Top 11 Enchanting Fairytale Retellings You Won't Regret Reading

If you’re like me, then you probably grew up on fairy tales and have since become an adult who loves to find magic in everything.

Right now, I love reading fairytale retellings, and in this post, I have compiled some of the best ones that I personally adore, and I know you’re going to enjoy them too.

Even if you don’t usually read fairytale books, I promise these lovely books are as complex as can be and they’re so, so good.

I’ve read several of them multiple times, so I know for a fact that they’re perfect if you’re in the mood for the best fairytale retelling books that are absolutely worth adding to your TBR.

1. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

In a futuristic world plagued by a deadly illness, Cinder, a gifted mechanic who is also a cyborg, discovers an entirely new world when she gets entangled with Prince Kai.

But, their love is doomed from the get-go go and, now, Cinder must choose between duty and freedom as she unearths the many secrets in her past as she tries to safeguard Earth’s future.

2. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

Set in a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, Shahrzad volunteers to be his next bride to avenge her friend’s death.

But as she spends more time with him, she discovers he is not what he seems.

Soon enough, she finds herself caught between love and vengeance, but her main mission is to find out the truth about the Caliph’s reign.

This is one of the best fairytale retelling books that put an amazing twist on the original story and will leave you glued to the pages.

3. A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan

Princess Kora, who is cursed with golden skin and secret powers, sets out on a quest to recover several stolen treasures that are important if her father would survive.

While on the road, she learns more about herself and about the world and her place in it.

Also See: 12 Short & Sweet Fantasy Novels Under 350 Pages You Can’t Miss

4. Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Mina, with a heart of glass, aims to win the king’s heart to become queen, while Lynet, created out of snow, wants to be like her fierce stepmother.

As their paths intertwine, they must confront their destinies and reshape their stories while retelling their stories in the best way possible.

This fierce yet tender fairytale retelling is hands down one of those books you will ever read and if you’ve been wanting to read a book with strong female leads, this is it.

5. Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Yeva knows all the secrets of the forest and so she sets out to hunt the Beast she believes is responsible for her father’s disappearance.

And when she enters the cursed valley, she’s sucked into a world of fairytales and she soon realises that her victory over the beast is the only guarantee that she will survive.

6. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Nyx plans to kill her betrothed, the evil tiller of her kingdom, in order to break a curse.

But the more she learns his secrets, she finds that he’s a complex character who will ultimately make her have to choose between duty and love.

7. The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

In this fairytale retelling book, a mermaid and a plague doctor seek refuge in a village of ageless children who are controlled by three saints.

As bizarre as can be, they both soon realise that they must embrace their true natures to have a fighting chance.

Related: 15 Stunning Greek Mythology Books You Should Check Out ASAP (They’re So Good)

8. The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnwell

The Crane Husband is a contemporary retelling of The Crane Wife, and in this book, a pragmatic teenager tries to protect her family when her mother becomes enchanted by a crane.

9. The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid

Évike, an outcast in her pagan village, forms an uneasy alliance with the disgraced prince to stop his brother’s violent reign.

And when they set out on a journey together, they confront betrayal and conversations about their shared history of oppression slowly topple everything they thought they knew about themselves.

10. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Xifeng is destined for greatness but she doesn’t know it yet.

So, when she faces the moral dilemma where she’s thrust into a position that forces her to embrace the darkness to step into her role as Empress of Feng Lu, it throws her for a loop.

Now, she must survive in this world of sorcery and ambition where every knife seems to be aimed at her neck.