Tuesday 4 August 2015

Top Ten Retellings


This week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is to do with fairytale retellings.  I admit that I haven't had all that much experience with fairytale retellings.  So, I've decided to do a top ten list of retellings - so, not necessarily fairytales - including both books I have read and books that I want to read.  And I've included a couple of movies.  The point is, my list is a mixed bag.

1.  Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge




Cruel Beauty is one of my absolute favourite books, and in case you can't tell by the title, it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  I've been waiting to read Crimson Bound since I found out it was being written, and I swear I am going to read it this month!  It's a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

2.  The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer






I have read and enjoyed Cinder, but I've yet to read the next three books.  On another note, I love how all four covers match so well.

3.  Grim edited by Christine Johnson
4.  A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
5.  The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater




I read Grim, an anthology of fairytale retellings, a couple months ago, and there were some retellings in there that I really loved.  I also enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses - another Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I adored The Scorpio Races - which is a take on the Scottish, Irish and Manx mythology of water horses.

6.  Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell
7.  Entwined by Heather Dixon
8.  Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson




I have yet to read any of these three books.  I believe that Mechanica is a Cinderella retelling (being released this month), Entwined is a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses and Tiger Lily is related to Peter Pan.

9.  Ella Enchanted
10.  Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters



My last two picks are movies.  The first is Ella Enchanted, a movie based off the book by Gail Carson Levine, which is a retelling of Cinderella.  Sure, it's pretty cringe-worthy, but it's cute and I loved it when I was younger.  The second is Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.  Obviously, it's a retelling of Hansel & Gretel.  The thing that I liked about that movie was that you didn't know what to expect.  It didn't hold back in the violence and gore department, and the witches were super ugly.  I'm not someone to easily fall in love with a movie, and I have to say this one had a lot of flaws, but I'd be willing to rewatch it, and that's pretty good for me.


Let me know which retellings I should look into next!

16 comments:

  1. I really want to read Entwined and Tiger Lily. I have read a lot of great reviews on both of them but haven't gotten my hands on these books as of yet.

    However, I have recently finished Mechanica and was disappointed with it. The writing is nice but there is very little dialogue amongst the characters and I wasn't happy with the ending.

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    1. They sound like they'll be great, don't they? I've heard both amazing and dismal reviews for Tiger Lily though, so it'll be interesting to see how I like it.

      I'm sorry to hear that you were disappointed with Mechanica. And it's extra sad that you disliked the ending!

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  2. I just picked up Grim the other day for a couple bucks at the thrift store - super lucky find! :)

    Check out my TTT.

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    1. That is a very lucky find! I hope you like some stories out of it :)

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  3. You are the only person I've seen with Scorpio Races on their list other than me. This was such a fun post idea this week. I love retellings and you picked some good ones. Drop by my blog and sign up for my give-away. It relates to today's meme.

    My TTT Retellings

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    1. Happy to hear that The Scorpio Races is on your list too! I loved that book.
      It was a great idea for this week. I'm glad you think I picked some good retellings!

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  4. I haven't read many fairytale retellings either. The only one I can actually think of right now is A Court of Thorns and Roses, but at least I really liked that one. I do really want to get started on The Lunar Chronicles and I also added Cruel Beauty to my TBR. Great list! :)

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    1. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one! Also glad that you enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses.
      I can't recommend Cruel Beauty highly enough, and Cinder is also really good! I hope you decide to pick them up soon.
      Thanks :)

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  5. I've seen Entwined so many times on Book Outlet. I don't know why I haven't picked it up yet. The cover is absolutely gorgeous. I loved the Ella Enchanted movie. Sometimes the cringe-worthy movies are the best kind haha. You should definitely continue on with the Lunar Chronicles. Cress is my personal favourite from the series.

    Sarah @ The Reading Petal

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    1. I agree, the cover is great, and sometimes cringe-worthy movies can be awesome.
      I'm looking forward to when I pick up Scarlet! I have higher hopes for Cress though, because I've heard most people say that's their favourite of the books so far.

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  6. I haven't read any of these but so many people are recommending them - I need to check into them. My TTT list

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  7. Great list! I am really loving this week's theme and I have so much to add to my TBR list. I esp. love the Hansel and Gretal movie. Here is my TTT if you want to check it out :) http://www.bookworminkorporated.com/best-current-and-anticipated-fairy-tale-retellings/

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    1. I'm finding that too - there's so many books I hadn't even heard of before!

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  8. I don't care how old I get - I will ALWAYS love Ella Enchanted. I have no shame!!! lol Thanks for stopping by A Blonde Librarian :)

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