There’s nothing better than watching a badass female take down her enemies. If female action heroes are your jam, you’re likely a fan of Kill Bill. What’s not to like about watching Uma Thurman take down those who have wronged her with extreme violence?
While we love action movies with strong female heroes, we love books even more. So, if you’ve been looking for the next story to get sucked into that revolves around badass women, we’ve got you covered. Let’s check out some books, movies, and podcasts to help you get your fix.
What to Read if You Like Kill Bill
Adrenaline. Booze. Men. Gia’s recipe to forget her tragic past. But now she’s added a new ingredient: Revenge. What more could a Kill Bill fan ask for? This is a 15 book series, so if this is your thing, you have hit the jackpot. The lead character is a vigilante and heiress - a deadly combination. Follow her as she
seeks revenge on the death of her parents and takes on the dark underbelly of society while trying to find her place in the world. Read here.
We’re going to start with one you can read AND watch. Pieces of Her is a novel written by Karin Slaughter that’s suspenseful from start to finish. The store revolves around Andrea, a 30-something who moved home to live with her mother. Andrea thinks she knows everything about her mother until an instance
of violence happens while they’re out to eat. If you like Kill Bill, you like action and this book is full of it. If you prefer a visual experience, the Netflix series is also incredible. Read here.
We can’t talk about kick-ass females without discussing The Handmaid’s Tale. Not only can you binge the series on Hulu, but you can read Margaret Atwood’s novel, as well. Our story takes place in a dystopian future where women have been stripped of their rights in the Republic of Gilead. Offred is our female action
hero, and she’s a handmaid who must answer to her commander. We see some parallels to The Bride in Kill Bill as the story progresses and Offred along with the other handmaids become more pissed off. The main function of handmaids in this universe is reproduction. The novel and Netflix series follow the retaliation of the handmaids as they live in this cruel world. Get ready for a lot of emotions with this one. These women go through a lot of tragedy trying to navigate their suppressed world. Read here.
If you’re looking for female action heroes getting revenge, look no further than this novel. The story is set in a war-ridden land and centers on Monza Murcatto who is the most feared mercenary and wields weapons just like The Bride does in Kill Bill. She becomes extremely popular, which is too much for the men in
charge to handle. They throw her down a mountain and she’s left for dead, not unlike The Bride in Kill Bill. Get ready to enjoy an enthralling tale of violence and revenge with this one that you won’t be able to put down. Read here.
Sugar Daddy is the first book in a revenge trilogy that will keep you totally hooked. The story starts much like Kill Bill with the main character, Sela Halstead dealing with a tragic and dangerous situation. Sela spends years trying to figure out what happened to her as a teenager, and once she connects the
dots, she makes a plan. Sela finds out that what happened to her is connected to a tech millionaire who founded a website that pairs rich men with young women. While Sela sets out to take down the millionaire, things get complicated with his business partner. Grab this book to figure out how our female action hero navigates this sticky situation full of deceit and revenge. Read here.
Join ThrillerFix for Free
Sign up here for exclusive access to giveaways, discounts, and outstanding book recommendations.
What to Watch if You Like Kill Bill
This film follows the Kill Bill theme of female revenge. The story begins with the main character, Jennifer, heading to a cabin to finish writing her next book. Just like The Bride, she’s brutally assaulted and left to deal with tragedy after she manages to escape. Jennifer spends the rest of her life punishing those who
hurt her, which we love to see. There are two versions of this film you can watch. The original was released in 1978, and the remake came out in 2010. We recommend watching both and you can decide which is your favorite. Watch here.
In Hard Candy, we see a story of revenge carried out by a young teenager. Played by Eliott Page, the main character Hayley Stark gets online and starts chatting with an older man that preys on young girls. She gets him to agree to meet her at a coffee shop, and he has no clue what he’s in store for. This film is
full of suspense and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Not to mention, there’s a pretty great twist at the end. If you like Kill Bill and haven’t seen this one, check it out. Watch here.
We’re straying a little off the path with High Tension, but this French film deserves mention when we’re talking about female action heroes. The main characters, Maria and Alex head to a family member’s farm for a relaxing weekend. Just like in Kill Bill, things take a turn almost immediately and
violence ensues. If you like horror, gore, and plot twists take some time to watch this film. Watch here.
Run Lola Run is a German action-thriller focusing on yet another strong female action hero. The story starts with Lola getting a call from her boyfriend who needs help replacing a large sum of money he lost. So, naturally, a badass woman needs to step in. Lola takes on the task and the film follows her quest.
The film is shot in an interesting way, and it’s non-stop action from start to finish to it’ll keep you hooked just like Kill Bill. Watch here.
We can’t talk about Kill Bill without including Ghost in the Shell which is arguably one of the best anime films of all time. It’s based on a manga of the same name, so you can read it as well. The story revolves around a female cyborg cop that is tracking a hacker referred to as The Puppet Master. There’s action, violence,
and an incredible music score. You can also check out the 2017 live-action reboot, but fans swear by the original animated version. Watch here.
Join ThrillerFix for Free
Sign up here for exclusive access to giveaways, discounts, and outstanding book recommendations.
If You Like Strong Female Action Heroes, Listen to These
This Audible Original is from the producers of The Walking Dead and follows a badass female action hero who is out for blood. It takes place in an apocalyptic world and follows Darcy, a vampire hunter. The sun was blotted out, leaving the characters of this world in a literal dark place. If you loved watching Uma
Thurman slay bad guys in Kill Bill, you’ll love listening to Darcy do so with her younger sister's sidekick in Impact Winter. Listen here.
When it comes to stories about badass women, we love watching them take down a man who has wronged them. In this story, the main character is in a pickle where she gets a DUI when she has never had a drinking problem. Not unlike The Bride in Kill Bill, Alexis starts to piece things together. Everything
begins to unravel as she finds out the truth in this short but sweet Audible Original. Listen here.
This podcast strays a bit from our violence and revenge to highlight the strong female action heroes of Hollywood. Each episode focuses on a different film and celebrates the strong females that make them great. The episodes are pretty short, so you don’t have to commit a lot of time to pay respect to the female
action heroes of the past. Listen here.
Okay, this one is a little different than our other recommendations and falls under true crime, but it’s worth mentioning. In this episode of the podcast, a real-life killer recreates a scene from Kill Bill. The story is tragic. Boy meets girl, girl falls in love, the girl decides to leave and ends up buried alive just like The Bride.
