The new year is a clean slate, a chance to start fresh and do some new things. Unfortunately, my TBR list didn’t get the memo. I have a towering stack of 40-odd books sitting atop my desk, glowering down at me and demanding to be read before I attempt to read anything from this new year. Considering the calibre of some of the titles I have to look forward to finally reading off my list though, I can’t really be upset about that though. I mean, I’ve got The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue up there, along with Aurora Burning, To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars, and The Starless Sea yet to read, so I am set for an excellent reading year. If there is one thing that can rival reading all these amazing original stories though, it’s a stack of books that reimagine favourite stories in a new and unique way. And that’s what I’m going to be talking about today! Here are five books that reimagine some of my favourite stories. Let me know if you’ve read any of these, or if they’re on your list too.
A Curse So Dark And Lonely
Brigid Kemmerer
Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.
Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.
Break the curse, save the kingdom.
Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairytale of all time. I adore both the original fairy tale and, of course, the animated Disney movie, which I can easily watch every night of the week and still not be bored of (any other fans out there?). So naturally, I’ve always been drawn to retellings of this story. Each reimagining manages to capture something special from the original story, while also bringing some new twist that I’ve never considered before. I’m super interested in this one. I love the twist of Harper coming from our world to a fantasy realm. Who hasn’t dreamed of being plucked out of real life and sent on an amazing adventure? I know I have!
Heartless
Marissa Meyer
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.
Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
Villains are some of my favourite characters to read about. I want to know what makes them tick, why they are the way that they are. Complex villains are some of the best characters you can find. So of course, when you have a villain origin story, you really hope that you’re going to get a heart wrenching, or exhilarating descent into darkness. I’ve had mixed luck with villain origin stories in the past, so I’m reserving judgement on this one until I actually read it, but I’ve got everything crossed that this is an amazing reimagining of the beloved world of Alice in Wonderland.
Legendborn
Tracy Deonn
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.
The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.
I’ve got such a soft spot for stories about secret societies protecting the world from unimaginable terrors. And this one has magicians, so that’s an automatic tick in my book. Plus, this story has its roots in Arthurian Legends, and there’s no passing that up? I loved reading the tales of King Arthur when I was younger, and that interest has definitely stayed with me. All these things combined have me very excited by the potential of this book.
The Guinevere Deception
Kiersten White
There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl.
Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom’s borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution–send in Guinevere to be Arthur’s wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king’s idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere’s real name–and her true identity–is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.
To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old–including Arthur’s own family–demand things continue as they have been, and the new–those drawn by the dream of Camelot–fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land. Arthur’s knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free.
Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?
I can’t remember the last time I read a reimagining of the King Arthur stories, and now I’ve got two of them to devour. Amazing! This book also sounds fantastic. Guinevere is at the heart of an enormous lie, her own identity a secret. Just from the description this book has absolutely everything I could want in a story reimagining the tales of King Arthur, from knights and jousting, to magic and secrets, and the promise of high adventure. Reading through this blurb gets me excited every time I look at it, so personally, I have really high hopes for this one.
The Kingdom of Back
Marie Lu
Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish: to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she’ll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in eighteenth-century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age—her tyrannical father has made that much clear.
As Nannerl’s hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true—but his help may cost her everything.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a historical fantasy based on the life of Mozart before, so this book has me hooked from the very concept. I used to learn classical piano and singing when I was younger, and I remember learning about Mozart and his sister. We never learned much about Nannerl in the course of these music studies unfortunately. She was only ever a passing mention in the life of No one ever said much about Nannerl, and I’ve always been so intrigued to know more about her. Now she’s the main character in your own story, and I. am. hooked. Music and magic and the wish to be known forever as something other than the sister of the most brilliant musician. Bring it on!
These are five books reimagining familiar and favourite stories of mine that I can’t wait to read this year. Have you read any of these books? Are they on your TBR? And how many books are on your TBR at the moment? Are you starting fresh, or finishing off a stack from last year, like me?
Looking for more magic and adventure to add to your reading pile this year? Why not try The Crystal Tree? It’s a fantasy adventure about magic, music, family and how much you’re willing to sacrifice for the people you love. Available in print and ebook now!
