5 of The Best Fairytale Retellings on My Bookshelf

Listen up book world, I am on SUCH a fairytale retelling kick these days! (This makes it sound like I’ve been reading a lot, which I’m actually… not. *cries* So “these days” is more like “the past six months.” But that’s a post for another day.) You’d think that with alllll the retellings already out there, we’d be scraping the bottom of the barrel by now. But some of the ones I’ve read recently have become my New Favorite Books of All Time. It seems there’s no end to the creative twists and sparkly new worlds (or dark and gritty depths) to dive into!

So I, your resident fairy godmother, am here to play matchmaker with YOU, dear reader, and five of the best fairytale retellings on my bookshelf. Some are new to me, others I read years ago.

But first before we continue, let us take a moment to mourn our TBRs.

Also please sign this waiver saying I’m not responsible for any injury that may occur when said TBR falls over in the middle of the night and crushes you in your sleep okay thank you carry on.

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If you like…

• Faithful retellings
• Beautiful prose
• Serious themes of abuse, justice, and mercy
• Slow-burn romance
• Immersive settings that aren’t your standard Euro-inspired fantasy fare

Then I recommend…

Thorn // Intisar Khanani

Retelling of The Goose Girl

Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, Princess Alyrra has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince Kestrin, Alyrra embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future.

When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs Alyrra of both her identity and her role as princess, Alyrra seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl.

But Alyrra soon finds that Kestrin is not what she expected. The more Alyrra learns of this new kingdom, and the pain and suffering its people endure, as well as the danger facing Kestrin from the sorceress herself, the more she knows she can’t remain the goose girl forever.

With the fate of the kingdom at stake, Alyrra is caught between two worlds and ultimately must decide who she is, and what she stands for.

Fairy Godmother Recommendation: This is a story that’ll stick with you. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks, and I HAD to go out and buy the sequel, The Theft of Sunlight, the week it released. (Still haven’t read that one yet, but I can’t wait!)

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If you like…

• Multiple fairytales woven together
• Cozy and heartwarming fantasy
• Books about books
• Gruff love interests
• An ending that will tear your heart in two and put it back together again

Then I recommend…

Echo North // Joanna Ruth Meyer

Retelling of Beauty and the Beast; Cinderella; East of the Sun, West of the Moon; and Tam Lin

Echo Alkaev’s safe and carefully structured world falls apart when her father leaves for the city and mysteriously disappears. Believing he is lost forever, Echo is shocked to find him half-frozen in the winter forest six months later, guarded by a strange talking wolf—the same creature who attacked her as a child. The wolf presents Echo with an ultimatum: If she lives with him for one year, he will ensure her father makes it home safely. But there is more to the wolf than Echo realizes.

In his enchanted house beneath a mountain, each room must be sewn together to keep the home from unraveling, and something new and dark and strange lies behind every door. When centuries-old secrets unfold, Echo discovers a magical library full of books-turned-mirrors, and a young man named Hal who is trapped inside of them. As the year ticks by, the rooms begin to disappear, and Echo must solve the mystery of the wolf’s enchantment before her time is up, otherwise Echo, the wolf, and Hal will be lost forever.

Fairy Godmother Recommendation: Read this if you’re prepared to fall head over heels in love with the precious characters, their utterly magical world, and their heart-rending journey! (Then come cry with me over that beautiful ending, okay?)

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If you like…

• Monsters
• Dangerous magic
• Retellings with twists that’ll take you by surprise
• Shippable characters with heaps of personal character development, not just romance
• Standalones that can be read in any order

Then I recommend…

The Ravenspire Series // C.J. Redwine

Retellings of Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, The Prince and the Pauper/The False Prince, and Cinderella

Find series on Goodreads

(Blurb for my favorite in the series thus far, The Wish Granter)

The world has turned upside down for Thad and Ari Glavan, the bastard twins of Súndraille’s king. Their mother was murdered. The royal family died mysteriously. And now Thad sits on the throne of a kingdom whose streets are suddenly overrun with violence he can’t stop.

Growing up ignored by the nobility, Ari never wanted to be a proper princess. And when Thad suddenly starts training Ari to take his place, she realizes that her brother’s ascension to the throne wasn’t fate. It was the work of a Wish Granter named Alistair Teague who tricked Thad into wishing away both the safety of his people and his soul in exchange for the crown.

So Ari recruits the help of Thad’s enigmatic new weapons master, Sebastian Vaughn, to teach her how to fight Teague. With secret ties to Teague’s criminal empire, Sebastian might just hold the key to discovering Alistair’s weaknesses, saving Ari’s brother—and herself.

But Teague is ruthless and more than ready to destroy anyone who dares stand in his way—and now he has his sights set on the princess. And if Ari can’t outwit him, she’ll lose Sebastian, her brother…and her soul.

Fairy Godmother Recommendation: The beauty of this series is that you really can jump in anywhere you like! Feel like reading about dragon shape shifters? Grab The Shadow Queen. Got a hankering for some epic monster fights? Pick up The Traitor Prince.

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If you like…

• Gender-bent retellings
• Fast-paced reads
• Irish mythology (with wild fey!)
• Deeply developed characters
• Themes of love and redemption

Then I recommend…

Fairest Son // H.S.J. Williams

Retelling of Snow White

The Fair and Foul courts of the fey folk have long yearned for one to bring them together in peace, but hopes are dashed when the fairest prince and the prophecy concerning him are laid to ruin. Burdened with shame and sorrow, the prince flees to the cold mountains far above the forests and lochs with nothing but animals and goblins for company.

When a human huntress stumbles upon him in her search for a legendary predator, their fates are intertwined. But she hides deadly secrets, and if he dares to trust her, he may risk the doom of both courts to an ancient evil…

Fairy Godmother Recommendation: It’s been a while since I read this novella, but I remember FLYING through it and loving it so much! (P.S. This author also released a full-length novel called Moonscript last year, and I’ve heard many good things! Plus it’s about elves, so yes please.)

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If you like…

• The perfect blend between soft sci-fi and fantasy
• Witty banter
• Relentless pacing
• Multiple POVs
• The most lovable cast of characters (who will live rent-free in your mind, guaranteed)

Then I recommend…

The Lunar Chronicles // Marissa Meyer

Retellings of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White

Find series on Goodreads

(Blurb for the first book, Cinder)

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.

She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Fairy Godmother Recommendation: This series is WILDLY popular, so it almost goes without saying. But in case some of you have yet to read it, I simply have to shove you on board the Rampion. Prepare yourself for an interstellar ride!

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So! Find anything new to read, book dragons?

And do you have any retelling recommendations for me? Goodness knows my TBR can’t take it, but tell me anywayyy! *insert the maniacal laughter of a deranged reader*

P.S. I’m on internet hiatus for a short while, but I’ll be back to reply to all your lovely comments!