When I was in high school, I really liked dystopian novels. You know, like The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, and Delirium (just to name a few).
Now that I’m a college grad, I find that my favorite genre of fiction is fairy tale retellings.
Yup.
You read that right.
Fairy tale retellings.
Whereas I once loved diving deep into a new sort of society and learning why it was so dysfunctional, now I love returning to the classic stories I grew up with to see how the author twists the tale to make it new and unique.
I honestly think a good fairy tale retelling is pretty much the best thing ever. {After Jesus, of course ;) }
So, today, I’m sharing my top 5 fairy tale retellings with you. (*Affiliate links included.)
Girl, you NEED to check out these books, ASAP. Even if you think you don’t like fairy-tales. Trust me. They’re SO. GOOD!
I would love to hear your book suggestions too! If you love a fairy tale retelling that isn’t on this list, please, please, please share in the comments! Thanks, friend! :) :)
Before we start, I have a tip for you :)
So a few years ago I discovered Audible, and let me tell you, this app has changed my life for the better! Audible is an audiobook app that has so many audiobooks for you to choose from.
I listened to all of today’s recommendations on Audible and I feel like the narrators added so much to my joyous experience with these books.
If you’d like to listen to any of these books on Audible too, you can use this link to get a FREE 30-day trial as well as a free ebook that is yours to keep even if you cancel your trial. (And who doesn’t love a free book??)
Now on to the recommendations :)
My Top 5 Favorite Fairy Tale Retellings
5. Tales of the Wide Awake Princess by E. D. Baker
This is such a cute fairy tale book :) It reminds me of the TV show Once Upon A Time, but without the Disney references and with a less dramatic plot line.
This book is about Sleeping Beauty’s younger sister. You know how Sleeping Beauty had a curse put on her where she’d prick her finger and die on her 16th birthday? Well, when Annie (her sister) was born, her parents were super over-protective of her. So her fairy godmother gave her the “gift” of not being affected by any magic at all (from that point forward).
So when Sleeping Beauty’s curse happened and the castle fell asleep, Annie was the only one not affected by that magic! So it was up to her to find her sister’s true love and bring him to the castle while meeting other fairy tale characters along the way.
(I think the intended audience is 12-year-old girls, so I find some things cheesy, but as a whole, the story is very cute.)
Available on Audible and on Amazon.
4. Entwined by Heather Dixon
This is a thrilling retelling of The 12 Dancing Princesses. It’s a cute story and VERY suspenseful! Some parts are even sorta creepy (but I also scare easy, so my opinion may not be the best one to take on that subject…).
This is the only book on this list that I have both read a hard copy of the book as well as listened to the audio version. I read the print version first, and I gotta say- I actually enjoyed listening to it way more than actually reading it!
Available on Audible and on Amazon
3. The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal
I listened to this book earlier this year and absolutely LOVED it! I quickly became attached to the heroine and enjoyed the twists and turns as the plot kept surprising me. I liked this book because it was a princess book, but it wasn’t exactly a fairy tale retelling.
(Well, it’s sorta like The Prince and The Pauper I suppose. Like, if the pauper-prince didn’t know he wasn’t actually the prince, that would be this story.)
Available on Audible and on Amazon
2. The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling
This is an interesting retelling of Cinderella. It’s like Cinderella-meets-Narnia-meets-Wizard-of-Oz, in my opinion.
A girl from our world accidentally rips an old copy of Cinderella and gets sucked into the book. Once there, she discovers that she has to help the rest of the story continue and reach its happy ending in order to go home… while being cast as one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters.
The only problem is, the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous. And the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found. And the prince hates balls. And… Well, you get the picture ;)
(Disclaimer: There is some cursing in this book.)
Available on Audible and on Amazon.
1. Beauty by Robin McKinley
This is by far my favorite retelling of Beauty and the Beast- even more than the Disney renditions of it!
This story is so cute and follows the classic tale while still being original. Like, if you’ve seen or heard any version of Beauty and the Beast, you’ll know the ending of this. BUT- how Beauty reaches that end is totally unique. The enchanted castle is different. Her family backstory is true to the original Beauty and the Beast (not the Disney version) as far as I know.
One thing that I loved is that the first half of the book is spent with Beauty and her family. You really get to know and love her dad and her sisters, so when she is forced to go to the castle, you really feel her pain in leaving her family.
Also, the character of Beauty is super relatable. She’s like any other girl who loves her family, loves to read, and is self-conscious about her looks (she hates her name because she doesn’t think she’s beautiful).
I LOVE this book so much and it’s one of my all-time favorite books ever!
Available on Audible and on Amazon.
I really loved listening to these books.
Each narrator gave so much personality and character to the stories. They really caused the heroine to come alive. (It’s like making a fictional BFF haha!)
I recommend each story, regardless of if you check it out from a library or download it from Audible. But if you’ve never tried audiobooks before, one or two of these would be a great place to start :)
You can get your free Audible 30-day trial and a free audiobook by clicking here
Know of another good fairy tale retelling that I didn’t include on this list? Let me know in a comment! I would LOVE to check it out. :)
