Twisted Crowns & Cursed Wishes: The Fairy Tale Retellings That Break All the Rules

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Forget the glass slipper. These stories come with daggers, deception, and zero patience for princes.

Fairy tales have enchanted us for centuries, but these fresh retellings bring new magic to the stories you thought you knew. From the icy romance of Queen of Snow to the fierce battles in Thief of Cahraman, these modern fairy tale retellings are packed with adventure, romance, and a dash of danger. Whether you’re journeying with a rogue princess or fighting off cursed wolves, these books promise an unforgettable escape into reimagined worlds where happily-ever-afters are never guaranteed, but always earned.

Why We’re Still Obsessed with Fairy Tale Stories (and Honestly, Same)

Classic fairy tales were simple. Good vs. evil. True love wins. Cue the wedding and ride off in a pumpkin-shaped Uber. But today’s fairy tale stories? They’re messy, morally gray, and weirdly relatable.

Now, the girl in the tower’s not waiting—she’s breaking out. The prince might be the problem. And the villain? You’ll probably root for them at least once. These retellings give us the stories we grew up with, only smarter, sharper, and way more interesting.

They hit different because they grow up with us. They know we’ve paid bills, ghosted dates, and questioned if we’re the hero or the cursed object in someone else’s narrative. Spoiler: it’s both.

Fairy Tales Are Older Than Your Group Chat

Turns out, fairy tales aren’t just nostalgic—they’re ancient. We’re talking thousands of years old. Long before Disney, people were telling twisted little stories like Rumpelstiltskin around fires and probably traumatizing their kids in the process.

Some fairy tales date back over 4,000 years. That’s right, Beauty and the Beast might be older than actual written language. These stories weren’t always bedtime material, either. Once upon a time, they were shared around fires, whispered in royal courts, and used as warnings disguised as entertainment. Over centuries, they’ve shapeshifted into cautionary tales, moral lessons, and now, paperback obsessions stacked high on your nightstand.

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Queen of Snow: Fairy Tales Reimagined Book 1

Laura Burton & Jessie Cal

Fantasy

Imagine the Snow Queen was in love with Jack Frost, but she thinks she can’t be with him because the last guy she kissed turned to ice… One day, when her powers are spiraling out of control, Jack walks through the blizzard and reaches for her, but the Snow Queen shouts, “Step back! I don’t want to hurt you!” Jack steps forward and takes her hand, then he says, “You won’t.” Will you read it?

Red Arrows: Fairy Tales Reimagined Book 2

Laura Burton & Jessie Cal

Fantasy

Welcome to the Chanted Forest, where fairytales are real…but not as you know them. Haunted by the memory of her hands covered in her grandmother’s blood, Red Ryding Hood cannot stop thinking about revenge. When her cousin, Robin Hood, and his band of misfits go on a quest to rescue Princess Marian from The Wolf, Red grasps the opportunity to tag along. Except rescuing the Princess will be their mission, not hers. Red’s arrows are being sharpened for a completely different target. Ever since he was banned from his wolf pack, Will Scarlet has buried the truth about what he is from everyone he loves. Wolf attacks have ravaged Sherwood Forest and to his best friend, Robin Hood, wolves are the number one enemy. Red is the only girl Will has ever loved, and he has vowed to protect her, whatever the cost. If she ever finds out the truth, he will surely lose her forever. But when their mission takes an unexpected turn, Will must confront his past and rise against his own kind to protect Red. But will Red return the favor when she finds out his secret?

Beastly Secrets: Fairy Tales Reimagined Book 3

Laura Burton & Jessie Cal

Fantasy

It’s Beauty and the Beast but imagine BELLE is the Beast! Belle, a fierce and independent young woman, seeks to uncover the secrets of a dungeon that hold more than just the cure she’s looking for. As she descends deeper into the depths of the dungeon, Belle discovers a chemist unlike any other. A man with no memories, but a heart of gold and a regal past. With Nathaniel by her side, Belle discovers a love that surpasses all boundaries. But with powerful foes lurking in the shadows, and a beast terrorizing the forest, their happiness is far from guaranteed. As Belle and Nathaniel fight to uncover the truth about his past, they find themselves entangled in a web of secrets and danger. And when Nathaniel’s memories return, he is faced with a difficult choice: stay with the woman he loves or fight for his rightful place as king. With the clock ticking and their enemies closing in, Belle and Nathaniel have to work together to save the kingdom and secure their happily ever after. For Belle, it’s a chance to prove that even a beast can find true love and redemption.

Pure as Snow: Fairy Tales Reimagined Book 4

Laura Burton & Jessie Cal

Fantasy

The Huntsman is hired to win Snow White’s heart, but loses his own instead. Snow White is living a quiet life at the Dwarf village, talking to the animals and hiding from the Snow Queen, who wants her captured. When she meets a huntsman in the woods, he sparks a desire in her to stop hiding and fight the Snow Queen once and for all. She gladly accepts the huntsman as her aid, but little does she know he was sent by the Snow Queen to capture her.

Above the Sea: Fairy Tales Reimagined Book 5

Laura Burton & Jessie Cal

Fantasy

The little mermaid is engaged to the Prince… but she’s in love with Captain Hook. When Lexa’s father, Poseidon, is taken by a powerful enemy, the only way to get him back is for the Princess of the Sea to accept a marriage alliance with the Prince of the Shores. But her heart already belongs to Captain Hook, a broody pirate she saved from a shipwreck and nursed back to health at her island. She longs to see him again. What she doesn’t expect, however, is to find Hook at the castle ball, standing alongside the Prince. Will Lexa follow through with the marriage alliance to save her father? Or will she fight for her happy ending?

Heart of Glass A Cinderella Retelling (Fairy Tales Reimagined Book 6)

Heart of Glass: Fairy Tales Reimagined Book 6

Laura Burton & Jessie Cal

Fantasy

Hercules meets Cinderella in this heart-pounding enemies-to-lovers romance! Killian, a bounty hunter from the Underworld, has spent centuries capturing souls, and he only needs one more to win the throne and become the Ruler of the Underworld. After a forbidden song is sung, keeping a soul from going to the Underworld, Killian is sent to capture the newly marked soul. Ella’s. What Killian doesn’t expect, however, is for her sweet scent and dark, guilty aura to consume his heart. Ella isn’t surprised when a bounty hunter shows up to claim her soul. After waking up covered in the King’s blood, it appears as though she has murdered him. But her memory of that night is gone and she has no idea what truly happened. If Killian claims an innocent soul, his streak will go down to zero, causing him to lose his chances of winning the throne. Now, they need to retrieve Ella’s memory, and discover, once and for all, if she’s guilty or innocent. But the more time they spend together, the more Ella’s emotions invade Killian’s, creating a connection so strong, their souls become tethered. But with Ella’s soul still marked, and scores of bounty hunters out to get her, how will Killian save her from her fate?

Upon a Dream: Fairy Tales Reimagined Book 7

Laura Burton & Jessie Cal

Fantasy

In a realm of dreams, Sleeping Beauty’s rescue becomes uncertain when her savior, a Prince, is haunted by his own shadows. In a realm where nightmares roam freely, Princess Aurora finds herself ensnared in the eerie and unsettling Dreamworld, a place that twists beauty into fear, leaving her trapped amidst shadowy terrors. This haunting world had become her silent prison, a labyrinth of despair where hope seemed to have withered away. Every day, Aurora faced the monstrous manifestations of her deepest fears, her spirit yearning for a sliver of light, a hint of salvation to break through the pervasive darkness that threatened to consume her. Meanwhile, in the waking world, Prince Tristan grapples with the engulfing shadows of grief and the pressure of an impending coronation. The weight of expectations and the yawning void left by his father’s passing drive him to seek refuge in a deep and dreamless sleep. But instead, he stumbles upon Aurora’s ethereal prison, their souls connecting in a place where time holds no sway. United by fate, Tristan vows to rescue Aurora, to bring her back to a world where beauty and love can flourish once more. Yet, time is of the essence, as King Midas and his ruthless army threaten to engulf both their worlds in darkness and greed. A race against time unfolds, where love blossoms amidst chaos, beckoning them to seize a future where their love could defy all odds and triumph over evil.

Tower of Gold: A Rapunzel Retelling: Fairy Tales Reimagined Book 8

Laura Burton & Jessie Cal

Fantasy

What if no one saved Rapunzel from the tower? In a world on the brink of collapse, the kingdoms teeter on the edge of destruction as the Dreamworld, a realm of nightmares, threatens to merge with reality. Rapunzel is their last hope—but she’s far from a heroine. Once the villain of her own story, she’s been locked away not in a tower, but in the prison of her own heart, burdened by the weight of her dark past. She runs into Finn, a roguish thief with a dangerous charm, who becomes an unwitting ally in her quest. Together, they must steal a legendary dagger that holds the key to her plan. But as they journey deeper into the darkness, Rapunzel learns that some battles can’t be fought alone. In accepting Finn’s help, she begins to break the chains of her past and discovers that true strength lies not in shouldering burdens alone, but in sharing them. But to save the kingdoms from being consumed by the Dreamworld, Rapunzel must confront her greatest enemy: herself.

The Fairy’s Tale: The Pathways Tree Book 1

F. D. Lee

Fantasy

Bea’s to do list: Get the girl to the ball Engineer True Love’s Kiss Make a Happy Ever After DO. NOT. MESS. THIS. UP. Easy, right…? Apparently not. Bea, a wannabe fairy godmother, has finally been given a story of her own to manage – and to prove that cabbage fairies aren’t completely useless. Only, her heroine doesn’t want to marry the hero, and the ugly sister is bent on overthrowing the King. Worse still, the Royal Advisor seems to know a lot more about Bea and fairy godmothers than any human should… Bea knows she should report all this to her boss. But that would mean admitting she’s a failure, that everything everyone says about cabbage fairies is true. Besides, how hard can it be to get her story back on Plot? Everyone wants to marry a Prince, don’t they…? ★ “I never thought I would say this but thank you F. D. Lee for the lack of sleep!” ★ “I read this in one day instead of all the other things I should have been doing.” ★ “A cracking read! Subverted fairy tales are one of my favourite sub-genres, and this is a great example.” ★ “What would happen if Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Emma Newman and K.E. Mills (in her Accidental Sorcerer mode) got together and had a fairy tale themed writathon? This, my friend, is probably what would happen.” The Fairy’s Tale is the first novel in the internationally bestselling series The Pathways Tree from award-winning author F. D Lee. With surprising plot twists and compelling characters, The Fairy’s Tale is a whirlwind adventure into the sinister world behind classic fairy tales.

The Academy: The Pathways Tree Book 2

F. D. Lee

Fantasy

Exactly how far will Bea go to do the right thing – and is she prepared to finally meet the fearsome, three-headed Beast to do it? Bea’s back! But life at the Academy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Being the only fairy is bad enough, but then the rumours of a ghost spread, setting everybody on edge. And when people are afraid, it’s never a good time to be the odd one out. So Bea is determined to keep her head down and not, absolutely not, draw attention to herself. That is, until she comes face to face with the so-called ghost. Bea realises that things at the Academy are a lot more complicated than they first appear – and that’s before an unwelcome face turns up begging for a favour…

The Princess And The Orrery: The Pathways Tree Book 3

F. D. Lee

Fantasy

Seven, the last surviving genie, is out for revenge. Betrayed by the woman he loves, kidnapped, tortured, and separated from the source of his power, Seven’s only goal is to punish the people who have wronged him. That is, until he is forced to work with Amelia. Amelia is bright, precocious and does not have time for his vendetta. She is working on a machine designed to map the planets, an orrery, and has been promised a permanent home with the Sisterhood of Cultivators if she succeeds. The only problem is, the orrery is a lot more than a simple machine – it is also a doorway. And when a door is left open, anything might come through… When Seven realises what it is Amelia is building and the danger it presents, he must make a choice – the hardest choice he has ever faced: to act selflessly. Can Seven put aside his own wishes in order to play the hero and save the world? More importantly, does he even want to?

The Cascade: The Pathways Tree Book 4

F. D. Lee

Fantasy

The last surviving city of the fae is about to fall, and only one person can save it. The Mirrors are decimated. Travel to and from the human world is at a standstill. Ænathlin teeters on the brink of destruction. It falls to Julia, the Head of the dreaded Redaction Department, to stand between order and chaos. As the baking heat of summer dries Ænathlin to a crisp, a cascade—an irreversible collapse—is predicted to occur before year’s end. Food and supplies are running out, and support for the anti-fairy group Ænathlin Again is growing. With no idea how to stop what appears to be an inevitable civil war, the General Administration is in disarray, too long without a leader. Luckily, Julia has a plan and the courage required to act on it. Whatever it takes, she will rescue the city from itself. And the mortal gods help anyone who stands in her way…

The First and Final Story: The Pathways Tree Book 5

F. D. Lee

Fantasy

All Bea’s done is make mistakes. Now her friends are paying the price… Once upon a time, a lowly cabbage fairy ran away to Ӕnathlin, the last surviving city of the fae, centre of the stories, and home of the General Administration. She was going to be the first fairy to become a godmother and run the best Plots anyone had ever seen. Only things didn’t work out like that. Not even close. Banished and alone, Bea’s only solace is that she can’t cause any more harm to the people she loves. Until her path crosses two old friends: a genie on a journey of redemption and an elf with delusional optimism. Now she has to get all three of them safely through the treacherous Sheltering Forest if she’s ever to find the mythical Pathways Tree. Bea knows she’s not the fairy for the job. Every decision she’s made has led to disaster. But with the fate of the world on her shoulders, what choice does she have?

Thief of Cahraman: Fairytales of Folkshore Book 1

Lucy Tempest

Fantasy

The Selection meets Aladdin ONE MONTH. ONE PRINCE. FIFTY CONTESTANTS. AN IMPOSSIBLE HEIST. You have been summoned to Sunstone Palace to compete in our search for the future Queen of Cahraman. After years on the run, Adelaide thinks her lonely and dangerous life as a thief is finally over. But her world is upended when a witch steals her away to a faraway kingdom, to perform an impossible heist. If Adelaide fails, her newfound family would be sacrificed to a beast. To complete her mission, she’s forced to assume the role of a noblewoman and enter a royal competition. The prize is the hand of the elusive Crown Prince. Elimination means certain death. As the witch’s literal deadline approaches, Adelaide has one last gamble to save the day, and to escape to a new life with Cyrus, the handsome and mysterious fellow thief who stole her heart. But everything falls apart when the prince finally reveals himself…

Prince of Cahraman: Fairytales of Folkshore Book 2

Lucy Tempest

Fantasy

ONE WEEK. FIVE CONTESTANTS. ONE PRINCE. A DEVASTATING DECISION. Before, she avoided elimination. Now, she must win. Chosen as one of the Final Five in the Bride Search, Ada has one last chance to find the golden lamp and save her family. Yet with Cyrus no longer her partner-in-crime, but her target, her plans unravel, tearing her between duty and desire. Now she has one week to pass three increasingly difficult tests fit for a queen. As the competition takes a perilous bent, secrets are uncovered, demolishing her world as she knows it. Caught between impossible choices, the fates of all she loves depend on her decisions. But she fears that no matter what she does, she’d lose everything and change Cahraman forever.

Queen of Cahraman: Fairytales of Folkshore Book 3

Lucy Tempest

Fantasy

A DARK SORCERESS. A CAPTIVE KINGDOM. A GAMBLE FOR SALVATION. After a lifetime of running away, now she must make a stand. In a corrupted Cahraman, Ada is back on the streets, struggling to save her friends and the kingdom from the fallout of her devastating mistake. The only way to redeem herself is to put things back as they were, but that seems impossible when her enemy is all-powerful. When Cyrus and her friends escape, their reunion turns bittersweet as her part in Nariman’s takeover is exposed. Now that Cyrus no longer trusts her, there is only one thing that could fix everything: the lamp. But her plan to steal it flings them on a treacherous quest for salvation through forgotten lands, unseen worlds and a cave of wonders. A journey that tests their love, their knowledge of who they are, unearthing shocking truths about them all and exposing the dark side of magic. With no more secrets and no more need for lies, Ada’s goal is now to surmount the harrowing obstacles thrown her way and find the one thing that can defeat Nariman before it’s too late. But if she fails, they’re all doomed to this grim fate forever.

Beast of Rosemead: Fairytales of Folkshore Book 4

Lucy Tempest

Fantasy

A BOOKISH BEAUTY. A BEASTLY PRINCE. A DEADLY CURSE. Bonnibel Fairborn’s wish to escape her small-town life for one of adventure is granted in the worst way when she’s flung along with her family into the unknown. The nightmare deepens when she wakes up to find her best friend gone and her father offered as a sacrifice to the terrifying Beast of Rosemead. After trading her life for his, her bid for escape ends in a lethal brush with fairies. When the beast almost dies to save her, she discovers he is the missing Crown Prince of Arbore, and the victim of a vindictive fairy’s curse. With time to undo it running out, he and his monstrous staff believe she’s the only one who can save them all. But how can she fall in love with the gruff and mysterious Leander, let alone to a deadline? And would that be enough to break the curse? Especially now she’s discovering that nothing, including her own life, is what it seems? This is book 1 of 2 of the Rosemead duology.

Beauty of Rosemead: Fairytales of Folkshore Book 5

Lucy Tempest

Fantasy

A WILTING ROSE. A TREACHEROUS QUEST. AND A FATEFUL LEGACY. She’s done reading about heroes. Now she needs to become one herself. With everyone she loves at the mercy of fairies, Bonnie risks everything to cross the forbidden forest at the end of her world to reach them. She arrives in Faerie with unforeseen company, intending to resume the quest to break Leander’s curse. The plan sounds simple enough: Cross every fairy court and bargain with the queen who cast the curse. But as their numbers dwindle, so do the petals of the rose counting down to Leander’s doom, and that of everyone bound to him. As they keep being dragged off course in the uncharted land of unpredictable magic and time, trials and revelations will test all bonds and unearth painful secrets, ones even her insatiable curiosity cannot withstand. After all their struggles, will they reach the Spring Court in time? And what if Bonnie fails to negotiate with the queen? How far will she go to save her beastly prince, before the last petal falls? This is a full-length novel. Book 2 of 2 of the Rosemead duology.

Princess of Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella (Fairytales of Folkshore Book 6)

Princess of Midnight: Fairytales of Folkshore Book 6

Lucy Tempest

Fantasy

Cinderella meets Frozen THREE NIGHTS. A PAIR OF GLASS SLIPPERS. AND A FROZEN KING. After breaking free of her evil stepfamily’s thrall, Ornella Dufreyne flees into Faerie, and ends up in the Winter Court. But when she interrupts her escape to thwart an assassination attempt on the King of Winter, they recapture her. All hope seems lost, until the Queen of Spring appears to make her an offer. At the Midwinter Ball, Ella has to monopolize King Yulian’s attention, while others try to expose the would-be assassins. In exchange, the Queen will free her and bring her stepfamily to justice. At the Castle of Glass, she discovers Yulian is a kindred spirit who’s crumbling under a curse that’s turning him to ice. After he repays her life-debt, they grow closer, cooling her flaming fury and thawing his frigid state. But Jjst as they start to believe they could be each other’s salvation, everything unravels when her stepmother’s plot to divide them unknowingly aids Yulian’s enemy. As danger encroaches, through untraceable whispers and haunted mirrors, inconceivable secrets long lost to the night are unveiled. By the third strike of midnight, Ella must choose between the final chance to be free, or to save the only one whose life and love reflects her own.

Dreamer of Briarfell: Fairytales of Folkshore Book 7

Lucy Tempest

Fantasy

Sleeping Beauty meets Robin Hood! A CURSED PRINCESS. A LEGENDARY OUTLAW. A LITERAL DEADLINE. Her soul will be lost forever, unless she wins the love of the noblest of men. Cursed in her cradle by a vengeful fairy queen, Princess Fairuza of Arbore thought her fate was secure in the hands of her betrothed — until he chose another as his bride. After the last attempt to find another prince to save her fails, Fairuza’s world fades to black, and she awakens in a castle, unseen and unheard by all—then a thief breaks in, and sees her. But Robin Hood is no prince charming, and he’s leaving for Faerie, to save Maid Marian from the Wild Hunt. Seizing her last chance to find royals who can break her curse, she joins him and his Merry Men. Once in Faerie, the Summer King puts them through deadly trials, in exchange for his hand and help. But as they struggle to survive, Fairuza begins to fade. The longer her soul remains detached from her body, the sooner their tie will be severed. As her time runs out, she finds herself falling in love with Robin, despite knowing that this would doom her forever…

The Faerie Prince: Fairytales of Folkshore Book 8

Lucy Tempest

Fantasy

A FUGITIVE PRINCESS. A DARK SORCERESS. AN UNLIKELY HERO After her stepmother usurped her father, Princess Snezhana of Belograd escapes into the most treacherous parts of Faerie. Her last hope is the Prince of Autumn, whose court houses horrors only he can navigate. But Prince Keenan is the last partner Jana would have picked for her quest. Confounding and possibly mad, he treats her desperate situation with frustrating levity, and drags them onto paths rife with heart-stopping danger—and excitement. What she unwillingly realizes is exactly what has been missing from her life. For that life to continue, Jana must stop Arsenia’s bid for power, not to mention survive Keenan’s maddening, exhilarating company. As their clashing personalities and unexpected bond are put to the test, they embark on a perilous search for the Golden Gardens that hold the one thing to tip the balance of power in her favor. Will they reach their destination in time before the poison stops her heart, or will the dark cloud her stepmother casts over the land rise, and fracture the Folkshore?

Your Happily Ever After Starts With… This Blog Post

If the old-school version of “once upon a time” doesn’t quite hit anymore, you’re not alone. These retellings are for the ones who want more grit with their glitter, more fight in their fairytales, and a love story that might just burn the kingdom down.

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