10 Super Fierce YA Heroines

Move over, Katniss. Here's the competition for the most badass female in young adult literature.

1. Kira, Midnight Fire

What do you get when you combine the sass of Buffy with the force of a human flame thrower? Kira! She has the power to burn vampires to a crisp, and she does it... a lot...

2. Suze, The Mediator

Suze sees dead people. How often? All the time! They're demanding, dangerous, and usually hell-bent on one thing: revenge.

3. Vanessa, Catty, Serena & Jimena, Daughters of the Moon

What do invisibility, mind reading, time traveling and prophesying all have in common? Nothing--except these mortal goddesses who aren't afraid to kick some evil butt...with a stiletto, that is.

4. Kel, Protector of the Small Quartet

If Alanna is the girl that started it all, Kel is her not-as-popular but way cooler younger sister. She wants to be a lady knight, and dammit, she will be! No boy or bully will stand in her way--or she'll joust them where it really counts.

5. Gaia, Fearless

Via Victoria Morillon / keenreadings.blogspot.com

Gaia doesn't know how to be afraid...literally. But that doesn't mean she's in the clear. In fact, she's almost constantly being hunted by terrorists and the CIA alike. Good thing she's trained in Jujutsu, Taekwondo, Parkour, and many other things I don't know how to spell.

6. Jacqueline, Easy

You don't need magic to be tough. When Jacqueline narrowly escapes her attempted rapist, she turns to self-defense classes for help. Realistic and determined not to be victim, she's definitely a girl to look up to!

7. Violet, The Body Finder

Violet can sense the location of dead bodies, which really comes in handy when a serial killer starts offing her classmates. But when her best friend (and hopeful boyfriend) becomes the target of his violent attacks, she goes rogue and takes the law into her very capable (if delicate!) hands.

8. Max, Maximum Ride

The government didn't know who they were messing with when they turned Max and her friends into mutant humanoid birds. But now that the flock has broken loose, they're determined to stay free no matter what it takes--and normally, that's bullets.

9. Jacky, Bloody Jack

Who says girls can't be pirates? Well, everyone. But that won't stop Jacky from pretending to be a boy, sneaking onto a ship, and yo-hoing with the rest of them!

10. Morgan, Sweep

The first rule of being a witch? Trust no one. Morgan's life is turned upside down when she discovers her Wiccan heritage, but she has to adjust fast. The world is about to end, and she's the only one who can stop it.