In 2019 I participated in the Retellings Reading Challenge over @cornerfolds.com. Unfortunately, Tracy isn’t hosting the retelling challenge this year, so I decided to create my own personal retelling challenge for 2021!

I love retellings, and there are so many on my shelf waiting to be read. For the original challenge, here was my list:

• Shadowsong by S Jae-Jones
• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
• Ragnarök (Erik Storm) by Kai Mjaanes
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
• The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
• Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
• Beauty by Robin McKinley
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston
• Finding Baba Yaga: A Short Novel in Verse by Jane Yolen
• Heartless by Marissa Meyer
• The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
• Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
• The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renée Ahdieh
• Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
• Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) by Juliet Marillier
• Mother Knows Best by Serena Valentini
• Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer
• Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
• Depravity by M.J. Haag
• Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman

Originally, seven above were crossed out as they were read for the 2019 challenge. I’ll continue to cross more out as I read. I’m challenging myself to read these 10 titles below. Not all are from my old list, and there may be more added on throughout the year.

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Shadowsong by S Jae-Jones

I absolutely loved Wintersong, the first installment in this series. It reminded me so much of Labyrinth, one of my all-time favorites from childhood. When this second installment came out, I was in such a hurry to grab a copy, and here we are in 2021 still not having this one under my belt! I’m excited to see how the author continues this story.

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The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

Anything Neil Gaiman is a no-brainer. Everything I’ve read by him has been awesome, so it’ll be nice to get to this Sleeping Beauty/Snow White retelling.

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Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) by Juliet Marillier

Daughter of the Forest is said to be based on the legend of the Children of Lir and “The Six Swans.” I ended up grabbing a copy just after peeking at the writing. It’s beautiful but a long one.

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East by Edith Pattou

East is a retelling of “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.” I purchased this and the sequel West (below) a few years ago. Can’t wait for these either! This is one of my favorite retellings, and these covers are gorgeous.

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West by Edith Pattou

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The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

I’m not exactly sure how this originally got on my retelling list; in fact, I’m pretty sure this isn’t even a retelling at all. Regardless, it’s one that I’ve wanted to read for years. My youngest daughter and I love the 1980’s animated film, so it’ll be nice to finally have this one completed. I’m yet to find a negative review from any of my friends on Goodreads.

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Circe by Madeline Miller

I bought Circe last year and can’t believe I haven’t gotten to it yet. This is a retelling of the Greek goddess/sorceress from Homer’s Odyssey. So many great reviews for this one!

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Love in the Wild: A Tarzan Retelling by Emma Castle

I accidently found this one on Amazon while searching for some fresh retellings to add. I’ve never read a Tarzan retelling, and of course the cover really grabbed me, so this one goes on the challenge!

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Spinning Silver: A Novel by Naomi Novik

I’ve had this one on my list for some time now. Everyone seems to have good things to say about it. This is said to be a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, although a totally unique story.

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Of Beast and Beauty (Daughters of Eville #1) by Chanda Hahn

Beauty and the Beast retellings are always a favorite, so I wanted to add at least one. After seeing many positive reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, this is the one I choose for 2021.

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Nothing says that I’ll just read exactly 12, but my main goal is to get these 10 above, read and reviewed, by December 31st, 2021.

As I finish books I’ll link them below. This post will be available on my home page if you’d like to see what books I’ve read.

1. Of Beast and Beauty by Chanda Hahn - Review - 2.5-3***
2. Nottingham: The True Story of Robynhood by Anna Burke - Review - 4****
3. Vasilisa (Old Rus #1) by Julie Mathison - Review - 4****
4. Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent - Review - 4-4.5 ****
5. The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman - Review - 4****
6. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle - Review - 4****
7. For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten - Review - 4****
8. Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas - Review - 4****
9. Love in the Wild: A Tarzan Retelling by Emma Castle - Review - 2.5-3***
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

I’m not going to make a bingo card because I usually fail at those. 😂

My wish is that others will jump on board with this challenge. Let’s face it: challenges are always more fun with other participants! Unfortunately, I’m underprepared and don’t have the expertise to host the challenge as I know nothing about creating a place for linked reviews and such. This challenge was already created by someone else (Tracy), and I’m not trying to replace it. Hopefully she’ll be back to hosting the challenge next year. However, if you want to make your own retelling reading challenge or even follow mine, you can certainly link your reviews below in the comment section so I can go and read them. Then we can chat about what we’re reading!

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Thanks for checking out my retelling reading challenge. What challenges are you doing this year? Feel free to comment below. Have a safe and happy weekend!

❤ Mischenko