Chat Between Chapters: Fairy Tale Retellings

For this discussion post, we are joining the Fantasy With Friends discussion with Pages Unbound.

This week’s prompt:

Do you like reading fairy tale retellings? What, in your opinion, makes a good retelling?

 

 

 Julie:

I enjoy a good twisting up of a well known story. Give me an origin story that paints the original character in a completely different light. Give me some similar aspects, but reimagine it into something totally different. Combine some story lines together to come up with a fun new twist.

As it turns out I have been reading quite a few retellings recently. Some stories, when unique and written with surprises and plot twists, are fun for me. But sometimes they’re not as well executed, and it may not even have anything to do with the reimagining part. I just want them to be unique and give me a fun to follow plot.

Here are some of my favorite retellings or reimaginings:

• I couldn’t not mention Wicked. I mean, take the original classic and flip it into a fabulous origin story. It’s my favorite twisting of a classic.
• I can’t also not mention the fabulous show Once Upon A Time! It was seasons and seasons of retelling perfection!
• The Lunar Chronicles – absolutely amazingly done twisting up of fairy tales with a different reimagining in each book, and all coming together at the end. We start with Cinderella (Cinder Review), Red Riding Hood (Scarlet Review), Rapunzel (Cress Review), and tied together with Snow White and that story’s Evil Queen Bookish Chat: Winter (Lunar Chronicles #4).
• Same author, different retelling: Gilded series!  Review: Gilded by Marissa Meyer and Review: Cursed by Marissa Meyer. This duology is a Rapunzel retelling and is well done!
• Fine, one more from the same author that I really enjoyed: the Alice and Wonderland retelling with the Red Queen’s origin story. Heartless by Marissa Meyer. Alice in Wonderland is a story that opens itself up for a lot of retellings, so it’s great that this one went prequel mode.
• Of course there’s the Beauty and the Beast retellings that seem to be most popular. Starting with Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses but there have been several others I have read.
• Curse of the Tiger Prince Review – which is a gender swap and reimagining of the Swan Princess. Cute sweet standalone.
• Undead Gods and Undead Oaths Review– the second one is a Hades and Persephone reimagining. I want more of this series. I also read another Hades and Persephone retelling recently but that one didn’t reveal it until the very end.
• Wicked Sea and Sky Review– is a jack and the beanstalk reimagined with not just giants in the sky but also, you guessed it, sea creatures in the… sea.

 

Ok these are all the books we actually tagged as retellings in the genre if we posted a full review.

 

Lynn:

I sometimes think a lot of fantasy books are just retellings in one way or another. A quick list search on Goodreads supports that idea. I even set up a Goodreads shelf for retellings (but not only fairy tale retellings).

I agree with Julie on Marissa Meyer. She’s a master of the retellings. Sarah J. Maas as well. I recently read that the Throne of Glass books are also based on fairy tales? But I haven’t read those. (I know. Don’t @ me. The audio is horrible and I’m waiting for the graphic audio versions.) I’d add Melissa de la Cruz to that list.

Here’s some additional lists for you if you need to add more books to your own tbr!

New Fairy Tale Retellings

Captivating Fairy Tale Retellings

100 Must-Read Fairy Tale Retellings

 

 

 

What about you?

 

 

We are also linking up our discussion posts with the 2026 Book Blog Discussion Challenge hosted by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight and co-hosted by us!

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