Happy Belated Pride Day!
I really can't believe that it's been one year since I saw twitter blow up in rainbow colours! I've been seeing pictures of pride parades, and it's beautiful!
Anyway, today, for our pride month post, we have Julia Ember, the author of Unicorn Tracks - one of the most sweetest and adorable persons I've ever met - and an amazing advocate for diversity! She's also hosting the #ReadProud Challenge this month!
Today, Julia's here to talk about her list of book girlfriends! I am excited to check out her list, so let's get down to business!
Bookish Girlfriends – “We’re Damsels. We’re in Distress. We Got This.”
Book
Girlfriend posts are basically my favourite posts to write. If you browse
bookish twitter or read fanfiction, fandom ships often seem pretty focused on
the guy’s hot qualities. I understand that this is because the vast majority of
these shippers are straight females. As a bisexual lady, I can definitely
appreciate the hype surrounding Rhysand or Strumhand. But what about the
ladies??
In Bookish Girlfriends, I like to point out a few women from books who
are equally swoon-worthy. Some of them are queer on the page. Others are
presented in m/f pairings, but the fandom community makes all types of
pairings. So, I would love to read more about these women in my daily dose of
R-rated fan fiction. *cough*
In this particular post, I’m going
to focus on a few “alpha females” – girls who fight for what they want, fight
for the partners they want and are the queens of witty banter. These are all chosen from books I have read
in 2016.
Nesta from A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
Like
most ACOMAF readers, I’m a pretty hardcore Rhysand-Feyre shipper. To be honest,
I think my love of that pairing is a lot more about Rhysand that Feyre herself
– I just need, NEED, to read about Rhys from that intimate, first-person
perspective that comes from Feyre. But then, ACOMAF has such an interesting and
varied cast of female leads; all of them incredibly competent, brave and sexy
in their own ways. Although I didn’t love her in ACOTAR, Nesta stole the sexy
lady show for me in ACOMAF.
Nesta
is prickly, strong-willed and blunt. In ACOMAF, we learn that her will-power
was so strong Tamlin’s glamour failed on her. To me, the idea of a sun-kissed
beauty who can effectively defeat a Fae High Lord with the strength of her
mind, is incredibly, potently sexy. I’m really attracted to women who know what
they want and have a quiet steeliness about them. I also loved how protective
Nesta was of Elaine and how she stood up for herself against queens and High
Fae alike.
I
have a bit of a fantasy ship of Nesta and Mor getting together. I think Mor’s
playful personality could loosen Nesta up a little bit and I think they would
both respect the other’s strength.
Tamar from Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
Tamar, oh Tamar, could you be
any more perfect? As fiercely loyal as she is just plain fierce, witty,
affectionate and an on-the-page lesbian. Tamar is part of Sturmhand’s
protective grisha-twin body guard duo, and despite her diminutive size in comparison
with her enormous twin, I always saw her as the leader.
Once Tamar makes a promise, she sticks to it. Although she initially betrays
Alina, once she commits her loyalty, Tamar protects her fiercely. She’s also
pretty hopelessly in love with Nadia, another grisha. Although neither of them
were main characters, Leigh Bardugo put in enough adorable little references to
their relationship to get my ship sailing. I loved how she made Nadia feel
cherished, protected and sexy. Tamar is basically a WOC chivalrous,
knight-in-shining armour, and she’s amazing and so so hot.
Becca from Fledgling, Avian and Traitor by Nicole Conway
She’s
described as petite, with long raven black hair, brilliant green eyes and a
dusting of freckles. It’s the freckles that just kill me. Every damn time.
There really isn’t anything more adorable than a girl who could destroy you
with her military prowess having a cute little bridge of freckles.
Sudha from The Vishakanya’s Choice by Roshani Chokshi
Sudha was born cursed, her star-chart showed only death. As a result, she’s
turned into a weapon, cultivated and slowly fed poison until her touch is
toxic. Even though everyone around her is cruel, she’s still so beautifully
kind and strong. I nearly cried when she touched a kitten and it died. She’s sent
to kill Alexander the Great, and she manages to charm him with her intelligence
and she doesn’t cower in front of him, despite admitting that he’s a living
legend.
She’s different from my other
choices in that Sudha is more of a quiet badass. She never becomes a military
commander or rides dragons, but that does not make her any less formidable.
Loved the list Julia! Hope you guys enjoyed the post! And don't forget to check out Julia's novel, Unicorn Tracks!
About the Author
Originally from the Windy City, Julia Ember now resides in Sunny Scotland where she learned to enjoy both haggis and black pudding. She spends her days working as a professional Book Nerd for a large book wholesaler, and her nights writing YA Romantic Fantasy novels. She also spends an inordinate amount of time managing her growing city-based menagerie of pets with Harry Potter themed names. Presently, she is the haggard slave Sirius Black and Luna Lovegood the cats and Bellatrix Le Snake. She also owns a freakishly adorable cob pony called Africa.
A world traveller since childhood, Julia has now visited over 60 countries. Her travels inspire the fictional worlds she writes about and she populates those worlds with magic and monsters. In the coming year, she really hopes to visit Iceland and participate in a Saga Tour — viewing the stunning countryside by pony-back.
Julia enjoys all varieties of general geekery. In the past, she has been an avid online gamer — but has had to curb that enthusiasm. Now, she fills that void by reading too many fantasy novels, an eclectic taste in bizarre youtube videos and exploring the magical city of Edinburgh.
Find her at :
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