Favorite Fairy Tale Retellings (Elizabeth)

I love fairytales, particularly their element of classic romance. All of my following favorite fairytale retellings are romances, so be warned ;)

3. Winter by Marissa Meyer

All of Marissa Meyer's books are some of my very favorites. The prose is beautiful, the plot unpredictable, and the characters unique, yet lovable. I would have just chosen her books for all of my top three, but I've decided to choose other stories for variation.
As you can guess, Winter is a retelling of SnowWhite, and it's definitely my favorite of the Lunar Chronicles, though Cress is pretty amazing.  Winter is the grand finale of the entire series, and Marissa Meyers doesn't disappoint. None of the characters are neglected. Each relationship gets their own sub-plot and a share of the spotlight.
Winter is the fair Lunar Princess. Like Levana, she also has had a miserable childhood, tortured by her closest relative instead of loved. But instead of traveling the path Levana went, Winter becomes kinder. In fact, she stops using her telepathic Lunar abilities, because she thinks it's wrong to take control over someone. As a result, she has terrible hallucinations, and many think she's insane. Jacin, Winter's guard and child-hood friend, is so sweet and protective of her. I just loved seeing the two interact.
I must warn you that this does not read as a stand-alone. The plot gets more complicated with the addition of more sub-plots, so you must start with Cinder and work your way up. Each and every book sparkles in its own way, so I'd recommend reading all of them.

2. The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson

This story strongly reminded me of Robin Hood, except for the fact that Robin Hood is a woman, and she illegally hunts in the forest to feed orphans instead of stealing from the rich. Jorgen Hartman is the handsome forester. His mission: to hunt down the illegal poacher. As he's hunting the poacher down, he meets a beautiful maiden who teaches the village children, and he begins to fall in love. As you can guess, this beautiful maiden is the poacher. She not only teaches the children, but feeds them. The tension right from the beginning is ratcheted higher by the fact that Jorgen is trying to hunt her "alter ego" down while falling in love with her. The romance is also very sweet :)

1. Dragon Rose by Christine Pope

This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (my all-time favorite fairytale), and though it's the second in a series, it does read as a standalone.
The Dragon Lord has ruled over Rhianne's town for centuries, and she's been selected as his next bride. None of the brides ever return once they enter the stony fortress the Dragon Lord lives in...
This is another very tender romance. The Dragon Lord is surprisingly kind, even when Rhianne pries into his secrets. Rhianne is strong, independent, and practical. She's a great character to follow, and it's exciting to unveil the mysteries and secrets that lurk in the castle.

Do you know of any other Beauty and the Beast retellings? I'd love to check them out :) Do you like to read retellings of fairytales? Why do you think some people like to hear the same stories over and over again?

Want more fairytale retellings? Check out Laurie's favorites.

Thank you for reading!

-Elizabeth Newsom

P.S.
I'm linking my website to my name, so please feel free to check it out ;) Especially if you like romances.


Attributions:
Winter: http://lunarchronicles.wikia.com/wiki/File:Winter_Cover.jpg
The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest: http://melaniewrites.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-huntress-of-thornbeck-forest-is.html
Dragon Rose: http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Rose-Tales-Latter-Kingdoms-ebook/dp/B00A81XPX0