind control. Give me the books. All the books. I already payed.

5. Tris Prior

(Divergent)

Okay, so I understand that with some people, you hate her or you love her. (And then sometimes you don't care.) Granted, the ending of the series was awful. But when it comes down to it, she is pretty badass. She is, of course, an awesome fighter, but she was willing to give the ultimate sacrifice so that herb rother, Caleb, could have a second chance. She's a lot braver than she originaly thinks, and Tris only has six fears, a record that almost beats Tobias's four.

4. Clary Fray

(The Mortal Instruments)

I know, I know. Couldn't I have just used a picture of Lily Collins? Nah. I hate that movie.

You've got to hand it to Clary - she's the only shadowhunter capable of creating new runes and she'll do whatever it takes to protect the people she cares about. She's driven by love and compassion, and she always manages to do what's right in the end. Not to mention that she has an awesome team of friends to help her, including sweet, dorky Simon and Izzy, who also kicks some serious butt.

3. Maximum Ride

(Maximum Ride)

Besides the fact that Max has superpowers and wings, she's built to save the human race. But really, she's spunky and fierce, and we can always count on her for a good laugh. She can have a zinger ready in pretty much any situation. and she's devoted to her flock of geneticaly altered kids, including sweet little Angel and Iggy, who likes explosives way too much. She can always find time to help a stranger in need, and thanks to her, we have plenty of heartwarming moments in the series.

2. Hazel Grace Lancaster

(The Fault in Our Stars)

Unlike some of the other characters on this list, Hazel isn't an assassin or a princess. She's a modern day girl. She's a terminal patient fighting a battle against cancer while still trying to be happy and live as much as she can. While her humor is a bit darker than some of the other girls', she does, with Gus's help, have some moments where you can smile. The book smashes your heart into a million tiny peices, but Hazel helps you put it back together in the end.

Honorable Mentions

• Isabelle Lightwood (The Mortal Instruments)

• Number Six (I Am Number Four)

• Evie Green (The Arcana Chronicles)

• Sadie Kane (The Kane Chronicles)

• Loor (Pendragon)

• Karou (Duaghter of Smoke & Bone)

1. Katniss Everdeen

(The Hunger Games)

Katniss is a survivalist's dream girl. She's able to hunt, climb, identify safe/unsafe plants, etc. And besides, she's survived the Hunger Games not once, but twice and she became a symbol of the rebellion in the meantime. She's also very, very hard to kill. Katniss will to anthing to keep her sister and mother safe. She's the family's breadwinner in her father's absence, constantly risking her life by breaking the law so that she can hunt for her family. Katniss also has a connection with the mockinjays through her singing voice. Even in the Hunger Games, when it's kill or be killed, she manages to find a friendship with Rue, a girl from District 11. And after Rue died, instead of leaving her to be

picked up, Katniss burried her in flowers and sang to her.

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