YA’s Most Cutthroat Heroines

Xifeng from Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, by Julie C. Dao
Xifeng may come from poverty, but both her beauty and the stars have her destined for greater things, and the abusive aunt who raised her is determined to make sure she achieves them. But Xifeng has her own ideas for the means to achieve the end they’ve seen for her in the cards—becoming the Empress of Feng Lu—and there’s no room for anyone else’s machinations. Forced to choose between family, love, and power, Xifeng will have to put her ambition above all in order to rise to the top. Good thing she’s more than ready to do exactly that.

Adelina from The Young Elites, by Marie Lu
The blood fever has killed so many around Adelina, but she is one of its survivors, marked with a mutation and in possession of powers that render her one of the hunted Young Elites. She isn’t supposed to exist, and neither is her strong, dark magic, but when she finds the others like her, she goes from surviving in near-captivity with her hateful father to thriving. And then she begins thriving a bit too much, and when her goals clash with those of everyone around her, her terrible strength makes her a formidable match to take on them all.

Lada from And I Darken, by Kiersten White
Does it get more extreme than Vlad the Impaler reimagined as a teenage girl? In this case, she’s Lada Dragwlya, a daughter of Wallachia who’s been given as an effective hostage (along with her brother, Radu) to the Ottoman courts. And she’s got one thing on her mind: vengeance. While Radu finds much to love among the Ottomans, including a newfound devotion to Islam, Lada finds only one thing: Mehmed, the sultan’s son. Unfortunately, she’s not the only Dragwlya who feels that way. But what Lada wants, Lada gets, no matter who it hurts, no matter what gets in her way.

Reshma in Enter Title Here, by Rahul Kanakia
The valedictorian spot will be Reshma’s, along with her perfect future ensured at every step thereafter. If she has to sue the school over its grading policy? So be it. Lie about working on a YA novel to get an agent? No problem. Manipulate her life in order to further her writing, in the hopes a successful book will be the key to her standing out on her applications? Just another day ending in Y. Blackmail and deceit? As natural as breathing. Cracking under the pressure? Definitely not part of the program, and if Reshma’s gonna suffer for it, she isn’t gonna do it alone.

Chloe in Dangerous Boys, by Abigail Haas
Chloe’s caught between two brothers, each of whom appeals to a different part of her nature. Sure, Ethan’s a sweetheart and a great boyfriend, but it’s Oliver who really sees her, who encourages her to embrace her darker instincts. As circumstances in Chloe’s life shift from bad to worse, it’s Oliver who prevails, drawing out the parts of her that take any actions necessary to save herself and better her life, no matter what cruelty that requires. But when all three of them are involved in a fire, and only one brother survives, questions arise as to what really happened. Only Chloe knows the answers and who’s truly on top in this triangle.

Everyone in Tiny Pretty Things, by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton
American Ballet Conservatory! Come for the chance at a beautiful future on the stage; stay because to leave is to become a nobody. Of course, sticking it out at the ABC means sharpening all the tools in your mental arsenal, because those who aren’t the most talented dancers (and now that Gigi has arrived, that title is most taken) will do absolutely anything if it means living up to stellar older siblings (in the case of Bette) or getting to stay on stage to pursue the only passion you know (hey, June). Threatening messages and suspicious accidents are only part of what tuition pays for….