5 Amazing YA Fairy Tale Retelling Books To Get Lost In

Young adult fairy tale books are some of my favorite stories, especially when an author can take a classic story and twist it. I love a good book, and have read quite a few of these fantasy style books. Some authors manage to tell the classic romantic tales in a beautiful and glamorous way. Others retell these stories using stronger characters, bigger worlds and more challenging villains to defeat. Check out some of my favorite Young Adult fairy tale retellings that are on my bookshelf, and should be on your must-read book list.

5 Amazing Young Adult Fairy Tale Retelling Books

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Cinder by Marissa Myer

So we could add the entire Lunar Chronicles series to this list because the entire series of books are amazing. You have to start a series somewhere, and book number one: Cinder is the place to begin. This story retells the classic story of Cinderella… if she was a cyborg and mechanic living in an alternative universe. Seriously before you start laughing, her life intertwines with the prince and she finds herself in an intergalactic struggle trying to save her world. Just go read it, you’ll thank me later! I promise this story totally works!

The Selection by Kiera Cass

The best way to describe The Selection is if you were to take the Cinderella story and cross it with… The Hunger Games? America Singer lives in a caste system, but thirty-five girls selected from all castes have the chance to escape it all. They are whisked away to the palace as they all try to win the affections in a very “The Bachelor” type style. While the competition continues, the palace is constantly under threat of rebel attacks. Though America never wanted to be a part of the palace world, she finds herself getting swept into it.

Beauty by Robin McKineley

The book Beauty, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast has been around a lot longer than some of the other books on my list. Quite honestly, I’ve read this book so many times my copy is practically in shreds. This book is a beautiful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Beauty is all of the things we expect her to be (smart, kind, loving) without being a sunshine princess. There are several points where we see that her compassion truly makes her shine on her own. The descriptions in this book of the castle, the clothes and the sheer decadence of life in the palace will sweep you away, I promise!

Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Mass

This one is tougher for me to write as I’m right in the middle of book three, and it’s so good! I don’t want to spoil it for you! In Throne of Glass is book 1. You meet a very skilled assassin named Celaena, who was sentenced to hard labor in the salt mines. She is dragged before the prince and given the choice to become his champion in the search for the new royal assassin in return for her freedom. Caleaena battles against other thieves and assassins, but in the meantime begins to find herself getting closer to both Prince Dorian and the gruff captain of the guard. As the champions start to die in unexpected ways, Celaena learns her destiny is much bigger than she ever thought. This book is part of the Throne of Glass series. I highly recommend also reading the prequels at some point because they are all excellent.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted is also a retelling of Cinderella, but this time, Ella is feisty and speaks her own mind. Ella is cursed at birth by a fairy who makes it so she must obey anything anyone tells her to do. When her mother dies, and her father remarries, she finds herself with a horrible step-mother and two horrible step-sisters. Feisty Ella has enough and sets off to find the fairy who cursed her. Somewhere along the way she meets the prince and there is a carriage, but Ella’s priority is ending her curse. This book was also made into a movie, but read the book first if you haven’t seen it! While they say this book skews a little younger, it is a really good read that you should check out!