In Part 1 last week I gave you some of my favorite fairy-tale based books, and here are some more:
Set in a futuristic world with cyborgs and a colonized moon, the Lunar Chronicles tell the story of three young women caught up in the brewing conflict between Earthens and Lunars who then band together to prevent a wicked queen from ruling the world. Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress tell the stories of a cyborg-mechanic Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and a hacker Rapunzel who lives in a satellite. The fact that the Lunar Chronicles merge genres (is it sci-fi? Is it dystopian? Is it fantasy?) is one of the many reasons I love them.
The Goose Girl is a lyric retelling of the classic tale, involving animal and elemental magic. I also loved how the main character, Ani, fights for the rights of the Forest People. The three other books in the series, (Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born), while not based off a particular fairy tale but set in the same land (and with the same magic!) as The Goose Girl, are just as brilliantly written and devour-able as the first.
Based off of the little-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale 'Maid Maleen', Book of a Thousand Days is a poetic and fascinating read. I enjoyed the more unusual setting for a fairy tale (the Asian Steppes), the compelling story, and the interesting characters.
A Curse as Dark as Gold reimagines the Rumpelstiltskin story set in the Industrial Revolution. Instead of a prince's hand being at stake, the main character, Charlotte, must fight to keep her family's woolen mill afloat in the midst of rapid industrialization; when she takes up a offer from a mysterious stranger to help ease her family's financial troubles, she has no clue what trouble and dark magic she's become involved in. I loved the historically accurate setting (especially all the historical details) and the intriguing plot.
Set in Transylvania, Wildwood Dancing tells a reimagined tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses as five daughters of a merchant who slip away to the Other Kingdom every full moon. A whirlwind of events turns the girls' lives upside down, though: their father becomes deathly ill and his business (and estate) are transferred to their cruel cousin; the eldest sister falls in love with one of the Night People and becomes determined to live in the Other Kingdom forever; the second sister, Jena, must break a curse to find her true love; and the girl's nights in the Other Kingdom are drawing to a close. The vivid magical world of the Other Kingdom and the interwoven struggles of the different sisters make Wildwood Dancing a fascinating and wonderful read.
Fairy tale-based books are some of my favorite stories. What are some of your favorite fairy tale based books?