Since today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a freebie, I’m doing the post I drafted for the “Books to Read If You Love/Loved X” prompt a few weeks ago but… forgot to actually post. So, here’s my Top Ten Books to Read if You Love Fairytales!

The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden

This series is based on Russian folklore and fairytales, and definitely reads like one itself. It’s so magical and enthralling, and a perfect read for this time of year.

Spin the Dawn, by Elizabeth Lim

This loosely Chinese-inspired fantasy (which I don’t believe has any basis in Chinese folklore, though I may be wrong) feels completely like a fairytale and I adore it (I haven’t read the sequel yet, and am looking guiltily at it as I write this).

The Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Meyer

I adore The Lunar Chronicles, and will rave about it forever. This four-book sci-fi series retells four fairytales (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White), but it’s also a sweeping story of revolution and it’s wonderful and I love it. You should read it if you haven’t already.

Also, honorable mention for this list goes to Heartless, also by Marissa Meyer, which I wanted to include but decided that The Lunar Chronicles deserved it more.

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

This is a book about a magical circus and an enemies-to-lovers arc following two magicians raised to duel each other with the circus as their arena. It’s so beautifully written and has such an interesting magic system and I can’t recommend it enough.

Strange the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor

This is a fantasy duology that feels almost like a fairytale (though definitely darker). The writing’s gorgeous, the worldbuilding is wonderful.

Geekerella, by Ashley Poston

Poston did a trilogy of contemporary retellings of fairytales centered around pop culture, of which this is the first. It’s a very quick with a cute romance, and it talks about fandom a lot and I recommend giving it a shot even if it doesn’t sound like your vibe.

Among the Beasts and Briars, by Ashley Poston

I normally try to avoid putting the same author in a list twice, but this book is so different from Poston’s other books that I just had to include it. Rather than being a retelling, it’s a fantasy book that feels like an actual fairytale. It’s so fun and I just completely recommend it.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, by Melissa Bashardoust

This is a feminist retelling of Snow White, with a queer Snow White and I absolutely need to reread it at some point.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman

This is an anthology of 15 stories reimagining folklore and mythology from East Asia and South Asia. It’s been ages since I read it, but I absolutely adored it when I did.

To Kill a Kingdom, by Alexandra Christo

This is an enemies-to-lovers retelling of The Little Mermaid. It has sirens and pirates and is a standalone fantasy book and I highly recommend it.

Have you read any books? What fairytale-esque books would you recommend? Comment below!