Sleeping Beauty Retellings

I’m not going to lie, putting together this blog post made me a little nervous. Because let’s be real for a second and admit that some of the original Sleeping Beauty stories are really, really dark and definitely not safe for you to read to your kids (or to read at work).

Most modern writers tend to skip over those aspects of the original story (thank goodness!) and I did work extra hard to scrub the list of books below. Luckily, Sleeping Beauty has been blessed with a Disney movie retelling so it has inspired plenty of stories that focus on the lighter aspects of the original fairy tales!

Let's start things out with some special call outs for my favorite retellings of this fairy tale:

Spindle’s End – by Robin McKinley – I’m assuming you’ve read one of Robin McKinley’s retellings of Beauty and the Beast, but did you know she has written a Sleeping Beauty retelling as well? It has McKinley’s trademark beautiful world building and descriptions combined with some fun twits. I think the best part is the fact that the main heroine is not some passive princess waiting for everything to get solved – she’s a woman of action!

The Healer’s Apprentice – by Melanie Dickerson – Melanie Dickerson has written a whole series of fairy tale retellings mixed with historical fiction, and this book is the first one in her series. I personally like books I read to have a touch of magic in them (which these do not) but I have to admire how seamlessly Dickerson can blend the historical aspects with the original fairy tales to come up with a story that is both entertaining and realistic!

The Castle Behind Thorns – by Merrie Haskell – Ok, I did not like this book as much as Haskell’s other book, The Princess Curse. But this is still a great book with an interesting spin on the Sleeping Beauty tale (both how she ends up in the situation and what she and the main male character do to fix things).

Sleeping Beauty  – by K.M. Shea – For my retelling of Sleeping Beauty I knew I wanted Briar Rose to be a bit more fiery (she had to be to go through what I had planned for her)! Sometimes she gets a little carried away with herself but that is why Isaia is there to steady her and hold her back when necessary.

A big shout-out to everyone who commented on my Facebook post with extra book ideas! These are all reader recommendations so think of them as a friend rec! (I asked for no spice and low language but if that is a concern for you be sure to check the reviews.)

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Sleeping Beauty’s Daughters by Diane Zahler

Rose & Thorn by Sarah Prineas

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

Curse of the Thirteenth Fey by Jane Yolen

Awaken by Camille Peters

Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell

The Princess Game by Melanie Cellier

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep by Gail Carson Levine

Alora by Morgan Dawson

Sleeping Beauty by Jenni James

Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey

Kingdom of Slumber Deborah Grace White

Cursed by Kaylin Lee

Mistress of All Evil by Serena Valentino

The Awakened Prince by Alora Carter

Ice and the Elves by Anabelle Raven

Thorns at Sunrise by Janeen Ippolito

A Gracious Hope by Robyn Sarty

Sleeping Dragon by Amberlyn Holland

A Lady Most Engaged by Audrey Glenn

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Dagger's Sleep by Tricia Mingerink

The Silent Night by Sarah Beran

Spindled Slumber by Kayla Eshbaugh

Bria & the Billionaire's Kiss by Catelyn Meadows

Upon a Dream by Laura Burton and Jessie Cal

Did you find a book you want to read? The list includes everything from middle grade, YA, Fantasy, historical, and contemporary. So it has a bit of everything and I hope you found your next great book!

If you are looking for more, I have a whole series of these blog posts featuring book recommendations, popular retellings, and lists of books vetted by readers! Click here to start reading or use the Book Lists category to filter them.

Hades and Persephone Retellings

The story of Hades and Persephone is probably the most well known love story in Greek mythology. (It's my personal favorite out of all the Greek myths!)  If you find yourself craving more Hades and Persephone stories, you should take a look at this list of clean/sweet romance retellings.

I’ll start this list off with two special call outs:

The Gate of Myth and Power trilogy by K.M. Shea (yes! that's me!)

This is a funny, urban fantasy retelling in which my version of Persephone disguises herself as a cat, and is unwillingly adopted by Noctus–the elf king of death aka my version of Hades–as his new pet. It’s an unusual start to the story, but you’ll see lots of familiar Greek characters, like Kerberos and Charon!

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

I love this book. You NEED to read it! It’s so fun, and twisty, but so cute! (The publisher put a darker cover on it right now–I have no idea why. It’s the quintessential fantasy romance, so don’t be scared off by it!) It is single-handedly is responsible for turning me into a fantasy romance nut.

The rest of the recommendations on our list were put together by from the reader community (thanks to Discord Admin Vin for organizing these). We asked for no spice and low language suggestions only but check the reviews if content is a concern for you.

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden

Of Earth and Shadows by Kimberly A. Rogers

Dark King and the Eternal Dance by Alesha Adamson

The Concord Coalition by Kenley Davidson

The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle

Linnet and the Prince by Alydia Rackham

Phone Home, Persephone by Kate McMullan

Persephone the Phony by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Persephone the Daring by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

The Darkest Summer by Rebecca Greenwood

Peaceweaver by Everly Haywood

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Soulless Slipper by Abigail Manning

Tempting Hades by Emma Hamm

This Rotting Heart by Celeste Baxendell

Dawn by Camille Peters

Snapdragon by Sarah Beran

The Spring Maiden by Allison Anderson

This list is pretty short right now as the majority of the Hades and Persephone retelling are spicy, but I will add to this list whenever I find a new book that applies!

If you're looking for more books for your TBR I have a whole series of these blog posts featuring book recommendations and lists of popular retellings. Click here to start reading through all of them or use the Book Lists category to filter them.

Cinderella Fairy Tale Retellings

Is Cinderella one of your favorite fairy tales? Then I guarantee this book list will have your next favorite read as it has a wide range of genres (contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, historical) and so many stories with a great twist on the original story!

The best part is, this full list was built from recommendations from readers on Facebook so it think of them as a book rec from your friend!

As a side note, while I enjoy the Disney Cinderella movie, I am an active anti-fan of Cinderella’s prince because he is so useless! This is why I gave the prince in my retelling (Cinderella and the Colonel) a much more active role. My version of Cinderella is the third book in my fairy tale retelling series and it's available to read in Kindle Unlimited or buy on Amazon right now!

But back to the retelling list! I’ll start with some of my favorite Cinderella retellings, followed by tons more suggestions from my followers on social media. (There are 100 books in this full list!)

Here are my favorite Cinderella stories:

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine – Can a Cinderella retelling be more perfect than this story? Tons of fun world building in this book as well (the movie doesn’t give it justice).

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix – Unusual in that it tells the story of what comes after the big slipper reveal. The book cover makes it look like a modern story but it’s actually a YA epic fantasy world setting.

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey  – This retelling isn’t squeaky clean, but it’s a fun reimagining of Cinderella that puts a really interesting twist on the typical fairy tale world retellings take place in.

And of course, there is Cinderella and the Colonel by K.M. Shea  🙂 (Buwahah, yes, a daring plug of my own story.)

And now for a mega list of more suggestions from my reader community! (I asked for no spice and low language recs but check the reviews if that is a concern for you.)

Of Glass and Glamour by Chanda Hahn

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Bewitching by Alex Flinn

Before Midnight: A Cinderella Story by Cameron Dokey

Cinder Luna by Marie Soleil

Cinder & Ella – by Kelly Oram

The Captive Maiden Melanie Dickerson

Meet Me at Midnight by Monique Brasher

Ashes by MK Harkins

Ella & the Billionaire's Ball by Catelyn Meadows

Kingdom of Cinders by Deborah Grace White

Traitor’s Masque by Kenley Davidson

Cinderella by Jenni James

The Ugly Stepsister by Arisa May

Ella by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers by Brittany Fichter

Soot and Slipper by Kate Stradling

Midnight’s Curse by Tricia Mingerink

The Mystery Princess by Melanie Cellier

The Midnight Prince by Angie Grigaliunas

Chasing Cinders by Elizabeth D. Marie

Out of the Ashes Alicia Buck

Charm by J.A Armitage

Fated by Kaylin Lee

Isabella and the Slipper by Victorine E. Lieske

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Phoenix & Ashes by Mercedes Lackey

Ellie and the Prince by J.M. Stengl

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Princess of Midnight by Lucy Tempest

Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella by Megan Morrison 

Back by Midnight by Dee J. Stone

The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo

Riches to Rags by Casey Bond

The Stepsister's Lament by S.R. Nulton

Cinders By Finley Aaron

A Lady Most Fitting by Sienna Peake

Met by Midnight by Janeen Ippolito

The Vampire's Masquerade by Nellie Peters

The Midnight Heiress by Ashtyn Newbold

So this is Love by Elizabeth Lim

The Glass Gate by Hanna Sandvig

Cold Hearted by Serena Valentino

Brass Carriages and Glass Hearts by Nancy Campbell Allen

The Stepsister and the Slipper by Nina Clare

The Blood Spell by C. J. Redwine

Shard of Glass by Emily Deady

Glass Midnight by Kayla Eshbaugh

Heart of Glass by Laura Burton and Jessie Cal

The Midnight Blizzard by Mary Mecham

Cinderstellar by J M Page

The Earl of Highmott Hall by Nina Clare

The Coronation Ball by Melanie Cellier

Not Cinderella’s Type by Jenni James

Callie and the Pumpkin Seed by Sarah Beran

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley

The Peasant's Dream by Melanie Dickerson

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

At Midnight by Suzanna Fowers

If the Boot Fits by Karen Witemeyer

Princess of Mirrors by A. G. Marshall

Hidden at Starshine by Leialoha Humpherys

Ella & the Seven Dwarves by Sara Farnsworth

Bride of the Midnight Prince by Anastasis Blythe

Framed in Florals by Abigail Manning

To Shatter a Slipper by Abigail Manning

A Lady Most Alluring by Amy Newbold

Ashen by H.L. Burke

The Other Slipper by Kenechi Udogu

The Secret Slipper by Amanda Tero

The Stroke of Eleven by Kyle Robert Shultz

Curse of the Midnight King by Yakira Goldsberry

Dragon's Maid by Kimberly Rogers

Dance of Hearts by Byrd Nash

Mask of Scarlet by Sarah Pennington

Sinful Cinderella by Anita Valle

Reign by Chanda Hahn

Iron by Madisyn Carlin

Of Stars and Ashes by K.M. Carroll

Cursed Beauty by Dorian Tsukioka

The Swan and the Slipper by Sarah Beran

Once Upon a Midnight Clear by Michelle Miles

A Midnight Hope by Stefanie Lozinski

Once Upon a Dragon by Amberlyn Holland

Football Stars Don't Date Cinderella by Lucy Winton

Slippers and Thorns by Erin Halbmaier

Rook Di Goo by Jenni Saur

Of Glass and Cinders by Tiani Davids

Fae of Cinders by Cara E. Ruegg

Cinders of Glass by Celeste Baxendell

Legacy of Glass by Melanie Cellier

Flaming the Cinders by Katelyn Daliath

Ella and the Elf by Anabelle Raven

Pumpkin War by Kendra Elise Ardnek

Crown and Cinder by Kendra Elise Ardnek

Whew, that was a lot of books! I hope you found something new and happy reading!

If you love other fairy tales too I have a whole series of these blog posts featuring book recommendations and lists of book retellings. Click here to start reading or use the Book Lists category to filter them.