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The Fuzzable Book Club works to bring you the greatest recommendations for books! We here love reading and we know you guys do too so we like to provide you with some of our favourites. So, here is a list of five of our favourite retellings of popular stories!
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Retellings: Cinderella
It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again. Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew.
Cinderella Is Dead is truly such an incredible and imaginative story. Where, there is of course some of elements from the classic story it also brings a fresh new take to it as well. Also, it’s one of the only retellings where the original story is actually a part of the plot whereas normal the original story isn’t mentioned at all. It’s queer, black girls taking down the monarchy and it is truly such a wonderful, heartfelt story that we are sure you will love!
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A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Retellings: Beauty & The Beast
Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope. Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world. Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely is the first book in the Cursebreakers series which is a Beauty & The Beast re-imagined. The story follows our two main characters, Rhen who is the part of the beast and Harper who is playing the part of Belle and the story of the two of them trying to save the world and there may be a little bit of a love story in there too. It’s such an incredible reimagining as you can see the Beauty & The Beast elements but the story and the characters also feel so unique and you will absolutely love your time reading about them!
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Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning
Retellings: The Princess Bride
When her warrior father, King Sendra, mysteriously dies, Princess Amarande of Ardenia is given what would hardly be considered a choice: Marry a stranger at sixteen or lose control of her family’s crown. But Amanda was raised to be a warrior—not a sacrifice. In an attempt to force her choice, a neighbouring kingdom kidnaps her true love, stable boy Luca. With her kingdom on the brink of civil war and no one to trust, she’ll need all her skill to save him, her future, and her kingdom.
The Princess Will Save You is a retelling of an absolute classic, The Princess Bride which is a wonderful story and this book will fill you with so much warmth and happiness just as the original did. It has the same magical feel that the original did as well as feeling like a new story, the characters were interesting and you really want to route for them. The book is very feminist and makes you feel like you can definitely go out and save your own true love. It’s an easy read and you will love your time reading it and your time in this magical story.
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The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
Retellings: Les Mis & The Jungle Book
In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina’s life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father’s fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger–the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh–Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city’s dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice–protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.
The Court of Miracles is such a strong debut novel by Grant and we really enjoyed reading this one. There were more Les Mis elements than The Jungle Book elements but The Jungle Book does still definitely come through in the story. A lot of the characters share names from Les Mis but don’t be fooled, all of the characters definitely feel original and unique and you will fall in love with our main character Nina especially! If you’re looking for a solid retelling that’s also historical fiction, we’d definitely recommend picking this one up!
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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Retellings: The Iliad
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights, their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper – despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.
The Song of Achilles is known as a modern classic and for a very good reason. Miller’s writing is so incredibly stunning and will have you want to keep reading from the start until the end. It follows our two main characters Patroclus and Achilles and their love story as well as the horrific things that are going on around them. It will absolutely break your heart and make you cry into the pages but it is certainly worth it because it is just such a beautiful novel.
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
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