Robin Hood Retellings

If you love the myth/legend of Robin Hood then you will definitely find a book in this list to be your next favorite read! And these were all recommended by readers for readers just like you!

Before I jump right into the long list of books there are two I want to call out specifically:

Robyn Hood: A Girl's Tale (and Fight For Freedom) - These are my historical retellings where I reimagined the traditional legends and ballads if "Robin Hood" was actually a girl named "Robyn" who got roped into the role of outlaw by her friends and her compassion for the villagers.

The Wicked Prince by Celeste Baxendell - This fantasy book gets honorable mention because it was the most popular suggestion from the reader Facebook Group and many mentioned it is their favorite Robin Hood retelling!

Now for the full list! I asked my reader community for their top suggestions (I asked for no spice and low language but check reviews if you have questions about the content). The readers came up with a mix of everything from YA, to historical adventure, to fantasy romance so you probably haven't read all of these yet and there is sure to be something you'll like!

The Outlaws of Sherwood - Robin McKinley

The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest - Melanie Dickerson

Marian and the Elf - Anabelle Raven

Bluebeard and the Outlaw - Tara Grace

Crown Duel - Sherwood Smith

Robin: Lady of Legend - R.M. Arcejaeger

Hood - Stephen R Lawhead

Scarlet - Stephen R Lawhead

Tuck - Stephen R Lawhead

Rowan Hood - Nancy Springer

The Masked Fae - Shari L Tapscott

The Swindler's Daughter - Annette K Larsen

Dauntless - Dina L Sleiman

Mercury Rises - Scarlett Kol

Hawksmaid - Kathryn Lasky

A Daring Sacrifice - Jody Hedlund

Ilyon Chronicles - Jaye L Knight

A Bird in the Snow - MC Kennedy

Protecting the Poor - Amanda Tero

Honor: A Quest In - Kendra E Ardnek

Robin's Hood: A Tale of Sherwood Forest - Jacque Stevens

By Wingéd Chair - Kendra Merritt

Outlawed (Sherwood Outlaws series) - Hayley Osborn

Robin Hood - Henry Gilbert

Sherwood - Meagan Spooner

Scarlet - A. C. Gaughen

Arrows and Gems - Erin Halbmaier

The Hood - Frost Kay

Did you know I have a whole series of these blog posts featuring book recommendations, popular retellings, and lists of books vetted by readers? Click here to start reading or use the Book Lists category to filter them.

Sleeping Beauty Retellings

I’m not going to lie, putting together this blog post made me a little nervous. Because let’s be real for a second and admit that some of the original Sleeping Beauty stories are really, really dark and definitely not safe for you to read to your kids (or to read at work).

Most modern writers tend to skip over those aspects of the original story (thank goodness!) and I did work extra hard to scrub the list of books below. Luckily, Sleeping Beauty has been blessed with a Disney movie retelling so it has inspired plenty of stories that focus on the lighter aspects of the original fairy tales!

Let's start things out with some special call outs for my favorite retellings of this fairy tale:

Spindle’s End – by Robin McKinley – I’m assuming you’ve read one of Robin McKinley’s retellings of Beauty and the Beast, but did you know she has written a Sleeping Beauty retelling as well? It has McKinley’s trademark beautiful world building and descriptions combined with some fun twits. I think the best part is the fact that the main heroine is not some passive princess waiting for everything to get solved – she’s a woman of action!

The Healer’s Apprentice – by Melanie Dickerson – Melanie Dickerson has written a whole series of fairy tale retellings mixed with historical fiction, and this book is the first one in her series. I personally like books I read to have a touch of magic in them (which these do not) but I have to admire how seamlessly Dickerson can blend the historical aspects with the original fairy tales to come up with a story that is both entertaining and realistic!

The Castle Behind Thorns – by Merrie Haskell – Ok, I did not like this book as much as Haskell’s other book, The Princess Curse. But this is still a great book with an interesting spin on the Sleeping Beauty tale (both how she ends up in the situation and what she and the main male character do to fix things).

Sleeping Beauty  – by K.M. Shea – For my retelling of Sleeping Beauty I knew I wanted Briar Rose to be a bit more fiery (she had to be to go through what I had planned for her)! Sometimes she gets a little carried away with herself but that is why Isaia is there to steady her and hold her back when necessary.

A big shout-out to everyone who commented on my Facebook post with extra book ideas! These are all reader recommendations so think of them as a friend rec! (I asked for no spice and low language but if that is a concern for you be sure to check the reviews.)

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Sleeping Beauty’s Daughters by Diane Zahler

Rose & Thorn by Sarah Prineas

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

Curse of the Thirteenth Fey by Jane Yolen

Awaken by Camille Peters

Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell

The Princess Game by Melanie Cellier

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep by Gail Carson Levine

Alora by Morgan Dawson

Sleeping Beauty by Jenni James

Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey

Kingdom of Slumber Deborah Grace White

Cursed by Kaylin Lee

Mistress of All Evil by Serena Valentino

The Awakened Prince by Alora Carter

Ice and the Elves by Anabelle Raven

Thorns at Sunrise by Janeen Ippolito

A Gracious Hope by Robyn Sarty

Sleeping Dragon by Amberlyn Holland

A Lady Most Engaged by Audrey Glenn

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Dagger's Sleep by Tricia Mingerink

The Silent Night by Sarah Beran

Spindled Slumber by Kayla Eshbaugh

Bria & the Billionaire's Kiss by Catelyn Meadows

Upon a Dream by Laura Burton and Jessie Cal

Did you find a book you want to read? The list includes everything from middle grade, YA, Fantasy, historical, and contemporary. So it has a bit of everything and I hope you found your next great book!

If you are looking for more, I have a whole series of these blog posts featuring book recommendations, popular retellings, and lists of books vetted by readers! Click here to start reading or use the Book Lists category to filter them.

Hades and Persephone Retellings

The story of Hades and Persephone is probably the most well known love story in Greek mythology. (It's my personal favorite out of all the Greek myths!)  If you find yourself craving more Hades and Persephone stories, you should take a look at this list of clean/sweet romance retellings.

I’ll start this list off with two special call outs:

The Gate of Myth and Power trilogy by K.M. Shea (yes! that's me!)

This is a funny, urban fantasy retelling in which my version of Persephone disguises herself as a cat, and is unwillingly adopted by Noctus–the elf king of death aka my version of Hades–as his new pet. It’s an unusual start to the story, but you’ll see lots of familiar Greek characters, like Kerberos and Charon!

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

I love this book. You NEED to read it! It’s so fun, and twisty, but so cute! (The publisher put a darker cover on it right now–I have no idea why. It’s the quintessential fantasy romance, so don’t be scared off by it!) It is single-handedly is responsible for turning me into a fantasy romance nut.

The rest of the recommendations on our list were put together by from the reader community (thanks to Discord Admin Vin for organizing these). We asked for no spice and low language suggestions only but check the reviews if content is a concern for you.

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden

Of Earth and Shadows by Kimberly A. Rogers

Dark King and the Eternal Dance by Alesha Adamson

The Concord Coalition by Kenley Davidson

The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle

Linnet and the Prince by Alydia Rackham

Phone Home, Persephone by Kate McMullan

Persephone the Phony by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Persephone the Daring by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

The Darkest Summer by Rebecca Greenwood

Peaceweaver by Everly Haywood

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Soulless Slipper by Abigail Manning

Tempting Hades by Emma Hamm

This list is pretty short right now as the majority of the Hades and Persephone retelling are spicy, but I will add to this list whenever I find a new book that applies!

If you're looking for more books for your TBR I have a whole series of these blog posts featuring book recommendations and lists of popular retellings. Click here to start reading through all of them or use the Book Lists category to filter them.