Best Fairytale Retelling Books

The highest-rated books featuring the Fairytale Retelling trope, ranked by readers and listeners. Browse 33 titles across Fantasy, Literature & Fiction, Romance.

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Fairytale retellings work because they let you experience the comfort of a story you already know while simultaneously subverting your expectations. There's real power in watching a character flip the script on their own narrative—whether that's Cinderella refusing to play victim, or Persephone discovering agency in the underworld. You get the satisfaction of recognition mixed with genuine surprise.

These books span romance, fantasy, young adult, and literary fiction. Some lean into lush gothic reimaginings, others go romantic or darkly comedic. What they share is this: they trust you to know the bones of the original story, then gleefully break them apart and rebuild something entirely new.

  1. 1
    An Offer From a Gentleman cover

    An Offer From a Gentleman

    Bridgertons • Book 3

    by Julia Quinn

    ★ 4.46 BLT Score (428.8K ratings)
    ★ 3.94 Goodreads (428.8K)
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  2. 2
    Lady Tremaine cover

    Lady Tremaine

    by Rachel Hochhauser

    ★ 4.27 BLT Score (8.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.29 Goodreads (8.9K)
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  3. 3
    Mansfield Park cover

    Mansfield Park

    Jane Austen's Novels

    by Jane Austen

    ★ 4.24 BLT Score (382.8K ratings)
    ★ 3.86 Goodreads (382.8K)
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  4. 4
    First Impressions: A Contemporary Retelling of Pride and Prejudice cover

    First Impressions: A Contemporary Retelling of Pride and Prejudice

    Jane Austen • Book 1

    by Debra White Smith

    ★ 4.19 BLT Score (1.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.61 Goodreads (1.4K)
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  5. 5
    A Touch of Darkness cover

    A Touch of Darkness

    Hades x Persephone • Book 1

    by Scarlett St. Clair

    ★ 4.17 BLT Score (437.8K ratings)
    ★ 3.8 Goodreads (437.8K)
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  6. 6
    The Once and Future Queen cover

    The Once and Future Queen

    The Lives of Guinevere • Book 1

    by Paula Lafferty

    ★ 4.15 BLT Score (6.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.19 Goodreads (6.3K)
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  7. 7
    The Princess Beard cover

    The Princess Beard

    The Tales of Pell • Book 3

    by Delilah S. Dawson, Kevin Hearne

    ★ 4.06 BLT Score (2.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.02 Goodreads (2.2K)
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  8. 8
    Wildwood Dancing cover

    Wildwood Dancing

    Wildwood • Book 1

    by Juliet Marillier, Unknown Author

    ★ 4.02 BLT Score (32.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.1 Goodreads (32.6K)
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  9. 9
    Cinderella Is Dead cover

    Cinderella Is Dead

    by Kalynn Bayron

    ★ 4.02 BLT Score (87.7K ratings)
    ★ 3.66 Goodreads (87.7K)
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  10. 10
    The Sleeper and the Spindle cover

    The Sleeper and the Spindle

    by Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell

    ★ 3.99 BLT Score (54.3K ratings)
    ★ 3.87 Goodreads (54.3K)
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  11. 11
    The Puppets of Spelhorst cover

    The Puppets of Spelhorst

    The Norendy Tales • Book 1

    by Kate DiCamillo, Julie Morstad

    ★ 3.97 BLT Score (7.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.15 Goodreads (7.1K)
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  12. 12
    Gods of Jade and Shadow cover

    Gods of Jade and Shadow

    by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

    ★ 3.96 BLT Score (78.7K ratings)
    ★ 3.88 Goodreads (78.7K)
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  13. 13
    West cover

    West

    East • Book 2

    by Edith Pattou

    ★ 3.93 BLT Score (3.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.86 Goodreads (3.0K)
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  14. 14
    The Robber Bride cover

    The Robber Bride

    by Margaret Atwood

    ★ 3.91 BLT Score (50.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.83 Goodreads (50.1K)
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  15. 15
    Hood cover

    Hood

    King Raven • Book 1

    by Stephen R. Lawhead

    ★ 3.89 BLT Score (15.9K ratings)
    ★ 3.89 Goodreads (15.9K)
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  16. 16
    Neon Gods - Hades & Persephone cover

    Neon Gods - Hades & Persephone

    Dark Olympus • Book 1

    by Katee Robert, Anika Klüver

    ★ 3.87 BLT Score (313.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.68 Goodreads (313.1K)
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  17. 17
    Lost Boy: An extended trigger-free version of Losing Neverland (Escapism Book 2) cover

    Lost Boy: An extended trigger-free version of Losing Neverland (Escapism Book 2)

    Escapism • Book 2

    by Evelyn Montgomery

    ★ 3.83 BLT Score (203 ratings)
    ★ 4.18 Goodreads (203)
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  18. 18
    The Girl in Red cover

    The Girl in Red

    by Christina Henry

    ★ 3.78 BLT Score (19.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.71 Goodreads (19.6K)
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  19. 19
    Six-Gun Snow White cover

    Six-Gun Snow White

    by Catherynne M. Valente

    ★ 3.77 BLT Score (4.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.63 Goodreads (4.5K)
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  20. 20
    Deathless cover

    Deathless

    Leningrad Diptych • Book 1

    by Catherynne M. Valente

    ★ 3.77 BLT Score (23.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.93 Goodreads (23.1K)
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  21. 21
    Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories cover

    Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories

    by Amal El-Mohtar

    ★ 3.76 BLT Score (385 ratings)
    ★ 4.15 Goodreads (385)
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  22. 22
    White Cat, Black Dog: Stories cover

    White Cat, Black Dog: Stories

    by Kelly Link, Shaun Tan

    ★ 3.75 BLT Score (7.7K ratings)
    ★ 3.79 Goodreads (7.7K)
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  23. 23
    Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories cover

    Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories

    by GennaRose Nethercott

    ★ 3.73 BLT Score (2.9K ratings)
    ★ 3.74 Goodreads (2.9K)
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  24. 24
    F*cked Up Fairy Tales cover

    F*cked Up Fairy Tales

    by Liz Gotauco

    ★ 3.71 BLT Score (297 ratings)
    ★ 4.07 Goodreads (297)
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  25. 25
    Graveyard Shift cover

    Graveyard Shift

    Midnight Stakes • Book 1

    by Melanie Davies

    ★ 3.71 BLT Score (221 ratings)
    ★ 4.14 Goodreads (221)
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  26. 26
    Metamorphica cover

    Metamorphica

    by Zachary Mason

    ★ 3.68 BLT Score (589 ratings)
    ★ 3.72 Goodreads (589)
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  27. 27
    God of Neverland cover

    God of Neverland

    Defender of Lore • Book 1

    by Gama Ray Martinez

    ★ 3.66 BLT Score (827 ratings)
    ★ 3.55 Goodreads (827)
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  28. 28
    The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel cover

    The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel

    by Alyssa Palombo

    ★ 3.65 BLT Score (4.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.65 Goodreads (4.1K)
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  29. 29
    Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles cover

    Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles

    Canons

    by Jeanette Winterson

    ★ 3.64 BLT Score (8.0K ratings)
    ★ 3.74 Goodreads (8.0K)
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  30. 30
    Clockwork Fairy Tales: A Collection of Steampunk Fables cover

    Clockwork Fairy Tales: A Collection of Steampunk Fables

    by Stephen L. Antczak, James C. Bassett

    ★ 3.57 BLT Score (548 ratings)
    ★ 3.32 Goodreads (548)
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  31. 31
    The Royal Game cover

    The Royal Game

    by Linda Keir

    ★ 3.57 BLT Score (1.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.29 Goodreads (1.1K)
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  32. 32
    Elphie: A Wicked Childhood cover

    Elphie: A Wicked Childhood

    The Wicked Years

    by Gregory Maguire

    ★ 3.56 BLT Score (5.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.21 Goodreads (5.6K)
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  33. 33
    The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories cover

    The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories

    by Angela Carter

    ★ 3.54 BLT Score (65.9K ratings)
    ★ 3.9 Goodreads (65.9K)
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How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →