9 Fantastic Novels For Fairy Tale Fans
If the words "once upon a time" fill you with joy and anticipation, then you've come to the right place. Fairy tales have been delighting audiences for centuries, and one of the reasons they've stuck around so long is that they're great source material for modern adaptations and creative re-tellings. The nine books listed here are fantastical re-imaginings of stories you know and love. When you click links from this website, we may receive advertising revenue to support our research. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
9 Fantastic Novels For Fairy Tale Fans
Popular Fairy Tale Stories
- Cinderella: The classic tale of rags to riches
- Beauty and the Beast: Looks are only skin-deep
- Hansel and Gretel: Two young children lost in the woods
- Little Red Riding Hood: A girl strays from the path
- Snow White: Inspiration for the first feature-length Disney film
The History of Fairy Tales
In Depth
Fairy tales are timeless classics full of magic, imagination, and helpful life lessons. While many of them are hundreds of years old, they continue to reach new audiences through retellings and original works inspired by them. With that said, we've compiled a list of nine fantastic novels for fairy tale fans. Take note that this list is done in no particular order.
First up, at #1, is "The Gold-Son" by Carrie Anne Noble. It mainly revolves around Tommin, a boy who's cursed with uncontrollable kleptomania. One day, he's kidnapped by a mysterious man named Lorcan Reilly, who brings him to the underground world of leprechauns. After realizing that he's destined to become a leprechaun, Tommin has to find a way to break the curse and regain his humanity.
Next up, at #2, we have "Gris Grimly's Tales from the Brothers Grimm." Translated by Margaret Hunt, It's a collection of some of the famous Grimm Brothers' fairy tales, which are best known for their dark undertones. These classic stories, such as "Rapunzel" and "Hansel and Gretel," are brought to life by the uncanny illustrations of artist Gris Grimly.
Translated by Margaret Hunt, It's a collection of some of the famous Grimm Brothers' fairy tales, which are best known for their dark undertones.
At #3 is "Pennyroyal Academy" by M.A. Larson. A girl with no memory of who she is stumbles upon the Pennyroyal Academy, where she trains to become a warrior princess under the tutelage of a fairy drill sergeant. The girl, now named Evie, is immediately thrust into a war between princesses and witches. Throughout the story, Evie slowly learns more about her past and why she was cursed to lose her memory.
Next, at #4, is "Beast" by Lisa Jensen. It features a woman named Lucie, a servant of chevalier Jean-Loup at the Chateau Beaumont. After a traumatizing experience with her cruel master, she asks help from a local witch, who casts a spell that turns the chevalier into a frightening beast. Eventually, she realizes that the beast is the polar opposite of his former self, and she starts to fall in love with him. It's a dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and it deals with sensitive topics, such as sexual assault and suicide.
Coming in at #5 is "The Color of Fear" by Billy Phillips and Jenny Nissenson. It's the first entry of their "Once Upon a Zombie" series, and it revolves around a girl named Caitlin Fletcher, who is tricked into entering a magical universe. There, she meets several fairy tale characters, such as Cinderella and Snow White, who are all cursed to become zombies. Realizing that only she can save them, Caitlin goes on a quest to defeat the evil Queen of Hearts and reverse the curse.
There, she meets several fairy tale characters, such as Cinderella and Snow White, who are all cursed to become zombies.
Next up, at #6, is "The Fire Wish" by Amber Lough. It's about two girls caught in a war between humans and jinni. Zayele is a girl who's being forced to marry a prince of Baghdad. In order to avoid this, she captures Najwa, a young jinni who's training to become a spy in the war against humans. When Zayele wishes for Najwa to take her place in the kingdom, they're instead forced to swap lives and adapt to each other's worlds.
Next, at #7, is "The Wendy" by Erin Michelle Sky and Steven Brown. It's a retelling of Peter Pan that focuses on Wendy Darling, who decides to enlist in the fight against a mysterious magical adversary. Despite the gender norms of her world, she joins the navy and surprises both her enemies and allies with her skills and intellect. When she finally meets their enemy's leader, Peter Pan, she soon realizes that he may not be as bad as people make him out to be.
At #8 is "The Beast Is an Animal" by Peternelle van Arsdale. It revolves around Alys, a girl who is forced to live in a village with strict elders after her home was attacked by a pair of soul eaters. As the years pass by, she starts to feel a connection with the soul eaters and the mysterious Beast of the nearby forest. Throughout the story, it's revealed that these creatures may not be as evil as they seem, and Alys may actually be one of them.
It revolves around Alys, a girl who is forced to live in a village with strict elders after her home was attacked by a pair of soul eaters.
Finally, at #9, we have "Alice in Tumblr-land" by Tim Manley. It's a humorous book that aims to show how fairy tale characters' lives would play out in the 21st century. This collection of short stories includes situations such as The Ugly Duckling discovering Instagram and Peter Pan becoming addicted to the internet.
