This week’s collection of sneak peeks gives a nod to the latest trend in YA: fairy tale retellings. While I’ve complained about exhausted trends in fantasy in previous reviews, this one just doesn’t get old. Here are some amazing authors and their novels that continue to give fairytale retellings their great reputation!
Long May She Reign
A hundred doves burst out of the pie.
Author: Rhiannon Thomas
Publisher: HarperTEEN
Published:February 21, 2017
For Those Who Enjoyed: The Sineater’s Daughter, The Lie Tree, Uprooted, Lunar Chronicles, Throne of Glass, Truthwitch, Caraval, The Night Circus, Pantomime
If I were an agent/acquisitions editor, would I select this for publication based on the opening chapter?:
Yes.
This novel opens with doves flying out of a pie. Right away, you know the story is a fairytale nod, and therefore know exactly what you’re getting. I personally appreciate the reference to more obscure nursery rhyme aspect of fairytales, so I’m drawn in by the first paragraph.
Although the narrative is on the simpler side in terms of fairytale narratives, there’s a lot going on in the opening chapter. The immediate first impression of the protagonist suffers from a minor case of special snowflake, not like other girls syndrome, but Thomas reels it back in by making her logical and scientifically oriented. I for one, want more analytically minded female protagonists in my life!
Her best friend is introduced right away, on the other end of the personality spectrum from her. She’s more of a traditional female protagonist- she likes reading and more artistic pursuits. There’s a lot of polar opposite female friends in YA lately, particularly in terms of the delicate best friend and the bolder protagonist, but as long as there are female friendships in the books teenage girls are reading, it’s not necessarily a bad thing…
This opening chapter’s attention to detail also succeeds in giving a solid insight into royal dynamics in Thomas’ world. The descriptions are solid. I get the world we’re in, but in a really subtle way in that she’s not giving the whole game away with entire info dumps. It’s colourful, and frenetic, and aesthetically pleasing. It’s just her protagonist’s world, as she’s experiencing it, and that’s exactly what it should be.
The Wish Granter
Humans were pathetically predictable. Always longing for more. Always desperate to get their way. Shamelessly grasping for what remained out of reach, even when it cost them dearly. He despised them.
Author: CJ Redwine
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins Children’s)
Published: February 14, 2017
This is a sequel to The Shadow Queen, but far as I can tell, it doesn’t seem to follow the original characters, so I think it’s safe to say you could pick this one up as a standalone. (I wouldn’t ordinarily preview a sequel, but I thought this one would be safe enough…)
For Those Who Enjoyed: Once Upon a Time, Lord of the RIngs, Rebel of the Sands, Aladdin, Robin McKinley, A Darker Shade of Magic, Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Bloody Chamber
Would I select this for publication based on the opening chapter?:
Yes.
It’s written in third person! This is shockingly rare for YA novels and I’m so relieved to pick up something not in first person for once! I need very little convincing on that front. The third person makes a huge difference in terms of writing style. It’s beautifully written and feels mystical, like a real fairytale. The place names, characters and spells are gorgeous in terms of linguistics, with some kind of Celtic, Welsh base. They’re very reminiscent of Tolkien.
It’s set in a fae kingdom, which usually squicks me out when done wrong, but these fae read more like the elves from Lord of the Rings than your fae of Throne of Glass.
This is based on Rumpelstiltskin, a fairytale not usually retold. Not since before Once Upon a Time, anyway.This is an exciting prospect! It’s not your run of the mill princess story. It’s different. I’m thrilled to see these fantasy writers looking outside of the box for their materials. I honestly don’t need one more Snow White or Cinderella.
Wintersong
Once there was a little girl who played her music for a little boy in the wood.
Author: S. Jae-Jones
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (Macmillan)
Published: February 7, 2017
For Those Who Enjoyed: Robin McKinley, The Bone Witch, Labyrinth, Pan’s Labyrinth, Princess and the Goblin, Goblin Market, Grimm’s Fairy tales, Hans Christian Anderson, Uprooted
Would I select this for publication based on the opening chapter?:
Yes. I loved this instantly from the first page. It gives off this magical vibe, like you’ve been transported into this mystical realm. It’s doing similar things in terms of building atmosphere as the previous two, yet it’s so much richer, if that’s possible. I instantly know the fairy tales she’s referencing and it’s very clear she’s well-read in her subject.This particular retelling is about the Goblin King, so again, this is another surprising side to the fairytale canon you don’t see redone a lot. Although it’s a little more obscure in terms of well-known fairy tales, there are so many stories she’s clearly drawing from. Jae-Jones is serving David Bowie in Labyrinth and Rosetti’s “Goblin Market” rolled into one and it’s beautiful. Any novel putting Victorian literature on a teenage reader’s map is doing aspirational things.
The Witch’s Kiss
Witches do not kneel. They do not grovel. They do not beg favours from any creature, mortal or immortal.
Author: Katherine and Elizabeth Corr
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Published: June 2016 (This was obviously published in the past year, but I’m previewing this one because its sequel, The Witch’s Tears, did come out this February.)
For Those Who Enjoyed: Once Upon a Time, Twilight, The Graces, RoseBlood, The Bone Witch
Would I select this for publication based on the opening chapter?:
No.
I’m not a fan of modern fairy tales. Or even modern protagonists being thrown into fairytales. It’s not terribly original and it’s not doing anything new with the genre as far as fairytale retellings go. The prologue is great. The aesthetics are strong and sets up a spooky atmosphere. And then chapter one brings you right back to a boring modern protagonist, having a really boring, typical teenage experience with her brother. The protagonist is paranoid, obsessed about a killer on the loose (which is a sketchy trope at best). That’s not what I want out of a fairytale. I need something new.
What are your favourite fairy tale retellings? Feel free to share in the comments!
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