I’m a sucker for Once Upon A Time.
Particularly if it ends with:
Just kidding!* I love retellings (fairy tale, classic, and even history) because they throw a new angle on something I’ve always loved. It’s the ultimate fanfiction. And it amazes me how an author can turn an overused story about girl who can’t keep her shoes on into an epic and hilarious and empowering story about a cyborg. That takes talent. That takes imagination.
* Not really. I love a good tragedy. I absolutely do.
Retellings inspire me because they’re full of imagination.
I’m an imaginative person, okay? I love imagination and I want to see other people popping ideas like suave moths and assassin Cinderallas out of their delightful brains. I want to read a retelling and think, “Yep, never would’ve put that together.” I want to be impressed and amazed.
But retellings have to be done well.
Okay, so they need to be perfect.
If you’re going to mess with my favourite story in the world that I grew up loving and imagining and dreaming about: then do it justice or go home. Or else my little psychopathic side might come crawling out for a game of Cluedo. Real life Cluedo.
Kidding. I’m a super nice person 3 days out of the year.
But, onwards shall we? To happier things!
(Let me just bury my judgemental side. Okay, we good? We good. Let’s move forward.)
As you know from my list of 22 Things To Do Before I’m 22, I’m taking part in Mel’s Fairy Tale Retelling challenge. I’d like to read 10 to 15 retellings this year. The goal is for “fairy tale retellings”, but we can sneak in some other retellings if we choose.
It started me thinking, “What books am I going to read?” I don’t buy books* so it narrows down to a) what I can get review-copies of, and b) what the library has.
I don’t want to read books for the sake of it. I only want books I’m interested and passionate about.**
* I’m poor.
** Which isn’t a biggie, because it takes me two blinks of an eye to be passionate about a book. What can I say? I LOVE BOOKS.
FAIRY TALE RETELLINGS I’VE READ IN THE PAST
But what else is there?
You know that feeling of being terrified that you’ll run out of your favourite genre?
I might’ve had that feeling for a few minutes. BUT! I did my research and now I have a tentative game plan of books to read for this challenge. (A phrase here which means I stalked this Epic Reads list.)
FAIRY TALE RETELLINGS I COULD READ?
Well that’s 17! If I read them all I would a) be amazing, and b) be tired, and c) I’d hit the next level of winner in the challenge! But let’s take it calmly, eh?
I love fairy tales, retold or not.
There is an awfully large chance I will never ever grow out of fairy tales. I love the magic of them. I like equal parts horror and sweet or icy and furious. I like things that are impossible. I like oldness reimagined. I like tales that never lose their poignancy.
I also like Sherlock. Which, coincidentally, the show is also a retelling. How perfect.
are you taking part in this fairy tale challenge?! got any books to recommend me? (it depends if my library has them though, but I’ve got a fabulous library) any books on my to-read list you recommend i skip because they are poisoned apples? and do you like/hate fairy tales and retellings? TELL ME WHY, THOUGH.
Cait loves retellings so much she’s written three of them. They’ve turned out a little dark and scary and very apocalyptic, but who doesn’t think of Little Red Riding Hood’s grandma as a gun dealer, right?! Currently, she’s reading THERE WILL BE LIES which is partially boring and partially addictive.
PS. Don’t forget to fill in my survey! I’ll post the results this week. There are some fabulously interesting statistics, including the fact that 70% of my readers are, in fact, pineapples. It’s a regular fruit salad around here.
I love reading fairytale retellings so much. It’s weird. I would think people would hate fairytales retellings because they are just twists on the same idea over and over again, but that’s what makes them so interesting. Each author is turning a cliche on its head in a different way. I was thinking about doing the challenge, but I think that might be doing too many challenges for me. I’m only doing two challenges right now, but still…I’ve read all The Lunar Chronicles books so far and I’ve also read Sisters Red, but as for other ones I want to read on your list, the list includes the upcoming Lunar Chronicles book, every retelling Marissa Meyer writes, Shadows on the Moon, Briar Rose, Cruel Beauty and Peter and the Starcatchers
I've never done any challenges before this year so I am SUPER excited. heh. XD oh oh oh but I agree! It's like they're old stories that we've always known…turned on their heads. That's what makes them so so intriguing to me. I hadn't even heard of Briar Rose before this but now I am SO excited for it!!
I love anything that gives me a nostalgia hit! …But I’ve never read any fairytale retellings…Saying that, I never was a fairytale girl (I can count the number of Disney films I’ve seen on one hand – and only two of them are fairytale retellings). I’m a myth/folklore person…The Gospel of Loki is a myth retelling, and it’s AWESOME!
Is it just me or are most films adapted from books less ‘the film of the book’ and more a retelling of said book?
On a (slightly) related note, I want to write a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing at some point.
*sniffs happily* NOSTALGIA! Omg, but really?! No fairy tales at all? YOU SAD THING. hehe. But mythology is awesome and I would really looove to read the Gospel of Loki. I think that counts as retelling, right?Agreed. I think, also, that movies would be better pitched as “fan fiction of the book”. -_-
I’m surprised to find that I have actually read quite a few of the books on your TBR list of retellings. The Looking Glass Wars are amazing books, and I think you may like them. You’ll at least appreciate the Mad Hatter’s hat. It is a thing of wonderous epicness. Peter and the Starcatchers is quite good too. It’s the only Peter Pan retelling I’ve ever had the chance to read actually. And Fairytales for Wilde Girls is a little strange, but awesome. The writing style is very different, but it’s a good story. I know what you mean about worrying that you’ll run out of your favourite books (before laughing hysterically at the idea that the world will run out of epic books to read). I think I got some new recommendations for fairytale retelling from this post now, so thank you for that. I’m off to hunt down my librarian and force her to hand over all her fairytale books.
Oh, oh, and I really wanted to thank you for recommending Skulduggery Pleasant. I found five of the books in the library and binge read them all. They have sarcasm! Epic sarcasm. I think they are my most favourite books of the moment. Just wanted to let you know that once again your recommendations are awesome.
I\’ve read two Peter Pan retellings (Tiger Lily and Second Star) and LOVED them so I\’m pretty sure Peter and the Starcatchers will totally be awesome. xD I actually had Fairy Tales for Wilde girls out from the library but I ran out of time to read it and sent it back. Next time?! Hopefully!
I was just so amazed my library had so MANY. It is a good library, but they tend to have a weird selection of books.
AHHH YAY! I\’m so glad you love Skulduggery! I\’m only up to book 3 so far. 🙁 I want more but I\’m tryyyying to get through my current TBR. *nods*
I agree with you there. I love love /love/ fairy re-tellings. I remember reading this series as a child with a sadistic slightly-crazy Little Red Riding Hood and it’s still one of the best books I’ve read XD
Wait, WHAT? Throne of Glass is a re-telling? *quickly googles to see if this is true*
Ack. I had no idea ToG was based off Cinderella.
Sherlock is the BEST re-telling ever. I tried reading Arthur Conan Doyle’s original books at one point, but he was too…well…nice ._. There have been lots of great reviews ’bout Dorothy Must Die, so that’s one re-telling we both must try, eh?
P.S You’ve found another pineapple. Hehe :3
YES IT IS. BELIEVE ME. I didn't actually see it until after I'd read it and heard it was a retelling. Nooow I get it. xD I'm not sure I'd count the rest of the series as retellings, though, because it's more faerie-ish.I haven't read the actual original Sherlock books. :'( I keep meaning to try, but that kind of writing always goes over my head.HELLO, MY FRIENDLY PINEAPPLE.
Yes, I am taking part in the Fairytale challenge! I wasn’t going to do anything but the Goodreads thing, but I had challenged myself to reading all of Maguire’s retellings and one of my tweet peeps suggested that if I was going to read that many, I might as well join the challenge. After that I remembered I was also going to read Bitter Greens and Damselfly. Remember when you asked in that blog post about what retellings we would like to see, and I said Thumbelina? Well, I was telling my sister and she said, “there is!” , and showed me Damselfly. Cool! I won Dorothy Must Die last year and was highly excited, but it was a personalized copy and the author was on tour so it’s arrival was taking some time, so I bought the prequel novella, No Place Like Oz. Um, it sucked, it was so weirdly written (YA content written with Children’s chapterbook vocabulary, and Middle Grade emotions), I dnfed it. The book is pretty on my shelves, and it is the very first book I received signed to La La, so I am keeping it, but I doubt I will ever read it. People have told me the writing in DMD is much different from No Place Like Oz, but that makes no sense to me; why would an author change her style for a prequel? Throne of Glass is a retelling???? Why did no one tell me this? I have the novella compilation and the first two books ready to go on my Kindle. They just moved up some on my tbr if they fit the challenge!
Throne of Glass is definitely a Cinderella retelling! I didn't actually see it until after I'd HEARD that it was…but whatever. XD Love that series so so much!I've heard the same things about Dorothy Must Die and the prequel. Ugh. That is depressing, right?? I think I will like DMD but I don't know! I've owned it for most of last year and never even peeked inside the cover. 0.0 *goes to google Damselfly*
I like retellings! I don’t read that many though. Love the Sherlock gifs. I guess the main ones I’ve read are Marissa Meyer’s though. I also read Sisters Red, which was super cool. What’s Sweetly based on/like? I pretty much never buy books either. I have a lot which I get as presents or hand-me-downs. Being in a small town India, unfortunately, means that the library is only the one from school and isn’t that great. On the plus side, the librarians buy any book we recommend, because they love us. And there’s also the Auckland library eBook selection, which is pretty good, though not extremely extensive. I never seem to have any money and the nearest bookshop is 45mins/half and hour depending on walking speed away. Oh well.
Sweetly is based on Hansel and Gretel! I didn't actually like it as much as Sisters Red. 🙁 MY BAD!Aww, that is cool you have nice librarians though! I would be a sad little melon face without my library (it has a really good selection) so I really feel for you. 🙁 We only have a tiny teeny bookshop in our town and it's ridiculously expensive. I only ever order online, really, from bookdepository.com because they have good prices and ship free. xD
Oooh, I love fairytale retelling. I always say that if I write a book, it will be a retelling. But I can never choose which fairytale to choose – I have too many favourites. And all of the popular ones have been done to death…
Beth x
But the unpopular ones are SO COOL. I've only read one nutcracker retelling but it was ajfklasf so beautiful. xD I love it when the minor fairy tales are redone too. xD I hope you do write on one day! THEY ARE FUN TO WRITE.
I’m not doing the challenge because I have decided not to do any reading challenges this year BUT I do want to read a lot of retellings this year. There is something so magical about fairytales. Obviously the one I’m looking forward to most is A Court of Thorns and Roses but I’ve also got my eye on Mechanica, A Wicked Thing and Crimson Bound 🙂 It’s exciting!! I would love to find a GOOD retelling or adaptation of The Little Mermaid but all the reviews I’ve read of existing ones seem to suggest they suck. Let me know if you find one 🙂
This is actually my first year doing any challenges at all so I\’m really excited. ^_^ *flails cautiously* AFJDSLA I REALLY WANT ACOTAR. I would\’ve put Mechanica on my list, but I\’m not sure if I\’ll get an ARC, so better be safe, right?!
I like a good retelling every now and again but (don’t hate me) I DON’T LOVE LOVE THEM. I mean, I enjoy one or two but I could never express my crazy love for them. In fact, I don’t even think I’ve read a retelling worth 5 stars OH KNOW. I am going to pick up Fairest soon though. Hopefully that one is good though!
I WON\’T HATE YOU. Because I\’m endlessly nice. *nods humbly* Seriously, though?! You haven\’t adored any of Marissa Meyer\’s so far?! Ah, but hey, each to their own right? I will not throw retellings at your head.
At least…I won\’t throw them hard….
Hey there!
I absolutely love fairy tales and most of the retellings! And btw i really really enjoy reading you blog! But the thing I wanted to say: Ever heard of “Into the Woods”? You probably have! (if not, it’s a musical, wich is now made into a movie and it’s also a really big and verry funny retelling) Anyway I saw that movie yesterday, so after reading this post, it made me think about it! I think your gonna love it!
So yhea, guess thats it 🙂
Hiiiiii Marit!! I HAVE heard of Into the Woods and I would like to see it someday (although, I confess, I\’m not the world\’s biggest musical fan. *sigh* I know, right?! How shameful of me!) XD But I\’ve heard it\’s hilarious so I WANT TO SEE IT EVENTUALLY.
Ooh, I saw the retelling challenge but wasn’t feeling up to it, so I didn’t participate. I do have quite a few retellings on my TBR, though! I think retellings are so powerful because it takes something that the reader is intimately familiar with and has to turn that familiarity back onto the reader by subverting the original. It’s like meeting a childhood friend twenty years later and s/he’s a glamorous CEO or something. But I do so love retellings, although – and I can’t believe this – I still haven’t read a good Shakespeare retelling. Argh. I NEED.
P.S.: Oh, dear. I hadn’t realised so many of us were pineapples. Maybe next time give an option for grapes or something, or it’ll be too sour to make a good fruit salad. Can’t wait to see the results!
Completely fair! I actually have never done any challenges so this year I wanted to experiment a bit and do some different stuff. x) Ohhh, yes! I agree! It totally is like meeting that childhood friend…especially if you easily pick up where you left off, right?
Too true. I should\’ve at least had some options. Maybe I have APPLES in my mix and I didn\’t let them be themselves in my poll and forced them to conform to pineapple-ness.
Uhhhhh. Throne of Glass is a retelling?? What now??
IT IS. Of Cinderella.
WUT?! I didn’t know that, and I don’t reallllly see it… quite a loose re-telling??? R x
I was always far more interested in myths and legends than I was in fairy tales as a kid, which may be part of the reason I never really liked Disney movies…….. ANYWAY. I’ve read a fair few retellings, but I don’t go out of my way to look for fairy tale ones. I prefer retellings/modernisations of classic novels (which is appropriate seeing as that’s essentially what my NaNoWriMo novel was!), so thanks for the link to the Epic Reads list, which has helped me find a few more that I desperately need to get hold of!!
Still, fairy tale retellings when done right can be amazing. Also, I had literally no idea that Throne of Glass was considered a Cinderella retelling. NO IDEA. I am now going to be forced to go to bed and ponder this before my head explodes. (And possibly reread the entire series with this information in mind…)
WHAT.
Who even are you? Not liking Disney…. *splutters*
I like mythology retellings too, and I wouldn\’t mind seen more classics retold. Although Lord of the Flies is retold A LOT (just thinking of Gone by Michael Grant and the Maze Runner off the top of my head o.O). That epic reads list is gold. Especially at the end! It has Shakespear retellings and things too.
Heehee, you could read my Cinderella retelling, Broken Glass. And I don’t think a lot of libraries have it. In all honesty, I think I write retellings more often then I read them. But I like the idea of retellings! And I loooove Sherlock. I didn’t know that Throne of Glass was a Cinderella retelling. Cool beans! I can’t decide if i want to read it…
My favorite retelling is probably the Lunar Chronicles. Captain Thorn and Cress are the cutest ship, like, ever. 😀
Ooh, yes I could. xD I shall check if my library has it. Maybe they might buy it?? AJFDSAD SHERLOCK IS THE BEST. And yes! ToG is definitely Cinderella…I actually didn\’t see it until someone told me but now I SEE IT ALL.
I really like retellings! It’s that sense of nostalgia and deja vu I guess. Mostly, I go for fairytale retellings because I like twisted verisons of mostly normal things. You’ve mentioned some retellings I’ve never heard of. I shall go on to checking them out! ^_^
I like the dejavu AND the nostalgia. I just love that I\’m rereading something old that I love that\’s still (somehow) new.
Ohhh Cait, why must you keep expanding my TBR list D: (not really complaining that much hehehe)
BECAUSE I\’M NICE/MEAN LIKE THAT.
Like you, I usually don’t read books just for the sake of reading books; I read them because I want to read them. (The exception may be classic literature, on the subject of which I’m usually 50/50–half of me reads it because I want to have read the classics, and the other half because I’m interested in the classics. But I digress.) BUT the good news is, retellings will often catch my eye, and I do enjoy getting a new twist on a familiar story! I will admit that I haven’t read TOO many of these–I read Ash, Winterspell, and Tiger Lily, as well as Peter and the Starcatchers and The Looking Glass Wars. I didn’t care much for The Looking Glass Wars, though I have a feeling it’ll be right up your alley, but I did love Peter and the Starcatchers, so I hope you enjoy! And good luck with your reading challenge! (I’m not too worried. I have a feeling you won’t have any trouble reading that many retellings, haha!)
I admire you for reading classics. I die at classics. >.> I just…I can\’t get my brain into them. Ohhh, I really iked Tiger Lily! It\’s not my favourite version of Peter Pan, but to be honest, I haven\’t found another version of Peter Pan that I love as much as the original. 😉 Splintered on the other hand is JUST as good as the original. XD I\’ve kind of got mixed feelings already for the zombieland ones because I haven\’t heard there\’s so good. *gulps*
Awesome post, Cait! What’s Throne of Glass a retelling of?
It\’s a retelling of Cinderella! I was kind of WHAT when I first heard that but I totally see it now. *nods*
Splintered – check. Alice in zombieland – check.
But – BUT, If I have to name a retelling I can’t avoid naming the Grimm Diaries of Cameron Jace. Or all the retellings, Insanity is about Alice in Wonderland, for example.
But the diaries and the prequels made me honestly put down the book and stare at the wall in front of me. For minutes.
They are an amazing retelling of the Grimm stories and I’m surprised they aren’t mentioned here! There is blood, there is shipping, intrigue, multiple point of view that leave you whimpering for a nice and clear opinion on a character, there is “I’m going to murder your favourite bedtime stories” and…please, read them. If I remember well the prequels (which are actually even better than the story sometimes) are cheap ebooks…and the first ones are FREE.
I think I need to read them again. Just because I need a fresh memory for the new one that I still have to read.
omg. I am looking up these asap. I love the original Grimm stories so YES I THINK I NEED THESE. *goes to google all the things*
I know you already have the books you want but you should add A Kiss in Time. Its sleeping beauty and I loved it!
I\’m totally up for recs, so YAY! I will look that up right now!
You know, I don’t really consider Alice in Zombieland a retelling. There is a white rabbit that appears from time to time and that’s about it for Alice in Wonderland references.
I found a few books that you have read that I have not. I gotta get on that, I love retellings to! I’ve been meaning to read Ash for the longest!
Aw, darnit. Do you reckon it\’d still count for the challenge, or probably no, then??
Psst; it does.
YAY!
I love fairytales and fairytale retellings. They are my favorite. I am 38 years old and I believe I am never too old for fairytales. I agree that they are full of imagination and yes its fun to see others takes on famous stories. The ultimate fan fiction… never thought of that before. its so true. Great post
NO ONE IS EVER TOO OLD FOR MAGIC.
I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. But I guess I don’t have to tell you that or anyone else at this point, hehe. There are so many retellings. I’ve been reading a lot of them these past two years and there are still a lot I haven’t read. But, like you said, sometimes it’s a bit frightening; what if I run out of them? Authors better continue writing them 😀
Pssssssssssst; I highly recommend a retelling from one of my favorite authors. Juliet Marillier, with retellings from Beauty and the beast (Heart’s blood), 12 dancing princesses (Wildwood dancing) and Six Swans (Daughter of the forest.) I will feature her in a link-up post, although I’m not sure which month I’m going to post it 😉
I FIGURED YOU LOVED FAIRY TALES. I deduced it with my Sherlock skills. *commences a Sherlock strut* Authors NEED to keep writing them! I\’m worried the trend will get huge like dystopian and then BOOM — no more epic retellings. >.> But hopefully that won\’t happen. *glups*
OH! I am looking her up asap!
I’M OBSESSED WITH RETELLINGS. Reading them, writing them, directing and acting them, watching them…I just adore fairytales and retellings of anything. But I’m picky as well! I don’t want it to be too CLOSE to the original, but I don’t want it to be unrecognisable either.
I definitely recommend Fairytales for Wilde Girls. It’s not a retelling but it IS awesome 🙂
I wondered if I could sneak in Fairytales for Wilde Girls anyway?! Like it says fairy tales on the cover right?! *plots deviously*
Yessss…I absolutely love retellings so much. I like it when I can tell, but also the plot twists are different. I don\’t like retellings where it doesn\’t vary like AT ALL from the original. It\’s kind of boring then. *shrugs*
Fairy tale retellings are my favorite! I do often feel like it’s overdone, especially some stories (Snow White and Cinderella are the ones I see especially often) but if it’s done well it’s glorious. I think it’s fascinating to see the way people interpret and twist those common stories, and how everyone has a completely different way of seeing it! My favorites personally are the ones based off more obscure fairy tales, though, but I’m a huge Lunar Chronicles fan, so that’s not very consistent. xD
I’ll have to add some of these to my list! I got an ARC of Dorothy Must Die and wasn’t a fan at all, but who knows, you might like it! It’s certainly an interesting, dark twist on an already dark and twisty story. I just thought it wasn’t executed very well. If you’re looking for more, you MUST read The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, and the books after that. The Goose Girl is based off a fairy tale I hadn’t heard of before, and it’s actually beautiful and there are adorable ships and I love the writing. It’s ADORABLE. *squee*
I kind of think Cinderall is DEFINITELY overdone, but at the same time, I\’m totally okay with it if it\’s a really awesome original version. Like Cinder is amazing and Throne of Glass is unrecognisable nearly for it\’s Cinderella themes. So that all makes me pleased. x)
I won Dorothy Must Die and it\’s been on my TBR ALL YEAR AND I FEEL BAD. Buuuut, I\’m definitely going to try it.
I shall look up The Goose Girl pronto!
What “Throne of Glass” is a retelling?! I have this book in my shelf, but not read yet. I don’t like retellings ._. But books like “Dark Wonderland”, “Alice in Zombieland” or “Cinder” are so hyped (?) here in Germany, everyone read and love them.
I’m not a fan of retellings, the books don’t sound good in my ears. But I think I’m the only one who think so :DD
Yes it\’s a retelling of Cinderella! Aw, that\’s okay! Not ever genre appeals to everyone, right?! I, personally, not matter how much I try…I can\’t get into steampunk. 🙁
Oh no, this information makes me sad 🙁 Not that I don’t like Cinderella, I like fairy tales and know a lot of when I was a child, but I don’t want retellings.
Yeeeahh … that’s right! I’m a big dystopian fan, love fantasy and contemporary – all the most hyped books in the moment haha 😀 Do you read the 5th wave yet?
I haven\’t yet. BUT I WANT TO! It\’s on my 2015 tbr. Heh. I\’ve got SO many books to read this year. xD
I haven’t listed to take part in the fairytale challenge, merely because I don’t think I’ll read very many at all to be honest.. I mean, if you can slid mythology books into there, there’s a WHOLE WORLD of books that can cover that, but advice, nope, got none, sorry. I do however really like this post, and would highly advise against Alice in Zombieland.. that romance, that horrible plot, well, if you do read it, lower your expectations hugely, okay? Hm.. I do actually like some retellings, I like mythology more then fairytale, although Lunar Chronicles is amazing and Splintered wasn’t bad, so, maybe I should try more?.. Great post though hunny! 😀
Heh. I have heard awful awful things about Alice in Zombieland, but I Think it\’s one of those ones I\’m too curious about. I feel like it\’ll be a spiral downwards, buuuut, I need to read it. >.>
I like retellings a lot for the same reason you mentioned: I love to see how authors play with known tales. It’s very difficult indeed! The last retelling I read was Tiger Lily and…. I didn’t like it as much as I hoped I would. I felt very disconnected with the story and some of the characters but I do have a couple of books I wanna dive into (The Lunar Chronicles and Sisters Red). And, I DIDN’T KNOW THRONE OF GLASS WAS A RETELLING!!!
P.S: those Sherlock gifs, girl!!
I didn\’t like Tiger Lily quite as much as I hoped either. Peter Pan is my FAVOURITE fairy tale though, soooo maybe my expectations were a bit too super high??
THRONE OF GLASS IS A RETELLING OF CINDERELLA!!!
I need to read more fairy tale retellings because I know I’ll love them (I absolutely love it when authors use myth and fairy tales in their work!). I guess reading The Splintered (and all the books after it) would be awesome since Alice in the Wonderland retellings intrigue me so much (you’re absolutely right…they’re so imaginative!). Also Cinder…it sounds so good and I need to read it. Hmm. I’ll be on the lookout for some awesome retellings this year (the school library/actual library should have some). 😀
Wait…you haven\’t read Splintered yet?! HOW OFTEN DO I RAVE ABOUT IT? SERIOUSLY, MAWA. GO FIX THIS SPLINTERED SHAPED HOLE IN YOUR LIFE. XD
I’m not taking part in the challenge. I mean, I probably could, but I’m going to be taking part in a different fairy tale challenge next month, and I’d like to save my supply of retellings for then.
But, books I have read and would recommend to anyone:
Pretty much any retelling by Gail Carson Levine. This includes her Princess Collection, which are quick and hilarious, ELLA ENCHANTED and its companion FAIREST, which are also hilarious, but they’re also deeper. EE is my favorite. She also has some books about Tinker Bell and other Disney fairies which I believe is what helped found the Disney fairy line. There are three books, though I’ve only read the first two, and I personally consider them better than the movies. (Rani!!!!)
Shannon Hale’s RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE and CALAMITY JACK. They’re graphic novels, and are in a weird western/magical/almost steampunk world. I also recommend her Ever After High series. It is one of the better Fairy Tale Boarding schools I’ve read, and Madeleine Hatter. You’ll love Madeleine Hatter. (That series also has a website and a video series that can be watched between videos, which only makes the books better, though I do recommend reading at least the first book first.)
I saw a couple weeks/months back that you had UnEnchanted by Chandra Hahn on your Kindle. Read that. It’s wonderful. Also, if you happen to have it on your kindle (I picked it up for free last year, so you might, what with it being free and all that) CINDERELLA THEOREM by Kristee Ravan.
Umm … other books you might like that are Fairy Tale retellings … RUMP by Liesl Shurtliff, which is an interesting retelling of Rumplestilskin, which will make you like him without deviating from the original tale much at all, and taking the time to nod to all sorts of other retellings (such as the fact that Rump’s best friend is a girl named Red who has a grandmother who lives in the woods.)
THE PRINCESS CURSE by Merrie Haskel, which is the story of the daughter of the soldier who solved the mystery of the Twelve Dancing Princesses … and it’s also a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with some Hades and Persephone mixed in.
THE FROG WHO WOULD BE PRINCE by Norman Juster. Again, this is one you might or might not have on Kindle, since it’s been free, but it’s the best retelling of The Frog Prince I’ve ever read. It has a magical library book that starts talking when hits the overdue mark, a dragon, a dwarf, and the Sleeping Beauty.
And I know of more … but I think I’ll stop there.
*takes notes on ALL THE THINGS*
I checked my kindle for Unenchanted and COULD NOT FIND IT. So I went on Amazon and it\’s still free, so now I have that. ^_^ Happiness.
My library didn\’t have most of these though, and THE FROG WHO WOULD BE PRINCE wasn\’t free anymore. WAY. But I\’ll keep an eye on them all because I do have a few kindle giftcards, so why not?! I\’m excited! :))
OHMYGOSH, The Looking Glass Wars! I love them so much and Hatter Madigan is the awesomest thing. Ever. So awesome.
Yaaay! THIS IS GOOD NEWS. I\’ve actually heard a lot of not-so-good things, so this makes me feel more excited for them. xD
I LOVE Fairytale retellings. lol… I don’t like it when the do a rubbish JOB, but I love them in GENERAL. Like Into the Woods (le movie) IT was GOOD. IT was WEIRD. IT was DARK. And I loved it. lol.
Books though? I like the Princess retellings by Jessica Day George. (Not sure you’d be wild about them though. There isn’t a lot of death and blood. lol.)
Well, AGREED. Who likes it when they do a bad job?!!
No death and blood…wut. (You know me too well, though. XD)
Caiiiiiit!!! You are going to rue the day you ever mentioned retellings, especially of a fairytale-nature. XD
I LOVE RETELLINGS SO MUCH OKAY. ESPECIALLY FAIRYTALE RETELLINGS OH MY GOODNESS I WANT TO READ SO MANY!!! *FLAIIIIL* <3<3:D
But you’re in luck, because I have a whole shelf on Goodreads devoted to retellings (138 of them, including King Arthur and Robin Hood etc.) — So here. XD https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/19951545-de… I’ve not read all of them, but… yeah, if you’re just looking for ideas. 😛
And of the ones you want to read, I’ve only read Peter and the Starcatchers. I wouldn’t classify it as a poisoned apple, but… OKAY I DIDN’T LIKE IT. Because it’s really a prequel to Peter Pan, and it gives an “origin story” for all the stuff. Which I didn’t like because I didn’t like it explained away like that, and it didn’t FEEL like Peter Pan yet… because it wasn’t. BUT DON’T MIND ME BECAUSE I HAVE A FEELING YOU’LL PROBABLY LIKE IT. XD
Here are my recommendations!
Entwined – Heather Dixon (Twelve Dancing Princesses)
Peter Pan in Scarlet – Geraldine McCaughrean (official Peter Pan sequel)
The Amaranth Enchantment – Julie Berrie (Cinderella-ish)
also Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles – they just have lots of little fairytale things referenced all over and are hilarious and scrumptious. Mostly the first two.
BUT CAIT. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST READ ENTWINED. I think you’d love it. Because it has awesome characters but is also a little dark/spooky, and kind of hilarious sometimes. 😀 And Peter Pan in Scarlet I love even more than the original and it’s SO Peter-Pan-ish but also feels a little darker than the original, I think, and just alkdjflksjdflksjd I love it to death. <3 AND I THINK YOU'D LOVE THE AMARANTH ENCHANTMENT. BECAUSE IT'S SORT OF CREEPY BUT ALSO LOVELY/FUNNY.
Also Sherlock gifs. BECAUSE SHERLOCK. <3<3<3
Sorry for the long comment! o.o *slinks away*
IT ATE MY LINK. -_- *wails in the background* https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/19951545-debo… and my “retellings” shelf…
OH YAY my library has Peter Pan and Scarlet! I AM HAPPY. Peter Pan is my favourite of favouritests. <– totally a word. It doesn\'t have The Amaranth Enchantment or Entwined, so lemme cry for a second.
NEVER BE SORRY FOR LONG AWESOME COMMENTS. I\'m stalking your full goodreads shelf now.
I haven’t actually read any re-tellings, I have Throne of Glass on my shelf – what’s that a retelling of? I want to read Cinders, I’ve been thinking about that for ages.
It\’s a Cinderella retelling. Omg…you neeeeed to read it. IT IS GLORIOUS.
I love the IDEA of retellings, but I’ve never read a GOOD retelling. So I end up not reading any. Which is quite sad. =(
I could help you find some good ones if you are interested 🙂 Just shoot me a message on my blog or social media!
Great idea! I’ll hit your twitter. Merci beaucoup.
OH YES. Mel will have the BEST recs. But whilst I am here *digs out list* seriously Cinder is phenomenal. (I know you don\’t like Throne of Glass but I LOVE THAT ONE.) Also Splintered. Also Cruel Beauty.
Squeeee I LOVE fairy tales and fairy tale retellings too! I LOVED Cinder and I’m so excited to read Scarlet and Cress. I also MUST read Splintered soon because it sounds AMAZING and the cover is absolutely beautiful and asdfghjkl it sounds so good!
SPLINTERED IS AMAZING AND BRILLIANT AND I THINK YOU SHOULD READ IT ASAP.
I love Sherlock too! Hence, I also love the gifs you used here. A lot. Good luck with your challenge!
Thanks, Stefani!! SHERLOCK FTW, I SAY.
I LOVE retellings! Even though I haven’t read that many of them (yet!). I just received a most exciting package today with 5 books I ordered at the end of December. It includes both Cinder and Throne of Glass and I’M SO EXCITED TO READ THEM. Good luck with your challenge! I’m looking forward to seeing your progress 😀
FAJSFKLD THIS IS GLORIOUS NEWS. I love those books so so much. And seriously, bingeing all the books out is a must. The last Cinder book comes out at the end of this year!
I didn’t realize Throne of Glass was partially based on “Cinderella” before I started, but I did pick up on it. I’m reading merrily along and all of a sudden I’m thinking, “When the frack did this turn into ‘Cinderella’?” Guess that explains it.
Peter and the Starcatchers is awesome. It’s not so much a retelling of Peter Pan as it is a prequel, but it’s so well done. It’s actually gotten one of my highest ratings on my blog. I really should try the other books in the series one of these days.
Beastly by Alex Flinn is a decent “Beauty and the Beast” retelling. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (“Sleeping Beauty”) is really good, but it’s dark. Robin McKinley’s Beauty (“Beauty and the Beast”, of course) is an oldie but a goodie. The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair is not a straight retelling, but it does have shades of “Rapunzel” (and an Indian setting, which is really cool). And you can’t really go wrong with Gail Carson Levine’s retellings: Ella Enchanted (“Cinderella”), Fairest (“Snow White”), and A Tale of Two Castles (“Puss in Boots”) are all pretty good.
Some others I’ve read (but didn’t really like) were A Tale Dark & Grimm (“Hansel and Gretel”) by Adam Gidwitz, Neverland (Peter Pan) by Anna Katmore, Ice (“East of the Sun [and West of the Moon]”) by Sarah Beth Durst, and Crazy Beautiful (yet another “Beauty and the Beast” retelling) by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. They didn’t work for me, but others might enjoy them.
As loooong as Peter and the Starcatchers still counts for a retelling I don\’t mind. xD I\’ve had people recommend that to me in the past anyway and I\’ve never gotten around to it. So this is PERFECT.
I\’ve just reserved Ella Enchanted from the library actually! FINALLY getting into that one!
lol, I had just had to laugh out loud about the comment on the buttom of your post about 70% of your reader being pineapples. I actually explained the whole survey to my boyfriend, just so he would get the fun of that comment as well.
Okay now back on topic. I actually don’t really like fairytale retellings or maybe I haven’t read the right ones yet. I actually own a copy of Stork and once read a few retellings. I am planning on reading Cinder, as so far that’s one of the fairytale retellings I heard the best thigns about, so I decided that if a book is going to change my mind about that genre it will be Cinder. Or maybe not, maybe I am just not a fairytale retelling person. However I did enjoy reading why you do enjoy this genre and I appreciate knowing how another person sees this genre!
Aw, hahaha! That just made my day. xD I have very fruity friends, what can I say?!!
Cinder is ajfdakds amazing, although, truthfully I actually dnf\’d it to begin with but then the second time I read it I absolutely FELL IN LOVE.
I love retellings. Unfortunately, I haven’t read many. But I plan to remedy that.
Last month or so I finished Cinder. That book was so amazing! I was not even expecting anything like that. I even liked Prince Kai, and I usually don’t like the prince love interests. They tend to be cliched or shallow. But he wasn’t. And Cinder was so awesome too. The original fairytale was so focused on romance and true love and all that. But Cinder just wanted to be free. There was romance, but I like how it wasn’t only thing in the book, it was a balance of all things in life (you know, if your life consists of cyborgs and people from the moon who can brainwash you).
I’m definitely going to read all the Lunar books this year. And any other retellings I can find.
Are you going to read Scarlet and Cress? THEY ARE JUST AS GOOD. Actually, Scarlet is my favourite. ^_^
I’m a sucker for a good retelling! I’m actually writing a Snow White retelling from the prince’s pov right now, and it’s coming a little slowly, but it’s so fun! I love how re-tellings take a magical story and gives the characters more demension and gives reasons for a lot of unlikely things. You should totally write a re-telling!
Oohhh, YAY AND GO YOU! That sounds like an epic retelling. XD *whispers* I\’ve actually written 2 fairy tale retellings, Peter Pan and Little Red Riding Hood. XD
I absolutely adore fairytales too Cait (but you already know that…) Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite authors, especially when it comes to combining fairytales with science fiction. 😀 I too am extremely excited to read Fairest and Winter. 😀 And, of course, I love, love, LOVE Tiger Lily. 😉 And ahh! I need to finish the Splintered series – I’ve only read the first one but really liked it (no surprise there, right?), but for some reason I haven’t picked up Unhinged yet. I am impatiently waiting for A Court of Thorns and Roses because, obviously, Sarah J. Maas can do no wrong. 😉 Thanks for sharing Cait, and great post! So glad you signed up for Mel’s fairytale challenge too – it’s going to be a blast!
I DO KNOW THAT. Marissa Meyer is the Queen of Retellings, I say. I cannot WAIT for Heartless. o.O It is going to slay my Alice in Wonderland loving heart.
YES YES I LOVE RETELLINGS!!! For all the reasons you have listed. It’s just so much fun to see your favourite childhood stories revamped into something epic. Now, let me think of some retellings to recommend to you (I went through a phase a little while ago that, let’s be honest, never ended)
Shadows of the Moon is awesome! Zoe Marriot also has a retelling of the six swans which is great. And reminds me that Juliet Marillier writes a fair few series that start as retellings (eg Sevenwaters, Wildwood Dancing) and standalones that are BEAUTIFUL RETELLINGS I LOVE SO MUCH (Heart’s Blood). Plus Juliet Marillier has beautiful writing and is an Aussie and not enough people love her so READ THEM CAIT. There’s also the Once Upon a Time series of books written by many different authors (The Crimson Thread is one), each only 200-300 pages. So many good retellings to be found there. I used to marathon all the books from this series that were in the library.
Now, you have to let me know of ALL the awesome fairy tale retellings you find because I want to read more of them. (Particularly Beauty and the Beast ones. Those end up being my favourite)
Good luck with the challenge!
HELLO BEST FRIEND.
OMG SHE\’S AUSTRALIAN/?!! That is reason enough alone to read all her things. I neeeed to read more Aussie books too. xD
Yes! Retellings! LOVE THEM, ADORE THEM!!! Sorry, It’s just they’re the best books in the world. Who doesn’t wait to read a book about fairytales redone or just any story redone? But Cait, there is a book you’ve left off both lists, Ella Enchanted! Please tell me you’ve read this!!! It’s like the best book EVER! Oops:)
Also, Peter and the Starcatchers is a good book. I great read! There is also a second one, I forget the name, which was also great, but for some reason everyone I spoke to about it said it was spooky (I didn’t notice)! I hope you enjoy reading it!
They totally ARE the best in the world!!! And don\’t worry, I have got Ella Enchanted on reserve at the library. XD
I love fairy tale retellings! I actually did a post about Once Upon a Time and fairy tale retelling novels a while back. I’m not sure I have a specific reason for loving them. I’ve loved storytelling and magic since I was a little kid. I’ve always loved getting lost in another world.
Getting lost in another world absolutely is the best.
“. And it amazes me how an author can turn an overused story about girl who can’t keep her shoes on into an epic and hilarious and empowering story about a cyborg” <- PREACH. That's exactly how I feel about retellings, too.
Anyways, as for Crimson Thread (one of the books on your TBR) I read it, and thought it was pretty good. I love that whole series of books, because even though they're short they usually are really entertaining. I also love Golden (which is about Rapunzel, but get this, she's bald ) and Spirited (a mix between Pocahontas and Beauty and the Beast).
Good luck on your reading challenge, Cait!
*climbs on soapbox* THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
How…how can Rupunzel be bald?!
I used to be so scared of retellings! I even wrote a post about how I do NOT read them. But I really wasn’t sure why. So then Val @ The Innocent Smiley basically forced me (seriously, forced, not just suggested) to read Cinder. And it was good! SO now I guess I am fine with retellings? Well, I shouldn’t say that. They aren’t my go to, I was never really into fairy tales as a kid or anything. But now, if they look interesting (or you know, you tell me I need to read them, i.e., Splintered) I will likely read them.
oh Val is very forceful. *nods* I hear you there, although I\’ve been fORCING her to read Throne of Glass for ages now and I believe she\’s still resisting. Meanie.
Read Splintered. PLEASE NOOOOOOW.
I was always wary of fairy tale retellings, I thought they were simply retellings of the story but in a different setting. Then I ate my words after I read Cinder and I LOVED IT SO MUCH. And then Maleficient! The age of fairy tale retellings are here and they are AMAZING! Now to tackle Splintered…
AFJDSAKLD CINDER IS THE BEST! And I quite liked Maleficient too, except I thought they overdid the graphics. >.> I mean, how high do her cheekbones really need to be?!
I’ve never really gotten into Fairytale retellings, but I did read one or two retellings of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. What retellings would you recommend for someone who has never read one before? P.S. I am currently in Disney World right now, so I would LOVE to read a good fairytale while surrounded by castles, magic and adventure!
Than you might want to check out a retelling from the 12 dancing princesses! There is lots of magic and castles. So perhaps Heather Dixon – Entwined is something for you 🙂
*sneaks away*
*sneaks in after Mel*
Or or or Cinder. Or Tiger Lily. Tiger Lily is gorgeous.
I hope you read all the retelling to your heart’s content this year. 🙂 I might be reading Splintered soon, but I’m kinda hoping I don’t love it, because how am I going to get the second book? :/ But it sounds amazing, though. The only retellings I’ve read are the Lunar Chronicles ones, and I can’t wait to read the newest installments! I am so excited for Fairest. YES to bad guys.
You could just….buy the second book?! Or borrow it from a wonderful library?! 🙂
I wholeheartedly approve of the Lunar Chronicles, and I thought Cruel Beauty was okay. That is all I know. But they were good, and you will have to let me know if the ones you read are good so I can check them out as well! 😀
I will probably do some sort of round up with like a 2 sentence review at the end of each month?!
Oh I do love a good fairy tale re-telling. I am taking part in this challenge too and I just posted my first review two days ago. I read, Locks:Rapunzel Unhinged by Sarah J. Pepper. Her Death of a Mad Hatter is pretty awesome too. You can surely check them out. From your list, I loved Alice in Zombieland. And I don’t like zombies. At all. Since I read the the first few chapters of My Life as a White Trash Zombie, while having my lunch, they disgust me. I’m planning on reading Enchanted too.
Other books I’m thinking of reading, mind you just “thinking” are Cinder, Entwined by Heather Dixon, Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, Of Beauty and Beast by Stacey Jay, The Queen of Hearts Saga by Colleen Oakes, Winterspell. Maybe I’ll find something else too.
YAY GO YOU! Already onto this! I haven\’t even started which probably isn\’t wise considering I\’m aiming high. XD
I’m a retelling junkie too! I love your line about oldness reimagined. I think it’s the same reason I like cover songs. Great stories (or anything else) that you’ve loved, with a new twist…as long as it’s done well, it’s my favorite! And I am also in love with Once Upon A Time 🙂
*hi fives* We are junkies together!
Yay, we’re all Pineapples! I guess I need to take a look at the survey again to remind myself what I actually wrote in the survey.
I really love fairytale retellings too! (Probably what you’re reading in the comments here for the umptieth time) The Little Red Ridings Hoods grandmother as gundealer sounds like a story I’d love to read 😀
I’d probably even retell one and the same fairytale again and again if I could (I LOVE Snow White and can’t get enough of it) just to have more of fairytale retellings. I also feel the same, there are just not enough fairytale retellings, so I too started writing my own… now I realize, that I’m even more *mainstream* than I’ve ever though, but I don’t care, because fairytales are great 🙂
it is a FRUIT SALAD around here, I tell you. I\’ve done a big infographic of the survey results which I think I\’ll post tomorrow. XD It\’s exciting. hehe.
HA! So glad you like my Red Riding Hood twist. xD But yes, *sigh* maybe everyone is doing fairy tale retellings, but we should really write whatever we want, right?! So it shouldn\’t matter. xD
I love retellings because they (if done right) twist the fairytale and make it their own. That’s why I love Cinder so very much!! It’s unique, it’s different, it’s a new and fresh take to the Cinderella story. Lovely post and great gifs 😀
Exactly! Cinder is the perfect example of making a fairy tale so absolutely totally different.
OOH. I *love* retellings! My favorites are definitely Ash, Elementary, the Lunar Chronicles, and Maleficent, although I also enjoyed the Percy Jackson books (those count, right?!), Ella Enchanted, Briar Rose by Jane Yolen and this book called All Men of Genius. It’s a retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night AND Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.
I should add another thing to my upcoming “2015 bookish goals” post – more retellings, especially of not-so-well-known stuff. (Such as Cinderella. There are a LOT of Cinderella retellings, aren’t there?!)
I KNEW YOU\’D SAY ASH. XDDD I\’m so glad I read it, it was so beautiful. I\’m not sure if PJ counts because it\’s mythology. I mean it\’s retelling, but if that was the case, I\’d have SO many mythology books to read. So *sigh* I think I\’ll try and stick to mostly retellings for now.
Omg, there are SO many Cinderellas. I wish there was more Nutcrackers and Thumbelinas and stuff.
I love fairy tale retellings, and I have read a lot of them. I’m a huge fan of Disney and other animation, so I guess that’s why I know almost all the fairy tales? WHICH IS WHY RETELLINGS ARE SO COOL. Unless they are done badly. That could be bad.
I think Crimson Bound (by Rosamond Hodge, also author of…uh…what was that book called? Oh Cruel Beauty), would be a good book for you if you get a review copy of it! I think it is a…….either a Red Riding Hood retelling or Sleeping Beauty but I am leaning towards the former.
Disney is LIFE, I tell you, LIFE. Anything done badly sucks, but I agree! There is just something unforgiveable when retellings are done badly. *sigh*
I do want to read Crimson Bound!! It\’s not being published in Australia tho, waaah! So if everyone loves it, I think I\’ll buy it because CRUEL BEAUTY WAS AMAZING.
I love fairy tale retellings!!! So much!!! I highly recommend Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted (Cinderella), Fairest (Snow White), and A Tale of Two Castles (veeeeery loosely Puss in Boots). But you’ve got some fabulous retellings listed, some of which I’ve read and some of which I seriously need to!! 😀 P.S. I love that Sherlock “Let’s play murder” GIF–John in the background hahahaha.
I totally forgot about Ella Enchanted but I\’ve reserved it from the library now!
I love fairytale retellings as well (who doesn’t?). I agree that they do have to be really good. I’m not participating in the challenge. I’m not very good at complete challenges, and they stress me out a little. Have you read the fairytale retelling by Alex Flinn? Se has a few, I read Beastly and Cloaked and really enjoyed them. Good luck with your challenge.
I\’ve never ever done challenges before this year so it\’s kind of my testing year to see if I like it. xD I shall check out Alex Flinn!
I, too, love a good retelling. What’s better than bringing my childhood back, fresh and revamped with my teenage favorite things? But only the retellings that are really well done. Otherwise I feel cheated. A not-good retelling book is worse than a movie-based-on-book gone wrong (like Eragon and Percy Jackson). They leave a sour taste in my mouth and make me want to curl up in a little ball and question the state of humanity for awhile. It’s horrible.
Thankfully, though, I don’t think I’ve read many not-good retellings lately.
I’m doing the fairytale retelling reading challenge! I’m insane. I’m going to do the wise princess level of 16-20 retellings. I’m not sure where my brain went when I made that decision. My best guess is that it went on vacation to Jamaica without telling me, but it’s not returning my emails at the moment so I can’t say for sure. Either way, I’m not letting myself back out of it now. I suppose this will be a very interesting year for me.
EXACTLY! I love it when they\’re done well and it just makes those wonderful childhood memories feel even more awesome. x)
WOAH! You are going to do amazing! I\’m kind of only tentatively aiming for Big Bad Wolf, but if I work hard, heeey, who knows?! Maybe I will read more! When I went on a dystopian craze I literally read hundreds. -_-
My gosh women move the comment box to above the already left comments…cause I’m lazy and use my phone to comment and that is a hell of a lot of scrolling down thru 97 comments lol.
I loved The Looking Glass Wars. I have a few of your tbr for the challenge on my shelves unread so I’ll have to add then to mine as well. Which makes me realize I need to compile a list of possible tip read books for this challenge. Some on your already read list I haven’t gotten to but item as well ask I’ll be leaving this page open for me to make a post with soon.
I of close love retellings as well for all the reasons you listed 🙂
Mmmmmuuuuwhaha
*hangs head in shame* I WOULD BE I CAN\’T FIGURE OUT HOW. I\’ll have another go at figuring it out soon I PROMISE. *gulps*
Lol heck it might not even be possible. I would assume themes have that sort of thing hard coded where you can’t change it. Just wishful thinking on my part. 🙂 but hey it’s so awesome you get so many comment/visitors. Just smack me for being surly oh world dominator!
Ha! No it's okay! I actually found a tutorial to do it but my delinquent technologically challenged brain just baulked. I will pester my brother-in-law to see if he can do it for me. xD
I LOVE retellings my favorite are usually greek mythology retellings. I am probably the only book reader who did not like Alice in Zombieland. Of course I’m a huge Alice in wonderland fan and it didn’t live up to my already high expectations.
I am participating in this challenge and I’m going to try to read a larger variety of retellings. These are the books that I’m going to read:
The Goddess Test by Amiee Carter
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay
Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis
For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfruend (tis is a jane austen retelling)
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen (this is a robin hood retelling)
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub ( a romeo and juliet retelling?)
Jane by April Lindner ( a jane erye retelling)
there might be a few more but these are the ones I’m most excited about, also I lot of these I can get from my library on ebook (yay!). I hope you reach your goal!
I\’m a really really big fan of Alice in Wonderland too, and I NEED retellings of it to be so so good. That\’s why I\’m very worried about Alice in Zombieland. >.> I will try it, but my expectations are probably too high. hehe.
Ohh, I\’m looking up all of yours! I FORGOT ABOUT STITCHING SNOW. I so want to read that!
Can I just say…. Once. Upon. A. Time.
I BAGS HOOK!!!!!!!
My sister watches that! I haven\’t tried it yet. XD
I love retellings too. I just find it fascinating how a story known by all can be re-interpreted a thousand different ways. I like both when the retelling stick closely to the original story, changing only a few things, and when it’s a complete different story with only references to the original now and then. Somehow retellings prove that these fairytales are going through centuries and still are a source of inspiration years after they’ve been written because the messages in them are still accurate.
This was a very interesting post! Thanks for writing it! 🙂
It is so totally fascinating. I\’m just amazed and inspired by how fantastically imaginative authors can be when retelling fairy tales. xD
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis is AMAZING! You should totally read that one!
I’ve made it a point not to ask blogger friends for reviews, but I am also happy to send copies to friends. So, if you wanted an 18th book, I’d be happy to send you a copy of my loose retelling of Sleeping Beauty (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18691743-tattered-heart).
I\’ve had Enchanted rec\’d to me a few times now but my library doesn\’t have it. *cries copiously*
OMG, you are too nice! I shall check out yours too!
Can you only get kindle books from amazon.au? Because Enchanted is only $1.99 right now at amazon.com and I will gift it to you in a heartbeat. It’s a great book and Alethea is so sweet and fun that I love helping people read her books 🙂 If you can get kindle books from the US site – DM me the email address you use on twitter or email me and I’ll totally send it to you.
SERIOUSLY YOU ARE TOO NICE! It\’s super sweet of you, but I would feel so bad! hehe. I shall put it on my to-buy list because I TRUST YOU GUYS!! (I think I can only get kindle books from AUS? It\’s confusing. Sometimes I can sometimes I can\’t. hehe.)
And the cover is also too beautiful for words.
The Looking Glass Wars series was AWESOME.
I did not enjoy Enchanted or Dorothy Must Die.
Does your library have The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines? If they do, you must check it out.
The next book in the Cruel Beauty series comes out this year right?
Noooo! It doesn\’t have The Stepsister Scheme which makes me sad because the title alone is AMAZING. And yes! Crimson Bound is out this year (I don\’t think it\’s a series though??) and if the reviews are raving, I might consider buying that one because I loved Cruel Beauty so much. XD
I’ve read a few of these books, but probably my favorite fairy-tale rewrite is ‘Beastly’. Pretty good stuff. And oh, I can hardly wait till ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ comes out. I’m looking forward to that one!
afjdklfad A Court of Thorns and Roses is going to be AWESOME.
I’m super happy that I stumbled on this post because I love retellings too! There are tons on this list that I haven’t read and some that I hadn’t even heard of, so thank you for that! *adds all the books to TBR shelf* Also, I love the Sherlock GIF usage.
Every and any post is better with Sherlock, right?!
I second your thoughts on retellings!!! I also second anyone in the comments who told you to read Entwined by Heather Dixon. I read it (I have a review coming up on my blog soon) in December and absolutely loved it!! It’s magical, beautiful, funny, creepy…and so much more. Read it!
I SHALL ADD ENTWINED TO MY LIST!
I love this post! I love retellings also-and that Sherlock gif is perfection. I really loved Indexing by Seanan McGuire- I don’t know if the lib would have it, but its a collection of lots of fairy tales. I liked Dorothy Must Die so I hope you enjoy that one!
I had no idea Throne of Glass was a retelling! I need to reread that badly.
Throne of Glass is a Cinderella retelling! I didn\’t actually see it until I knew but then Ahhh!! I could SEE IT ALL! Perfection. XD
Haha, I love your gifs choices!!! 🙂 I love fairytale retellings and I really need to try and read more this year. I was tempted to join the challenge, but I always lose track and never keep track or update my progress. I hope you get to them all. A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES! I hope you read that asap, so that we can flail together.
I just realised I\’m going to need to keep track of this. XD haha! more writing lists! OH HOW I LOVE THIS. And afjdklafds you are so lucky to have read ACOTAR so early. XD I CANNOT WAIT TILL I CAN FLAIL WITH YOU!!
You should join girl, it will be fun! There is a first time for everything, so grab some paper and scribble down a list, that counts too 😉
I’m not taking part of the fairy tale challenge but wish I had planned ahead so I could have! If Mel does it again next year I’m going to participate 🙂 My list would probably be the same as yours, it seems we’ve read the same books and not read the same books 😛
Like you, I love fairy tales – both the originals and retellings. It sometimes amazes me the creative ways that someone can twist and turn a story and still make it reminiscent of the original. I look forward to reading about your retelling adventures throughout 2015!
OH MY GOSH THE COMMENT BOX IS BACK AT THE TOP!!!
*dances with happiness*
I love retellings, but I don’t read anywhere near enough of them
And I’m still waiting for an Alice in Wonderland one to blow me away. Splintered was alright, but I’m hoping Unhinged is better.
As for your To-read list, I’m going to say that The Looking Glass Wars was good but dull at the same time.
Not sure why.
On the one hand, it’s good to actually read the first one, because there is a fair bit of discussion on the spelling of Alyss’s name.
On the other hand, I listened to the second and third one on audio and I enjoyed them so much more.
My main memory of those books was that they were big on sound-effects. Which made the audiobooks very entertaining.
And Throne of Glass was a retelling? Seriously?
I had no idea.
I am someone who loves a good retelling as well! I recently discovered this and haven’t read too many of them, but plenty have been added to my TBR as of recently. Cinder is the oldest book in my TBR and is on my shelf just waiting for me… I love Once Upon A Time and am currently watching the Third season… yay! Oh, and if you love a good retelling done well you should try Cinder and Ella by Kelly Oram!
Ooh, I'll check that out! Thanks for the rec!
Yay, ToG! I was so surprised when I read the first book because I knew it was supposed to be a retelling, but where was the Cinder? Then I was sure she’d sneak into a ball and kill Dorian. Who knows, she still might.
So many fairytales. I, too, love them- the wonder and hope and deception and evil sorcerers. It’s all there and it’s so often so very glorious! A Long, Long Sleep is a really wonderful retelling, I think- it completely changed my perspective on Sleeping Beauty- and I did struggle for a lot of Fairytales for Wilde Girls, but after 200+ pages of disliking it enormously, I ended up LOVING it. So it just goes to show.
I hope these are marvellous reads, Cait.