If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that retellings are one of my absolute favourite things to read. Since it’s LGBT+ Pride Month, I thought I’d put together a list of queer retellings to share with you all. Hopefully you’ll find something for your TBR or any future readathon prompts.
I’ve been as thorough as I could be, but if there’s any I’ve missed or anything you don’t think belongs here, please let me know down in the comments.
Note: I’ve read a lot of these, but not all, so I can’t make promises about the representation. If you want details on any, let me know and I’ll do my best to help you out.
Fairy Tales
Snow White
The Ice Princess’s Fair Illusion by Lynn E. O’Connacht
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust
Sleeping Beauty
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman (and Snow White)
In Ageless Sleep by Arden Ellis
Beauty & Cruelty by Meredith Katz
The Snow Queen
The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher
Winterglass by Benjanun Sriduangkaew
Hansel and Gretel
Gretel: A Fairytale Retold by Niamh Murphy
The Little Mermaid
The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
Sea Foam and Silence by Lynn E. O’Connacht
Rapunzel
Little Red Riding Hood
Hunting Monsters by S.L. Huang
Caged Bird Rising by Nino Delia
Beauty and the Beast
The Beast That Never Was by Caren J. Werlinger
In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard
Snow White and Rose Red
The Circus Rose by Betsy Cornwell (Forthcoming January 21, 2020)
Cinderella
Jack and Jill
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Mythology and Folklore
Greek
Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi
The Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan
Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry (Forthcoming October 8)
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block
Norse
Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee (Forthcoming September 3)
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan
Arthurian
Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Robin Hood
Lambs Can Always Become Lions by Charlotte Anne Hamilton
Classic Novels
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Take Your Medicine by Hannah Carmack
Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
A Study in Honor by Claire O’Dell & Beth Bernobich
My Dearest Holmes by Rohase Piercy
Edgar Allan Poe
His Hideous Heart edited by Dahlia Adler (Forthcoming September 24)
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
The Princess And The Fangirl by Ashley Poston
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Bureau of Holiday Affairs by Andi Marquette
Plays and Ballets
Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore (also Snow White and Rose Red)
A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams by Dax Murray
The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
William Shakespeare
Gale: A Sci-fi Novella by Lyssa Chiavari
Foxes and Fairy Tales 
Ooh so many I’ve not read! Any that you’d particularly recommend?
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I particularly enjoyed Peter Darling by Austin Chant. I also really enjoyed Beauty and Cruelty but it’s a less ‘obvious’ retelling. 😊
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Less obvious is fine by me! I love retellings 🙂
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Hallo, Hallo Lou!
I love that you’ve compiled this list!! I’ll definitely check-out a lot of the selections – I personally attempted to read “As I Descended” – I believe for #Mythothon? It was a purchase REQ of mine at the library? I couldn’t connect with it… which was disappointing as it was a re-spin on MacBeth! 😦
Outrun the Wind is a purchase request I need to make – I was waiting to see if one of my libraries would buy it and/or if I could ILL it… that’s been on my #mustread list.
The others I believe I’ve either known about and/or are new to me. Thanks for giving me a list to research as I love seeking out more LGBTQ+ Lit!
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I hope you find something to love here! 😊 I’d love to hear your thoughts on any you pick up!
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Queer retelling list – yes please! I realize that I’ve read tons of lgbtqia+ books but not much in the way of retellings. I am quite interested in As I Descended but I know it’s gotten really mixed reviews. It sounds creepy though, so I have to give it a shot at least lol
Thank you for taking the time to compile this list!
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That’s quite a comprehensive list! I love how you organized it.
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Thank you! ❤
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Ahhh, thank you for this list! I will definitely be checking out a few of these.
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You’re very welcome! I hope you find something you like 😊
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Oooh, I love this list!!! I want to read so many of these. Do you have a favorite?
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Peter Darling is a particular favourite of mine 😊
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Wow so many titles I haven’t heard of! I’ve only read like two from this list. The Song of Achilles *chef’s kiss* and Peter Darling. Thank you for this wonderful list!
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I literally sobbed like a baby reading The Song of Achilles!
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What a great list!! I love retellings! Thank you so much, Louise!! ❤
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❤
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