Beauty and the Beast is a tale as old as time. It has been around for hundreds of years, and so many retellings have manifested from the masterful story that exemplifies that love should not be based on appearance. Although each of these retellings has a different background and characters, readers can still see the original story shinning uniquely through the text.
Here are three of my favorite Beauty and the Beast retellings that readers should pick up on National Tell a Fairy Tale Day. They will bring some magic and love into reader’s lives and make them wish they lived in a fantasy land, possessed magical abilities, and were destined to break an age-long curse.
A court of thorns and roses by Sarah j. maas
Deep in a treacherous snowy forest in the middle of the human realm lives Feyre. She is a huntress, and, as the breadwinner of her family, it is her job to ensure that her father and sisters survive the harsh winter months.
When it comes down to it, Feyre does everything she can to put food on her dinner table, but lately, she has not been reaping much game from hunts, and her family is suffering. That is why, when Feyre has the opportunity to kill a wolf that crosses her path, she does, knowing it will bring her family good fortune. However, Feyre has no idea that the wolf she killed was one of the deadly and dangerous faeries, and she has to pay the price for killing one of their own.
Dragged to the faerie realm against her will by the mysterious and alluring Tamlin, Feyre quickly learns that she will live out the rest of her days trapped inside his castle and court. At first, Feyre believes that this sentence is death itself, but as the realm of the faeries grows on her, she finds herself working to break a dangerous curse that has ridden the lands and falling in love with her capture.
uprooted by Naomi Novik
Agnieszka loves her valley home. It is quiet, peaceful, and she never wants to leave it. It is where she will grow and die, and that is what she has decided for herself. However, the Dragon has other plans for her. He has handpicked Agnieszka to serve him in his tower for ten years. In return for her servitude, he will protect her beloved valley home from the evil dark Wood that lurks at her home’s borders.
Of course, Agnieszka thinks this sentence will be her end. She does not want to get chained to the Dragon for ten years of her life, but, despite everything, Agnieszka finds a sliver of hope in her sentence. Powers have awakened inside of her, powers she can harness to help the Dragon save her valley home from the Wood and the dark evils that plague her world. Agnieszka might be her world’s only hope, and the Dragon might be the key to understanding everything about her newfound abilities and who she is.
a curse so dark and lonely by Brigid Kemmer
Nothing has been easy for Harper. Not since her father’s passing. Not since her mother got sick and her brother decided that she can’t take care of herself because of her Cerebral Palsy. Yet, despite the challenges Harper has to face, she is fighting and does not plan on giving up anytime soon. That is why when she gets thrown into the cursed fantasy world of Emberfall, she is ready to take it on and discover everything it has to offer. It does not matter that Harper is a long way from Washington D.C. and that there is a scary prince-turned-beast named Rhen that needs her help. Harper is ready to finally show people that her Cerebral Palsy is not holding her back and that she can become a hero, break a curse, and maybe fall in love, disability or not.