5 Retellings That Knocked My Socks Off

It’s time for another Top 5 Saturday (led by the wonderful Mandy @ Devouring Books)! I always say I love a good retelling, so I’ve got five today that I thought were incredible and surprising in the way they used and expanded on the source material.

Rules!

• Share your top 5 books of the current topic– these can be books that you want to read, have read and loved, have read and hated, you can do it any way you want.
• Tag the original post (This one!)

Off Script by Kate Watson

Off Script is a retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma, and I’ll admit that I had never read nor seen Emma before, so I was basically going into it blind. I LOVED IT. Like, more than I can really describe. The characters and their relationships, Emma’s character development, the way the author explored Hollywood… all of it was just the best. And then I saw Emma afterward, and I loved this book even more after I understood all the ways Watson adapted the source material. This book is a hidden gem, and I will always recommend it to Jane Austen fans. You can check out my full review here.

Night Spinner by Addie Thorley

I really just can’t stop talking about Night Spinner. It’s a loose retelling of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but it’s set in a high fantasy world with lots of magic. The world building is so rich, the prose is lush and gorgeous, and the character relationships were intensely emotional. You can read my full review here.

Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith

Bloodleaf is a dark fantasy retelling of “The Goose Girl” fairy tale. The world building in this one is also stellar, and the story told is dark and thrilling. Plus, there are plot twists upon plot twists, and I saw NOTHING coming. You can read my full review here.

Stain by A.G. Howard

Stain is an epic fantasy retelling of “The Princess and the Pea,” though it twists the story in such a way that places the characters front and center with their flaws and strengths. If you like a slower-paced, beautifully-prosed fairy tale, then you should definitely pick this book up. It was one I happily spent several hours in bed reading. You can read my full review here.

Sweet Black Waves by Kristina Perez

Sweet Black Waves is a retelling of the tale of Tristan and Isolde, from Isolde’s maid’s POV. I wasn’t completely sold at the beginning of the book, but then there’s this crazy moment where EVERYTHING goes crazy, and I ended up loving this book a ton. I still need to read the rest of the series to find out what happens!

What are some of your favorite retellings?