Hello world!
Today I am going to share a list of some of my favorite fairytale retellings! I noticed while creating this list that I love the darker retellings due to my love for the original fairytales. There is only one book on this list that is not too dark while the other three have a darker theme to them. I hope you enjoy my post!
Okay (cracks knuckles) let’s kick off this list! If you want to learn more about a particular book, click the book’s photo and it will take you to the book’s Goodreads page!
The first book that I will be talking about is Bound by Donna Jo Napoli!
I love Donna Jo Napoli’s retellings so much but Bound is my favorite! She uses Chinese mythology as a tool to reinvent the story of Cinderella. Instead of a glass or golden slipper there is a silk slipper that only a woman with incredibly small feet can fit into. The history of feet binding and the painful toll it took on women during that time period plays an important role in this story as well. If you want a new cultural take on this classic then you should pick up this beautiful book
The next book on my little list is Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright!
This novel is a reimagined version of the story of little red riding hood and it is incredible while also being filled to the brim with twists and turns. This page turner will keep you guessing the true identity of the menacing wolf until the very last page. The characters and the plot curveballs come together to create a truly spellbinding story~
Another one of my favorites is The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor!
This is my absolute favorite retelling of Alice in Wonderland. This is a cool retelling where instead of falling into wonderland, our little hero is the heir to the throne and is having to fight against her evil aunt to regain power over wonderland. This book is amazing and the mad hatter is quite the interesting character with his dangerous top hat~
And the final book on my list is Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige!
This book is AMAZING and I can’t believe the journey that I just went on when I picked up this Wizard of Oz retelling. This book follows a young girl as she is brought to Oz so that she can kill Dorothy, who has been ruling ruthlessly in her sparkling red shoes. You also encounter a mad scientist Scarecrow, a Tin Man that is a slave to his heart, and a Cowardly Lion that feeds on fear. This is one tale that you need to read now!
Okay, that is my list of my favorite retellings! These are all books that I love and I hope that y’all enjoy them as much as I do!
Happy Reading,
~Caitlin