In this current literary wave of strong heroines, we all know about the holy trinity of tenacious ladies: Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior. In the era of these strong women, some others have, in my opinion, beenpushed aside and forgotten. Here’s my list of leading ladies who deserve some attention too.

5. Gemma Doyle

In "A Great and Terrible Beauty" by Libba Bray, Gemma discovers she has a power that she never knew. She and her friends, who all live together in a girls’ finishing school, use this power to escape from their boring, repetitive lives. But, when this power threatens to overtake them, Gem uses her practical everyday skills (alongside help from a long forgotten friend) to overcome the darkness that threatens the sanity of the girls.

4. Miri

In a small mining town, high on a mountain, we meet Miri. Miri is a small, frail girl whose deepest desire is to work in the linder mines with her family and neighbors. But, because of her small stature, her father forbids her from ever doing so. She feels useless and like a burden to her family until a royal representative comes to town. He tells of a princess academy that all the girls of marriageable age are to attend. Of those girls, the prince will choose one to be his bride. Leaving their families, the girls set off to study and become eligible ladies for the prince. During her stay at the academy, Miri discovers that she has a talent she never thought possible and uses this newfound talent to save the girls from danger. In "Princess Academy" by Shannon Hale, Miri shows courage in the face of loneliness and danger and blossoms into a young lady who now knows her purpose in life.

3. Semirah Garson

In "Dr. Franklin's Island" by Ann Halam, we meet Semirah Garson, a science student about to embark on a summer research trip. When their plane goes down over the ocean, Semi and two other students get trapped on an uncharted island. Little do they know the horrors that await them. Through all their trials, Semi uses her smarts and inner strength to help her friends survive.

2. Candy Quackenbush

Candy Quackenbush is a unique soul in a town full of drunks and dullards. When she finds a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere surrounded by seashells, her interest in piqued. A storm creates an ocean in a field, and Candy gets washed away to a world like nothing she could imagine. In "Arabat" by Clive Barker, Candy shows us an alternate reality that makes her wish she’d just stayed home. Between evil rulers and demonic creatures, Candy retains her courage and does her best to save those in her path, while still retaining her own sanity.

1. Vivian Gandillon

Vivian Gandillon is a loner in a world that can never accept her. But that world will never know that she’s part of another society, one that accepts her wholly and unconditionally. In "Blood and Chocolate" by Annette Curtis Klause, both worlds will test Vivian’s strength — both inner and outer — and Vivian must do her best to remain true to herself throughout her trials.