Fairest Son - H.S.J. Williams

Fairest Son

H.S.J. Williams

Where to Purchase: Amazon

Official Blurb: The Fair and Foul courts of the fey folk have long yearned for one to bring them together in peace, but hopes are dashed when the fairest prince and the prophecy concerning him are laid to ruin. Burdened with shame and sorrow, the prince flees to the cold mountains far above the forests and lochs with nothing but animals and goblins for company.

When a human huntress stumbles upon him in her search for a legendary predator, their fates are intertwined. But she hides deadly secrets, and if he dares to trust her, he may risk the doom of both courts to an ancient evil...

As a Retelling: This book masterfully took all of the elements and themes of Snow White and wove them into a new story of courty subterfuge and betrayal. It does largely follow the plot of SW, but it edges into reimaging territory due to a couple points such as (1) use of "hair black as soot, skin white as snow, and lips red as blood, (2) use of the poisoned comb, apple, and deathlike sleep, and (3) the multiple roles that Keeva played in the story. The changes led to a very different climax, but very satisfying and faintly allegorical. Also, it's a genderswap, and brilliantly done.

Arista's Thoughts: This book is gorgeous. I've always been fascinated by fae stories, and I would definitely rank this near the top of my list of favorite Snow White retellings.

Reimagining - Snow White
Genderswap
Indie
Faery Courts

Alternative Cover:

Have you read The Fairest Son? If so, leave a comment below with your own short review to help future readers!

A Thousand Perfect Notes - C.G. Drews

A Thousand Perfect Notes

C.G. Drews

SPOILER WARNING

Where to Purchase: Amazon, Book Depository

Official Blurb: An emotionally charged story about the power of dreams, and how passion can turn to obsession.

Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that his mother forces him to play hour after hour, day after day. He will never play as she did before illness ended her career and left her bitter and broken. But Beck is too scared to stand up to his mother, and tell her his true passion, which is composing his own music - because the least suggestion of rebellion on his part ends in violence.

When Beck meets August, a girl full of life, energy and laughter, love begins to awaken within him and he glimpses a way to escape his painful existence. But dare he reach for it?

As a Retellling: Like Cinderella, Beck has been abused and isolated by his mother. He is then later offered a chance out by his kinder, much richer uncle, which he doesn't accept at first. Parallels to the life of Beethoven come in his name, the fact that he is driven to compose music, and becomes deaf at the end. I would also argue that this is a Rapunzel story in the fact that there is a heavy emphasis on music and August's rescue is a gradual reaching-in to someone who's been isolated their whole life, thus giving him the eventual strength and hope to accept his uncle's offer.

Arista's Thoughts: Drew's writing is simply art, and if you're in the mood for a contemporary that will break your heart and give you hope, this is it. Joey, Beck's younger sister, is adorable, and August is such a violent ray of sunshine, and Beck ... oh, Beck. I don't recommend it to everyone, as it deals with heavy themes, but it has a special place on my shelf. (Also, as a note, the author is Aussie and the book is set in Australia, so don't get confused by the seasons seeming to be backward.)

Inspired by - Cinderella, Beethoven
Unintentional Retelling - Rapunzel
Contemporary
Genderswap

Alternative Covers:

Have you read A Thousand Perfect Notes? If so, leave a comment below with your own short review to help future readers!

Dagger's Sleep - Tricia Mingerink

Dagger's Sleep

Tricia Mingerink

Beyond the Tales, #1

SPOILER WARNING for "About a Fairy Tale"

Where to Purchase: Amazon

Official Blurb: 

A prince cursed to sleep.

A princess destined to wake him.

A kingdom determined to stop them.

High Prince Alexander has been cursed to a sleep like unto death, a curse that will end the line of the high kings and send the Seven Kingdoms of Tallahatchia into chaos. With his manservant to carry his luggage and his own superior intelligence to aid him, Alex sets off to find one of the Fae and end his curse one way or another.

A hundred years later, Princess Rosanna learns she is the princess destined by the Highest King to wake the legendary sleeping prince. With the help of the mysterious Daemyn Rand, can she find the courage to finish the quest as Tallahatchia wavers on the edge of war?

One curse connects them. A hundred years separate them. From the rushing rivers of Tallahatchia’s mountains to the hall of the Highest King himself, their quests will demand greater sacrifice than either of them could imagine.

As a Retelling:
This story masterfully takes the story of Sleeping Beauty and ups its meaning by swapping the roles of the prince and princess, telling the stories of the two characters side by side - Alex's in the past, Rose's in the future. The spindle is swapped out for a dagger, as the title implies, which was masterfully handled. However, the romance turns out a bit differently from the fairy tale due to the addition of a new and vital character

Arista's Thoughts: 
My thoughts are pretty mixed on this one. I like its setting, tone, conflict, but am slightly annoyed with the ending. Not that I don't like the romance we got - the couple is absolutely adorable - but I find the trend of "the prince and princess don't end up together" in retellings to be a bit annoying, especially with Sleeping Beauty. I feel better about it having read the following books in the series, but I was majorly annoyed when I first read it.

Genderswap - Sleeping Beauty

Magical

Christian

Alternate Ending

Medieval America

Cameo - Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and Rose Red

Alternative Covers:

Have you read Dagger's Sleep? If so, leave a comment below with your own short review to help future readers!