Rumpelstiltskin Fairy Tale Retellings

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

Falling for the Trickster by Lucy Tempest

A Crown of Gilded Thread by Evangaline Pierce

The Unnamed by M. S. Masood

Stalks of Gold by Celeste Baxendell

Golden Locks and Riddles by C. Rae D’Arc

A Lady Most Entangled by Mary-Celeste Ricks

Of Gold and Deceit by Nicole Zoltack

Glints of Gold by Laura Greenwood

The Golden Secret and the Enchanted Beast by C.K. Johnson

Rumplestiltskin by Jenni James

Kingdom’s Gold by Lynn Renard

Chords of Green and Gold by Sarah Beran

The Rumpled Gentleman by Sally Britton

Rumpelstiltskin's Bargain by Kendra E. Ardnek

Promises of Gold by Serena Clarke

Spinner of Secrets by Annie Louise Twitchell

All That Glimmers by Selina J. Eckert

A Golden Hope by Chelsey Noelle

Spell Bound by Dorian Tsukioka

Of Gold and Greed by Chanda Hahn

Fable by Chanda Hahn

The Stormbringer's Name by Hope Ann

The Red Dragon Girl by Lea Doue

Rumpled Rhett by Rachel Rossano

A Cage of Gold and Lies by Selina A. French

Spirits and Pacts by Erin Halbmaier

Once Upon a Woven Wish by Michelle Miles

Dancing With Gold by Sara Farnsworth

Dreamers Don't Date Rumpelstiltskin by Lucy Winton

And His Name Was Rumpelstiltskin by Christina Wallace

I Am Rumpelstiltskin by Jamie Campbell

The Man Once Called Rumpelstiltskin by C.T. Worth

A Bit of Gold by Kirsten Fichter

The Storyteller's Daughter by Victoria McCombs

Of Thread and Promises by Shana Dow

The Fabric of the Realm by S.B. Ryazakhov

A Curse of Gold and Beauty by Mary Mecham

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.

New Paperbacks in!

Ta-da! All bright and shiny and THICK! You could do some serious smacking damage to whatever unintelligent soul tried to swipe these from you.

After a long wait, the paperbacks are finally out for Snow White, Curse of Magic, and Apprentice of Magic!

We’ve got them all synced up on Amazon, so you’ll now see them on their Amazon pages.

I think these might be some of my favorite books in paperback. The Snow White colors really pop, and it’s delightful to finally get to see the Fairy Tale Enchantress books in print as well! (It also makes me a bit worried as Reign is going to be so much longer. It’s going to be really thick. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there!)

I hope you find them worth the wait, Champions! (And as usual, I do include that book’s short stories in the back. 😀 )

I thought you Champions would enjoy this behind-the-scenes peek, as I had Perfect Dog outside with me while I was taking the picture. 😉

Reign of Magic: Teaser #1

I’ve been “Editing” Reign of Magic for two weeks now, but in truth I haven’t even started the actual editing part, and instead I’ve been writing and adding additional scenes. This book is enormous. It dwarfs The Revived, which previously was my longest published book, by a long shot!

I’m happy because I know all of these extra scenes are going to make the book better–there are two Evariste scenes I added this week that I’m fairly certain are going to make you all react in one way or another–but I’m a little frustrated because this is all taking so long. Unfortunately, I don’t really have a way to speed it up. (At this point I have so much invested in this blasted book I refuse to let it go out without the extra shine these scenes will add!)

But since you Champions have been so incredibly patient and loyal through this, I thought it might be fun to release a few teasers while we wait. Note: These extras will be unedited because–as I mentioned–I still haven’t gotten a chance to edit yet thanks to all the add-ons I’m writing.

I hope you enjoy!

***

“We have arrived, Lady Enchantress at Tsona Palace.” Emperor Yevgeniy smiled warmly at Angelique and motioned to the castle.

Angelique forced a smile—even though it felt bone weary and thin. “It’s lovely. You said Tsona Palace is your summer residence?”

“It used to be, Yes. Since my sons grew up we have not returned as often as we used to—though my oldest son would prefer to make his residence here given his passion for hunting and the like.” Yevgeniy squinted in the sunshine. “My wife opted to journey here after I left for the Summit, but it’s just as well. As I told the other representatives, Rothbart has made his home at Swan Lake—which is not far from here.”

“How fortunate,” Angelique said, feeling nothing of the sort. But she made her back straight and her posture perfect.

Kozlovka needs aid. I cannot fail them in this hour—and with luck Clovicus will be able to help.

The Emperor’s mount shied when he drew too close to Angelique and Pegasus.

“My apologies,” he said as fell back farther in the line of soldiers.

Pegasus had ignored the horse, but when it was no longer so near he snapped in its general direction, his teeth audibly clicking.

“Steady, friend,” Angelique murmured. She itched the crest of his neck. He swatted his tail like an angry cat before letting out his breath.

Satisfied that the constellation had been soothed, Angelique leaned back in the saddle, stretching her senses.

Kozlovka was a northern country, so although Summer had almost arrived the air was cool. The forests were a blaze of green, and the whole country seemed to smell of damp earth.

Angelique tipped her head as she carefully felt for anything magical or off. I can’t sense anything. But magic sensitivity seems to be an art that has continuously avoided me.

She stopped trying to sense the sorcerer when they were granted passage into the gleaming palace. “Pegasus, would you rather remain here, or return to the skies?” Angelique asked when they halted in a courtyard. “I assume sometime today I’ll ride out to start my observation of Sorcerer Rothbart, but I don’t know how long it will be until I am ready.”

She dismounted, cupping Pegasus’ soft velvet muzzle when he pressed against her temple.

He breathed deeply into her hair, then trotted back in the direction they had come, passing back through the palace gates—to the bewilderment of the guards posted there.

Yevgeniy shielded his eyes with a hand as he watched Pegasus. “Will he be alright?”

“Yes.”

Yevgeniy smoothed his beard. “Even with a sorcerer about?”

Angelique tried to discreetly fix one of her underskirts that made the skirts of her gown puff a little. “I don’t know entirely what he’s capable of, but I imagine if he feels endangered he’ll simply return to the sky.”

The Emperor whirled around to gape at Angelique. “Return to the sky?”

“Yevgeniy!” A beautiful woman with shiny blonde hair highlighted with gleaming streaks of silver glided from the castle. She was beautiful and stately with pronounced smile lines and a gorgeous gown.

It took Angelique a few moments to recognize Empress Sonya—for she and Evariste had only called on the Kozlovkan royal family once or twice—and Angelique hadn’t ever met either of the princes.

Empress Sonya smiled as she hurried down the steps and threw her arms around her husband.

Yevgeniy laughed, years falling from his haggard expression as he embraced Sonya. “What a delightful welcome home!”

“Don’t get too excited,” Sonya said. “For it has become painfully apparent to me that our sons—while sweet—are, in fact, dunces.”