Billie Bloebaum wrote in with a rather interesting question:
Has there ever been a GS vs. STA for fairy tale-inspired romance? Because I'm totally going through a phase with it right now and was hoping for some recommendations of things inspired by tales other than Cinderella or Beauty & the Beast. I can find a ton of stuff in YA and Fantasy and even Lit Fic (and if you haven't read 'The Snow Child' by Eowyn Ivey you should do so nownownow) ( A | BN | K | S ), but Romance seems to be stuck on those two stories, with the occasional foray into Princess & the Pea territory. There have to be Snow White or Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel stories out there in the great wide world of Romance, so why am I not finding them? Some help, please? What am I missing? And, if anyone can direct me to an 'Alice in Wonderland'-inspired Romance, I might just expire from joy.
Some of my favorite romances are fairy-tale retellings, but they are Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella-based. Teresa Medeiros' Charming the Prince (A | BN | K | S) and The Bride and the Beast (A | BN | K | S) come to mind immediately, as does Julia Quinn's book for Benedict Bridgerton, An Offer from a Gentleman ( A | BN | K | S ). Eloisa James did the Princess and the Pea recently with The Duke is Mine ( A | BN | K | S ) but I am struggling to think of another Pea romance. (Also, am I the only one who reads “The Duke is Mine” and immediately hears Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson singing, “The Doggone Duke is Mine?” Yes? I'm alone in that? Oh, well.)
What fairy-tale-inspired romances are your favorites? Any Rapunzel retellings? Alice in Wonderland? Hansel and Gretel? Which do you recommend – or recommend readers avoid?
I just read Ember like you suggested. It was a great version of the story that I would never have thought of. Thanks for the recommendation.
If you’re looking for another Beauty & the Beast retelling, Christine Pope’s novella Breath of Life does an interesting update in a science fiction setting:
http://www.amazon.com/Breath-o…
I see that someone else has already mentioned Fire & Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones (retelling of Tam Lin). It’s absolutely wonderful and comes with a big thumbs up from me.
Whilst there’s little to no romance involved, I’d also definitely recommend Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede. It’s a collection of short stories containing, amongst others, stories inspired by The Thousand and One Arabian Nights, Lorelei folklore and Sleeping Beauty. They’re all very good but I highly recommend the Sleeping Beauty one – Stronger Than Time – very eerie and captivating. I believe she’s also written a full length version of Snow White and Rose Red but I haven’t read it. Her Enchanted Forest Chronicles books are all brilliant though.
Elizabeth Marie Pope (her Sherwood Ring is an old favorite, though not fairy tale) did a Tam Lin retelling set in Elizabethan times; YA and very well done with a strong heroine:
Perilous Gard.
Besides The Book of a Thousand Days, Shannon Hale has another fairy tale based series that starts with Goose Girl. Also excellent. (Clean, YA)
Games of Command is an absolute favorite of mine. I had no idea it was a retelling, but it makes sense now that you mention it.
There is a thread on the Amazon Romance Discussion forum titled” Retelling or Retooling of Fairie Tales???” It should be somewhere on the first two or three pages of the forum. HTH
http://www.amazon.com/forum/ro…