A Year of Heroines in Fantasy: Karou, Rose Marshall, and Yorindesarinen

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The thing I love about this month's trio of heroines is that one of them is resurrected and two of them are dead, Yep, I'm talking heroines with a distinctly supernatural vibe. ;-)

Another thing I love about this otherworldly troika is how they hail from distinct Fantasy subgenres. Karou is from Laini Taylor's wonderful romantic fantasy, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Rose Marshall stars in Seanan McGuire's paranormal urban fantasy/ horror Sparrow Hill Road (Ghost Roads #1) and Yorindesarinen is a 'best supporting heroine' in my own The Wall of Night series, which is epic-heroic fantasy all the way. 

On the surface, Karou, Rose, and Yorindesarinen are as different as their Fantasy subgenres, but there is one more element that ties them together. All three have died under traumatic circumstances in their past lives.

Rose and Yorindesarinen are both easy to talk about in this respect without fear of spoilers, because Rose is already a ghost when introduced, and Yorindesarinen a spirit being living in a between-realm called the Gate of Dreams.

 

In the Ghost Road series, Rose was murdered in a hit-and-run. Her murderer, Bobby Cross, has sold his soul for immortality and Rose's murder was intended to seal the deal. Fifty-two years later, Bobby is still hunting Rose's ghost to finish what he started. In a tale spun between diners and highways--some real, some ghosts themselves--and constant tension between the living and dead, Rose must elude pursuit, deal with crossroads spirits and old gods, and find a way to finish Bobby before he ends her, once and for all. 

She's brave and determined, ruthless in her dealings with the road's many predators, but also kind to those in need -- and when the supernatural chips are down, you definitely want Rose on your side.

Yorindesarinen is a spirit guide and mentor to Malian, the main character in The Wall of Night series. And yes, you're right -- she does have a really long name. :D That's because in her clan, the more magically gifted an individual, the longer their name -- and Yorindesarinen was the greatest hero and champion of her people, the Derai. 

Like Malian, Yorindesarinen was a Chosen hero named in prophecy, but when the Derai fled a monstrous, demonic, and apparently unstoppable opponent, she died battling it alone. She also slew the monster, and has survived in spirit form to guide Malian and ensure that when she faces similar demonic forces, she won't do so alone. Yet her chief role, as Malian grows in strength, is to provide a moral compass in dealing with allies and enemies -- and like Rose, she is kindly disposed.

Ghost, check; spirit guide, check -- and then there's Karou. Initially, despite distinctive blue hair, Karou presents as a fairly standard young woman, having fun and open to adventure as she makes her way in the world. The reader quickly learns, though, that there's far more to Karou than meets the eye, starting with living in two realms. One is our world, the other is Elsewhere, where she serves the magician, Brimstone, who uses teeth to transfer souls into new bodies. 

When Karou's path crosses that of an angel called Akiva, she discovers that Elsewhere is a city of monsters and devils besieged by angels. She also learns of the star-crossed love of Akiva and Madrigal, a devil who gathered battlefield souls for Brimstone to reincarnate, but was executed for treachery and her soul forbidden reincarnation. The more Karou learns of Brimstone's work and Akiva's war, the more she comes to suspect that she, too, is one of the reincarnated... 

Past lives and present, Karou, Rose, and Yorindesarinen, are all brave and resourceful, resolute and daring -- and in addition to being kind, all three have a sense of fun. All great reasons to have them in my fantasy hall of fame. :-)

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Prior Posts: A Year of Heroines in Fantasy

February: Aerin, Elfrid, & Malian of Night
March: Yeine Darr & Rowan Birchmoon
May: Brienne of Tarth, Adjunct Tavore, & Asantir, Commander of Night
June: Shallan, Jehane Mor, & Aidris of the Chameln

July: Amat Kyaan, Rachael Boucher, & Nhairin

 

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About Helen Lowe

Helen Lowe is the award-winning author of Thornspell and The Wall Of Night fantasy series, as well as a poet, blogger, and lover of story. She has recently completed writing the final book in The Wall of Night series, which is now with publisher, Harper Voyager.

Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.

A Year of Heroines #2 -- Yeine Darr and Rowan Birchmoon

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As mentioned last month, with completion of The Wall of Night (WALL) series I've been giving some thought to heroines in Fantasy -- all of which has prompted me to focus on them as m'theme for 2026!  Each month, I'll take a heroine (or two!) from a favorite book and contrast-and-compare with a 'leading lady' from the WALL series.

This month, I'm checking in on Yeine Darr from NK Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, along with Rowan Birchmoon from WALL -- chiefly The Heir of Night, although her influence is felt throughout the series.

Yeine Darr and Rowan Birchmoon

Don't get me wrong, these are two very different characters with very different story arcs -- for starters, Yeine Darr is the main character in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, while Rowan Birchmoon is a "best supporting" player. 

Both, though, come from outlying lands (considered barbarian by some) but are forced by a mix of circumstance and choice to dwell among strangers who are, at best, reserved, and at worst, outright hostile. 

Kindle Edition

Yeine is her people's representative to Sky, the palace of the world-ruling Arameri (who are also her estranged kin), and although summoned there by her grandfather, she also seeks to resolve the murder of her exiled Arameri mother. Soon after her arrival, however, she is precipitated into a three-way contest to become the Arameri heir, which involves not only family and cultural politics, but a long-smoldering civil war between the gods -- quite a few of whom also reside in Sky.

Rowan Birchmoon is also an outsider, a woman of the Winter steppe residing in the alien Derai's Keep of Winds, on the bleak and inhospitable Wall of Night. In Rowan's case, it is love that has brought her there, as lover and consort (but not wife) to the Earl of Night. The Derai, however, dislike what they call "outsiders", and believe she must have bewitched the Earl into loving her, so Rowan's life is also fraught with danger. 

US edition

In The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the Arameri hold sway through magic, and both serve the gods that favor them, while binding others to their own service. Consequently, in Yeine's quest to survive the contest to become Arameri heir (and so the future ruler of the world, effectively) and uncover her mother's murder, she also becomes the central piece in a game of power between the gods -- a game that is soon complicated by romantic entanglement with Nahadoth, one of the most powerful and enigmatic of the gods that serve the Aramieri. 

The stakes in this latter game are even higher than the contest for the Arameri heirdom. In order to survive both, Yeine must discover the source of her own magic and use it to win a game of power that involves both heaven and earth.

Audio edition

On the surface, Rowan Birchmoon's path through The Heir of Night is a quieter one. She also differs from Yeine in knowing the core of her power from the outset. So although the Derai see her as their Earl's unwelcome consort first, and a huntress second, she is also a shaman of the Winter People, with the power to shape the seasons, and a seer. A hidden power, but one, along with love for the Earl of Night, that has brought her to the Wall -- and also to Malian, the prophesied champion (of February's post.) 

So when the chips are down, and Malian must flee for her life, Rowan Birchmoon will step into the game -- and what follows, at that point, will play as big a part as Yeine's in Sky, in shaping the course of her world.

UK edition

Prior Posts: A Year of Heroines 

February: Aerin, Elfrid, & Malian of Night

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About Helen Lowe

Helen Lowe is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lover of story. With four books published to date, she has recently completed the final instalment in The Wall Of Night series, which is now with its publisher,

Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.