When a fellow blogger here at The Naked Hero changed her nickname, I jumped at the chance to use the “Kick Ass” title. Why? I love kick-ass heroines. To really enjoy a story, I need a heroine I can root for and relate to. But the title can mean different things. There are a few qualities I think of as kick-ass.
Loyalty
Characters in the books I read rely on the heroine. They count on her to be strong, to protect them, or at least to try. She’s loyal. You screw her over and you can expect nothing but the same from her. But if you’re her friend, she’ll put herself on the line for you. The type of book might dictate if that line is fighting demons or telling off a coworker, but regardless, she’s willing to put herself out there for the sake of loyalty.
Inner Strength
Many times, making the right decision is the same as making the hard decision. In fact, this is almost always true in storyland. A kick-ass heroine has the resolve and inner strength to make the tough calls—even if it doesn’t always make things easier for her, or make her happy.
Imperfection
A kick-ass heroine isn’t perfect, and she doesn’t pretend to be. She makes the wrong call sometimes, and then she’s tough enough to face up to the consequences of those mistakes. In fact, her ability to succeed through pure force of will—despite her imperfection—is what makes her so fun to read about.
You might notices that none of the qualities I consider kick-ass have anything to do with the heroine’s physical or magical prowess (although those qualities are fun to read about, too). To me, whether a heroine is kick-ass is dictated more by her strength of character than her aptitude with a knife.
What qualities make a heroine kick-ass to you?
About Tiffany Allee
Fun topic, Tiffany! I agree with all of the qualities you mentioned for a kick ass heroine. Ziva from the television show NCIS personifies kick ass in my book. I like that in spite of her strength, both physical and mental, she is able to accept help from the people around her when it is necessary.
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Tiffany Allee Reply:
June 17th, 2012 at 5:09 pm
Oh, nice one! I love heroines who are willing to accept help too, and am easily frustrated when characters feel like the have to do everything on their own.
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Great post – I love thinking abut heroines. Agree whole-heartedly with you about it being strength of CHARACTER more than any kind of superior physical strength or skillset too… and I do like a kickass heroine to have some ‘edge’ – where maybe there’s a question mark over what she would do in a certain type of situation – would she be ‘good’ or might she go a little ‘bad’???
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Tiffany Allee Reply:
June 17th, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Oh I love that edge too. In heroes as well. It’s so fun to read about a character when they aren’t always nice and perfectly reliable.
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Totally love a great kick-ass heroine! All the better with flaws. I think a great example is JD Robb’s Eve. In fact I love everything about that series!
Looking forward to reading your kickass heroine, Tiffany =)
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Tiffany Allee Reply:
June 17th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Thanks, Robyn! I haven’t read JD Robb yet, but I’ve heard good things.
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I agree with everything you said. I like heroines who kick ass in the literal sense, but mostly I like them to do it with intelligence and strength of character.
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Tiffany Allee Reply:
June 18th, 2012 at 12:10 am
It is pretty darn fun to read about a tough heroine, one who can kick butt with her wit and her weapon of choice. I love Kate Daniels, the heroine of Ilona Andrew’s urban fantasy series because she happens to do both. Fun times.
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I love a heroine who can kick ass with her razor sharp tongue! Witty, intelligent and doesn’t suffer fools. If she can be funny with it, all the better!
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Tiffany Allee Reply:
June 18th, 2012 at 11:01 am
I’m right there with you, Amy. I love the funny one-liners from smart heroines.
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Nothing better than a heroine with an edge that isn’t soft!
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Great list, Tiffany. I’m all for any heroine that doesn’t go blindly into a crazy situation
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