Fairytale and Folklore
Catch up on the whole series of these here. There are A LOT of retellings and reimaginings of Cinderella. The tale is essentially a wish-fulfillment rags-to-riches story that gives poor, downtrodden people the hope that they might be raised above their station and find a measure of affluence and good fortune and love. You can see why it’s captured a lot of people’s imagination.
This tale’s basic themes and plot appears in so many cultures and translates well across so many different times and places. More than 500 versions of this tale appear in Europe alone. L. D. Ashliman has a list of 23 of these under the Aarne-Thompson type 510A.
One of the oldest known recorded versions is a 9thC Chinese story, Yeh-Shen. There is this open access article on the influence of Yeh-Shen on the evolving images of Cinderella in the West: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-02375-6. An English-language retelling for children by Ai-Ling Louie can be found here, free to read.
There are also indigenous folktale variants, like The Turkey Girl (a Zuni tale), which doesn’t deal with marriage – she wants to go to a ceremonial dance – but instead deals with the consequences of breaking a promise, and The Rough-Face Girl (Algonquin), which is a section of a longer story.
There are several versions of this story from across the African continent, including a Zimbabwean folktale, Nyasha, retold by author John Steptoe as Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters.
Other tales from around the world include Sodewa Bai from Southern India, and Nagami, retold in the English-language children’s book, Anklet for a Princess.
Even more can be found listed briefly here, and here. Definitely check out the second link for a wide list of children’s books retelling the story from different cultures.
Let’s dig into some of the less wholesome European ones, shall we? Before we go any further, CWs apply for the usual folktale themes – particularly cannibalism, father-daughter incest, murder, and self-mutilation.
We probably all know about the stepsisters mutilating their own feet to fit the slipper in the Grimm version, Aschenputtel, and the prince being alerted by birds cooing, there’s blood on the shoe, then pecking out the stepsisters’ eyes on the way to the church for Cinders’ wedding. This – minus the gore, for some reason – is the one that is usually retold in film. It’s a good one, but there are more versions with gore and twisted morals if we go a bit further back.
Basile’s 17thC version, The Cat Cinderella, features Zezolla as the protagonist, a sweet little child who finds herself with a stepmother she dislikes (and it’s mutual). She conspires with her governess to murder the stepmother, and the governess then takes her place as Zezolla’s stepmother #2 – except she also treats Zezolla badly. There’s a fairy, and sisters, and so on – but I absolutely love the whole set up to this.
We are lacking in cannibalism though, despite the murder, and I know you’re disappointed. So here’s the cannibal one! It’s Greek this time, and it’s ‘Little Saddleslut‘/Σαμαροκουτσουλού.
An audio version can be found here on The Folktale Project’s YouTube Channel.
There were once three sisters spinning flax, and they said, “Whosever spindle falls, let us kill her and eat her.”
The mother’s spindle fell, and they left her alone.
Again they sat down to spin, and again the mother’s spindle fell, and again and yet again.
“Ah, well!” said they, “let us eat her now!”
The youngest doesn’t want to eat her mum, weirdly, and so she gets bullied by her two older sisters who call her little saddleslut. The story then progresses in its usual rags-to-riches manner, with magic and some shenanigans with a magical cabin the forest.
In a few of these there’s an item of clothing that helps the prince find his bride, usually a shoe, which can be made of various improbable materials, including fur and glass. Speaking of fur… that brings us to the other type of tale (Aarne-Thompson 510B, as opposed to 510A). Furs and skins play a bigger part in these, as we shall see.
If you’re wondering where the weird sex, assault and/or incest plots come in, or if they do – you bet they do. In 510B type tales, the cause of the girl’s poverty and marginalisation prior to meeting and marrying her prince is… trying to avoid marrying her wicked, incestuous father.
These are tales like Donkey-Skin, as recorded by Perrault, which can also be a pigskin (Ukraine), bearskin (Basile again) or a horse’s skin (Portugal), and more besides, where the skins and furs are the girl’s protective disguise, a kind of grotesque counterpart to the glamorous disguise her fairy godmother puts on her to meet the prince in other types of tale. There are also variants like Doralice (recorded by Straparola), where the daughter’s ability to wear her mother’s ring is used against her in her father’s plot, causing her to run away and find a powerful man to marry to whom she is not related.
In England, the story Cat-Skin is not about incest, but the father’s mistreatment of his daughter stems from the system of patrilineal primogeniture (inheritance going to the male heirs of the father in a strict order, a man’s sons before a man’s brothers, etc), and the fact she is not a male heir. I like this as an alternative to women punishing women for having more perceived social currency!
I think a tale where Cinderella is tormented by her bitter father and his second wife for not being good enough as an heir, so she schemes her way to kill her stepmother and install her sympathetic governess as mistress of the house and avenge herself, would be a brilliant Gothic horror alternative retelling while still being totally faithful to the plots of several folktale variations. There’s so much going on there.
Let’s Not Forget Buttons
Cinderella wasn’t my favourite panto, although the stepsisters were usually the best dames. I only liked it if the prince was a Principal Boy (played by a girl), and I was always so so so sorry for Buttons.
So, if you don’t know, Buttons is a pantomime character who first appeared in a British 19thC play adaptation of Rossini’s opera La Cenerentola as a foil for Dandini, the prince’s assistant, and has since become a staple in most panto versions of Cinderella. (If you’re unfamiliar with the opera, it’s on YouTube!) Buttons was written into the play version (performed at The Strand, London, 1860) to be Cinderella’s ally in the way Dandini was the Prince’s, and his unrequited love for her added pathos to the story.
His costume has a lot of buttons down the front, and that’s where he gets his name. He is Cinderella’s best friend but is in love with her. He spends the whole pantomime pining while she’s like, “I love you like a brother, like a friend” (which is actually a really good dynamic to teach kids how to behave WELL in those situations – one party asserts their boundaries clearly, and then the other party respects them).
Buttons often helps them get together and shows his true colours by supporting Cinderella’s dreams even if they don’t include him (they never do), and rarely gets a conclusion of his own arc beyond ‘sidekick’. He’s always genuinely happy for Cinderella and there’s a note of optimism that now she’s married off he’s going to make his own life with someone else, or do something for himself, but they’ll always be friends. He’s basically the working class chivalric addition to add a bit of pathos and emotional depth to the story, I think?
Anyway, it’s not my favourite story, and I always wished we could see Buttons being successful and having a fully resolved arc at the end of the pantos I saw.
Book Recommendations & TBR
Pretty much most of these from the 30 Must-Read Queer Retellings from Book Riot, which also has a ‘best of the best’ list, but also Reactor Mag has six retellings here, the Orangutan Librarian has a list here, Shepherd showcases an author of a Cinderella-in-space reimagining who has another list of her top picks, SheReads offers some queer and gender flipped retellings here, and K. M. Shea has a list here. Not too mention the many many lists on GoodReads for this fairytale! There are 308 books on this list alone…
Fury: A Cinderella Story by David Allen – When Cindy Tremaine showed up to the office work meeting Monday morning, no one was surprised given her legendary work ethic. Except for Cooper Washington, who’d killed her three nights earlier.
Cindy Tremaine is the best employee Cleaning California has, and helped turn it from an idea to a regional powerhouse. She and her best friends, the stepsisters Anna and Jay Hildebrand, are elated when they find out they are going to be merging with Royal Crown industries, a global leader in technology and architecture, founded by Gable Washington.
At a ball to celebrate the merger, she meets Cooper Washington, the unbelievably handsome and charismatic son of Gable, and heir to the company. Along with his two friends, Ronnie and Emery, he uses his prince charming persona to lead Cindy into a night out, in which she ends up drugged and dies as a result. The three men panic and hide her body and put a plan together to get away with the crime. A plan which didn’t account for Cindy arriving back at work. Cindy, along with the stepsisters, now vow vengeance as the men try to figure out a way to stop her.
Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron – This was one of my favourite reads of 2021 and I really enjoyed this take on it. The worldbuilding was great and it’s one of the books I think about randomly from time to time because scenes really stuck with me. You can read Bayron’s article on this book and the need for Black characters in retellings of classic tales (and characters of intersectional and other underrepresented identities) for Reactor Mag here.
It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .
This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.
Sloth: A Cinderella Retelling by A. J. Blackburn – Marrying the man of her dreams had always been exactly what Ivy Cinders wanted. So, when she found her Prince Charming, who got on his knee with a ring, she instantly said yes. Five years after saying yes, Ivy’s still waiting for her wedding day.
But her Prince Charming has turned into a lazy Sloth of a boyfriend. When the hell had her life gone so wrong?
Deciding she can no longer make dinner and wash dishes, she heads out to change her life. Making life decisions while running on a treadmill might not be the way forward, but when two unbelievably hot and sexy men walk into the gym, Ivy can’t help the drool.
Well, life decisions on a treadmill might not be so bad after all. Will she let herself trust these men completely? Because their orders aren’t the usual, make dinner and wash dishes.
Sloth is a standalone ménage contemporary dark romance containing BDSM, and is the second book of the Sinners Fairytale Retellings series. Each installment can be read on its own and each retelling is intended for mature audiences, since it may contain triggers. Every author contributing to this series guarantees a HEA.
Angel by C. Bottas – First time a Wattpad serial has been recommended! This one is m/m Cinderella X Dracula story, and the author also has a Rapunzel tale.
Abused terribly since he was a boy, Kylo dreams of freedom. When his wicked stepsisters get invited to the handsome Lord Vincent’s masquerade ball, the women believe they are going as potential brides. Forbidden to go by his evil stepmother, Kylo sneaks to the elegant manor to get a look at the mysterious lord. When he’s captured for trespassing, Kylo fears a whipping yet the lord takes mercy upon him and invites him to the ball as his guest.
As the night progresses, Kylo finds himself falling for the bewitching lord. Upon the stroke of midnight, Kylo flees from the ball, losing one of his gloves in his haste.
When the lord searches the homes wanting to return the glove, he finds Kylo badly beaten. Realizing he is being abused, Lord Vincent returns that night to rescue the young man.
Soon Kylo is pulled into a world of darkness, blood, and vampires.
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole – From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . .
Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she’s learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won’t convince her otherwise.
Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.
The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after?
Selected as one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2018!
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman – Young Adult
A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell – weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish.
On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.
Lavishly produced, packed with glorious Chris Riddell illustrations enhanced with metallic ink, this is a spectacular and magical gift.
The Other Cinderella: A Play by Nicholas Stuart Grey – Am I going to recommend a Nicholas Stuart Gray play or novel every time? Trans man and proto-furry icon whose cat characters were the self-inserts? Probably yes, and nobody can stop me. If you’re new, you should check out Nicholas Stuart Grey in general, his fiction is hard to get hold of, but worth it.
A refreshingly alternative version of the classic tale – Cinderella may be pretty, but she is incredibly precocious and bad tempered, and her step-sisters are neither ugly or cruel but loving and gentle. With the intervention of the meddlesome Demon, the Fairy sets out to put things right and return the story of Cinderella back to its original form, with disastrous and hilarious results.
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix – Being a princess isn’t all that…
You’ve heard the fairy tale: a glass slipper, Prince Charming, happily ever after…
Welcome to reality: royal genealogy lessons, needlepoint, acting like “a proper lady,” and—worst of all—a prince who is not the least bit interesting, and certainly not charming.
As soon-to-be princess Ella deals with her new-found status, she comes to realize she is not “your majesty” material. But breaking off a royal engagement is no easy feat, especially when you’re crushing on another boy in the palace… For Ella to escape, it will take intelligence, determination, and spunk—and no ladylike behavior allowed.
The Shadow in the Glass by JJA Harwood – “Cinderella” meets Faustian bargain in Harwood’s dark Gothic twist on the tale.
Eleanor was taken in as Mrs. Pembroke’s ward when she was a child, but when the mistress of the household dies, she finds herself relegated to housemaid by the master, treated as a lowly servant to be used however he sees fit.
As her situation grows increasingly dire, she makes a desperate bargain with a fairy godmother who is rather less than benevolent. Each wish Eleanor makes comes at a terrible price, and as her life spirals out of control, Eleanor has to decide just what she’s willing to sacrifice to keep her dreams from dying.
Vicious as they come, this retelling examines how both circumstances and spirit shape our choices in life.
“Midnight at the Glass Slipper” in Fairy Tale Horrorshow by Ruthann Jagge – Once upon a time, you may have read a story about a wooden puppet who dreamed of being a real boy, or about Alice’s trip down the rabbit hole. I bet you can even recall one about a trickster that promised to spin straw into gold, or one about a girl being stalked in the woods while on her way to Grandma’s house… Well, you won’t quite find those stories within these pages.
What you will find is a collection of new horrific takes of classic fairy tales. Ten indie authors from around the world have come together to twist your childhood memories into dark retellings that are sure to give you nightmares. Sit back, turn down the lights, and enjoy the show.
From the minds of RJ Roles, Jason Myers, Lance Dale, Ruthann Jagge, Natasha Sinclair, M Ennenbach, Kevin J. Kennedy, Tara Losacano, Matthew A. Clarke, and Denise Crimson Pinnacle Press presents Fairy Tale Horrorshow.
PREORDER (as of April 2024)
Court of Lies & Cinder: A Dark Cinderella Retelling by A. R. Kaufer – After losing her father when a baby, Luella became the ward of the Countess Clara, her late father’s wife. She and her two daughters treat Luella as their maid, nothing more than an inconvenience. They play court games while she sweeps the chimney.
When they receive an invitation to the royal ball to celebrate the prince’s 21st birthday, then the games really begin.
Kindle Edition: Expected publication October 6, 2024
Phoenix and Ashes by Mercedes Lackey – Mercedes Lackey’s magical Elemental Masters series recasts familiar fairy tales in a richly-imagined alternate Victorian world
Eleanor Robinson’s life had shattered when Father volunteered for the Great War, leaving her alone with a woman he had just married. Then the letter came that told of her father’s death in the trenches and though Eleanor thought things couldn’t get any worse, her life took an even more bizarre turn.
Dragged to the hearth by her stepmother Alison, Eleanor was forced to endure a painful and frightening ritual during which the smallest finger of her left hand was severed and buried beneath a hearthstone. For her stepmother was an Elemental Master of Earth who practiced the darker blood-fueled arts. Alison had bound Eleanor to the hearth with a spell that prevented her from leaving home, caused her to fade from people’s memories, and made her into a virtual slave.
Months faded into years for Eleanor, and still the war raged. There were times she felt she was losing her mind—times she seemed to see faces in the hearth fire.
Reginald Fenyx was a pilot. He lived to fly, and whenever he returned home on break from Oxford, the youngsters of the town would turn out to see him lift his aeroplane—a frail ship of canvas and sticks—into the sky and soar through the clouds.
During the war, Reggie had become an acclaimed air ace, for he was an Elemental Master of Air. His Air Elementals had protected him until the fateful day when he had met another of his kind aloft, and nearly died. When he returned home, Reggie was a broken man plagued by shell shock, his Elemental powers vanished.
Eleanor and Reginald were two souls scourged by war and evil magic. Could they find the strength to help one another rise from the ashes of their destruction?
‘When the Clock Strikes‘ in Red as Blood by Tanith Lee – How would it be if Snow White were the real villain & the wicked queen just a sadly maligned innocent? What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty should be the mistake of a lifetime–of several lifetimes? What if the famous folk tales were retold with an eye to more horrific possibilities?
Only Tanith Lee could do justice to it. In RED AS BLOOD, she displays her soaring imagination at its most fantastically mischievous. Not for nothing was the title story named as a Nebula nominee. Not for nothing was the author of THE BIRTHGRAVE & THE STORM LORD called by New York’s Village Voice, “Goddess-Empress of the Hot Read.”
Here are the world-famous tales of such as the Brothers Grimm as they might have been retold by the Sisters Grimmer! Fairy tales for children? Not on your life!
Contents:
Paid Piper (1981)
Red as Blood (1979)
Thorns (1972)
When the Clock Strikes (1980)
The Golden Rope (1983)
The Princess and Her Future (1983)
Wolfland (1980)
Black as Ink (1983)
Beauty (1983)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine – At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the “gift” of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: “Instead of making me docile, Lucinda’s curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally.”
When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella’s life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you’ll ever read.
Gail Carson Levine’s examination of traditional female roles in fairy tales takes some satisfying twists and deviations from the original. Ella is bound by obedience against her will, and takes matters in her own hands with ambition and verve. Her relationship with the prince is balanced and based on humor and mutual respect; in fact, it is she who ultimately rescues him. Ella Enchanted has won many well-deserved awards, including a Newbery Honor.
Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine – For younger readers (Middle Grade)
Ralph said, “Rain tomorrow.”
Burt said, “Barley needs it. You’re covered with cinders, Ellis.”
Ralph thought that was funny. “That’s funny.” He laughed. “That’s what we should call him– Cinderellis.”
Burt guffawed.
In this unusual spin on an old favorite, Cinderella is a boy! He’s Cinderellis, and he has two unfriendly brothers and no fairy godmother to help him out. Luckily, he does have magical powders, and he intends to use them to win the hand of his Princess Charming– that is, Marigold. The only problem is– Marigold thinks Cinderellis is a monster!
Gail Carson Levine is the author of Ella Enchanted, a spirited retelling of the “real” Cinderella fairy tale and a 1998 Newberry Honor Book. In this fourth of her Princess Tales, Levine brings new life and new fun into a little-known tale and proves that determination, imagination, and kindness can carry the day.
The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling – When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she’s magically transported into the world of Cinderella–as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters!
Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt.
To get back, she’ll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?
Ash by Malinda Lo – Cinderella retold
In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.
The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.
Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire – I own a few of Gregory Maguire’s books, and I’ve read Wicked but not its sequel, Son of a Witch, and I have started on Confessions but it didn’t grip me enough to propel me through the book. As for Wicked, I prefered the stage musical to the book. I think I will finish this one day but it languishes on my shelf until I pick it back up.
We have all heard the story of Cinderella, the beautiful child cast out to slave among the ashes. But what of her stepsisters, the homely pair exiled into ignominy by the fame of their lovely sibling? What fate befell those untouched by beauty … and what curses accompanied Cinderella’s looks?
Set against the backdrop of seventeenth-century Holland, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister tells the story of Iris, an unlikely heroine who finds herself swept from the lowly streets of Haarlem to a strange world of wealth, artifice, and ambition. Iris’s path quickly becomes intertwined with that of Clara, the mysterious and unnaturally beautiful girl destined to become her sister. While Clara retreats to the cinders of the family hearth, Iris seeks out the shadowy secrets of her new household — and the treacherous truth of her former life.
‘Ashes to Ashes‘ in Not Your Grandma’s Fairy Tales by Pamela Morris – In this twisted collection of retold fairy tales, you won’t find helpless maidens in distress for long and knights in shining armor aren’t going be coming to the rescue, at least not in the typical way.
Instead, you’ll walk the streets of futuristic dystopias, wander into a seemingly normal small town diner, and spend some time in a lunar penitentiary.
Populated with vengeful ghosts, hungry cannibals, devilish baked goods and, okay, maybe an evil witch, too, the seven stories in Not Your Grandma’s Fairy Tales promise to spin a web of chilling threads that will stick to your dark imagination long after the story is told and the lights are turned out.
If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy – If the shoe doesn’t fit, maybe it’s time to design your own.
Cindy loves shoes. A well-placed bow or a chic stacked heel is her form of self-expression. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right.
With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on Before Midnight bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Showcasing her killer shoe collection on network TV seems like a great way to jump-start her career. And, while she’s at it, why not go on a few lavish dates with an eligible suitor?
But being the first and only fat contestant on Before Midnight turns her into a viral sensation–and a body-positivity icon–overnight. Even harder to believe? She can actually see herself falling for this Prince Charming. To make it to the end, despite the fans, the haters, and a house full of fellow contestants she’s not sure she can trust, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope her heels– and her heart–don’t break in the process.
Best-selling author Julie Murphy’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is an enchanting story of self-love and believing in the happy ending each and every one of us deserves.
The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl – Four friends, one murder, and a dark fate that may leave them all doomed …
After the mysterious death of their best friend, Ella, Yuki, and Rory are the talk of their elite school, Grimrose Académie. The police ruled Ariane’s death as a suicide, but the trio is determined to find out what really happened.
When Nani Eszes arrives as their newest roommate, it sets into motion a series of events that no one could have predicted. As the girls retrace their friend’s final days, they discover a dark secret about Grimrose–Ariane wasn’t the first dead girl.
They soon learn that all the past murders are connected to ancient fairy-tale curses … and that their own fates are tied to the stories, dooming the girls to brutal and gruesome endings unless they can break the cycle for good.
Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett – I tried Wyrd Sisters in Primary School and it was too old for me, I didn’t get any of the jokes, and I’d never heard of Macbeth. I gave him another try with Carpet People and loved that so much that I decided to try another Discworld book, because WS had really put me off. I found this when I was about 14 in my High School library (you begin High School/Comprehensive School aged 11 in the UK), and thought it was the funniest thing ever written in the history of the world. I read every Discworld book since, and of course now I can see some of the more problematic things/things that didn’t age well, but they remain my favourite fantasy series.
Be careful what you wish for…
Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother named Desiderata who had a good heart, a wise head, and poor planning skills—which unfortunately left the Princess Emberella in the care of her other (not quite so good and wise) godmother when DEATH came for Desiderata. So now it’s up to Magrat Garlick, Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg to hop on broomsticks and make for far-distant Genua to ensure the servant girl doesn’t marry the Prince.
But the road to Genua is bumpy, and along the way the trio of witches encounters the occasional vampire, werewolf, and falling house (well this is a fairy tale, after all). The trouble really begins once these reluctant foster-godmothers arrive in Genua and must outwit their power-hungry counterpart who’ll stop at nothing to achieve a proper “happy ending”—even if it means destroying a kingdom.
Her Princess at Midnight by Erica Ridley – What if Cinderella fell for the handsome prince’s… sister?
Cynthia lives a life of drudgery, toiling for her stepmother and stepsisters without receiving gratitude or pay. Every day is the same… until a royal retinue sweeps into town, inviting every unwed maiden to vie for the hand of the visiting prince.
The moment she lays eyes on the prince’s beautiful sister, Cynthia is smitten. She’s never been to a ball, and she’s determined not to miss this one. But when her family refuses to allow her to attend—not that Cynthia even has a gown to wear—it will take a miracle to escape the attic and catch the eye of the princess who holds the key to her heart!
Zolushka: Midwinter Nights by Mark Runte – short story, submitted by the author as having Cinderella vibes.
She died a victim of the Black Death and only love, or her idea of it will give her back the life she lost. If she can do it within three nights of her existence.
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe – For younger readers.
A Caldecott Honor and Reading Rainbow book, this memorable retelling of Cinderella is perfect for introducing children to the fairy tale as well as the history, culture, and geography of the African nation of Zimbabwe.
Inspired by a traditional African folktale, this is the story of Mufaro, who is proud of his two beautiful daughters. Nyasha is kind and considerate, but everyone—except Mufaro—knows that Manyara is selfish and bad-tempered.
When the Great King decides to take a wife and invites the most worthy and beautiful daughters in the land to appear before him, Mufaro brings both of his daughters—but only one can be queen. Who will the king choose?
Award-winning artist John Steptoe’s rich cultural imagery of Africa earned him the Coretta Scott King Award for Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters. The book also went on to win the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. This stunning story is a timeless treasure that readers will enjoy for generations.
Awards:
– Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration
– Caledcott Honor
– Reading Rainbow Book
– Boston Globe-Horn Book
Next Time:
Next post is the last in this series for now: Cinderella in Cinema!
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