I love a good retelling and there are so many to choose from. Here are some I’ve read and would recommend:
Ash – Malinda Lo
After her father dies, Ash is left to live with her cruel stepmother where her only happiness comes from dreaming about the day the fairies will steal her away. And, when she meets a dark and dangerous fairy, Sidhean, she thinks her wish will finally be granted, but on the same day she also meets the king’s huntress and begins to fall for her instead.
Ash must make a choice between her fairy tale dreams and true love.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT
Retelling of: Cinderella
Gilded – Marissa Meyer
Serilda was cursed by the God of Lies and dveloped a talent for storytelling, but when one of her outlandish tales draws the attention of the devastating Erlking she finds herself swept into a terrifying world of enchantments. The Erlking locks her away and orders her to spin straw into gold, or be killed for lying.
Serilda unintentionally summons a mysterious young man who agrees to help her for a price.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT
Retelling of: Rumplestiltskin
Cinder – Marissa Meyer
Cinder is a gifted mechanic and a cyborg which makes her a second class citizen.
Her life unexpectedly becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s and she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle.
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Retelling of: Cinderella
Cinderella is Dead – Kalynn Bayron
200 years ago, Cinderella found her prince but the story isn’t as happy as it’s made out to be. Now, every girl is forced to attend the royal ball where they must find a husband. Those that don’t… disappear.
But Sophia doesn’t want to go to the ball. She’s in love with her best friend and can’t imagine anything worse than being forced to marry a man. So, on the night of the royal ball, she runs and finds herself at Cinderella’s tomb where she meets someone that gives her the confidence to try to change the world.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT
Retelling of: Cinderella
For the Wolf – Hannah Whitten
As the second-born royal daughter, Red has one purpose – to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope that he’ll return the world’s captured gods.
But as she’s sent into the Wilderwood she learns that everyone is wrong. The wolf is not a monster… but a man.
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Retelling of: Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood
Six Crimson Cranes – Elizabeth Lim
On the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Princess Shiori loses control and accidentally reveals her magic in front of her stepmother, Raikama. Raikama banishes Shiori and turns her brothers into cranes, promising that if Shiori ever speaks a work of what’s happened, her brothers will die.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Retelling of: The Wild Swans
The Surface Breaks – Louise O’Neill
Deep beneath the sea, just off the coast of Irelandm lives Gaia – a young mermaid who dreams of freedom from her controlling father. She makes her way to the surface where she is drawn in by a human boy and longs to join his carefree world.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Retelling of: The Little Mermaid
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea – Axie Oh
In an attempt to appease the Sea God, who causes deadly storms to their land, the people of Mina’s homeland sacrifice one beautiful maiden a year to serve as the God’s bride in the hopes that one day his true bride will be found and their suffering will end.
Mina takes the place of the beautiful Shim Cheong – her brother’s beloved – and is swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical creatures where Mina seeks out the Sea God.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Retelling of: The Tale of Shim Cheong
An Offer From A Gentleman – Julia Quinn
Sophie Beckett is a servant who manages to sneak into Lady Bridgerton’s famed masquerade ball where she ends up dancing with the handsome Benedict Bridgerton. But as the clock strikes 12, she disappears and leaves behind a man that will spend all of his time thinking about her.
A year later, Benedict rescues a young maid and takes her home with him to work for his family.
Genres: Historical, Romance
Retelling of: Cinderella
These Violent Delights – Chloe Gong
In 1920s Shanghai, the heirs to 2 rival gangs fell in love but were forced apart by betrayal. But when a monster begins terrorising the city Juliette and Roma must put aside their differents and work together to stop it.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romanc
Retelling of: Romeo and Juliet
A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. Maas
In order to feed herself and her family, Feyre hunts to survive. One day, she kills a wolf in the woods and is taken away to the magical faeri kingdom as punishment. Here she lives with her captor whose face his covered by a jewelled mask and she suspects he’s hiding more than he says he is.
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Retelling of: Beauty and the Beast
Heartless – Marissa Meyer
Catherine is a favourite of the unmarried King of Hearts but she has other interests – she wants to be a baker but her family dismiss her silly aspirations.
Then she meets the handsome and mysterious court joke and feels true attraction for the first time and enters into a secret courtship with him knowing that it could offend the king and infuriate her parents.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Retelling of: Alice in Wonderland/Queen of Hearts
The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller
Patroclus is an awkward young exiled prince who befriends the son of a king, Achilles. Achilles is everything Patroclus is not – strong, beautiful and the child of goddess. As they grow up their bond becomes deeper and when the men of Greece are called to fight, Achilles joins their cause and Patroclus follows along.
Genres: Historical, Romance, LGBT
Retelling of: Greek Mythology, Patroclus and Achilles
A Touch of Darkness – Scarlett St. Clair
Persephone is the Goddess of Spring in name only. Since she was a child, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After a chance encounter with Hades, the God of the Dead, she finds herself in an impossible contract with him. She must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever.
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Retelling of: Greek Mythology, Hades and Persephone
Legendborn – Tracy Deonn
After her mother dies, Bree enters a residential program for intelligent high schoolers where she witness a magical attack on her very first night on campus. She finds herself involved in a secret society of students that hunt down demons and claim to be the descendants of King Arthur’s knights.
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBTRetelling of: Arthuran Legends
