About Spell of the Sinister: In New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige’s wickedly fresh take on beloved tales, the fairy godmothers make the rules. Be careful what you wish for . . .

It’s been ten years since my novel Dorothy Must Die came out, in which another girl lands in Oz and has to fight an evil Dorothy. Having my tenth anniversary the same year the Wicked movie feels oddly full circle, because Dorothy Must Die is the reason why I write retellings. This week also marks the release of Spell of the Sinister, the sequel to my fairy godmother novel Wish of the Wicked.

Here are five retellings that I love:

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

The best retellings answer a question, or explore an underdeveloped character. Wicked does both. I was endlessly fascinated with the witch from the first time I read The Wizard of Oz. Gregory asks and answers why, and also redefines the witch for this generation and maybe every one after.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Perhaps my favorite retelling aside from Wicked.  Cinderella in space! If Marissa could take Cinderella to space, then I could place my characters anywhere I wanted, as long as I kept a few touchstones from the original tale. Just wholly original with impeccable worldbuilding.

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

I absolutely love how Kalynn expands the Cinderella universe. 200 years after the original tale, we meet Sophia and a generation of woman forced to attend balls where they are picked by their future husbands. Sophia wants no part of it, and discovers an alternate history that suggests that Cinderella, too might have had her own qualms about the marriage ball.

Neon Gods by Katee Robert

Such a sexy, refreshing take on the Hades and Persephone myth. I’ve always been fascinated by the myth; the story of a love that literally created seasons has always been intriguing to me. In Katee’s mind, it’s pure fire.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Hello Feyre and Tamlin! Sarah’s work starts as a real homage to Beauty and Beast, but she expands it into a vast sprawling fantasy world that goes way beyond the original lore.

The post Five Retelling Book Recommendations From Author Danielle Paige appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be picking any of them up!

The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo
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Dive into the epic world of international bestselling author Leigh Bardugo with this beautifully illustrated replica of The Lives of Saints, the Istorii Sankt’ya, featuring tales of saints drawn from the beloved novels and beyond. Out of the pages of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, from the hands of Alina Starkov to yours, the Istorii Sankt’ya is a magical keepsake from the Grishaverse.

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
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Gyen Jebi isn’t a fighter or a subversive. They just want to paint. One day they’re jobless and desperate; the next, Jebi finds themself recruited by the Ministry of Armor to paint the mystical sigils that animate the occupying government’s automaton soldiers. But when Jebi discovers the depths of the Razanei government’s horrifying crimes—and the awful source of the magical pigments they use—they find they can no longer stay out of politics. What they can do is steal Arazi, the ministry’s mighty dragon automaton, and find a way to fight…

Tinderbox: Soldier of Indira by Lou Diamond Phillips
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Imagine the intrigue of Game of Thrones mixed with the star-crossed romance of Romeo and Juliet… but in space! Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale of the same name, Soldier of Indira is perfect for fans of Dune, Aurora Rising, and Stardust. 

The Tower of Fools by Andrzej Sapkowski
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From the New York Times bestselling author of the legendary Witcher series–the books that inspired the Netflix show and the hit video games–comes the first in an epic new trilogy.

White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton
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 In a similar vein to G.L. Carriger’s San Andreas Shifters series and Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series, David R. Slayton blends darkness, comedy, and the importance of family bonds into an #OwnVoices contemporary fantasy that will leave readers wanting more.  

The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
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From the visionary, New York Times bestselling author of New York 2140 comes a near-future novel that is a gripping exploration of climate change, technology, politics, and the human behaviors that drive these forces. 

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
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From the beloved World Fantasy Award-winning author of Witchmark comes a sweeping, romantic new fantasy set in a world reminiscent of Regency England, where women’s magic is taken from them when they marry. A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against her duty to her family.

Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz
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How to Train Your Dragon meets Quidditch through the Ages in this debut fantasy, set in an alternate contemporary world, in which dragons and their riders compete in an international sports tournament

Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick by David Wong
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New York Times bestselling author David Wong’s Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick is the latest―and arguably greatest―sci-fi thriller in the Zoey Ashe Series.

A Wild Winter Swan by Gregory Maguire
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After brilliantly reimagining the worlds of Oz, Wonderland, Dickensian London, and the Nutcracker, the New York Times bestselling author of Wicked turns his unconventional genius to Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Wild Swans,” transforming this classic tale into an Italian-American girl’s poignant coming-of-age story, set amid the magic of Christmas in 1960s New York.

Gatekeeper by Alison Levy
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Rachel Wilde comes from a dimension that exists adjacent to ours. The people there have structured their society around daemon collecting: they locate, catch, and repair malfunctioning daemons (creatures out of phase with our world that tempt people to do good or evil). Now Rachel has been given two unusual assignments: 1) find a person who has been trying to break down dimensional barriers, and 2) track down a missing line of gatekeepers, human placeholders for a daemon that was too badly damaged to repair.

The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith
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In the second installment of this richly imagined fantasy adventure series, a new threat from within the Library could destroy those who depend upon it the most.

What fantasy and sci-fi releases will you be picking up this month? Tell us in the comments below!

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