Books similar to Arya/Daenarys story arcs in Game of Thrones

[Max]

This req may seem unusual, but I'm looking for books similar to story arcs in Game of Thrones for Arya and/or Daenarys (only the separate story arcs, not the whole multi-charactered epic). You know in Arya's story she's becomes a young assassin and in Danny, you know, dragon queen. I'm looking for similar action/adventure/fantasy stories with girl protagonists that's not completely cliched. Thanks a lot for any help.

[Molly]

Not exactly the same, but one thing that popped to mind are the Kushiel books by Jaqueline Carey, starting with Kushiel's Dart, following the story of the (initially) young girl Phaedre, who shares some of the resilience and cleverness of Arya and Daenarys and you watch as she overcomes obstacles, becomes more powerful, etc. Also, like Game of Thrones, though there's some magic/fantastical elements in the books, it's not the major/central element, if that's a factor for you.

[Adam]

I just finished reading the Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson and I think it fits your request quite well. The main protagonist takes on several roles throughout the series and (without giving too much away) she's kind of a mixture between both Arya and Daenerys.

The series as a whole is really well written, with one of the most original and well thought out magic systems I've ever come across. You should check it out!

[Molly]

Ooh, yes, Misborn definitely fits the bill.

[Bob]

Raymond Feist started an epic series called the "Riftware" beginning with "Magician: Apprentice". It grew into about a dozen books. Many of the books spin off characters from the original series.

A side series of 3 books is from the point of view of a woman on the other side of the Rift starting with "Daughter of the Empire: An Epic Saga of the World on the Other Side of the Riftwar"

This is probably exactly what you are looking for. But I strongly suggest you read the first 2-3 books in the Riftwar saga to set you up for the Daughter series.

The world of Mikidema and the Empire is rich and interesting.

Another series that is now combined into a single book is Elizabeth Moon's "Sheepfarmers Daughter" series. You can get all the Pax novels in a single book called: "The Deed of Paksenarrion: A Novel"

[Bob]

Oh - you might also like "Rhapsody : Child of Blood" by Elizabeth Haydon. Not really a 'spin off' but good writing in an interesting world.

You would also like Lois McMaster Bujould books starting with "Barrayar". It is the first book in a brilliant series and starts out with a woman caught behind the lines of a planetary war. She plays a major role in the first and second books, but then the adventures of her son take over many of the other books. (So she spins off the other books in an interesting twist).

[Thomas]

I would recommend Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

They follow a male protagonist but there are similarities to Arya's journey.

[Joseph]

They're technically young adult, but you might also want to check out Thief's Covenant and False Covenant by Ari Marmell although I believe the main character is a thief, not an assassin.

[James]

Brandon Sanderson actually has several that fit the bill pretty well.

Warbreaker probably fits as well as Mistborn but its a stand alone. Elantris also has a female lead though less on the magic side.

[Dharmakirti]

I HIGHLY recommend N.K. Jemisin's series The Inheritance Trilogy.

[Joe Informatico]

The Assassins of Tamurin, about a sorority of assassins made up entirely of orphan girls in a sundered land of politically unstable nations.

Likewise Jay Lake's Green, about a girl sold as a courtesan who ends up becoming an assassin. I personally didn't care for it but you might find it to your taste.

Poison Study is the story of a slave forced to serve as food taster for a conquering warlord, who in time learns the skills of a spy and assassin. It seems to be marketed as a romance, but the romance subplot isn't any more dominant than the ones in most fantasy stories, so don't let that deter you.

Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword, Harry Crewe pretty much fills the same role as Daenarys. It's a young adult novel though, and nowhere as dark as GRRM's series. Still a good read though.

Other young adult examples include Patricia C. Wrede's Dealing with Dragons, about a princess who decides she doesn't want to be saved from dragons--she wants to be their friend. And almost all of Tamora Pierce's Tortall series involve a young girl trying to succeed in a traditionally male vocation.

[Chantel]

There are also spin-off series from Robin Hobb's Assassins trilogy. The Liveship Traders trilogy in particular has a few female protagonists who are "out of the ordinary" so you might enjoy those. I'm on my mobile so I can't post links sorry.

[Art]

I would recommend you look at Sabriel and that trilogy. It has really strong, adventurous female characters and though it is technically YA, it sits very much towards the adult end of the spectrum.

[Dave]

What about His Dark Materials? Lyra is a central protagonist and gets shifted around a bit form one set of handlers to another, similarly to how Arya is treated in the first two Song of Ice and Fire books.

[Sandi]

I just remembered The Tamir Triad, starting with The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling. It's exactly what you're looking for.

[Karen]

I love GOT but I wanted more strong women in the story, so I wrote my own epic medieval fantasy saga, The Silk & Steel Saga. The first four books are getting great reviews. The Steel Queen

[Max]

Thanks for all the cool recoms. Now I have a whole bunch of stuff lined up to read :D Gonna check out Silk and Steel too, thanks author!

[Karen]

Max wrote: "Thanks for all the cool recoms. Now I have a whole bunch of stuff lined up to read :D Gonna check out Silk and Steel too, thanks author!"

Hi Max! The first book of my saga, The Steel Queen, is on sale on Amazon for only $2.99! Enjoy!

[Tiffany]

I'm glad this topic was started. There are a bunch of books I've read, but some I haven't. Thanks!

[Eric]

Thomas wrote: "I would recommend Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

They follow a male protagonist but there are similarities to Arya's journey."
That's what came to mind for me as well.