17 Diverse Retellings
Humans have passed down the same myths and folk tales for millennia. But it would be boring if the stories stayed exactly the same, so we've been adding flair with retellings forever. Same themes, similar beats, a whole new book. Sometimes you can identify the original, but sometimes the retelling is so unique that it's unbelievable.
Despite that, with the Western-centricism and whiteness in publishing, you see the same retellings all the time: white authors, European myths, heteronormative romances. If you want more fairy tale retellings written by BIPOC and/or LGBT authors, this is the rec list for you!
17 Diverse Retellings
1. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong [YA fantasy]
2. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao [YA fantasy]
3. A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna [YA sci-fi]
4. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh [Adult fantasy]
Silver in the Wood is lush, dreamy, and utterly romantic. Featuring a cute m/m romance and a historical feel, this re-imagining of The Green Man folk tale explores the divide between monster and man, human and nature, past and present. When our narrator Tobias, Green Man and protector of the woods, encounters a chirpy young man named Henry Silver, it isn't just his heart that awakens; it's a rotten darkness beneath the ground too. And it's hungry for humans.
5. Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones [YA fantasy]
6. Anna K by Jenny Lee [YA contemporary]
7. Pride by Ibi Zoboi [YA contemporary]
8. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn [YA fantasy]
9. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh [YA fantasy]
10. Burning Roses by S.L. Huang [Adult fantasy]
Most fairy tale retellings focus on one myth, but Burning Roses combines them all into one action-packed novella. Rosa and Hou Yi are middle-aged women, new friends and old warriors, who have banded together to stop sunbirds from destroying the country. But along their quest, you learn about their pasts, who and what they're fleeing... and why these sunbirds have been unleashed in the first place. Two sapphic older women leads, one trans woman lead, and a mix of both Western and Eastern mythology, Burning Roses tackles them all.
11. Upon a Burning Throne by Ashok K. Banker [Adult fantasy]
12. A Thousand Beginnings and Endings [Short story collection]
Upcoming releases:
13. Malice by Heather Walter [Adult fantasy] - To be released 13 April 2021
14. The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo [Adult historical] - To be released 1 June 2021
Now that the copyright for The Great Gatsby has expired, I sense we'll see more retellings. This one re-imagines Jordan Baker as a queer Asian adoptee in Jazz Age America. But she's got money, power, and ambition... and she'll do whatever it takes to succeed despite all odds.
15. Darling by K. Ancrum [YA contemporary] - To be released 22 June 2021
K. Ancrum brings her dark Peter Pan retelling to modern day Chicago. But this city has a seedy underbelly, and Wendy might be in over her head. These lost boys are not all good.
16. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan [Adult historical] - To be released 20 July 2021
This queer Mulan retelling has had incredible hype, and I've got an eye on it. We're seeing 14th century China under Mongol rule. When orphan Zhu takes over her dead brother's identity to protect herself, she goes from monk to warrior destined for greatness.
17. Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood [YA fantasy] - To be released 9 Nov 2021
I'm also super excited for this one! It's an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre. Andromeda is an exorcist hired to clean Magnus Rochester's family home. But the evil in this house is deeper and darker than she expected, and while she falls for magnetic Rochester, he seems to be hiding something equally deadly...
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1 comments
Thank you for the suggestions! Will definitely give some of these a try.
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