The genre or sub-genre of retold fairy tales is one of my favorite. When Miss Charity of Austinitis wrote about reading
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, I knew I needed to list the fairy tales that I have read.
Arabian Nights:
(the original plot not the stories the heroine told)
The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey. It was okay-not good enough to reread; I am looking forward to reading
Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher which I heard about on the
Austinitis blog.
Beauty and the Beast:
Beauty by Robin McKinley-this is one of the best re-telling of any fairy tale that I have come across.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George (this is also based on East of the Sun, West of the Moon which is a Nordic tale)-I did not care for the later half too much, but the author is one of my favorites so I definitely would recommend it unless you are younger as some parts were...uncomfortable.
Beastly by Alex Flinn-I am being generous by putting this under fairy tales retold-it doesn't have quite the romance and allure that the others do. I do not at recommend it for young readers as it is at the least very sensual in some parts. I liked it well enough though.
Cinderella:
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine-this is light and oh, so sweet.
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Nothing special but still pretty cute except the ending felt rather flat.
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George-this is the second in a trilogy (the third book may not yet be out).
Little Mermaid:
Midnight Pearls by Debbie Viguie. I started this but did not finish I don't think. I really did not like how it turned out. The writing wasn't very good, common to its type.
Rapunzel-I don't think I have read any, but I welcome suggestions!
Rumpelstiltskin:
A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. I liked it-it is not of the higher order, but its better than many (most?) of the fantasy/fairy tale genre.
Sleeping Beauty-I welcome suggestions!
Snow White-I welcome suggestions!
Swan Princess-I welcome suggestions!
The Twelve Dancing Princesses:
Entwined by Heather Dixon. This was lovely.
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. I think that this fairy tale is one of my favorites if not my favorite-there is something so mysterious and alluring and terrifying about it.
Wildwood Dancing (loosely based and with elements of other stories such as the Princess and the Frog)-I love the mystique of this novel. It does have some scary and dark elements, so it is not for young girls.
Stunning fantasy cover
Spoofs: Gail Carson Levine's Princess tales. These are light, short stories that are perfectly hilarious.
Labels: Girly Stories, Literature Reviews, Magical Books