Cinderella Fairy Tale Retellings

Jun 1, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Feb 25

Is Cinderella one of your favorite fairy tales? Then I guarantee this book list will have your next favorite read as it has a wide range of genres (contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, historical) and so many stories with a great twist on the original story!

The best part is, this full list was built from recommendations from readers on Facebook so it think of them as a book rec from your friend!

As a side note, while I enjoy the Disney Cinderella movie, I am an active anti-fan of Cinderella’s prince because he is so useless! This is why I gave the prince in my retelling (Cinderella and the Colonel) a much more active role. My version of Cinderella is the third book in my fairy tale retelling series and it's available to read in Kindle Unlimited or buy on Amazon right now!

But back to the retelling list! I’ll start with some of my favorite Cinderella retellings, followed by tons more suggestions from my followers on social media.

Here are my favorite Cinderella stories:

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine – Can a Cinderella retelling be more perfect than this story? Tons of fun world building in this book as well (the movie doesn’t give it justice).

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix – Unusual in that it tells the story of what comes after the big slipper reveal. The book cover makes it look like a modern story but it’s actually a YA epic fantasy world setting.

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey – This retelling isn’t squeaky clean, but it’s a fun reimagining of Cinderella that puts a really interesting twist on the typical fairy tale world retellings take place in.

And of course, there is Cinderella and the Colonel by K.M. Shea 🙂 (Buwahah, yes, a daring plug of my own story.)

And now for a mega list of more suggestions from my reader community! (I asked for no spice and low language recs but check the reviews if that is a concern for you.)

Of Glass and Glamour by Chanda Hahn

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Before Midnight: A Cinderella Story by Cameron Dokey

Cinder Luna by Marie Soleil

Cinder & Ella – by Kelly Oram

The Captive Maiden Melanie Dickerson

Meet Me at Midnight by Monique Brasher

Ashes by MK Harkins

Ella & the Billionaire's Ball by Catelyn Meadows

Kingdom of Cinders by Deborah Grace White

Traitor’s Masque by Kenley Davidson

Cinderella by Jenni James

The Ugly Stepsister by Arisa May

Ella by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers by Brittany Fichter

Soot and Slipper by Kate Stradling

Midnight’s Curse by Tricia Mingerink

The Mystery Princess by Melanie Cellier

The Midnight Prince by Angie Grigaliunas

Chasing Cinders by Elizabeth D. Marie

Out of the Ashes Alicia Buck

Charm by J.A Armitage

Fated by Kaylin Lee

Isabella and the Slipper by Victorine E. Lieske

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Phoenix & Ashes by Mercedes Lackey

Ellie and the Prince by J.M. Stengl

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Princess of Midnight by Lucy Tempest

Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella by Megan Morrison

Back by Midnight by Dee J. Stone

The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo

Riches to Rags by Casey Bond

The Stepsister's Lament by S.R. Nulton

Cinders By Finley Aaron

A Lady Most Fitting by Sienna Peake

Met by Midnight by Janeen Ippolito

The Vampire's Masquerade by Nellie Peters

The Midnight Heiress by Ashtyn Newbold

So this is Love by Elizabeth Lim

The Glass Gate by Hanna Sandvig

Cold Hearted by Serena Valentino

Brass Carriages and Glass Hearts by Nancy Campbell Allen

The Stepsister and the Slipper by Nina Clare

The Blood Spell by C. J. Redwine

Shard of Glass by Emily Deady

Glass Midnight by Kayla Eshbaugh

Heart of Glass by Laura Burton and Jessie Cal

The Midnight Blizzard by Mary Mecham

Whew, that was a lot of books! I hope you found something new and happy reading!

If you love other fairy tales too I have a whole series of these blog posts featuring book recommendations and lists of book retellings. Click here to start reading or use the Book Lists category to filter them.

Fun Urban Fantasy Reads!

May 12, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Feb 28

Urban fantasy combines fantasy elements with a modern setting, which is AWESOME! But because it is one of the biggest subgenres of fantasy it can be tough to find a series you love.

To help you out I've teamed up with the avid readers in my communities to put this list together! It includes books in Kindle Unlimited and books that you should be able to borrow from your local library with a variety of tropes and romance levels represented so there should be something for everyone!

Please note: These books vary a lot on language and level of romance spice! Make sure you check out the reviews so you don’t end up with something you’re not comfortable with!

My Top Picks for Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance:

Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs: This series is the classic, quintessential urban fantasy series! Mercy Thompson is smart, kick-butt, and is pals with some of the baddest werewolves in town. Check this out if you want a masterfully told, classic! (Warning, there is some strong language!)

City Between by W. R. Gingell: This isn’t going to come to as a surprise to many of you, but I ADORE this series! It has tricky fae, vain vampires, twisty worlds, witty dialogue, action, and more. It’s so, so good! If you haven’t picked it up yet, you need to.

1-800-Where-R-U by Meg Cabot: This series squeaks the line of urban fantasy–it’s technically more supernatural–but if you want a hilarious/ laugh out loud YA series with mystery and adventure, this series is for you. (For more of an UF flare you could check out Cabot’s “The Mediator,” But 1-800-Where-R-U is funnier. Just sayin’!)

My Urban Fantasy Trilogies:

Yes I'm going to do a shameless plug for my books, but considering they've earned over 100,000 reviews across Amazon and Goodreads I feel like there are many readers who would agree with this recommendation!

Hall of Blood and Mercy by K. M. Shea: Vampires, wizards, and fae, oh my! This trilogy follows the scrappy wizard, Hazel Medeis, and her misadventures as she gets kicked out of her house and moves in with a pack of vampires.

Court of Midnight and Deception by K. M. Shea: What can possibly go wrong when a half-fae just minding her own business gets caught up in the search for the new ruler of the Night Court? Features a slow burn romance between a reluctant fae queen and the assassin who tried to kill her.

Pack of Dawn and Destiny by K. M. Shea: When werewolves start turning feral and mindlessly attacking innocent humans Hunter Pip will be forced to team up with werewolf Alpha Greyson to crush the source of the outbreak. (Forbidden Romance AND Fated Mates combined!)

Gate of Myth and Power by K. M. Shea: Chloe can turn into a cat! Unfortunately for her Noctus, the deadly elf king secretly living in her city, decided to do a good deed and adopts the "stray cat" that the local fae are picking on. This story is a retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth (yes, really!).

Magic on Main Street by K. M. Shea: By night, they fight in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse. By day, they are friendly next-door neighbors. Neither of them know that their alter egos are archenemies. An enemies to lovers romance with a Vampire and a Vampire Slayer!

Rumpelstiltskin Fairy Tale Retellings

Sep 16, 2019
3 min read

Updated: Feb 25

Long overshadowed by much more popular fairy tales the story of Rumpelstiltskin was not graced with a Disney adaptation. To add insult to injury, most retellings paint Rumpelstiltskin as a villain and the king (who threatens to kill the miller's daughter if she can't spin straw into gold, which is an impossible task btw) as the hero.

Yeah, I don't like that part.

When writing my version of the retelling it allowed me to make some pretty major differences to the original – most notably I made Rumpelstiltskin the hero. But enough about that, here's a giant list of fairy tale retellings for you to find your next read! (Some of them even switched Rumpelstiltskin to the role of hero like I did!)

Rumpelstiltskin by K.M. Shea – Yes, here’s my version! Gemma is a quiet seamstress who is imprisoned in the castle dungeons when her drunken father makes false claims about her ability to spin straw into gold. Luckily, there just happens to be a mage, Rumpelstiltskin, in town who can help her. (Stil (the hero in this book) would be proud to tell you that he consistently ranks near the top in my hero polls.)

The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde – I love this author so it’s no surprise she made this list! This book is actually a collection of 6 short stories all related to the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin. You might be tempted to skip this one since it’s short stories but it is really, really good! There is a bit of something for everyone in these stories and the way she describes the original story is what first inspired me to do my series of blog posts where I review the original fairy tale with my own humor inserted everywhere!

That’s not the whole list! I took this to my reader community, and they came up with a bunch more recommendations for you! (I asked them for no spice and low language but check reviews if that is a concern for you.)

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Queen of Gold and Straw by Shari L. Tapscott

Forged Gold by Abigail Manning

Goldheart by Kenley Davidson

The Princess Pact by Melanie Cellier

Repaying the Wrongs by Nellie Peters

Rump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

The Crimson Thread by Suzanne Weyn

The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine

Pathways by Camille Peters

The Spinner and the Slipper by Camryn Lockhart

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Granny Rumple by Jane Yolen (in How to Fracture a Fairy Tale)

Straw Into Gold by Gary Schmidt

The Miller’s Girl by Nina Clare

My Unfair Godmother by Jannette Rallison

Lies of Golden Straw by E.L.Tenenbaum

Threads of Gold by Christine Pope

Twisted by Bonnie Hennessy

Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter by Breeana Puttroff

Rumplestiltskin by Jenni James

Thread and Spool by Holly Hook

The Curse of Gold by A. G. Marshall

Charlotte and the Cozy Cottage by Abigail Manning

Songs and Spun Gold by Erin Halbmaier

Spun of Gold by Jen Geigle Johnson

Hopefully that will bolster your “To Be Read” list for this year! (And please allow me to again plug The Rumpelstiltskin Problem–it’s so, so, so good!)

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