cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Seventeen years ago, Nyx’s father made a bargain with the demon lord who rules their land. Now Nyx must become his wife, but she is not going willingly. She has a plan that will end his reign once and for all. But what happens when she falls in love with the person she wants to destroy?
A dark romance focused largely on Nyx’s feelings for the demon lord and his shadow. Readers who enjoy steamy reads will likely find this to their taste, but fans of fantasy may also enjoy the unique worldbuilding.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Prince Rhen is cursed to relive his eighteenth year over and over again until a girl falls in love with him. Unfortunately, they never do–not when they see the beast he becomes. Then Harper, a girl from D.C. enters his world and, suddenly, Rhen thinks he might have a chance. But war approaches his borders and Harper fears for the family she left behind. Can Rhen save both his kingdom and his heart?
A gripping retelling that goes beyond the romance to tell a story about political machinations and impending war. Readers who enjoy high fantasy and war stories will delight in this expanded version of an old story. There’s even a sequel!
Ogre Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Evie enjoys working on her healing remedies along with her best friend Wormy. But then Wormy has to ruin everything by proposing. Even worse, the fairy Lucinda does not agree with Evie that she is too young to think of marrying anyone. As punishment for rejecting Wormy, Lucinda transforms Evie into an ogre. Now, she only has a few weeks to accept a proposal–or she will be an ogre forever. A prequel to Ella Enchanted that can be read as a standalone.
Readers expecting a second Ella Enchanted may find themselves disappointed by this prequel. Readers who judge the book on its own, however, will likely be delighted at the opportunity to return to Ella’s world, learn more about ogres, and immerse themselves in the lives of characters who played pivotal roles in Ella Enchanted. Evie is a spunky heroine whose kindness will cause readers to sympathize with her and cheer her on her journey.
Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer
Scarred by a wolf when she is seven years old, Echo Alkaev leads a lonely existence, shunned by the villagers who think she is cursed. Years later, she meets the wolf again and he strikes a bargain: he will save her father’s life is she agrees to live with him for one year. In his house under the mountain, Echo finds an enchanted library and begins to fall in love with Hal, who seems trapped in the books. But an evil force is growing and the wolf, Echo, and Hal will all be lost at the end of the year, unless Echo can find a way to break the curse.
This enchanting fantasy blends elements from “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Tam Lin.” Readers who love retellings with a classic feel will fall in love with Echo North, which captures the elusive spirit of Faerie.
Great post! Beauty and the Beast is my fave! You may also want to check out Of Beasts and Beauties. Great book with five great stories, all inspired by the theme of Beauty and the Beast.
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Awesome! I haven’t heard of that one before!
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I only know of it because two of my friends had stories in it, to be honest. But they’re all great stories!
Btw my friends are Emerald Dodge and Katherine Bennett, so definitely check out theirs if you get a chance!
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Ooh I love retellings and there’s a few on this list I haven’t heard of. I will second your recommendation of A Curse so Dark and Lonely, I loved that book. I’d also recommend Hunted by Megan Spooner, it’s quite dark and weaves in some other folklore.
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Yeah, I think it’s interesting that A Curse So Dark and Lonely is the start of a fantasy series and not just a once-and-done retelling.
Thanks for the recommendation!
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I love Beauty and the Beast retellings and I’m always looking for new recommendations so thank you for this post.
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I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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Awesome post, I love beauty and the beast so I’m definitely going to look into these books
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I especially recommend Echo North! It hasn’t gotten a lot of buzz, but it’s hauntingly lovely!
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I love Beauty and the Beast retellings! Several of these are on my to read list. One of my favorites is Masque by WR Gingell, which has a murder mystery mixed in.
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Ooh. A murder mystery? Sounds intriguing!
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I didn’t know A Curse So Dark and Lonely was a Beauty and the Beast re-telling.
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It is! But it’s a little different since it’s also the first book in a series! (Or a duology? It occurs to me I don’t know how many books are projected for this.)
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I tried Cruel Beauty but couldn’t get into it, but I am very intrigued by Echo North! A Curse So Dark And Lonely is on my TBR already, and this list is giving me a couple more to add! Thanks.
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Echo North is one of my favorite books of 2019 so far! It’s really under-hyped, though, as far as I can tell.
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I personally didn’t like cruel beauty because Nyx was so confusing. I’ve not read the others but to the tbr they go
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I’m strangely not a fan of Beauty and the Beast (at least, not as much as the general public), but I’m actually excited to find out that Ogre Enchanted is a retelling! Ella Enchanted is one of the best retellings ever imo, so Ogre Enchanted is on my TBR. 😋
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“Beauty and the Beast” does seem to have a lot of popularity, doesn’t it? It’s not my favorite fairy tale, but I do enjoy it!
Ogre Enchanted, I think, doesn’t quite live up to Ella Enchanted. But it is pretty good and I liked returning to that world!
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I am definitely going to check these out, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairytales.
Cora | http://teapartyprincess.co.uk/
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Wonderful list! I am a huge fan of retellings, and Beauty and the Beast will always have a special little place in my heart. Growing up, this was my absolute favorite fairy tale, so I devour just about every retellings I get my hands on. I’ve heard lovely things about A Curse so Dark and Lonely and Cruel Beauty! Hoping to get to those at some point this year! I haven’t looked much into Echo North, but it sounds quite enchanting. I might have to add it to my tbr! ❤
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Very curious about cruel beauty!
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I liked it a lot!
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