Top 5 Tuesday- Retellings!!!

Happy Tuesday my wonderful reader friends! I’m here with another Top 5 Tuesday hosted by the incredible Bionic Bookworm (seriously, if you’re not already following Shanah, you need to re-evaluate some choices). A couple weeks ago, our topic was buzzwords that make us want to read a book. If you saw my T5T post for that week, you’ll know retellings are among some of my favorite bookish buzzwords, so naturally, I am super excited for this week’s Top 5 Topic: our favorite retellings!

Let’s get to it!

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#5- Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

It has been SO LONG since I actually read Fairest most of it is a vague memory. A sort of Snow White retelling, this book (written by the author of Ella Enchanted) follows a protagonist who believes she is ugly, but who has incredible vocal talent. I remember the romantic aspect seeming a little unrealistic, but I loved watching Aza go from a girl unsure of her value or worth to someone who is mostly confident in who she is and the talents she has. Plus, this was the first retelling I ever read, so I thought it deserved some love!

#4- Keturah and Lord Death

Guys, I’m gonna be honest here: if you know me, you know I’m not one for romance-driven plots. So if anyone can figure out why I love this book so much that I borrowed it from my high school’s library thirteen times, I’d love to hear it! I counted this one because a couple a lot of people have listed it as a Beauty and the Beast/Arabian Nights mashup retelling on Goodreads, and I just love this book. In the beginning of this story, a young woman comes face to face with Death. She gains herself an extra day of life by telling him a story about a love that conquers even Death, and he allows her one day to find a love that strong, and he will let her live out the rest of her life with that person. And so begins a hunt for true love! (Seriously, guys, I need some answers! Why do I love this book so much?!)

#3- ACOTAR

I almost didn’t include this one because of how disappointed I was with ACOWAR (the last book in the series), but I loved A Court of Thorns and Roses and  A Court of Mist and Fury too much to not include this Beauty and the Beast retelling. After killing a predator that was stalking a deer she so desperately needed to feed her family, Feyre finds herself dragged off to a magical kingdom as the payment for her deeds. But she finds that the court, and her captor, are more than they seem.

#2- The Wrath and the Dawn

This Arabian Nights retelling follows Sharzhad (Shazi) as she tries to avenge her best friend’s death. The boy-king of her land takes a new bride each evening, only to have her executed in the morning.  After this happens to her friend, Shazi takes matter into her own hands to find some revenge. She volunteers as the next bride, gains another day of life by telling stories, and soon realizes that this person she assumed to be a cold-hearted killer, is more than meets the eye. Shazi is a strong and compelling protagonist, and I’m also a little bit in love with Khalid, so I would definitely recommend this retelling to anyone who might be interested.

#1- A Curse Dark as Gold

Another book I read AGES ago, I haven’t seen this retelling get as much credit as it deserves. Granted, Rumplestiltskin isn’t the most popular source for retellings. The story follows Charlotte, a girl who just inherited the family mill after her father’s death. Townspeople whisper about the mill’s curse as the bad luck (and unpaid debts) pile up, but Charlotte meets every instance with practicality and a level-head. But desperation forces her sister to extreme measures, and soon a man named Jack Spinner appears offering straw-spun gold in exchange for Charlotte’s mother’s ring. As things continue to go awry, Charlotte has to discover the truth of the curse to save her town and her family. I remember moving characters, vivid settings, realistic romance, and an exciting plot. I actually just added this retelling to my reread list the other day!

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That’s it for this week’s Top 5 Tuesday! Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to check out Shanah’s Top 5 Tuesday post! Let me know what some of your favorite retellings are in the comments below!