Jordan, you don’t get to have insecurities about your writing. Like. Please. We’ll tell you any number of times needed. You’re awesome.

Let me have my insecurities dammit 😭

@fericide​ asked on our review of A Court of Silver Flames:

Do any of you guys have book recs that deal with the romance better? Or ones that have satisfying plotlines and women with good, actually feminist arcs?

First, a note on feminism. Since it is a political ideology and we are speaking of fiction, we find it difficult to apply that moniker to most works.

To be feminist, a fictional work would have to be explicitly political, that is, to promote a certain ideology through its storyline and characters. Such books exist, yes; they should be examined differently, as their goal aren’t entertainment but advocacy.

Most titles, you will agree, intend to offer a narrative experience, not a political piece. Thus, can they be “feminist”? Their authors might be familiar with feminist theory, it might inform their understanding of the world and, with it, their way of writing. Yet can that constitute enough of a demonstration of feminism-the-ideology? Should it? Or would mixing the two only restrict what is possible in fiction?

(It is one thing to challenge authors to write better heroines, another to task them with writing feminist stories, if even they agree with these principles. Can you depict patriarchy, sexual violence or tragedies? Can you include flawed, perhaps horrifying women? Can you include men and their perspectives? Suddenly, all these questions are raised and the artistry of the craft subsides in favour of what it politically stands for. When committing to creating content, it isn’t a choice to be made lightly.)

Pragmatically, we can all see marketing seized the term “feminist” and pastes it everywhere, turning it into a meaningless adjective and a business-motivated tool. Invariably, when a book is proclaimed “feminist”, one can find in reviews it contains the exact same old content, only repackaged. In fact, the more it is advertised as such, the more conservative it probably is... as we found out.

So we would not call the list that follows “feminist”, but we believe these works to be of interest to feminist-leaning individuals, yes!

You specifically asked for books, however since we struggled to find many we could heartily recommend on the topic of romance, works from other medias were added. Hope you don’t mind!

BOOKS

In the young adult realm, The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli stood out both for its heroine and romance. Asha is allowed flaws, failures and even disfiguring scars - yet none of these doom her, instead she learns from her mistakes and frees herself from those diminishing her. The boy she falls in love with shows not only respect but sincere admiration towards her person, which is all too rare. The sequels offer similarly engaging heroines, focusing on their growth and adding endearing romances that never hinder them.

The series isn’t without flaws, as the writing is perhaps a bit simple for some readers, there are a few missed opportunities with the villains and worldbuilding, and the subsequent volumes prove a little less striking than Asha’s story. Nevertheless... the author understood what it meant to be a heroine in the old sense of the term - genuine, moving, inspiring.

Also with romance (between women), The City of Woven Streets by Emmi Itäranta. Comparably to Namsara, its heroine is allowed to be instead of being shackled to expectations. This story is less easy to define, however; the book is stunningly atmospheric, to a degree that may frustrate the readers looking for more concrete answers. It also relies on some known literary devices by the end. And yet... its ambiance was so unusual, so perceptible, it is definitely worth a try.

Finally, The Twelve Kingdoms series by Fuyumi Ono and the specific volumes involving heroines: Sea of Shadow, Skies of Dawn and The Aspiring Wings. No romance but outstanding character arcs for all!

Ono chose not the evident girls, that is, the open-minded, the compassionate, the hard-working ones. She picked them among those often mocked and dismissed: spineless, self-pitying, blaming others, brash, selfish, arrogant - typically, the side characters, the minor villains, flawed and bland. Still, she picked them, thrusted them into extraordinary circumstances and trusted them to change. Made them as compelling, as worthy of our time as any other hero. Further: their choices mark them as special, as heroines of these tales. Fantasy justifications about a grand destiny aren’t enough, nor are they the only reasonable explanation... by selecting those girls, Ono shows any girl can become a heroine.

MANGA

Only one, though a particularly good one!

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama. It is still ongoing, so how nicely the arcs are wrapped remain to be seen... nonetheless, with its charming cast of young girls learning magic, the series seems on the right track. Also featuring a gorgeous art style and creative layouts.

VISUAL NOVELS

As a bonus since the question was romance-oriented. Of course, with such games, the heroine can be totally overshadowed by the men, sometimes even erased, a complete stand-in for the audience. The following list features only games with fleshed out heroines and (mostly) good romances.

Firstly, Cinderella Phenomenon, notable for its heroine: each route unveils more and more of her backstory, rightfully making her the star of the game. Like a lot of the other examples, Lucette starts at a low point - a cold, seemingly selfish princess - and gradually changes for the better after a very touching journey. Her delightful character balances out the less interesting men she can fall in love with.

Changeling also neatly challenged the clichés tied to paranormal romances (in a high school setting, no less!) without eclipsing its central character. It could have been more tightly focused on Nora, truth be told, however the love stories were all heartwarming while still retaining an unique and engaging plot, a fact which shouldn’t pass unnoticed.