Books with strong female character who doesn't get saved by male love interest and is actually competent and good at something

You know what? And I’m not at all being facetious here: Pride and Prejudice.

Elizabeth is told that there’s an onus on her and her sisters to get married to secure their future; but as the sole, principal reason for marriage, she’s not having any of it.

We know how it all ends of course, but nobody can tell me she isn’t the classical manifestation of a strong female character. It’s not for nothing she’s still iconic some 200 years later. ❤️

YA

Tamora Pierce - "Song of the Lionness" and "Circle of Magic" series

Diane Duane - "Young Wizards" series. Two protagonists, Nita (female) and Kit (male), without much/any romance, at least in the first several novels.

Seanan McGuire - "Wayward Children" series

"Great or Nothing" by Joy McCullough, Carolina Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, Jessica Spotswood - a retelling of "Little Women" set during WW2

Adult

NK Jemisin - "Broken Earth" trilogy. The female lead is a flawed, complex character.

The Expanse books are pretty awesome this way. Naomi Nagata is a brilliant engineer, does incredibly brave things, and rescues herself with some very creative measures (while purposely trying to make her partner and friends stay away because she's being used as bait in a trap). Bobbie Draper is a marine, a badass warrior, willing to get in trouble for telling the truth and stretch herself to work with a former rival against a threat bigger than both of them. Chrisjen Avasarala is a very seasoned and canny politician who's also a grandmother and drops even more f bombs than I do (and that's saying a lot lol) and manages to maneuver around the hotheaded/dumbass/ambitious/condescending men surrounding her. And there are more! Even when the women have love interests, they're mainly focused on the work at hand and all the crazy shit that's going on.

• I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. This is a bleak novel but very strong FMC.
• Regrettable, I Am About to Cause Trouble by Amie McNee. The main character has some difficult qualities at first, but she really shows growth throughout the story
• Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. Some wonderfully strong female main characters in this one.
• Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. Cozy fantasy with no high stakes. An orc opens a coffee shop. She’s a strong female character that builds a family around her.
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Coraline is a strong and smart main character.
• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. There is a romantic interest here, but the main character certainly achieves everything on her own
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. A gothic horror book where the main character works to save not only herself but others trapped in this creepy home.
• Educated by Tara Westover. This is a memoir but reads like a novel. Tara outlines her life in a small cult in Utah and getting out and overcoming all the obstacles she faces
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Main character has to work for herself from a very young age
• Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. A young girl loses her family and home and finds a group that reluctantly takes her in. She is incredibly strong.

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Jane Eyre

Here are some I have liked. Mostly sci fi:

• Trouble and Her Friends by Melissa Scott. About two computer hacker ex-girlfriends.

• Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany. There is a male love interest, but this isn't about him saving her.

• Ammonite by Nicola Griffith. There are, as a matter of fact, no men at all in this novel.

• Glory Season by David Brin. There are very few men in this novel.

• The Bel Dame Apocrypha series by Kameron Hurley. About two warring nations where generations of warfare have depleted the men. One nation has inverted gender roles, where the tough working women feel men are rare and need to be protected. In the other nation, they stuck to traditional gender roles, so each man has numerous wives who are supposed to defer to their husband.

• The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams. Soft sci fi about a female supersoldier on a mission.

• Autonomous by Annalee Newitz. Follows two different characters, one male and one female.

• The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders. Follows two different characters, an older woman and a younger one. Their character arcs went in very unexpected directions.

• Trouble with Lichen by John Wyndham. A pretty old book, but very ahead of its time in terms of depiction of women.

• The Snow Queen trilogy by Joan D. Vinge. Space opera very loosely based on The Snow Queen fairy tale.

• Provenance by Ann Leckie. Technically part of a series, but it works as a stand alone novel. The first three books are the only ones that need to be read in order, and while great stories about strong non-male characters, they are set in a genderless society so it isn't exactly about strong female characters. Provenance does have a female protagonist.

• Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre. There is a male love interest introduced in the beginning, but don't be fooled: this book is not about him.

The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch

Picnic on Paradise by Joanna Russ involves a group of men and women being led through an uninhabited area by a very capable woman.

Most of Octavia Butler’s novels are headed by strong women. Dawn and Wild Seed come to mind as having particularly strong protagonists that can take care of themselves.

Some of the Earthsea novels by Ursula Le Guin have strong female protagonists at the center of their stories. The Tombs of Atuan and Tenar are primarily focused on women. I will warn that there is some violence against women in Tehanu that may be difficult to read.

My girl Lisbeth Salander.

His dark materials has Lyra and she’s pretty vicious. I prefer the books to the show.

The Silo series (Wool, Shift, and Dust) by Hugh Howey.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. Grumpy 40-something retired pirate queen gets dragged back into action to go deal with some BS, pulls her crew back together, and gets some shit done.

You mentioned women with power so I'm guessing you like fantasy?

Nettle and Bones by T Kingfisher is about a woman who is on a quest to save her sister from an abusive relationship. She's in her 30s so she has more experience and confidence then most younger heroines in your typical fantasy novel

Uprooted and Spinning Silver, both by Naomi Novik have strong female main characters who solve their own problems. Uprooted is about a young woman coming into her powers so you might find her a bit of a damsel in distress at first but she learns from her mistakes and comes into her own powers quickly. Spinning Silver has two very smart, strong femal leads 

The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden!!!

There’s an entire plot line where the main character rejects being saved by a man, and instead gets to work on saving herself (and everyone else). It’s awesome.

Anything by:

•Ilona Andrews •Seanan McGuire •T. Kingfisher •Grace Draven •J.D. Evans •Tasha Suri •Leslye Penelope/L. Penelope •Robert Jackson Bennet •P. Djeli Clark •M.A. Carrick

All feature mature, highly competent(but not perfect) FMCs. The characters have agency & are integral to the plot & resolution of the story. Most have romance to varying degrees, but it’s never at the expense of the greater story nor the FMCs character arc.

The Discworld series has plenty such characters.

The Queen of the Tearling series by Erika Johansen. About a princess who inherits the throne and proves her mettle in a dangerous and magical world.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. About a woman determined to find her missing daughter in a world plagued by catastrophic geological events.

The Joy Luck Club and a lot of Lisa See books.

Waiting to Exhale and all the Terry McMillan books.

Does Matilda count? Neither Matilda nor Jennifer get saved by a man.

Elphaba from Wicked by Gregory McGuire is my all time favorite book character. She’s gritty, not pleasant, complex, tragic, funny, and unaesthetic. She is capable and strong and smart but full of flaws. I re-read this series every couple of years.

The crossing places by Elly Griffiths. About a forensic anthropologist at a small English university who gets pulled into murder mysteries. Definitely independent and strong.

The mysteries are pretty good, but I really just enjoyed hanging out with the characters and the English seaside setting. There's about 15 books.

By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey.

It's an older book, think it came out in the 80s.
It's about a woman that does not fit in with the women in her world and makes her own way as a mercenary.
She is strong, capable and competent and she saves the eventual love interest.

It's a great story and the author created a great character.

Babel-17 by Samuel R Delany. Warning for being very, uh, mid-century, but it's a fascinating scifi novel about a linguist/poet named Rydra Wong translating an alien language that's so efficient that thinking in it basically gives her superpowers. She saves her male love interest's ass on multiple occasions but tbh the book could go on without him lol.

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling. Scifi/Horror about a climber named Gyre exploring a deep fucked up cave, she gets saved a little bit by her female love interest at the end but she spends most of the book saving herself from her female love interest. 10/10 toxic yuri, also speleophobia (is that a word?)

The Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. Fantasy about the kids who come back from Magical Adventures In Other Worlds and how fucked up in the head it makes them. Absolutely dripping in competent female characters. The plot doesn't happen to Sumi and Cora, Sumi and Cora happen to the plot.

The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Scifi and by scifi I mean geology-fi about a tectonics-based apocalypse scenario. Male love interests save the main female characters a few times, the ladies save themselves and other people more, and also the whole-ass world. Rescheduling the apocalypse, babey!

The Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest. A steampunk Civil War alternate history series about zombies, featuring a different female protagonist in nearly every book. A single mom becomes the sheriff of a community in the Seattle underground! A battlefield nurse helps protect an armored train from zombies! Princess Angeline! Belle Boyd!

The Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey. Victorian/Edwardian adaptations of various fairy tales with elemental magic. Most of the books are like this, and it's just a shared setting so you don't have to read them all/in order. I especially recommend Blood Red, in which Rosamund/Little Red Riding Hood doesn't just slay some werewolves, as is common in adaptations of that story, she slays A FUCKTON of them in one fight.

The Final Girl Support Group, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: not a series, these homages to slasher horror, Satanic Panic horror, and paranormal horror respectively all star women saving themselves and each other from the things that go bump in the night.

The Ghost Roads trilogy by Seanan McGuire. A hitchhiking ghost known as the Phantom Prom Date has repeated conflicts with the immortal asshole who ran her off the road on prom night, survives various ghost hunters and traps, does some katabasis, and eventually avenges herself.

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo. This new weird/horror novel is about a way more toxic werewolf/sea monster version of the Addams Family. The main character comes home from boarding school just in time for grandmama to die, and she invites Grandmere to the funeral, and then she has to save her family from Grandmere and stop them from doing anything that would make the nearby town whip out the torches and pitchforks.

The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME, MY BELOVED, THE FIRST BOOKS I EVER WROTE FANFIC OF, ETC ETC. Fantasy about reverse necromancers called Abhorsen that use magic bells to fight the undead. A glorious progression of Terrifying And Competent Women And Girls. There are male love interests, and even the most competent of them are simply not nearly as cool as their respective ladies.

Far from the Madding Crowd comes to mind.

The Locked Tomb - Tamsyn Muir

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe

Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant has several kick ass female protagonists

Also the Donovan series (book one is called Outpost) by W Michael Gear is full of badass chicks.

The Deed of Paksennarion (trilogy/available as compendium), first book is Sheepfarmer's Daughter.

Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold.

A deadly education by Naomi Novik. Now, the book does start with how the guy has saved the girl 3 times already - and she’s pissed. And then goes on to save him and their whole ass world! Absolutely amazing book.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher.

Strong main female character who sets out to save her sister from a horrible prince (her husband). She meets fun characters along the way. No romance, strong women, a chicken possessed by a demon and bone dog. Loved it so much.

• Sabriel by Garth Nix
• Song of the Lionness by Tamora Pierce (actually any Tortall books)

Stieg Larsonn’s Millennium Trilogy.

Get started with The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. There's plenty of strong female characters. The Mistborn series  by the same author also has fairly competent leads.

The Gift of the Darkness --- by Valentina Giambanco

Killers of a Certain Age --- by Deanna Raybourn

The Checquy Files trilogy by Daniel O’Malley.

{{Priory of the Orange Tree}}

In no particular order:

• Wearing The Cape series, by Marion G. Harmon: MC, once she gets trained up, is the one who does the saving.
• A Practical Guide To Evil series: MC is very competent, and owns her mistakes when they happen. She's good/fortunate at recruiting talent, many (though not all) of which are also very strong women (often literally).
• A Brother's Price, by Wen Spencer: what would society be like if less than 5% of all babies were male? Most characters in this book are men. Flip most gender tropes on their heads.
• Honor Harrington series, by David Weber: space navy officer outfights and outthinks her opponents throughout the galaxy, from ship-level to fleet-level engagements.

The Power - Naomi Alderman

Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Any of Terry Pratchetts Witches books

Mightnt be everyones cup of tea but

How to become the dark lord and die trying fits the bill too.

The Library at Mount Char

Graceling by Kristin Cashore. It's YA-leaning but genuinely very good, I feel like I've been chasing the high ever since I read it a few years ago. It's technically part of a trilogy, I think, but it 100% stands alone if you don't want to read past it!

old-school series: modesty blaise by peter o'donnell from the 1970s.

she gets thumbnailed as 'the female bond' but there's so much more to her than that. she's got a backstory as an orphan/refugee who became head of an extremely profitable (and ethical: straight theft, no vice) crime ring, and then retired. someone from mi5 approaches her to ask for a special favour because she can go off the official script, and that's where the series begins.

she has a unique and devoted sidekick called willie garvin, who she has an unbreakable bond with, but with zero sexual/romantic chemistry. she has a friendly and respectful fuckbuddy thing that goes on in most of the novels, and each of them has his place in the story but they never become rescuers.

Trust by Hernan Diaz.

David Weber’s “Honor Harrington” novels come to mind.

So does Tanya Huff’s “Confederation of Valor” series and “Summon The Keeper” by the same author.

It’s fantasy/horror romance, but the titular MC of Ilona Andrews’ “Kate Daniels” books is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Sometimes she needs a rescue, but at least as often she’s the one doing the rescuing.

Most of Seanan McGuire’s female MC’s are very capable and don’t need a man to save them.

For YA, Cat Valente’s heroine in “The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making” is fabulous.

Sue Grafton's alphabet series of mystery novels with Kinsey Milhone as a private investigator. Start with "A is for Alibi" and go forward.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. Actually, the whole Winternight trilogy is great. There is a love interest if you read the whole series, but even that is treated as kind of a side dish to the main quest. It’s Russian Folklore, witches, and historical fiction. Great series.

I mean, the witches in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are pretty much the best female characters ever. They are all so different, from Granny to Nanny to Margaret to Tiffany, but all powerful in their own way, and none of them need rescuing. Terry considered women to be fully-fledged and completely capable human beings, and it shows in everything he wrote! ❤️

If you are new to Discworld, you can start with Wyrd Sisters, then go for my favorite Witches Abroad.

Daevabad trilogy

Seconding Sabriel

I would add Scholomance, there is however constant life threatening danger in that one, so there might be a bit of thinking the guy is hot mixed with danger, but it's not a stereotypical type of romance in that way.

Mrs Marple!

"Great Circle" by Maggie Shipstead.

Literary historical fiction, about a queer women who wants to fly planes. She's an awesome character. Probably one of the best books I've read in the last 5 years.

Sword of Kaigen's main character Matsuda Misaki is an incredible character who's extremely competent. I think the writer did something really masterful in how they tackled stereotypically sexist topics like motherhood, tradition and love without taking away the agency.

The October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. The first book is Rosemary and Rue

The Rise of Kyoshi

Miss Benson's Beetle Two great strong female characters! Neither are whiny nor immature, nor do they need a man to save them. Instead, they are depicted as strong, capable, and resilient individuals who overcome significant challenges. Their contrasting strengths—Margery’s practicality and Enid (who seems frivolous at first) proves to be creative strong and resourceful. They complement each other, leading to a funny, interdependent bond. An “opposites attract”enduring friendship and adventure

The Change by Kirsten Miller - not just one strong women but multiple. Women going through or approaching menopause start to discover powers they didn’t know they had before. It’s a lot of fun .

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dicksinson. Lesbian imperial accountant seeks to dissolve fantasy steampunk empire through fiscal policy and diplomacy.

Two series that I love with very strong women:

The Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepherd. Kris joins the space navy for her planet to get away from her family and, shall we say, rapidly advances her rank because she is so awesome. Then it gets weird.

The Alien series by Gini Koch. Our intrepid heroine learns that there are aliens on earth, they've been here for awhile, their intentions are good, and they are HOT. Then she kind of gets involved, takes charge, and makes it all work. Then it gets weird.

(Clearly, I like weird. But both series have very strong women at the center. And sides.)

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. It's about the Black Plague.

Anna not only doesn't need saving, she saves a lot of other people.

Elizabeth Moon has several book series where the female lead either doesn't need a dude or, though, has one isn't overshadowed by them.

Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde! Thursday is the character you're looking for. The first book is The Eyre Affair.

The Emperor’s Edge series by Lindsay Buroker… the first 3 books are free on Kobo and probably on other apps too.

She totally does get saved occasionally when she totally does do stupid shit, but she also does a fair amount of saving, and a fair amount of leading, so I think it balances out.

The first thing that came to mind was The Paperbag Princess by Robert Munsch. I'm sure there's more challenging material out there, but if you don't mind a children's book then this one is a classic.

I like The Book Of The Unnamed Midwife by Meg Ellison for this reason.

There are two others in a trilogy but I haven't read them so can't speak for the characters in those.

Its a little YA but a book called Graceling.

Graceling takes place in a world in which people with special powers are knowns as Gracelings. Gracelings are identified when their eyes become two different colors. In the Middluns, Gracelings are put in the service of the king. Katsa is a young woman known for her Grace of killing. She has been in the service of her uncle, King Randa, since she was a child, tasked with executing or torturing those who oppose or displease him. She also runs the secret "Council", which aims for justice in the Seven Kingdoms.

She is very much not a damsel in distress and goes on quiet the adventure.

The Queens Gambit

Ranger's Apprentice. At least some of the time, haha.

I suggested this book as an answer to a totally different question the other day, but it's valid to your question ttoo, and this book is bloody brilliant if you ask me!

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

I really liked the Memoirs of Lady Trent series by Marie Brennan. The first one is A Natural History of Dragons. There are five books. It’s basically Victorian England with dragons. The MC wants to study dragons and makes it happen. There’s some romance involved but they’re equals.

Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

Miss Benson's Beetle. I highly recommend this book.

Silence of the Lambs.

The Trap, by Tabitha King

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan

https://elisabethwheatley.com/collections/daindreths-assassin

The power by Naomi Alderman! The premise is essentially, what if women could do to men what men have been doing to women for centuries?

The Future by Naomi Alderman

If you like romance novels, Jennifer Crusie does a great job writing strong women.

Jane Hawk series by Dean Koontz

I like JD Robb books it's a series up to 54 in series

ASOIAF has many female POVs that are strong and intelligent people. Dany, Brienne, Arya, Arianne, Asha, Sansa, Catelyn and Melisandre are all super interesting and well-developed. You'd be annoyed with Sansa in book 1 and Cersei in books 4/5 but they're still super well written.

Burning Bright, by Melissa F Scott

When space pilot and game designer Quinn Lioe's ship docks at Burning Bright for repairs, she can't resist the opportunity to play at the very epicenter of the Game. Running Game scenarios out of a local club, she soon finds herself drawn into real life events of far greater consequence than she could have anticipated.

This is easily one of my all time favourite books.

Trouble and her friends, also by Melissa F Scott

Less than a hundred years from now, the forces of law and order crack down on the world of the computer nets. The hip, noir adventurers who get by on wit, bravado, and drugs, and haunt the virtual worlds of the Shadows of cyberspace, are up against the encroachments of civilization. It's time to adapt or die.

India Carless, alias Trouble, got out ahead of the feds and settled down to run a small network for an artist's co-op.

Now someone has taken her name and begun to use it for criminal hacking. So Trouble returns. Once the fastest gun on the electronic frontier, she had tried to retire-but has been called out for one last fight. And it's a killer.

Another one of my all time favourites...

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

Recent crime novels offer TONS of competent women who DGAF about men’s comfort. Thank god. I love Denise Mina’s books. She is the queen of UK crime to me. Her book Deception is so interesting and darkly hilarious. I reread it often.

If you want more suggestions, comment. I’m sure this will get downvoted cos I mentioned not GAF about men’s comfort! Reddit is the capit of “well actually” boys.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

The Rules of Civility-Amor Towles

Legends and lattes. Viv is built.

Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher (kind of) there is a strong guy who it is implied that the maincharacter is into but I don’t think they get together, and maybe he saves her once but it’s more like the main character is on a quest to save her sister and kill her sister’s abusive husband and she has two very elderly magical women helping her, a bone dog, a bodyguard/assassin (said guy from earlier, he serves a purpose for her plot/quest), and a demon chicken. I highly recommend. Otherwise Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater- the main character is a gender fluid angel (they can swap how their form appears), and sometimes they’re a woman, sometimes they’re a man, and they have a woman love interest. It’s a lovely story that has a very similar feel to Good Omens

The Deed of Paksenarrion. It's a trilogy but so so worth it.

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey. There is mutual saving between her and her love interest, in a way. But she's clearly the hero, and he's the side kick.

Ilona Andrews—any of their series (husband & wife writing duo), but especially the Kate Daniels series. Lots of strong women, and the main character kicks butt.

Joan D. Vanges’ Snow Queen novels are very much based on the Snow Queen children’s story, including in that it’s the girl/young woman mostly doing the saving.

Naomi Novik's 'Schoolomance' trilogy. It twists and turns >! but ultimately the female protagonist is as per your request.!<

The Monstrous Regiment. Best possible use of the concept. By Terry Prachett. One of my favorite books.

Actually almost any of his books. The Wee Free Men series is great. Tiffany Aching is how I'd want my daughter to be. Any of his witch books. Nanny Ogg is my fave.

Honestly, the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett has many strong female characters -- from Tiffany Aching in a YA series (she does the saving), the three witches (featured in several books), Susan (Death's daughter), and Lady Sybil Ramkin and her home for wayward dragons.

DIscworld is funny, witty, charming, and satirical. I've read every book in the series and have started re-reading them.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce, The first book in the Song of the Lioness series is about Alanna, a girl who pretends to be a boy to become a knight. She's super brave and determined.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Graceling by Kristin Cashore, it's about Katsa, who has a cool fighting ability. She's independent and uses her skills to protect others and uncover political secrets.

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, Vin, a girl with special powers, becomes a strong leader fighting against a bad government.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Agnieszka discovers her magical abilities and uses them to save her village from an ancient evil.

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. It's inspired by The Princess Bride--the idea that the story would have gone very differently if the princess had gone after her prince and tried to rescue him.

The Wool series

Honestly, a lot of Michael Crichton’s female protagonists are fantastic

Tamsin Muir - Gideon the Ninth

Doesn’t get better than Mattie Ross in True Grit. Intelligent, stoic and with little patience for weak minded men, she’s the real deal. Also, who doesn’t love a girl who has a great horse. Little Blackie forever.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynn’s Jones. I loved Sophie as a character.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I think The Nightingale by Kirstin Hannah fits this

Best Served Cold - Joe Abercrombie.

But just to be clear, it's a pretty brutal ride. Not for the faint of heart.

little women

“You don’t need princes to save you. I don’t have a lot of patience for stories in which women are rescued by men.”— Neil Gaiman

I highly suggest ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’

Am I the only one who thinks Nora Roberts' characters strong, capable and competent? I LOVE her books!!

Haven’t checked the comments yet to see if anyone has mentioned them yet, but Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series has tons of strong female characters! I’d suggest starting with Equal Rites but honestly any of the witches or Tiffany Aching books in the series would be perfect!

The entire Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Cruel Prince series by Holly Black 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 

Poison Study! It's by Maria V Snyder. Main character is an underdog who is very competent and works hard to achieve her goals. I found her arc very satisfying.

I just read first lie wins by ashley elston and it does have somewhat of a love story in it but I think it fits your description!

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg

Alice Vega books by Louisa Luna. Very well written thrillers about a bounty hunter with a knack for locating missing people. Intense and suspenseful, with the best interrogations I've read.

Two Girls Down

The Janes

Hideout

sea women by Lisa see … this is historic fiction

A Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by CM Waggoner

The Gate into Women's Country by Sheri S Tepper

( Really anything by Tepper, my top choices (besides the Gate) would be Singer from the Sea, The Family Tree, The Fresco or Gibbons Decline and Fall)

Dweller on the Threshold by Skyla Dawn Cameron

Iain Banks has strong women 

The Collapsing Empire trilogy by Jon Scalzi.

When Women were Warriors series by Catherine M Wilson Hardly any men in the book and zero male characters of any real consequence.

Hild