Famous Classic And Contemporary Female Authors That Readers Can't Get Enough Of

Leigh Bardugo is the author behind one of the best-known fantasy universes: the Grishaverse. Her books became the basis for the Netflix show Shadow and Bone, featuring characters from across her universe (if you’re yet to watch it, this is your sign!) Leigh earned her BA from Yale University, which she used as the basis for her Alex Stern book series, including Ninth House, Hell Bent, and the highly anticipated Dead Bent, published this September.

Six of Crows was the second series set in the Grishaverse. This series follows a group of six characters with large personalities as they work together to pull off a difficult heist with a huge payday!

 Meet Kaz, the scheming leader. Inej, Kaz’s secret love, spy, and wraith. Nina, the actress and heartrender who is never far from waffles. Jesper the sharpshooter. Wylan, the Merchling who knows his way around explosives. And Matthias, the Fjerdan who is the reluctant one of the bunch, but knows their target location the best.

The magic systems and world-building in the Six of Crows series are top-notch and invite you to stay for a cup of tea and some waffles, while the found family is sure to make your heart soar.

Author Kendare Blake was born in South Korea, adopted by an American family, and moved to the United States at a young age. If dark fantasy and horror are your jam, then you'll love Kendare's books, and there are plenty to choose from, so you’re in luck!

If you enjoy young love and found families, be sure to make space on your TBR for Anna Dressed in Blood. This is one of those horror books that draws you right in with its dark humor.

For a challenge, Cas (who sends the most violent of ghosts to their afterlives) moves to Thunder Bay, Ontario, to kill the notorious ghost, Anna. Unfortunately, he ends up falling in love with her instead, which complicates things. With the most popular girl at school and a clairvoyant on his side, along with his mother, Cas and Anna must figure out how to save her. 

Love science fiction? Let me introduce you to Marissa Meyer. A Washington State native and alum of Pacific Lutheran University, Marissa loves taking well-known fairy tales and developing worlds that you’ll want to get lost in. 

Her most popular books include dark fairy tale retellings of Cinderella and Snow White, which she turned into science fiction novels in the Lunar Chronicles, drawing you in and leaving you with a book hangover.

What if Cinderella had robotic parts that made her a second-class citizen in a version of Beijing far into the future?

Meet Cinder, a young woman who’s trying to survive each day under the roof of a stepmother who resents her for existing. Cinder’s life turns upside down when secrets are revealed, and we see the bravery we’d recognize in any version of Cinderella, a bravery we feel deep in our souls that we want to see in ourselves.

Beyond book one in The Lunar Chronicles series, you’ll find three more books, including Scarlet, a version of Little Red Riding Hood; Cress, a version of Rapunzel; and finally Winter, a version of Snow White.

Arguably one of the most famous 21st-century Canadian authors, Margaret Atwood has published 17 novels, 19 works of poetry, 8 children’s books, 12 works of non-fiction, and many other pieces of writing to date. Her most popular book, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” was published in 1985 and adapted into a movie in 1990, then a 6-season TV series in 2017, which concluded in 2025.

Welcome to the Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal dictatorship formerly known as the United States of America that nobody wants to visit. Offred is now a handmaiden, one of the few women left who can bear children. Through Offred’s first-person point of view, you’ll be a witness to the effects of this world on women from different classes as they live their lives in this strict hierarchical and religious class system.

When you think of happily-ever-after endings, does your mind go straight to Jane Austen, one of the most beloved British romance authors? Her name is known by almost everyone, and she deserves a spot among the greatest classic female authors for the way she writes romance books full of yearning and witty female characters, who are expected to marry well for their families.

Agatha Christie, the queen of murder mystery, wrote sixty-six detective novels, as well as short stories, over her eighty-five years of being alive. Her most famous characters include the Belgian with the famous moustache, Hercule Poirot, and the prim, elderly Brit, Miss Marple.

Frankenstein shows you that just because a scientist can create something doesn’t necessarily mean they should. 

Curiosity leads Victor Frankenstein to create a sentient being, but when he’s scared by it, the creator doesn’t stick around to ensure his creation learns how to live in society and be good and kind or be loved and supported. 

Instead, Frankenstein’s monster is left to fend for himself and slowly becomes lonely and angry. The effects of this choice are felt throughout the rest of this book, where Mary uses her prose to connect with the reader.