Young Adult Fiction is another type of fiction in which the books that belong to this classification are intended for readers age 12-18 years old. There is a wide array of YA category, such as dystopian, fantasy, tragedy, romance, and a lot more. The beauty of YA fiction novels is the way it teaches its young readers about life, love, and other things in between. Although the books in this category are meant for teenagers, readers beyond the target age range still delve into these wonderful literary works because of their themes, characters, and stories in general.
Readers do not only seek for stories but also for wisdom so that they can feel assured, calm, and even understood. YA fiction books offer those things that readers long to find. Moreover, the other wonder of this category is that most of the books have strong female leads, which breaks the gender stereotype that is common in every aspect of the world even up to this day. If you are on the look-out of young adult books with phenomenal female main characters, then this article is perfect for you! Below are the YA books that proudly shows the greatness of their feminine protagonists.
Divergent
Divergent is the first book of the Divergent trilogy authored by Veronica Roth. It was published last April of 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books. The story centers on Beatrice Prior, also known as Tris, born on a dystopian world called Chicago and belonged to the Abnegation faction. Chicago is split into 5 divisions where each is devoted to the nurturing of a certain value, such as Abnegation the selfless, Dauntless the brave, Erudite the intelligent, Candor the honest, and Amity the peaceful. The most important rule in their post-apocalyptic world is summed up in the phrase “faction before blood.” Thus, they should put their division first before anything else and they should be part of only one faction.
After being tested, Tris discovered that she is Divergent meaning her attributes show the characteristics of other factions. In their world, divergence is highly considered as a kind of abomination and danger. When the annual Choosing Ceremony came, where sixteen-year-olds are given the chance to choose a faction to dedicate their lives until the end, the protagonist chose to be on Dauntless and strive to fit in and excel. From being mocked as a “Stiff,” Beatrice continue to battle to prove her worth, hide her divergence, and see what she is capable of.
City of Bones
City of Bones is the first book of the New York Times bestselling The Moral Instruments series of Cassandra Clare. This is a young adult fantasy fiction series set in New York City. It was published by Margaret K. McEldrerry in two different editions and dates. The US edition was published last March 27, 2007 while the UK edition was gotten out last July 02, 2007. The story revolves around Clarissa Fray, also known as Clary Fray, her identity discovery and her adventure as a shadowhunter — which is a Nephilim and have been scattered in the world to hunt demons.
Clarissa Fray discovered that she is not mundane when she entered the Pandemonium club with Simon Lewis, her best friend. She saw a boy with a blue hair and a girl that is black haired slip into the club’s store room chased by two guys where one holding a knife. She goes to the room where the boys creeped and saw that the blue haired boy being murdered and disappeared afterward. Her best friend entered the room with a club bouncer and saw nothing but Clary. That is when she realized that nobody can see the other creatures other than her. That is the turning point of the story where she began discovering her shadowhunter roots.
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is also the first book of the The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. This award-winning book was first published by Scholastic Press last September of 2008. This dystopian story is set in post-apocalyptic country in North America called Panem and is narrated by the 16-year-old protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. The book is titled based on the yearly event in their fiction world called The Hunger Games in which a pair of boy and girl teenagers, with ages that range from 12 to 18 years old, from every district that encompasses the Capitol are chosen via lottery to contend in a broadcasted deadly pitched battle.
Katniss Everdeen is a teenager from District 12 who volunteered as a tribute to save her sister, who was chosen in the lottery, from participating in the game and, worse, being killed. She was paired by Peeta Mellark, the selected male tribute. Both did not have an experience in the battlefield. Katniss, however, has an advantage because she knows how to use a bow and arrow. All the tributes were presented to the public in the hopes of getting some sponsors, and the tributes from the 12th District definitely achieved the highest score. When the game begun, almost half of the participants were already killed. The Hunger Games continue and Katniss consistently strived to survive and show her greatness.
The Selection
The Selection is the first book of the young adult The Selection series authored by Kiera Cass. It is published in April of 2012 by the HarperCollins. Aside from print, it was also converted into ebooks and audiobooks. Set in a dystopian world called Illéa, which is formed from the ashes of what was once believed to be US before it loses to China in the World War II, the fictional society of this story is divided into eight castes. The said castes are consisting of people of different societal status, ranging from the royalties to the homeless people. The story centers on America and the reality show the Selection. This competition revolves around 35 chosen young ladies who will be taken to the castle to fight for the heart of the prince.
America Singer, the protagonist, is a red-haired sixteen-year-old girl that was included in the 35 lucky young women for the Selection. However, America do not want to be part of the competition and even do not desire to marry the prince because she already have a secret lover, Aspen. What sets the main character and her special someone apart is their castes. Later on, they broke up and it became one of the reasons why America decided to join the Selection.
The Damsel’s Files 
