Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Books for People Who Love ______. (I chose Fairy Tales.)
I tried to put these in order, but I just couldn’t. However, pulling this post together made me realize how many of these wonderful books I haven’t reviewed yet. (Click on title links to see the books I have reviewed.)
Beauty (Robin McKinley)
Beauty (Robin McKinley) One of the first novel-length YA fairytale retellings, and one of the best. If you’ve seen Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, they seriously cribbed some ideas from her – but hers is way better. (I’m rather fond of Disney’s version, so that’s saying something.) You might also enjoy Rose Daughter, McKinley’s second and somewhat darker interpretation of the same fairy tale, written at least 20 years later.
The Perilous Gard (Elizabeth Marie Pope) A wonderful YA re-imagining of Tam Lin, set in Tudor England. A great book for a YA book group; you can argue about whether the Lady does or does not use magic.
Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress (Marissa Meyer) SF re-imaginings of Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel. These are so wonderful! Meyer weaves elements of the traditional fairy tales into a wholly new and original story. I particularly love what Meyer does to subvert gender stereotypes. I can’t wait for Winter, coming in fall! (And I suppose I should read Fairest even if I don’t care at all for Levana. . . )
The Ordinary Princess (M. M. Kaye) An original and utterly charming fairy tale about a princes who is, well, ordinary. I guarantee you will fall in love with both the princess and the man-of-all-work. Do try to find the version with illustrations by Kaye herself; they are just perfect for the story.
Spindle’s End (Robin McKinley) Beautifully written, McKinley’s retelling of Sleeping Beauty has a far-from-helpless (or for that matter, somnolent) princess and a wonderful cast of characters. It’s one of my favorite books of all time.
Princess of the Midnight Ball (Jessica Day George) My favorite of the 12 Dancing Princesses retellings, both because I love the main character and because it gives some of the princesses more depth and makes their predicament more dire than the original version. There are two sequels, Princess of Glass and Princess of the Silver Woods, which I enjoyed very much, but this first book is the best.
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (Patricia McKillip) This was my introduction to McKillip, way back in high school, and though the details have faded, I’ve never forgotten it. (I re-read it a few years ago; it was just as good as I remembered.) The writing is gorgeous and mysterious, and everything about it feels like a grownup fairy tale, but the story is totally original.
The Serpent’s Shadow, The Gates of Sleep, Phoenix and Ashes (Mercedes Lackey) Lackey has an entire series called Elemental Masters, in which she reenvisions fairy tales and folk tales in a version of our own Victorian/Edwardian/WWI world, but with elemental magic. These three are the best. (Other books in the series I’ve reviewed include Home from the Sea, Steadfast, Blood Red, and the short story collection Elemental Magic.)
Once Upon a Winter’s Night (Dennis L. McKiernan) A retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, very much expanded and with a smattering of other fairytale elements and myths sprinkled in, and told in a somewhat archaic fairytale style. It’s quite fun, and has the merit of being one of the few retellings intended for adults.
The Light Princess (George MacDonald) An original story about a Princess cursed to be without gravity (in both senses of the word.) I particularly love the picture book version illustrated by William Pene du Bois.
Also notable:
Once Upon a Marigold (Jean Ferris)
Melisande (E. Nesbit, illustrated by Patrick Lynch)
Snow White and Rose Red (Patricia Wrede)
Lianne @ eclectictales.com
Great list & topic for this week’s TTT! I really need to get a hold of The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, my curiosity of the book has been piqued ever since you mentioned it on my blog 🙂
Lianne @ eclectictales.com recently posted…Top Ten Tuesdays
Lark_Bookwyrm
It’s one of her earliest books, and since I haven’t read most of the later ones (other than the Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy), I can’t say how it stacks up, but I really loved it. I should probably re-read it soon!
Lory @ Emerald City Book Review
Wonderful list! Some of my favorite books, and some I really need to check out. There are so many Mercedes Lackey books, I’m glad to have some recommended in particular.
Lory @ Emerald City Book Review recently posted…Words and Pictures: The Madman of Piney Woods
Lark_Bookwyrm
Glad to be of help! 🙂
Elisa @ Leopards and Dragons
Ooohhhh! Nice list. I have just added to my TBR list.
OTOH – unless you have completist compulsions – don’t bother with Fairest. It doesn’t add anything to the story arc and I thought it made actually made Levana a much less interesting villain. I am pretty much going to pretend it doesn’t exist when I read Winter.
Elisa @ Leopards and Dragons recently posted…Musings on Best Feminist Books For Younger Readers Lists
Lark_Bookwyrm
Thank you for the warning! I’ve been on the fence about that one anyway… maybe I’ll wait until after Winter (the book, not this interminable season that hopefully has finally said goodbye!)
Becca @ Lost in thought
Love this topic! I absolutely love a good fairy-tale retelling. The Lunar Chronicles is amazing; I love how elements of old, beloved fairy tales have been weaved into a sci-fi story. It’s so exciting. Beauty has been on my wishlist for ages now so I definitely need to check it out! Great choice this week 🙂
Becca @ Lost in Thought
My TTT!
Lark_Bookwyrm
Thanks! I agree with you re: The Lunar Chronicles; they’re so well done!
R_Hunt @ View From My Home
Sounds like a fun list! I don’t read many fairy tale retellings, but I do want to rectify that sometime. I read another author’s version of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but this one sounds even better. I did read Cinder at the same time as my eldest daughter, but didn’t progress further in the series…I should. Beauty and the Beast holds a special place in my heart because of Belle’s love of reading, so any retellings of that will be enjoyable for me. Thanks, Lark!
R_Hunt @ View From My Home recently posted…What I Read When I Was Gone…
Lark_Bookwyrm
I hope you enjoy some of these, if you ever get a chance to read them!
Lark
I love Robin McKinley and Patricia McKillip. Their books are so amazing. And Princess of the Midnight Ball is on my To Read list…glad to know it’s a good one. 🙂 Great list!
Lark recently posted…A few bookish myths…
Lark_Bookwyrm
Oh, enjoy Princess of the Midnight Ball – it was very good!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library
Princess of the Midnight Ball is definitely going on my list. I’ve been wanting to read Jessica Day George for awhile and the cover is so pretty! I’m hoping to get to Cinder sometime soon. I probably won’t this month because I’m trying to clear off a tiny bit of space on my shelves but maybe next month I’ll have a library month. The Ordinary Princess sounds like a lovely read as well. This is not good for my TBR!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday – Ten Books for Readers who like Mysteries
Lark_Bookwyrm
Just looking at your title, I have a feeling your list isn’t going to be good for my TBR, either! I can’t wait to see what you think of Cinder and of Princess of the Midnight Ball.
Cheryl @ Tales of the Marvelous
I’ve read and loved 6 out of your 10, and all 3 of the bonus ones…so clearly I’m someone who loves fairy tales. 🙂
Cheryl @ Tales of the Marvelous recently posted…Book Review: Sons from Afar (Tillerman Cycle)
Lark_Bookwyrm
I’m not surprised – I would have guessed that from your reviews! 🙂
KayCee K.
I love Cinder! Great list, a few I’ll have to look into! Here’s my TTT if you would like to see it! http://wonderstruck-kcks.blogspot.com/2015/03/if-you-like-series.html?showComment=1425980382915#c7638018526729657214
Lark_Bookwyrm
Sorry it has taken me so long to reply (it’s been a crazy-busy week), but I will definitely stop by! Glad you enjoyed the list.
Angie @Angela's Anxious Life
Love these. I recently suggested Cinder to someone and shockingly they didn’t enjoy it. I am just like WHOA!
Angie @Angela’s Anxious Life recently posted…Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen- Review
Lark_Bookwyrm
[jaw drops] They didn’t enjoy Cinder?!! [shakes head in rueful disbelief] Well, I suppose it takes all kinds to make a world…
Bea @Bea's Book Nook
There’s a lot there I haven’t read yet, more books to add to my wishlist. 🙂 I have reead some of the books in Lackey’s Elementals series, with mixed results.
Bea @Bea’s Book Nook recently posted…Group Review of Otherworld Nights by Kelley Armstrong
Lark_Bookwyrm
I have the same problem with the unevenness of the Elemental Magic series, but the first several were really good – especially The Serpent’s Shadow.
Stephanie
I love fairy tale-esque stories and re-tellings and yet I’ve read shockingly few on your awesome list. I’ve saved it on bloglovin’ for the next time I get a hankering for a fairy tale. Princess of the Midnight Ball, The Ordinary Princess and the Mercedes Lackey series. Phew… It’s gonna take me a while to catch up to you!
Stephanie recently posted…I Wish I Lived in a Musical: My Favorite Broadway Musicals
Lark_Bookwyrm
I have a love/hate relationship with TTT. I always find all these great books I haven’t read yet, which is lovely – but it invariably torpedos any progress I’ve made on pruning my TBR list. 😉 Have fun with these!