Matriarchies in fantasy are hard to pull off. You can run into the problem of creating a patriarchy with all women or creating a patriarchy where there is one woman as the exception to the rule. Thinking through how women work in monarchies is important, but almost impossible to do right. Here are fantasy 5 books that have attempted the impossible.
The Queen of the Tearling: Erika Johansen
An exiled princess assumes the throne as she comes of age bringing new ideas to a throne ruled by old blood. She continues the matriarchial rule that has defined her kingdom with the help of the Tearling sapphire, a strong magic with the wisdom of the woman who came before her. She is a woman who values taking care of her people, nurturing talent, and spreading knowledge. Unfortunately, she must contend with archaic policies, an untrustworthy court, and an evil queen who will do anything to bring Tearling to its knees.
The Kiss of Deception: Mary E. Pearson
She should have the power to see the future and rule her people, but when her parents arrange her marriage to a prince she has never meet, she leaves it all behind. Escaping with her best friend, she uses her skill with languages and survival to find a place in a tavern, away from her old life. Or so she thinks, her destiny will come and find her as she embarks on a path with people she cannot trust through unwelcoming kingdoms. Forged in fire, she emerges regal.
The Queen of Blood: Sarah Beth Durst
One could say that the queen crowned on the bloodiest of days is to be feared and revered for her might and power. Of course, then one would be grievously wrong. We follow a girl who nearly has the power to control spirits struggle and train and persevere to one day protect the country she loves. Everyone knows that spirits either create or destroy and only the queen can stop the kingdom and all the people who reside in it from death. When towns start dying, someone has to investigate the queen, train an heir, and stop the death before it’s too late.
Powerful Stormling families rule and protect kingdoms. As the last remaining heir, she has been bred to be an intelligent, honorable queen. She is to marry a prince from a nearby kingdom, but they both have hidden reasons for an alliance. When she learns of a way to learn how to control storms hearts, she leaves the nefarious marriage behind and joins a wayward group of storm hunters, a group she was told were impossible. She wants to earn her kingdom’s trust and support, but to do so, she has to face the storm.
A Court of Thorns and Roses: Sarah J. Maas
A kingdom is withering. A family is starving. A wolf is dying. As one event leads into the next, one normal girl is whisked away, over the wall into the Spring Court of the fae. As her days pass, she experiences the greatest joys, sorrows, and loves in the midst of a horrible curse. A curse that has trapped and stifled the fae. A curse that only a human can break. She may not be ready to deal with these kingdoms of fae with varied intentions, but she will always fight to survive.
Sources: Giphy, Google