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GenS.

September 07, 2017 at 06:44 PM UTC


Have you read any books by Kate Stradling? I’ve read all of her books like I’ve read yours and enjoyed all of them. I love all your books!

Jenn

June 05, 2017 at 06:41 PM UTC


I forgot to mention Kenley Davidson. She has written some awesome fairy tales too. She starts with Traitors Mask which is a Cinderella story. I LOVE her writing 😊 and then there’s Brittany Fichter. She does a fantastic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I love the real life issues in her books.

RowanOakReader

June 05, 2017 at 03:59 PM UTC


Rowan Hood by Nancy Springer and anything with a medieval or magical setting by Tamora Pierce. (Wild Magic and Alanna) (Alanna reminds me of Britt Arthurs)

Bethany Poston

June 03, 2017 at 06:08 PM UTC


Hi Everyone,
I love this thread, have I mentioned how much I love this thread?
I was going through my good read shelves and wanted to add a couple more recs.
The twisted Tales trilogy by Stephanie Fowers: With a kiss, At Midnight and as the sun Sets.
Fairy Godmothers, Inc. by Jennifer Wardell is pretty good.
Three Anthologies, Five Magic Spindles, Five Glass Slippers and Five Enchanted Roses. Each book focuses on retelling different fairy tales five different ways. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Snow White.
The Prince of the Pond: Otherwise Known as De Fawg Pin by Napoli, Donna Jo is great it’s the frog prince from the prince’s point of view.
And here are a couple children’s books, that I reread for nostalgia purposes. The Rough-Face Girl a native american version of Cinderella and Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale. It’s an African version of Cinderella.
my to read shelf has really increased late you know.

Connie Kaupe

June 03, 2017 at 08:31 PM UTC


I read the 3 anthologies you mentioned a few months ago, and they were all amazing. I bought some short stories from various authors within the anthology, as well. They were all a wonderfully different take on traditional fairy tales.

Connie Kaupe

June 02, 2017 at 09:02 PM UTC


I am new to reading the blog, but thrilled to see so many books I’ve read over and over. I just discovered W.R. Gingell and have read about half of the books mentioned. I have all of Cameron Dokey’s books and they are fantastic. After reading all of Robin McKinley’s, I have to say my favorite B&B is Rose Daughter. Beauty is a close second, and Chalice is brilliant.

I have been reading T. Kingfisher’s short story collections recently, and love those. Not all are light, but all are good. I just finished a new original fairy tale by her, called Summer in Orcus. It’s amazing and all of her stories have humor – a wolf who turns into a house – a were-house! T.Kingfisher is the penname for Ursula Vernon, who writes the Hamster Princess books for children – also hilarious.

Another original author is Catherynne Valente’s “Girl Who….Fairyland” series. Poetical and thoughtful.

I can’t wait to go through this list thoroughly and look up the authors I don’t have yet. Edith Pattou’s East is one of my favorites, as well. Not many authors do East of the Sun, West of the Moon remakes.

Bethany Poston

June 03, 2017 at 05:40 PM UTC


That’s true. One of my top favorite fairy tales is East of the Sun and West of the Moon, It’s sad there aren’t more retellings of it. (Kitty could you add that to your list somewhere?) I remember reading East but I can only recall two other stories, that were based on that particular tale.

Angela

June 01, 2017 at 08:46 PM UTC


This is such a great list! It’s fun to see some of my favorites on here, and I also see some books I definitely need to check out.

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is a favorite of mine that I didn’t see mentioned. It is an original story, but definitely has fairy tale elements. A really great coming of age story.

I also want to mention my book that came out a few months ago. (Hope that’s ok!) It is an adventurous retelling of The Princess and the Pea. I love reading fairy tales, and it was so much fun to put some of my favorite elements into my own book! There’s goblins, magic, and of course true love. 🙂

The Princess and the Pea by A. G. Marshall.

Sarah

June 01, 2017 at 11:31 PM UTC


I love the Princess and the Pea by AG Marshall. She also came out with a short novella and I believe the Sequel to that book is coming out later this month! Very excited!

Angela

June 02, 2017 at 07:24 PM UTC


I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’m really excited to release the sequel, The Frog Prince. 🙂

samoaphoenix

May 31, 2017 at 11:38 PM UTC


Late to the party, but my top retellings that people haven’t already mentioned are:
The League of Princes trilogy by Christopher Healy. The Princes Charming from Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty get names and team up on quests. It’s hilarious and epic.
Juliet Marillier’s Heart’s Blood (Beauty and the Beast) and Blackthorn and Grim trilogy. The first book retells The Goose Girl, but the other two are a little more nebulous. The overplot between the books is a loose Beauty and the Beast story.
Jim C. Hines’ The Stepsister Scheme. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White team up like Charlie’s Angels to get Cinderella’s prince back from her stepsisters, who kidnap him after their wedding.
T. Kingfisher’s Bryony and Roses (Beauty and the Beast).
Jane Yolen’s Briar Rose.
Nancy Werlin’s Impossible is based on the ballad Scarborough Fair.
If you like stories based on the frame tale of the 1,001 Nights (aka Scheherazade’s story), I recommend: Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher and A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnson.
A loose version of St. George and the Dragon with sci fi elements: Sylvia Engdahl’s Enchantress from the Stars.

Jenn

May 30, 2017 at 08:22 PM UTC


I just stumbled onto a new author that writes fantastic flipped Fairy tales! I thought I’d mention her in case she hasn’t been mentioned yet 🙂 Starla Huchton. The first one is called Shadows on Snow. Blew me away! I’ve been on a reading binge all weekend reading the 5 books in the series. (Each is a different story) Happy Reading!!

Bethany Poston

June 03, 2017 at 05:27 PM UTC


Oh, I just saw this on my goodreads to read list. (I don’t remember adding it actually) but I’ll definitely move it towards the top now.

Kathleen Bickel

May 30, 2017 at 04:31 AM UTC


Kitty, if you haven’t read any of W. R. Gingell’s books you should at least give one a try – I think my favorite are either her Two Monarchies Series or Wolfskin – y’all are both indie authors and have related (although distinct) styles – but most significantly, humor is near and dear to W. R.’s heart. Her blog is worth following too, lots of good recommendations and a love of classic literature, among other discussion topics. I have to say, this post has yielded some really excellent reading suggestions that I am going to leverage now that I have finished my thesis. And a strong second to Spindle’s End; it’s probably my favorite Sleeping Beauty retelling.

Sarena

May 27, 2017 at 03:21 AM UTC


After scrolling through my Fairytale collection and bypassing all of Kitty’s wonderful books, some other really fairytale retellings I’ve found are:
Tears of the Sea by MaryLu Tyndall (Little Mermaid), The Scarecrow King by Jill Myles (though warning for her other books, they’re a lot more adult but this one is clean)

Christine Pope Tales of the Latter Kingdoms have pretty good retellings including Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Beauty & the Beast, Red Riding Hood and more.

Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey is a good one of Mulan.

And I don’t know if some will count this but some Robin Hood retellings that are also good are: Robin Lady of Legend by R.M. ArceJaeger and then the Huntress of Thornbeck Forest.

The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

Followed by Frost by Charlie Holmberg (serious love to this)

Shelly

May 16, 2017 at 08:25 AM UTC


OMG! Many of the books and authors listed are Lready in my library, but you all have given me so many new books and authors to check out. The very first retelling I read was First Light by Michele Paige Holmes, and that hooked me on the genre. I adore this book and am hoping there will be a sequel soon. Not long after this, I discovered Kitty’s books and absolutely fell in love with each and every one. Cinders by Finley Aaron is a wonderful Cinderella retelling, and although her Dragon Eye series and Lost Dragons sequel series are not retellings, they are wonderful and fairy tale-esque. I also loved the Shards of a Broken Sword trilogy by W.R. Gingell and Brittany Fichter’s Becoming Beauty trilogy which consists of retellings of Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Glass Hill, and Hansen and Gretel, with the same 2 main characters throuout all 3 retellings. Another series I love is Sarah Woodbury’s After Cilmeri series which is a medieval time-travel series, and although it is not a retelling, it is a wonderful “what if” history-based series. The last series I want to mention is Jackie Castle’s White Road Tales (4 prequel novellas) and White Road Chronicles (6 book series, with #6 due to release in the next couple of months). This is more of a Christian allegory/fantasy than a fairy tale retelling and it has kept me glued to my Kindle late into the night, or should I say early into the morning, for the last month. I think I will have enough retellings and fairy tale-esque stories to keep me in reading material for a good while. Thank you to everyone who has shared!

Bethany Poston

May 16, 2017 at 04:07 AM UTC


Guys you’re listing almost my entire library I love it. Seriously though if you haven’t checked out Jenni James, you should I’ve enjoyed each one of her fairy tale retellings, and I’m looking forward to reading her Peter Pan trilogy once I get the next two books. Also check out Jessica Grey, she has excellent short stories in her two books, Views from the Tower and Views from the Deep. With Tower being more of a collection and Views from the Deep focusing more on the little mermaid. Also she has retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast in her books Awake and Atone, I am dying for her last book in the trilogy Aspire which I hear is suppose to be based off the Snow Queen.
If you’ve read Mercedes Lackey Five Hundred Kingdoms, then you should try her Elemental masters series, all are based off fairy tales. But I have have to warn you these are more oriented for adults, no sex scenes but all characters are adults instead of teens. My two favs are Reserved for the Cat, a retelling of Puss in Boots, and The Serpent’s Shadow, which I think is a retelling of snow white.
Has anyone heard about A Branch of Silver A Branch of Gold by Anne Elisabeth Stengl? As far as I know it’s suppose to be a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. I’ve wanted to read it but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Maegan S.

May 17, 2017 at 07:55 AM UTC


A Branch of Silver a Branch of Gold is very long and very good! Its more of a tip-of-the-hat to the twelve dancing princesses than a retelling (at least I think so) and I would definitely recommend it. And it is clean. I’d also recommend another of her books, Draven’s Light. So good!

Bethany Poston

May 18, 2017 at 12:50 AM UTC


Thanks so much, my library got a branch of silver and gold so I’m going to read it as soon as i can.

BB

May 15, 2017 at 08:38 AM UTC


Yours!

Ashley

May 13, 2017 at 02:17 AM UTC


I totally agree about Shannon Hale’s “The Goose Girl”. There’s no point in any other fantasy retellings of that tale because Hale’s is just about perfect.

A great Sleeping Beauty retelling is “A Long Long Sleep” by Anna Sheehan. It’s a sci-fi where a girl wakes up from 60 years of stasis and struggles to adapt to the world. It has gorgeous character work that made me break down sobbing at one point.

Sarah

May 12, 2017 at 11:43 PM UTC


I almost forgot one of my favorite series! Have you read “Dealing with Dragons” by Patricia Wrede? Such a fun take on fairy tales!

Kenley

May 12, 2017 at 11:08 PM UTC


A lot of great recommendations! Before I add any new books to the list, I can’t help but mention Wildwood Dancing again, mostly because if you love fairy tales and haven’t read it yet, you must! Goldmayne, by Kate Stradling, also deserves another mention, simply for being one of the most delightfully original and fun retellings I have ever read. Two others I’ve really loved are Wolfskin, by W.R. Gingell, and The Seventh Bride, by T. Kingfisher, both of which feature a quirky protagonist with a unique and engaging narrative voice (though The Seventh Bride is quite a bit darker in tone).

Melody

May 12, 2017 at 06:30 AM UTC


In the realm of squeaky clean reads:

“Toads and Diamonds” by Heather Tomlinson is one of my favorite reimaginings of any fairy tale ever. It’s set in a fictional India and is one of the richest, lush, and vibrant books I’ve ever read.

No one mentioned Gail Carson Levine? Her “Ella Enchanted” was the second book I ever read to literal pieces (the first was McKinley’s​ Beauty) and her collection of Princess Tales were short but excellent reads.

While not traditional fairy tales, Gerald Morris wrote a series of Avalon/Arthur/Camelot books, starting with “The Squire’s Tale” that I love to this day.

In PG-13 reads: Mercedes Lackey’s Five Hundred Kingdoms books are hands down some of my all time favorite books. The mishmash of fairy tales is pure joy and she’s an amazing writer. Her dialogue is full of banter and wit.

Tasha Dalcher

June 03, 2017 at 12:07 AM UTC


Love Lackey’s 500 Kingdoms! Her “Black Swan” is a fantastic Swan Queen (though not squeaky clean, it’s not graphic either); it’s a stand alone novel. I adore her Elemental Mages series for unique twists on fairy tales.

I loved “Squires Tale,” but I never knew there were more; so excited to check them out!

Renee

May 12, 2017 at 06:04 AM UTC


Although, I have read many of the books listed above there are several others I think also need mentioned. For the Wild Swans I like the retelling by Zoe Marriott called The Swan Kingdom. For Beauty and the Beast I also like Entreat Me by Grace Draven and The Beauty’s Beast by E.D. Walker. The Thrushbeard retelling that I enjoy is The Scarecrow King by Jill Myles. However, some fairy tales that may not fit any specific story that I love are The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye and Daughter of the Goddess by Rita Webb,

Melody

May 12, 2017 at 06:33 AM UTC


THE ORDINARY PRINCESS IS SO SO SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!

Haley

May 12, 2017 at 03:58 AM UTC


“Masque” by WR. Gingell is a great retelling of Beauty and the Beast. The heroine is smart, funny, loves clothes, and charges around the city trying to catch a murderer while trying to stay ahead of the beast. The tone of the book is great, and I laughed so much.

Georgia

May 12, 2017 at 11:22 AM UTC


Oh my goodness yes this book is incredible!!! I loved how the heroine was so unique, and so far from the weak female stereotypes we see today 😁 And the plot is so well written- I didn’t figure out who the ‘bad guy’ was until it was revealed, and yet, it all made sense after! 😁

Sarah

May 11, 2017 at 10:44 PM UTC


Oh and I can’t believe it’s not mentioned but everyone has to read
*Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (MUST READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
*The Firethorn Chronicles by Lea Doue
*Tales of the Latter Kingdom by Christine Pope
*Just Ella (Books of Dalthia Book 1) by Annette K. Larsen ( I actually prefer Book 2 which is beauty and the beast theme- all her novels can be stand alones)

Georgia

May 12, 2017 at 06:53 AM UTC


Oh my gosh yes!! Crown Duel is incredible- most of Sherwood Smith’s books are 😁 A Posse of Princesses is quite good too!

,
Maegan S.

May 12, 2017 at 05:48 AM UTC


Crown Duel is amazing!!!
Speaking of Austen stuff, Amanda Grange has written books from the point of view of the heroes (Darcy’s Diary, Coronal Brandon’s Diary, etc) They are SO GOOD!
I’m making a list of books I want to read from these comments. 🙂 Howl’s Moving Castle is at the top!

,
Sarah

May 11, 2017 at 10:57 PM UTC


The Thirteenth Princess
by Nina Clare

i could go on and on….I have about 200 on my kindle and even more saved on my fairytale list.

Megan

May 11, 2017 at 09:52 PM UTC


Thanks for the great recommendations! Some I have read, some I haven’t. One series I enjoyed that I didn’t see mentioned is The Andari Chronicles by Kenley Davidson.

Ella

May 12, 2017 at 10:57 AM UTC


Yes! I was waiting for someone to bring them up 🙂
I really liked Goldheart (a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin), I felt it was quite cleverly done.
For those interested the series contains:
Traitor’s Masque (Cinderella)
Goldheart (Rumpelstilskin)
Pirouette (Twelve Dancing Princesses)
Shadow and Thorn (Beauty and the Beast)
They are interconnected but can easily be read as stand-alone books.

Sarah

May 11, 2017 at 09:20 PM UTC


If you are not familiar with the fairy tale King Thrush beard retelling I couldn’t recommend enough either of the 2 stories renditions:
Princess without a Palace: A King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale
by Kristen Niedfeldt (Author) and The Scarecrow King: A Romantic Retelling of the King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale Kindle Edition.

Another fairy tale esq book series that I love is The King Series by Amber Jaeger. Her first book in the series is “The Cold King”.
Also lesser known novels that is fairy tale esq is The Nine Princesses Series (4 Book Series) by Anita Vale.

Happy Reading!

Sarah

May 11, 2017 at 08:59 PM UTC


I’m so glad you talked about Robin McKinley. I love both “Beauty” and “Rose Daughter” and reread them regularly. If you haven’t read Aletha Kontis’ stories, you totally need to. Hers are a mix of multiple fairy tales, so they are all the fun of the regular ones combined with where’s Waldo. And then there is “Thorn” by Inistar Khanani.

Rachelle

May 11, 2017 at 10:47 PM UTC


I completely agree about the Alethea Kontis books!
As for “Thorn”, I actually own it (and love it), but just FYI, it’s really dark.

Sami

May 11, 2017 at 04:58 AM UTC


I have read stuff from all the authors mentioned in the end! I LOVE Shari L. Tapscott’s books. Her Eldentimber series is one of my favorites. Her Glitter & Sparkle series, though contemporary romance, is completely adorable. I loved Chanda Hahn’s Iron Butterfly series and have reread it multiple times! I have also been enjoying Melanie Cellier’s Four Kingdom’s series. All of these are clean and I would definitely recommend them to fans of the clean fairy tale retelling genre. I also second reading For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund. While I enjoyed that one the second book in the series, Across a Star-Swept Sea, is my favorite! It’s a beautiful retelling of the Scarlet Pimpernel and one of my favorites! Plus the covers are just gorgeous to look at!

Binnyboben

May 11, 2017 at 01:09 AM UTC


Goldmayne by Kate Stradling. It’s a combo of two fairy tales that are fairly obscure and it is hit-a-home-run FABULOUS. I’ve re-read it several times since I stumbled across it and I highly highly recommend it. It’s awesome. Seriously.

Arletta Miller

May 10, 2017 at 10:39 PM UTC


WOW!! What a discussion. I had no idea so many people like the same books I do. I think we are in very good company and it gives me confidence to look up the books mentioned that I haven’t read yet. Thanks everyone!

Ariana

May 10, 2017 at 09:37 AM UTC


I have read most of the books mentioned. My favorite fairytale retelling when I was in grade school was The Frog Princess series by E. D. Baker. Even though I am in college now I still enjoy rereading it some times.

Megan

November 15, 2017 at 03:20 AM UTC


YUS!! I loved E. D. Baker’s Frog Princess series (really! There’s, like, 8 of them now!)

Alyss

May 10, 2017 at 09:30 AM UTC


The lunar chronicle by Marissa Meyer are some of my favorite fairytale retellings.

Ella

May 12, 2017 at 09:29 AM UTC


I really like the Lunar Chronicles too, I think Marissa Meyer is quite clever in how she incorporates different elements from the Perrault and Brothers Grimm retellings. I also like how her sci-fi, futuristic world isn’t all shiny and space age-y but rather gritty and, in my opinion, a bit more realistic.

Megan

May 10, 2017 at 06:50 AM UTC


I’ve read most of these I’ve read Goose Girl, The Princess Curse, and Howls Moving Castle (especially the last too) too many times to count, they are definitely in my top 10, the rest are probably your books lol. Anyone else agree we need to put together a petition for a sequel to The Princess Curse?!?? Seriously, I have been ranting about this since the book came out and there doesn’t seem to be a sequel on the horizon *bummer*. Not sure if this is a retelling, but I love Patricia Mckillip’s ‘The Changeling Sea’, not so much her others books, but that is one of my favorites. Going to go check out ‘The Perilous Guard’ on Amazon!

Rachelle

May 12, 2017 at 08:18 PM UTC


Oh my gosh, yes, I’ve been waiting for The Princess Curse sequel forever!

Tiffany

May 10, 2017 at 03:30 AM UTC


I love Shannon Hale’s and Melanie Dickerson books they’re what got me started on the your Fairy Tales series along with your other series! (Goodreads had recommended if I like their books that I might have been interested in your books and boy were they right! 😉 ) I read Beauty and The Best first and I was hooked.

The Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl I thought was amusing as it has 3 fairy tales come together “The Wild Swans”, “Diamond and Toads”, and a little bit of “Rapunzel” I think. Debbie Viguie’s “Violet Eyes” is a retelling of the Princess and the Pea that’s really good. I also like Cameron Dokey’s “Wild Orchid” which is a retelling of Mulan and “The World Above” a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Rachelle

May 16, 2017 at 06:27 AM UTC


Speaking of Cameron Dokey, her retelling of Cinderella, “Before Midnight”, is AMAZING!

Kim Gregory

May 09, 2017 at 10:52 PM UTC


I so appreciate that your stories are clean. Are these other authors stories clean as well? I know that Melanie Dickerson and Jenni James are, I’ve read their stories before, but I haven’t heard of the others or read them. I just finished reading all of your fairy tale stories and am heading to the Snow Queen stories next. I’m hoping that you will have one more fairy tale that answers the question of who is the culprit behind the dark magic attacks! Oh, and by the way, I am a 57 year old woman who loves these books!

Arletta Miller

May 10, 2017 at 01:23 AM UTC


Kim,
Jessica Day George, Shannon Hale, Melanie Dickerson, Gail Carson Levin and Jenni James are clean authors, so I can recommend them without reservation. Robyn McKinley did a great job with Beauty, Spindles End, and The Blue Sword, but stay away from DeerSkin. Not so clean as her books already mentioned above. The other’s are all unfamiliar to me. I agree with Kitty that Shannon Hale’s retelling of the Goose Girl is the best for that story. But I think Kitty’s retellings of the fairytales, as a whole, is pretty hard to compete against if you are looking at all the retellings from a single author and comparing them to all the retellings of another author. Hope this helps. There are so many good books, who has time to waste on books that aren’t? BTW, I’m a 45 year old woman who loves to read these books, then I let my family know whether or not they are good to read. (And I have 8 brothers and sisters and over 30 nieces and nephews. Since I’m the only one who is not married or have children, I’m the one they go to for recommendations for reading material for their kids.) Enjoy!!

Hannah Hill

May 09, 2017 at 09:07 PM UTC


*Goes to download allllll the books*

You were actually my introduction to the fairy tale retelling genre and I’ve been slowly expanding my horizons ever since. I really, really enjoyed Amber Jaeger’s “The Cold King” and “The Fire King”. They’re a little dark but tell the stories so very well.

Sarah

May 11, 2017 at 10:35 PM UTC


I love her books! Dragon King was supposed to come out in Fall 2016 but she has been quite forever on it 🙁

Rachelle

May 09, 2017 at 08:11 PM UTC


Speaking of the 12 dancing princess, has anyone read Entwined by Heather Dixon? A bit on the darker side, but it’s one of my favorites. 🙂

Ashley

May 13, 2017 at 02:23 AM UTC


I ADORE “Entwined”. It’s one of my favorite retellings. If Disney ever does a Twelve Dancing Princesses movie, they should just adapt that book. It’s got so much heart and humor and that classic Disney level of darkness.

,
Tiffany

May 10, 2017 at 03:16 AM UTC


I’ve read Heather Dixon’s Entwined (about the 12 dancing princess) and it is very good if a little on the dark side but still clean. Along with Amber Jaeger’s Cold King (Beauty and the Beast) and Fire King (Snow White) rewrites were interesting too!

Georgia

May 09, 2017 at 12:03 PM UTC


I would like to second everyone who has suggested Jessica Day George; she writes some beautiful retellings- ‘The Princesses of Westfalin’ trilogy and ‘Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow’ were extraordinarily, I also loved her ‘Dragonskin Slippers’ series!
I’d also recommend WR Gingell for fairy tale retellings and other fantastic books- her characters are so intricate, and the plots are excellent! Kate Stradling also writes some amazing fairy-tale esque books, and a fantastic reimagining!
Shannon Hale writes incredible novels- my favourites are the ‘Books of Bayern’ series and the ‘Princess Academy’ series, although her Austen inspired novels are quite interesting too!
Polly Shulman’s ‘Grimm Legacy’ series is incredible- an absolutely wonderful fairy tale inspired series!

Kitty

May 09, 2017 at 07:33 PM UTC


Yes, Shannon Hale is the reason I will never do a retelling of Goose girl. It’s too perfect!

And while I’ll have to look at Jessica Day George, I don’t believe I know Kate Stradling, so I’ll have to look into her stuff as well! (Yaaay! A new author!)

Elizabeth G

May 25, 2017 at 08:20 PM UTC


Yes! Kate Stradling is a must! She did a light version of Beowulf and it was wonderful and hilarious.

Jillee

May 09, 2017 at 08:32 AM UTC


Oh yeah! I forgot about Melanie Dickerson. All her books are fantastic.

Kaitlin

May 09, 2017 at 08:31 AM UTC


Has anyone else read Melanie Dickerson’s medieval fairy tale retellings? I love that she finds a way to write fairy tales that don’t actually have magic- I feel like it takes a lot of imagination, and several of them are simply beautiful stories.

Rachelle

May 09, 2017 at 08:06 PM UTC


Yes, I’ve read about half the series and they are amazing!
I love how she incorporates religion, which was, of course, such a huge part of everyone’s lives at the time, without sounding awkward.

,
Kitty

May 09, 2017 at 07:35 PM UTC


Oohhh I forgot about Melanie! I feel like she always has the most perfectly-perfect covers for her books, too–just beautiful!

Kaitlin

May 09, 2017 at 08:02 PM UTC


She also just released a retelling of Goose Girl called The Noble Servant. I devoured it when I found it in my Kindle library last night.

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Maegan S.

May 09, 2017 at 06:56 PM UTC


Melanie Dickerson’s books are amazing! My favorite Rapunzel retelling is her “Golden Braid.”

,
Georgia

May 09, 2017 at 02:43 PM UTC


I adore her books- you’re right, they’re beautiful, even without magic! I also love her ‘Robin Hood’ retelling- amazing!

Jessie Clark

May 09, 2017 at 06:37 AM UTC


I have read and loved all of your fairytale favs. I also second the vote for Wildwood Dancing. I also love Jessica Day George and her fairytale retelling, especially Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.

For Sleeping Beauty, my favorite is a middle grade book called The Wide Awake Sister by E.D. Baker.

Kitty

May 09, 2017 at 07:31 PM UTC


I can’t believe I forgot Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow! I’ve read a lot of retellings about that fairy tale–although I think my favorite was “East” by Edith Pattou, but it’s been a while since I read it. (A while = nearly a decade)

The Wide Awake Sister sounds adorable! There’s another middle grade series that I absolutely love about four princes (The princes of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Rapunzel) and their mis-adventures. I can’t recall the series name right now–I’ll have to look it up on Goodreads–but it was easily on par with Ella Enchanted in terms of humor, world building, and general fun.

Megan

June 05, 2017 at 08:13 PM UTC


“The Heroes Guide to Saving your Kingdom”, I think is the series name. I loved it, and because it had male main characters, I even got my brother into it! (He loved it just as much as I did!)

Kitty

June 15, 2017 at 06:14 AM UTC


YEEEEEEEEEEEES! I LOVE that series!! I love, love, love it! It’s so wacky and hilarious, but it has just the right amount of satire to it as well!

Karisa P.

May 09, 2017 at 06:30 AM UTC


Apart from Briar and Isaia’s tale, one of my favorite Sleeping Beauty retellings (and one of the extensive list of my favorite books of all time) is Spindle by WR Gingell. It’s got a very Alice-in-Wonderland feel to it upon the first reading, and it really makes you dive straight into the complex magic, but it somehow manages to be even better with every reread. I love the characters, the magic structure, the plot, and the incredibly done dialogue. I could keep rambling for quite some time, so I’ll stop myself now, but that is my suggestion for Sleeping Beauty. (Also, I’m reading Spindle’s End soon, which has been mentioned in the previous comments- and now I’m quite excited to see how it is, perhaps compared to Spindle! Although, really, nothing can compare to Spindle. It’s quite unique.)

Kitty

May 09, 2017 at 07:37 PM UTC


I’m officially putting Spindle on my “to-read” list now–particularly as you mentioned the dialog. I like beautiful/descriptive language, but if I’m being honest I’m mostly a big sucker for good characters which always requires good dialog. 😉

Lauren

May 09, 2017 at 06:29 AM UTC


Totally second Spindles End. Robin McKinley is amazing. I am constantly telling people to read Diana Wynne Jones – I can’t believe more people have not read her. Thanks for the list of authors! A couple on there I have not read yet and am excited to check out. BTW, if you want to try a sci-fi retelling of Austen, For Darkness Shows the Stars is based on Persuasion and is really fun.

Kitty

May 09, 2017 at 07:25 PM UTC


Sci-fi Austen!?!? Sign me up RIGHT NOW. I’m going to go check that out ASAP, I’ve been hoping someone would do some fantasy or sci fi Austen retellings. (That’s something I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole because I love those stories too much and would never be able to commit to even a first word in the book!)

Renee

May 12, 2017 at 05:43 AM UTC


If you are looking for a fantasy retelling of Pride and Prejudice you should try Magic and Manners by CE Murphy. I read this last year when it came out as I like both Pride and Prejudice and CE Murphy is an author I enjoy.

Olivia

May 09, 2017 at 06:07 AM UTC


Hey idk know if you have already read Princess of the Midnight Ball, but it is one of my absolute favorites for the 12 dancing princesses, its definitely worth a read.

Kenzie R.

June 24, 2017 at 06:40 AM UTC


OMG love those books!!! Did you ever read the sequels? Poppy got her own book

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Maegan S.

May 09, 2017 at 06:53 PM UTC


I second that! The other books in the trilogy are awesome too.

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Rachelle

May 09, 2017 at 08:25 AM UTC


Yes, Jessica Day George is amazing! She actually wrote a trilogy based on the 12 Dancing Princess.

Kenzie R.

June 24, 2017 at 06:43 AM UTC


She totally rocks. She was my favorite before my BFF made me read K M Shea books. Not a fairytale, but did anyone read her Dragon trilogy?

Megan

November 15, 2017 at 03:14 AM UTC


YUS!!! Dragon Slippers is one of my all-time favorite original fairytales!!

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Sarah

May 11, 2017 at 08:52 PM UTC


I love that series! It is so interesting

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Olivia

May 09, 2017 at 06:13 AM UTC


Oh and I just remembered this Cinderella book I read a long time ago called Cinder and Ella that was so good and very original!

Crystal

June 02, 2017 at 10:30 PM UTC


Cinder & Ella is a really wonderful story! The “Happily Ever After” book 2 is also great, I’d really recommend it!

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Kitty

May 09, 2017 at 07:21 PM UTC


Ooohhh, yes, that’s by Kelly Oram! She just came out with a sequel, actually. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but the knowledge that its out there and I haven’t gotten my grubby paws on it burns me.

Renee

May 12, 2017 at 05:40 AM UTC


I have to say Happily Ever After, the sequel to Cinder and Ella, is one sequel that lives up to all the anticipation. You should take the time and read it as I got it when it came out and have now read it multiple times.

Jillee

May 09, 2017 at 05:36 AM UTC


Off the top of my head, the best Sleeping Beauty retelling I can think of is Spindle’s End, by Robin McKinley. Although it’s been years I remember liking it. And in case you haven’t read them, I also highly HIGHLY recommend Juliet Marillier’s Wildwood Dancing and its sequel Cybele’s Secret. The former is a mishmash of different fairy tales and follows five sisters who go dancing in the Wildwood every full moon. And I totally agree with you on Ella Enchanted, Goose Girl, Beauty, Avalon High, and Howl’s Moving Castle (which is probably my favorite book). I haven’t read any of the others but now I want to check them out!

Kitty

May 09, 2017 at 05:49 AM UTC


Oooooohhhhh I forgot about Spindle’s End!! Wow, it’s been ages since I read it as well, I’ll have to re-visit it and see if it is “the Sleeping Beauty retelling to rule them all!” High Five for loving Howl’s Moving Castle, and thank you for the recommendation of the Wildwood Dancing and Cybele’s Secret. I will absolutely have to look into them!

May 8, 20174 min read

Best Fairy Tale Retellings


Greetings, Champions!

I have some new fanart to share (Jess created another beautiful picture of Briar Rose when she is in the middle of setting off her curse. Bonus points for putting her hair in a complex braid like I mentioned it was!!)


I think she did a beautiful job–thanks again, Jess!

My new assistant, Meg, has officially taken over my inbox and is going through everything like a wizard! I’ll be popping a brief interview I had with here up on the blog in my next post, but for now I thought we could have some fun!

In my previous post, I got to chatting with a few of you Champions (I’m looking at you, Hannah, Cami, and Arletta) about fairy tale books in the comments, so I thought it would be fun to expand the topic and share my favorite fairy tale retellings! It is worth noting that I am absolutely prejudice towards authors who either 1) include humor in their stories or 2) use beautiful language. (I thought I should own up to this ahead of time because the pattern is going to be pretty dang obvious early on.)

So! Here’s a few of my favorite Fairy Tale Adaptations!

Best Cinderella: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Lavine Gail does a lot of fairy tale-esque books, and while I enjoy them all Ella Enchanted is by far my favorite. Elle is an awesome heroine, and her story will both break your heart and make you laugh, plus the world building is some of the best I’ve seen.

Best Beauty and the Beast: Beauty by Robin McKinley “Chalice” and “The Blue Sword” are probably my favorite of Robin’s books, but Beauty is right up there with them. It has Robin’s typical/gorgeous descriptions, and it–probably more so than any of the other books I’ve listed–has more of the beautiful-true-blue-fairy-tale feeling to it. (It’s the perfect story to curl up with on a rainy or snowy day.)

Best Goose Girl: Goose Girl by Shannon Hale This book is why I will not include a retelling of the Goose Girl fairy tale as part of the Timeless Fairy Tales Series. It’s too perfect and too wonderful, I just can’t! If you haven’t read it yet…what are you waiting for!?! Reeeeaaaad!

Goose Chase by Patice Kindl This story is based almost entirely on one particular fairy tale…but for the life of me I can’t recall it’s name right now and Google isn’t helping me. Still, as soon as you start reading it you’ll know the goose-related-fairy-tale that I’m blanking on. This book is so much fun and really deserves a read. The main character is a hoot–I love her sarcastic and down-to-earth personality that shines through no matter her circumstances.

Best 12 Dancing Princesses: The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskel This book is by far the most original twist on the 12 Dancing Princesses story I’ve ever seen. It has a lot of humor in it, but it also digs deep into the story’s characters and examines what makes them tick. Merrie has a couple of other great fairy tale retellings–though Princess Curse is my favorite–so if you haven’t heard of her I highly recommend you give her a try!

Best Tam Lin retelling: The Perilous Guard by Elizabeth Marie Pope So this story technically isn’t a pure retelling of Tam Lin, but it’s still amazing…again because the main character is kick-butt and there’s several incredibly funny lines in the story. Please read it, because then we can laugh over the last few pages together–the best lines are in that part.

Best King Arthur retelling: Avalon High by Meg Cabot So technically this isn’t a fairy tale, but who is splitting hairs? If you enjoy humor, then this modern rendition of King Arthur is all for you. It’s one of the few King Arthur stories that actually has a happy ending!

Best Original Fairy Tale: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Seriously, this story makes it on my top ten favorite books of all time, it’s that good. It’s adorable and fun, filled with lots of adventure and romance. AKA EVERYTHING I LOVE! It has a lot of common fairy tale elements–a transformation, magic battles, riddles, a self-centered wizard, and more–so even though it’s not based on a fairy tale per say, it would be right at home in Cinderella’s Kingdom or in Beast’s country.

Best Fairy Tale-esque author: Vivan Vande Velde About 75% of Vivian’s work all has a fairy tale flavor to it–from Dragon’s Bait to Heir Apparent–and she’s an amazing writer. If you haven’t heard of her you are in for a real treat. She and Diana Wynne Jones are my literary heroes (along with Jane Austen, that is) so if I’m coming off as a fangirl…it’s because I am.

Where’s the indie love?! Almost all of the stories listed above are books I grew up with, so I am highly, highly prejudice towards them. But there are still a lot of indie authors–like me–who have done some fun re-tellings! My favorites are: Aya Ling, Melanie Cellier, Shari L. Tapscot, Brittany Fitcher, Chanda Hahn, Jenni James, and Kelly Oram. I haven’t read everything by this awesome crew (yet anyway) but I know they’ve got some good stuff I think you guys will enjoy!

So….who–or what–did I forget? I know right off the bat I don’t have a favorite Sleeping Beauty retelling, but I haven’t really read one that has made me fall-head-over-heels-oh-my-goodness-I-forgot-to-eat-in-love yet. Any recommendations? Until next time, thanks for reading, Champions!

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