Fantasy Aficionados discussion

This req may seem unusual, but I'm looking for books similar to story arcs in Game of Thrones for Arya and/or Daenarys (only the seperate story arcs, not the whole multi-charactered epic). You know in Arya's story she's becomes a young assassin and in Danny, you know, dragon queen. I'm looking for similar action/adventure/fantasy stories with girl protagonists that's not completely cliched. Thanks a lot for any help.

I think you should mark this as a spoiler for the whole Song of Ice and Fire series, since that development for Arya doesn't happen until quite a while after Game of Thrones.

Hi Max! Welcome to FA.

I've marked the title for you as a spoiler but I really need you to mark the details of what happen to Arya and Daenarys as spoilers for our members who have not completed the current Song of Ice and Fire books.

MrsJ - Arya's development is actually at least the 4th book, but definitely the 5th (I don't remember exactly). You should rename the thread from "Game of Thrones" to "A Song of Ice and Fire".

How specifically similar do you need the stories to be? Do you want specifically (view spoiler)[preteen assassin (hide spoiler)] and (view spoiler)[young girl sold to barbarian warchief becomes dragon-empress (hide spoiler)], or do you just want teenage female protagonists, or something in between? Which parts of the arc are important to you, in terms of what should and shouldn't be the same?

The two vaguely well-known strong female protagonist fantasies I normally recommend in these threads (leaving to one side the various pulp shared-world books) are Ash: A Secret History and Daughter of the Empire and its two sequels.
Mara in the Empire novels is somewhere in the Dany area, with a hint of Sansa - teenage girl unexpectedly becomes head of her House in a korean/japanese fantasy setting and has to plot and intrigue and negotiate to secure their survival against more powerful enemies. Nothing like Arya, though.
Ash in 'Ash' is more like an Arya sort of character with a hint of Brienne, but set after the end of Arya's story arc so far: she's already grown up in series of army camps and has become leader of a small but efficient company of violent mercenaries. It's set in a fantasy/SF alternate history mediaeval europe.

The Empire Trilogy is closer to traditional epic fantasy, but with a more political and familial slant, plus the oriental setting. Ash is more like historical-fiction-gone-weird. Ash is better, but less traditional.

Perhaps......God Stalk

My go-to "Young female tomboy outcast protagonists who kick ass" recommendation is the undeservedly unknown: A trial of Blood and Steel series, starting with Sasha by Joel Shepherd.

Sashandra 'Sasha' Lenayin is an exiled princess and prodigy sword fighter who follows her mentor, a legendary general and swordmaster, into a war against her own people to save an advanced but pacifist people from a genocidal war.

Strong character development, complex inter-character relationships and nuanced moralities and worldviews without being as bleak and grim as GoT.

The series is finished (so no GoT style waiting) and consists of 4 books that form one single story. The first book starts a bit slow, but it is IMO one of the best fantasy series out there.

Wastrel wrote: "How specifically similar do you need the stories to be? Do you want specifically [spoilers removed] and [spoilers removed], or do you just want teenage female protagonists, or something in between?..."

Specifically, in the sense I'm looking for similar characters. Arya, you know, she's always been a headstrong, rebellious and ambitious girl who unexpectedly gets thrown into this epic saga due to her family's predicament. Then Danny, unsuspecting and naive at first makes the best of her situation and becomes a strong and powerful woman (with dragons!)

Max wrote: "Wastrel wrote: "How specifically similar do you need the stories to be? Do you want specifically [spoilers removed] and [spoilers removed], or do you just want teenage female protagonists, or somet..."

Well, for two I suggested, I'd say that Ash is headstrong, rebellious and reasonably ambitious and gets thrown into an epic saga, though not exactly through her family. Mara is headstrong, less inherently rebellious though still willing to challenge tradition, and gets thrown into an epic saga due to her family's predicament, and makes the best of her situation to become a strong and powerful woman (without dragons). Neither are exactly unsuspecting or naive, but Mara takes a while to get up to speed with the whole 'machination' thing.