Book picks similar to
Secrets of the Mountain by Wyn Estelle Owens


fantasy
fairy-tale
beauty-and-the-beast-theme
reimagined-fairy-tales

Dragonfall: Enchantment


Dennis Turner - 2018
    A nice safe profession that let him stay behind the town's walls. His mother had other ideas, however. She insisted that he follow in his father's footsteps and become the town's greatest hunter, and as such she refused any and all apprenticeships he tried to secure. Sebastian's one solitary hope was that he possessed magic, and would be accepted into the Mage's Guild as a novice. Sometimes life gives you what you wish for, but in a way you never saw coming.

From the Ashes: An Alternate History Novel


Sandra Saidak - 2015
    Although a member of the Nazi elite, Adolf resents the oppression, fear, and isolation that are part of daily life in the Aryan “paradise” his grandparents helped build.As he reads the forgotten books, and meets the outcasts who gather at the museum, Adolf discovers a purpose he has long been searching for—and danger he has never imagined.Based on real-life Nazi plans for museums of dead races, this sprawling alternate history novel takes the reader from decadent Berlin, the capital of the Nazi world empire, across the conquered nations of Europe to uncover the startling secrets at the heart of the worldwide Reich.Fans of Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle and Robert Harris’ Fatherland will want to read this new voice in alternate history.

Redder Than Blood


Tanith Lee - 2017
    A sleeping beauty never meant to be woken... In her World Fantasy Award-nominated short story collection, Red as Blood, Tanith Lee deconstructed familiar fairy tales, recapturing their original darkness and horror in haunting new interpretations. Behind gilded words and poised princesses, she exposed a sinister world of violence, madness, and dangerous enchantments.With Redder than Blood, Lee resumes the tradition of twisting tales. Among its nineteen tales, this volume explores unnerving variations of Beauty and the Beast, The Frog Prince, Snow White, and other classics, including three never-before-published stories.

Sea Witch


Sarah Henning - 2018
    A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch. A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.

Fathomless (Fairytale Retellings, #3)


Jackson Pearce - 2012
    Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

Indigo


Audrey Faye - 2020
    Her chart isn't showing any surprises this week, but that doesn't always keep her Sagittarius soul at home, and neither does a little cold April rain.Drew isn't sure he's eaten in the last three days, but he knows the sudden tug inside of him isn't hunger. Not the kind that food will fill, anyhow.Two wandering hearts whose paths are about to cross - and if that doesn't get them headed in the right direction, there are two best friends and a matchmaking ghost waiting in the wings.

Beauty and the Beast


H. Chuku Lee - 2014
    Chuku Lee stays true to the story of this beloved classic. With breathtaking palatial settings inspired by the Dogon tribe of Mali and dazzling costumes reminiscent of the clothing seen on Cummings's own trip to Africa, Beauty and the Beast becomes so much more than just a story--it's a visual and cultural experience.When her father is taken prisoner by a fearsome Beast, Beauty begs the captor to take her instead. The Beast agrees, locking her away in his palace. Though he will give her whatever her heart desires--jewels, gowns, her own living quarters--she is forbidden to leave. Over time, however, Beauty sees the gentler side of the Beast, and an unexpected bond forms. But will it be strong enough to break a curse that threatens the Beast's life?Supports the Common Core State Standards

First Shift


A.J. Skelly - 2021
    Too bad she's off-limits. She's human. He's not. When an accidental slip of his teeth endangers Megan and his entire werewolf pack, it's up to Sam to find a solution. Unbeknownst to them, Sam's bite has thrust Megan into the crosshairs of a killer. Sam and Megan must work together to find the threat, protect the pack, and maybe fall in love. But they better do it before the next full moon. #sambitmeg #wolvesofrockfalls #ajskellywrites

The Selkie Spell


Sophie Moss - 2011
    On the run from an abusive husband, she seeks shelter on a windswept Irish island and dismisses the villagers' speculation that she is descended from a selkie—a magical creature who is bewitching the island. But when a ghostly woman appears to her with a warning, Tara realizes it was more than chance that brought her to this island. Desperate to escape a dark and dangerous past, she struggles against a passionate attraction to handsome islander, Dominic O'Sullivan. But the enchantment of the island soon overpowers her and she falls helpless under its spell. Caught between magic and reality, Tara must find a way to wield both when a dangerous stranger from her past arrives, threatening to destroy the lives of everyone on the island.

Chaos


Lucy Roy - 2021
    Unlike them, however, I’ve trained my whole life to be an Ischyra, an immortal soldier of the Olympian gods, and when high school ends, I’m going to Olympus to face my destiny, leaving all that I know behind.I’m a nervous wreck, of course, but making the transition from mortal to immortal, not to mention finding out what my affinity will be, has me over the moon. Finally, I’ll be tasting what I was born for.But not all is a bed of roses. Meeting the gods and the grueling training is nothing compared to the nightmares I’ve been having. Controlling my newly awakened powers is more of a struggle than I'd anticipated. Add to the mix a hot guy who I can’t make heads or tails of. And if that wasn’t enough, a bunch of the Titans who were defeated thousands of years ago have begun to gather forces, hoping to retake Olympus for their own. As an Ischyra, my duty is to protect Earth from those who would seek to harm it, but first I have to get through my training year. Yet as my powers start to take on a mind of their own, I begin to realize the gods might have other plans in store.

The Earl of Brass


Kara Jorgensen - 2014
    As the eldest son of the Earl of Dorset, Lord Sorrell knows he will face a bleak future among London's aristocracy unless he can escape. On a quest to return to his old life, Lord Sorrell commissions a prosthetic arm, but the craftsman isn’t quite what he expected.Fenice Brothers Prosthetics is in trouble. Hadley’s brother is dead, and she is forced to pick up the pieces and finish what he started. When clients begin turning her away, she fears she will fail until she crosses paths with the enigmatic Lord Sorrell. In exchange for a new arm, he offers her a chance at adventure in the deserts of Palestine.Beneath the Negev’s sand lies something far more precious than potsherds or bones. A long lost crystal city has been found that could change Eilian and Hadley’s world forever, but they aren’t the only ones who know its secrets. Will they make it out alive or will they, too, be buried beneath the desert sands?

Strands of Bronze and Gold


Jane Nickerson - 2013
    . . .When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.

Taming The Beast


Heather Grothaus - 2009
    But the wars have changed him, and the heir who thought to heal his father's injustices has become a vicious beast of a man, scarred inside and out. He will speak to no one, see no one; he leaves the shadows of his ruined keep only under the darkness of night. And even in death his father mocks him: to retain his land and title, Roderick, the Beast, must marry.Lady Michaela Fortune is reviled for her poverty, ridiculed for her dreams, and preyed on for her soft heart. Humiliation and want dog her beloved family, and her pride is an indulgence she can ill afford. Cherbon and its shattered lord offer a solution. But to court a man who has fallen so low, Michaela will need all her grace and beauty to harbor any hopes of taming the beast.

Traitor's Masque


Kenley Davidson - 2015
    The promise of a new life, in exchange for her help. Simple, right? After all, the old woman has only asked for one night. One night, one beautiful gown, one dance… and one message to be delivered to a mysterious recipient.It should be easy. Maybe even fun. Especially when she can slip away into the night after the dance, leaving no clue as to her identity.But before she can escape the ball, Trystan makes a shocking discovery that leaves all her hopes in ruins. She will be forced to confront two very different princes—and choose whether to betray her kingdom… or her heart.If she’s lucky, maybe she’ll even survive to tell about it later.A thrilling, suspenseful retelling of Cinderella, Traitor’s Masque is the first book of the Andari Chronicles, a series of interconnected but stand-alone fairy tale retellings that feature strong heroines, romance, mystery, and deeply satisfying happily ever afters.

No Fairytale


Ben Galley - 2019
    In their place, an iron-fisted empire has arisen, one that has finally brought order to the war-torn lands. An empire that has outlawed magick for anyone but itself.At last, it seems that peace has come to Emaneska. Or, that is what the emperor would have Emaneska believe. On the fringes of the Arkan Empire, a different story is being written. Those who show magick talent must join the empire, live as an outlaw, or hang for their crimes.The Last War is still being fought, homestead by homestead, and a young peasant girl is about to be thrust into the violent world that exists beneath the lies of empire.Welcome back to Emaneska.