Monthly Recommendations: Retellings

So this has nothing to do with learning to be an adult but I love reading. This is a Goodreads group I have been apart of. This month recommendation category is retellings or re-imaginings of classic stories or fairy tales.

• Cress by Marissa Meyer

Cress is a retelling of Rapunzel. So the Lunar Chronicles are probably the most popular modern retellings but it has well earned the hype. The whole series is really wonderful but Cress is by far my favorite.  I think that Meyer uses the structure of the original fairy tales to create such new and cool stories that is just so engrossing.

• Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley

Though technically Robin Hood is not a fairy tale, this re-imagining is on one of my favorite books. This book delves much deeper into the origin of Robin Hood and his companions. It’s really funny but also is one of the only books that talks about the fact that characters need to eat and use the bathroom. It’s just a really fun character based adventure.

• Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

This strays more from the origin fairy tale than most retellings but is an excellent Snow White retelling. Its much darker than I had expected when I picked the book up. While the romance is not my favorite it is still quite sweet. The magic system is so cool and like with all Levine’s writing the language simply feels magical.

• Grendel by John Gardener

After reading this retelling of Beowulf for class I was surprised at how much I loved it. It was as a whole a discussion of what it means to be a monster. There was no question that Grendel was a villain but the development of him and of Beowulf that you get through a change in perspective is amazing.

•  Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley

I love, love, love this book. It is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty that has stuck with me for years. While one of the romances has a questionable age difference, the main aspects of friendship and family are so strong it didn’t matter to me. It’s so magical and focuses on a very naturalistic version of fairies and magic. This book has one of my favorite friendships of all time and would recommend for anyone looking for a deeper fairy tale.