Back when the Twelve Dancing Princesses book was released I had so much fun discussing other retellings of the fairy tale with you, Champions, I decided to make it a tradition! I assumed Snow White was a more popular and well known retelling (thanks Disney!) but it wasn’t until I asked you Champions for help on Facebook that I came up with a sizable list.
Below is a list of some of the Snow White retellings I’ve read as well as a few I’m aware of (but haven’t read). Have you tried these? Do you know of more? Please comment on this post and let me know if there’s books I’m missing as I’d be happy to edit this post with additional books!
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine – I’m a big fan of Gail Carson Levine, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that I love this retelling in particular. Levine is a master at pulling the heart of a fairy tale through really different circumstances, and creating worlds that are so different and yet so real. This is a great story for readers of any age, and the main character is the biggest sweetheart ever!
Snow White by K.M. Shea – Yes this is my book! 🙂 For my retelling I decided to redeem the stepmother which gives the whole story a different feel (because I figure step-parents get way too much abuse in fairy tales). But Snow White still has to flee and seeks out the Seven Warriors to help her take back her country and free her stepmother.
Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis – Snow White reimagined in a sci fi setting, what more could you ask for? The sci fi aspect might sound similar to Winter (see next entry) but it’s stand alone, and has more of a true sci fi feel to it than the fantasy/sci fi blend Mariss Meyer captured in her Lunar Chronicles books.
Winter by Marissa Meyer – Winter is also a sci fi retelling of Snow White–though it does have more of a fantasy flavor to it as well. Unlike Stitching Snow, it is the fourth book in a series, Lunar Chronicles, and I would highly recommend you read books 1-3 first! (Particularly because Winter is the final book, ahah.) Lunar Chronicles as a series is really interesting and fun, not just because of the futuristic twist to it, but because each book as a different fairy tale focus, but you still see the girls from the previous books!
Mira, Mirror by Ivie Harrison – I’m not going to lie…this one is a little strange and has a lot of betrayals so it can be pretty sad at times. It does have a nice twist in that the story is told from the perspective of the mirror (or should I say the girl stuck inside the mirror). It also has some interesting characters! So if you are looking for an unusual retelling of Snow White that departs from the usual retelling tropes, I’d recommend it!
Pretear by Junichi Sato and Kaori Naruse – This entry is probably going to surprise some of you since I know many of you don’t read Japanese manga. 🙂 But it is a retelling of Snow White, and it’s actually a more faithful adaptation then many of the other books in this list. It follows the story of Himeno, a high school student who finds out she has special powers when seven “knights” show up to help her defeat the darkness attacking her town. There is also an anime series but the manga is MUCH better!
As at mentioned at the start, I asked you Champions on Facebook for more suggestions! Here is what you came up with!
The Shadow Queen by CJ Redwine
The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson
Snow White by Jenni James
Snow: A Retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Tracy Lynn
Fairest of All by Serena Valentino
A Dream of Ebony and White by Melanie Cellier
Mirrored by Alex Flinn
A White so Red by K.D. Jones
Blood in the Snow by Sarah Pennington
Kingdom of Ice Paula M. Hunter
Fairest Son by HSJ Williams
Dwarves of Calcus by Katie Hamstead
Poison and Mirrors by Holly Hook
Vanity by Sonya Writes
The Fairest Poison by Lauren Skidmore
Shadows on Snow by Starla Huchton
Black as Knight by Regina Doman
Daughter of Lies by Kenley Davidson
So, Champions, what is your favorite Snow White retelling, and why? (And what retellings did we miss in our list?)
I enjoyed your and Melanie Dickerson’s retelling of Snow White. Fritz has become one of my favorite heroes. I like Marcia Lynn McClure’s Saphyre Snow a retelling of Snow White.
As a big anime fan, I actually watched Pretear (twice) and loved it. Connecting it with Snow White makes so much sense. I’ll definitely give the manga a try now.
I also loved your Snow White retelling and take on the ‘evil’ stepmother, as well as dealing with social anxiety issues.
The plotline for the Pretear manga is actually pretty different from the manga, but I found most of the characters much more likeable in the manga. (Kei is my least favorite knight after seeing the anime but after reading the manga he’s my favorite knight)
Your Snow White came out around the same time as Melanie C’s Dream of Ebony and White. Funny thing was I read the first chapter of yours when you released it early and then a couple weeks later Melanie’s came out and when I started reading I was so confused because I thought I was reading your book apparently. Haha. I love Fairest Beauty. Right now I’m reading “Dark as Night” by Regina Doman. Also a Snow White re-telling.
The Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes Lackey is actually a Snow White retelling also.
Perhaps not a straight retelling, as Lackey uses elements from many tales in that series – but yes, the Snow White aspect in that particular tale is hard to miss. She’s also written The Serpent’s Shadow, which is another, very different, Snow White retelling
Oh, I absolutely loved Melanie Cellier’s retelling! Fairest by Gail Carson Levine has been one of the most reread books in my personal library. I also loved the Lunar Chronicles! Shadows on Snow by Starla Huchton was a bit mature if I recall, but it was also very well done and it was interesting to see all the characters gender swapped. Overall this is a great list; I’ll have to work on reading the rest 🙂
I have read Snow by Tracy Lynne, A Tale Of Ebony And Scarlett by Melanie Cellier, and The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson. Snow is one of my favorites and is definitely the most unusual retelling I have read. The fairest beauty is the third in a series called Hagenheim I highly recommend the others.
Yes! Tracy Lynn is Lis Braswell’s pen name. I really enjoyed Snow Who is your favorite of the Lonely Ones?
I love Melanie Cellier’s and Melanie Dickerson’s books! Their Snow White retelling were superb. And the Lunar Chronicles are amazing. 😀
The Fire King by Amber Jaegar (check the name I think she took a different pen name)
Oh, that’s a very good book. I’ve read it a couple of times.
I adored Daughter of Lies- it made me laugh so many times. I have read Fairest, but not in years, so probably time for a reread. One I didn’t see on this list was Snow by Lis Braswell. Snow is a steampunk influenced version of Snow white, and I enjoyed it immensely. I love Snow and Alan and the Lonely Ones. It was written in a way that really drew you into the world, too.
Fairest Son by HSJ Williams really spoke to my heart when I read it, and even now as I think about it I get that good feeling I had when I finished it. So good. Of course I loved yours and Melanie Dickerson’s too.
Don’t forget Daughter of Lies by Kenley Davidson. The seven people she takes refuge with are single working women.