Best of
Retellings

2012

Cinder


Marissa Meyer - 2012
    A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

The Girl Games


Joan Holub - 2012
    Their solution? The Girl Games! But as the Goddess Girls work to make their dream into a reality, they come up against plenty of chaos and competition. Told in alternating points of view, this superspecial is packed with Olympic spirit!

Seeing Cinderella


Jenny Lundquist - 2012
    Her best friend, Ellen, is acting weird, her parent's marriage is falling apart, and to top things off, she found out she needs hideously large and geeky glasses.But Callie soon learns they aren't just any glasses—they are magical and let her read people's thoughts. For the first time ever she's answering all the questions right in math class, and gets a glimpse of what goes through people's minds all day, including what Ellen—and her longtime crush—really think of her.As if dealing with these crazy glasses weren't enough, Callie tries out for the lead in her school's production of Cinderella and actually gets the part. Instead, Callie chooses to let Ellen have the lead and be Ellen's understudy—just like she has done for their entire friendship.Add in a new girl who has something to hide, a secret admirer, a best friend stealer who isn't what she seems, and Callie's year just went from ordinary to extraordinary.Can this supporting actress learn to be a leading lady in her own life? Or is she destined to stay in the background forever—even with her super-freaky-magic glasses?

Alice in Zombieland


Gena Showalter - 2012
    Forever.If anyone had told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that's all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.Her father was right. The monsters are real.To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.

Fairest of All


Sarah Mlynowski - 2012
    . . Once upon a time my brother and I were normal kids. The next minute? The mirror in our basement slurped us up and magically transported us inside Snow White's fairy tale. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.But hey -- we're heroes! We stopped Snow White from eating the poisoned apple. Hooray! Or not. If Snow White doesn't die, she won't get to meet her prince. And then she won't get her happy ending. Oops. Now it's up to us to:- Avoid getting poisoned- Sneak into a castle- Fix Snow White's storyBut Snow White's REAL happy ending might not be quite what we expected . . .

Once: Before Midnight / Golden / Wild Orchid


Cameron Dokey - 2012
    Before Midnight revisits Cinderella's story in France, Golden puts a new spin on Rapunzel's romance, and Wild Orchid reimagines the Chinese tale of Mulan. With so much real-life drama in today's busy world, Once allows readers to escape into whimsical realms where every story has a happily ever after.

Thorn


Intisar Khanani - 2012
    A destiny all her own.Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, Princess Alyrra has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince Kestrin, Alyrra embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future.When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs Alyrra of both her identity and her role as princess, Alyrra seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl. But Alyrra soon finds that Kestrin is not what she expected. The more Alyrra learns of this new kingdom, the pain and suffering its people endure, as well as the danger facing Kestrin from the sorceress herself, the more she knows she can’t remain the goose girl forever.With the fate of the kingdom at stake, Alyrra is caught between two worlds and ultimately must decide who she is, and what she stands for.Includes The Bone Knife, a bonus short story set in the world of Thorn.

Medusa, A Love Story


Sasha Summers - 2012
    Medusa wasn't always a monster... Medusa is ruled by duty, to her Titan father and the Goddess Athena. She's no room for the tenderness her warrior guard, Ariston, stirs. When Olympus frees her from service, her heart leads her into the arms of the guard she loves... and curses her as the creature with serpent locks.Ariston goes to war with a full heart... and dreadful foreboding. He learns too late of the danger Medusa faces, alone, and a Persian blade sends him into the Underworld. But death, curses, nor the wrath of the Gods will keep him from returning to her.Poseidon will use Greece's war to get what he wants: Medusa. He does not care that she belongs to another. He does not care that she will be damned. He is a God, an Olympian, and she will be his.

Bitter Greens


Kate Forsyth - 2012
    At the convent, she is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl who, a hundred years earlier, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens...After Margherita's father steals parsley from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is threatened with having both hands cut off, unless he and his wife relinquish their precious little girl. Selena is the famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano, first painted by him in 1512 and still inspiring him at the time of his death. She is at the center of Renaissance life in Venice, a world of beauty and danger, seduction and betrayal, love and superstition.Locked away in a tower, Margherita sings in the hope that someone will hear her. One day, a young man does.Award-winning author Kate Forsyth braids together the stories of Margherita, Selena, and Charlotte-Rose, the woman who penned Rapunzel as we now know it, to create what is a sumptuous historical novel, an enchanting fairy tale retelling, and a loving tribute to the imagination of one remarkable woman.

The Queen's Army


Marissa Meyer - 2012
    The boy must leave his family to serve in the Queen's army. To be chosen is an honor. To decline is impossible. The boy is modified. He is trained for several years, and learns to fight to the death. He proves to the Queen—and to himself—that he is capable of evil. He is just the kind of soldier the Queen wants: the alpha of his pack.

Tiger Lily


Jodi Lynn Anderson - 2012
    Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

Robin: Lady of Legend (The Classic Adventures of the Girl Who Became Robin Hood)


R.M. ArceJaeger - 2012
    Still struggling to define herself in a society that believes women are fit for little more than governing a household and bearing children, she balks at her father's plans for her future, but the consequences of her rebellion prove deadly. Hunted by both her father and the Sheriff, Robin is forced to hide her identity and seek refuge as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest.Disguised as a lad for protection, Robin maintains a careful isolation from the world around her...until she chances upon a young boy being beaten to death by the Sheriff's soldiers. Her rescue of the youth marks the beginning of her leadership in Sherwood forest and of the unfortunates who seek refuge therein. Robin's endeavors to provide a life of honor and purpose for her people while aiding the land's downtrodden win her high esteem, but enrage the Sheriff of Nottingham, who plots a deadly fate for her and her band.As the Sheriff's traps close in around her and assassins seek to bring her down, Robin must risk losing love, leadership, and life if she is to save her people and fulfill her destiny as one of history's greatest heroes.Alive with adventure and danger, sword fights and heists, hatred and love, Robin: Lady of Legend is the never-before-told tale of the girl who became Robin Hood.

Princess of the Wild Swans


Diane Zahler - 2012
    . . and a terrible spell.Princess Meriel’s brothers have been cursed. An evil enchantment cast by their conniving new stepmother has transformed the handsome princes into swans. They now swim forlornly on a beautiful heart-shaped lake that lies just beyond the castle walls.Meriel will do whatever it takes to rescue her beloved brothers. But she must act quickly. If Heart Lake freezes, her brothers will be forced to fly south or perish.With help from her newfound friends Riona and Liam—a beautiful half-witch and her clever brother—Meriel vows to finish a seemingly impossible task. If she completes it, her brothers may be saved. But if she fails . . . all will be lost.

Scarlet


A.C. Gaughen - 2012
    Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that she is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in and puts innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more - making this a fight worth dying for.

Painted Blind


Michelle A. Hansen - 2012
    That becomes the least of her worries when she meets Erik, a mysterious guy who rescues her from a mob and who she’s never actually seen because he can make himself invisible.Erik takes her to his palace in an idyllic kingdom, and she is swept into the beauty and culture of his world, but his affection has one condition: she may not see him. Enchanted, intrigued, and not wholeheartedly believing he’s real, Psyche can’t bring herself to love him blindly. When she betrays his trust for a glimpse of his face, Psyche ends up at the mercy of Erik’s controlling mother, who demands that Psyche prove herself in order to be reunited with him. Psyche knows love is never easy, but this is ridiculous. She agrees to complete three impossible tasks to prove her devotion to Erik—or die trying. This modern retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche is a fantastical journey filled with laughter, danger, and the indomitable power of love.

The Ballad of Tam Lin (Legends of Divine Feminine)


Kathleen McGowan - 2012
    But Janet soon finds that she has an otherworldly rival for her role as protector of Carterhaugh. An elfin knight by the strange name of Tam Lin haunts her forest, and extracts a heavy price from any unwary maiden who might wander there and cut the legendary roses. After her best friend returns from a terrifying encounter with Tam Lin, brave Janet sets out to confront the mysterious and malevolent knight. She cuts the sacred roses to goad him into appearing, but soon finds herself ensnared by the laws of the fairy kingdom. Her transgression is such that Tam Lin demands the ultimate penalty from a noble maiden: her virginity.As Janet prepares for her fate, she discovers that there is a darker force behind Tam Lin’s actions: he is in service to the ruthless and omnipotent Fairy Queen, who demands a severe price of her own. It is told that every seven years she is required to pay a tithe to Hell, a human sacrifice, and the seventh year anniversary is rapidly approaching. In order to save everything she holds dear, Janet will have to go to battle with the spellbinding and terrifying queen on Halloween night. Tam Lin prepares her for the ordeal – but can he be trusted?The trials Janet endures at the hands of the Fairy Queen are rich in symbolism and steeped in the wisdom of the Celts. For this is no mere fairy tale, no simplistic story of dark and light, wicked queen and maiden fair. This is a complex and sensual exploration of feminine power in all of its aspects, with some unexpected twists. The Ballad of Tam Lin is a novella based on an ancient folksong from the Scottish Borders. It is the first in Kathleen McGowan’s series, Legends of the Divine Feminine. A non-fiction analysis of the ballad, its origins, and its exquisite preservation of ancient wisdom teachings follows the fiction along with the author’s notes on her years of research into the story and locations. The Ballad of Tam Lin is a profound spiritual and esoteric fable, an illustration of the power of the divine feminine in its multiple guises unlike any other.

The Opera Ghost Unraveled


Michelle Rodriguez - 2012
    As no more than a voice, her angel appeared, stealing her loneliness and teaching her to sing, but now she has fallen in love with him and wishes he were a man of flesh and bone who could love her in return. Under the guise of angel, Erik tries to find a window into Christine’s life. When being an intangible voice is no longer enough and the Vicomte de Chagny threatens his hold over her heart, truths must be revealed. As the illusion shatters and Christine learns her angel is really the disfigured Opera Ghost with a sin-filled soul, will Erik lose every chance at winning her love and claiming his happy ending? First posted on an online forum, “The Opera Ghost Unraveled” has been read and adored by phans worldwide. It is a passionate variation of the original beloved story and shows the power of love’s transformation. As the omnipotent Opera Ghost “unravels” and exposes the vulnerable soul beneath the scars, love and obsession intertwine as Erik seeks to teach Christine to be brave and follow her heart.

Grimly Jane


Elle Alexander - 2012
    Losing her parents at the tender age of eight, she is sent to live at the dreadful orphanage, The Rudorf Home For Foundlings, where she is forced to bed without supper, made to clean with little rest and, when she's very naughty, locked away in the red room. One day, her fortune changes when she discovers a door to another world through which she escapes and starts down a journey that will grant her the chance for wicked revenge.

Hooked: A True Faerie Tale


Michaelbrent Collings - 2012
    named Peter Pan?For Eve, life has always been about survival. Bullied at high school, living in a home with no father and a mother who barely knows she exists.But when the new boy comes to school, things start to change. He's popular, he's good-looking, he's smart. He likes her.And he's a vampire.Now, Eve has to discover the mystery behind the new guy's existence. A mystery that has roots in her past, and will determine her future. A mystery that will determine whether she lives, dies... or suffers a fate worse than death

Her Unwelcome Inheritance


J. Aleksandr Wootton - 2012
    There’s just one catch: they want her to become a desperate tyrant’s sworn servant. Forever.

Sherlock a Study in Pink


Paul Shipton - 2012
    Sherlock Holmes is the world's most famous detective. Students will love this modern adaptation of Conan Doyle's story 'A Study in Scarlet', based on the award-winning BBC TV series 'Sherlock'.

Pyrotechnicon


Adam Browne - 2012
    Now it can be told: his final, most daring adventure — a fight to the death against the dread Master of Secrets, with the life of his beloved Roxane in the balance.

From the Tales of the Brothers Grimm


Gina Biggs - 2012
    

Goldie (story #5 from Fairy Tale Flirts!)


Lisa Scott - 2012
    A short story of 12,000 words.Goldie Lockston isn’t exactly homeless; she’s just a struggling artist who crashes with friends. When her pal asks her to take over vacation dog-sitting duties for a wealthy client in Grimm Towers, Goldie decides it wouldn’t hurt to move in for the week. But she wasn’t counting on being discovered when Blake Behr came home early. Or posing as his girlfriend. Or having feelings for this grumpy, wealthy lawyer who’s unlike her in every way.This is one of the short stories from Fairy Tale Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories. The stories can be read individually, but are linked in the collection, and wrap up in a perfect happily ever after. Buy the whole collection for $3.59. You might also enjoy Lisa's other Flirts! collections, including Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories, Beach Flirts! and Holiday Flirts! Look for Wedding Flirts! in Spring 2012.

iFrankenstein


Bekka Black - 2012
    Homeschooled teenager Victor Frankenstein is determined to write his own ticket to independence: a chatbot to win the prestigious Turing prize and admission to the high tech university of his choice. He codes his creation with a self-extending version of his own online personality and unleashes it upon the internet. But soon he begins to suspect his virtual clone may have developed its own goals, and they are not aligned with Victor’s. The creature has its own plan, fed by a growing desire to win darker and more precious prizes: unfettered power and release from loneliness.As the creature’s power and sentience grows and its increasingly terrible deeds bleed over from the online world into the real one, Victor must stop his creation before his friends and humanity pay the ultimate price.

Borne (Fireborne Trilogy #1)


K.A. Tomasovich - 2012
    Now she must start over in the mysterious forests of the Catskills. While trying to fit in at her new high school, she befriends another lost soul, Cayne. Together, they must solve the riddle posed by the discovery of a long-dead aunt, an enigmatic grandmother, a monster in the woods, and a unique, glow-in-the-dark feather. Somehow, Maya must have the courage to discover not only who she is, but what she is.

The Druid


S.G. Rogers - 2012
    The leader of a band of Elvish outlaws agrees to escort her to the Rainbow Bridge personally. Although Dani is attracted to the handsome Prince Rein, his only interest seems to be in separating her from the magical sword and shield at her side. In Asgard City, rules, regulations and bureaucrats stymie Dani’s quest. Increasingly frustrated and desperate, she seeks help among powerful immortals. Unfortunately, Dani becomes ensnared in a devious trap that may leave her stranded and alone in Asgard forever.

Red (Story #2 from Fairy Tale Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories)


Lisa Scott - 2012
    Jack Wolff seems to be preying on rich seniors. But Granny won't give him up. And he’s hitting on Rose, too! Can Rose save her business and Grandma's heart?

Snow (story #4 from Fairy Tale Flirts!)


Lisa Scott - 2012
    A short story of 11,000 words.“Snow” 11,000 wordsShawna White wants nothing more than to land a role in a musical, but she’s running out of cash while she chases her dream. Her stepmother, Veronica Midas, suggests she take a nanny job for the rich man she’s trying to land, and Shawna finds herself in charge of seven kids. But Veronica didn’t realize Shawna would be living there, enchanting Jeremy and his children. Now Veronica will do whatever it takes to win her man.This is one of the short stories from Fairy Tale Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories. The stories can be read individually, but are linked in the collection, and wrap up in a perfect happily ever after. Buy the whole collection for $2.99. You might also enjoy Lisa's other Flirts! collections, including Flirts! 5 Romantic Short Stories, Beach Flirts! and Holiday Flirts! Look for Wedding Flirts! in Spring 2012.

The Beginner's Bible New Testament


Kelly Pulley - 2012
    This hardcover edition features an audio reading of each of the stories with a read-along ding to signal turning pages. The Beginner's Bible New Testament ICR Collection is a treasury of 5 popular NT Bible stories from the Beginner's Bible ICR series. This hardcover edition features an audio reading of each of the stories with a read-along ding to signal turning pag

Second on the Right


Elizabeth Los - 2012
    Bound by an invisible bond, they are thrust into a fantastical world of pirates and demons.James Benedict is a just man haunted by evil. Pushed to the edge, everything stripped from him, a new man arises . . . a man whose name strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear it: "Captain Hook".Eileen Davis was a timid woman. Through a fateful cruise she finds herself in the company of the Captain of the Mistral Thief. With his guidance, and the meddling of the local barista, she eventually finds her inner strength.Will the two of them unite through time to fulfill the promise of their ancestors or will tempers ignite leading all to failure?

The Not Exactly Scarlet Pimpernel


C.P. Lesley - 2012
    It makes her day when she lands the plum role as the heroine of The Scarlet Pimpernel in a class assignment based on a computer game. She knows she can win--until she realizes her one chance for success requires an alliance with her least-favorite fellow grad student, cast as the Scarlet Pimpernel himself. The game challenges Nina in ways she never anticipated, and that least-favorite fellow grad student starts looking better by the minute. But then, she has always had a soft spot for the swashbuckling Scarlet Pimpernel. Now Nina has to choose: win the game, or take a chance on love? Note: The text of this edition is the same as the first; only the print size has changed.

Love Sworn


Tess Williams - 2012
    Adelle is trapped by a man, a monster, with a serious attitude problem. Her only comfort comes from the furry, scaly, and feathered household help, and her unexpected friendship with a white wolf named Max. Dmitri is trapped by a curse and now by a girl. One way or another, he has to find freedom.

Anne Eyre


Summer Day - 2012
    From the writer of Pride & Princesses and Wuthering Nights, Anne Eyre is inspired by the classic, gothic romance, Jane Eyre.

Medusa: Through the Eyes of the Gorgon


Skevi Philippou - 2012
    The author takes us on a journey of discovery as the protagonist discovers that she possesses the astonishing gift of sight but also an abundance of compassion and love for humanity that is unmatched by any God. An oracle in all her glory, the author in her adoring portrayal so eloquently and intimately engages with and unravels the infamous Grecian Myth of the great and powerful Medusa. This myth denied Medusa her voice forever condemning her fragmented monstrous form whereas this wonderful story celebrates and gives Medusa back what she had lost for centuries. She lurked in the shadows a shunned outcast, driven to the brink of sanity by Gods, the so-called creators of truth and justice. However, evil has many faces as Medusa unveils the horrid guises of "the righteous" and guides us through the difference between truth and verisimilitude. Condemned to live a half life in the shadows, her deadly stare forbids any hope of any human contact, she is made to be the repulsive monster that everyone fears they too could become. but her story does not end there. She rewrites history as this so called "monster" holds a mirror up defiantly to the gods and to us. Medusa is the ultimate iconoclast.

Wuthering Nights


Summer Day - 2012
    Wuthering Nights is a modern, gothic romance inspired by Wuthering Heights.

The Dryad Quartet


Katie Jennings - 2012
    Take a journey into a world where Mother Earth and Father Sky exist, secretly hidden from human awareness, and yet crucial to the creation and stability of their world. They are joined by those who control the elements, the Dryads, as well as the Fates, Muses, and Furies, all of whom play an integral role in preserving Earth and guarding those who inhabit it.Learn more about the series at www.katieajennings.com

Soul Bonding


MaryRoyale - 2012
    Things don't quite turn out exactly as planned.

소울 카르텔 [Soul Cartel]


Eun-hyo Kim - 2012
    This story begins as he meets Mephisto that came to the world to find Faust and makes a deal with Mephisto to supervise the fights between Mephistopheles and Faust.Original Webcomic / English Version by Naver

Hear Me Alone


Thando Mgqolozana - 2012
    Bellewa Miriam shares with Epher that an angel has informed her that she would conceive that very night. Many years later, Epher recounts the events of that meeting in a letter to his patron and friend Theophilus, recounting the consequences suffered as a result of the encounter, which, Epher hopes, will be included in the bible. A reimagining of the Nativity Story, this novel offers an imaginative alternative to the account of the conception and birth of Jesus Christ.