Book picks similar to
Red: The Untold Story by Angela M. Hudson
fantasy
retelling
young-adult
reviewed
Academia of the Beast: A Dark Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
K.N. Lee - 2016
Lee presents a dark twist on a classic fairy-tale that asks the question: what if the beauty was the mortal enemy of the beast? Raised in fear of her power. Sold and betrayed by her lover. Allyn escaped the hunters once before. As a witch, she risks capture every day. Now, she lives in the slums of the opulent kingdom of Elastria, where the Winter Winds are brutal, and force everyone into their homes for the entire season. When one of her best friends receives an invitation to the end of season Winter Ball, Allyn would rather sulk about her boyfriend leaving her instead of partying at the most exclusive club in the kingdom. A chance encounter with the crown prince of Elastria sparks hope for a brighter future, one where she might find true love. All hopes are dashed when she's tricked by her ex-boyfriend and turned in for the bounty on her head. Now, a prisoner in an eerie castle where the servants are...peculiar, the walls whisper, and the prince's mysterious twin brother struggles with the decision to keep or kill the witch he's hunted and once lost, Allyn struggles with the desire to tame the beast within the prince, or escape to freedom. The curse of the castle is strong. But, the magic hiding inside Allyn might be more powerful than she or the prince realized. Discover an enchanted world of witches and a cursed prince in this steamy modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast Praise for Academia of the Beast: "Wow, I think is the best interpretation of Beauty and the Beast I have ever read." Kristin, Amazon Reviewer "Since I am no longer a child and have not been for many years I am all for adult stories of my favorite ones. Both times the show has been on I have watched it so when I run across versions I grab them. This one intrigued me the most so far." Denise Van Plew- Top Amazon Reviewer "Forget what you've known about the beauty and the beast, this story takes a twist, a great one,and makes it into a much better version. Magic, fairies, wolves, ghosts,and witches, what more could you ask for? How about a woman dead set on making it through the whole ordeal?" Katie Perry Rogers Scroll up and buy a copy today! **WARNING: Contains explicit adult situations and dark imagery not suitable for children**
Blackbird Rising
Keri Arthur - 2020
None have succeeded.Gwen is the last in a long line of De Montfort witches whose duty it is to protect the sword of all power. But when she returns to King Island to perform the blessing, a mysterious pulse of blue light tells her that someone has attempted to draw the sword. Before she can investigate any further, demons attack. She only survives with the help of a mysterious stranger who disappears as quickly as he appears.Gwen and her grandmother, Moscelyne, soon discover that minor gateways into Darkside--the traditional home of both demons and dark elves--are being forced open by magic. Even worse, someone is now sending demons after the Witch King's heirs.As vital artifacts are stolen by Darkside and the deaths draw altogether too close to home, Gwen and Mo--with the help of old gods and an ancient order of knights once thought dead--scramble to unravel the clues and stop the murderous would-be king from claiming the crown.If they fail and the wrong hand draws the sword of power, he can unlock the main gateway into Darkside and unleash utter hell onto an unsuspecting and unprepared England....
Tiger's Curse
Colleen Houck - 2011
Fate. Loyalty.Would you risk it all to change your destiny? The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever. Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.
Juliet Immortal
Stacey Jay - 2011
She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, who made the sacrifice to ensure his own immortality. But Romeo didn't anticipate that Juliet would be granted eternal life as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light.For seven hundred years, Juliet has struggled to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent, while Romeo has fought for the dark side, seeking to destroy the human heart. Until now.Now Juliet has found her own forbidden love, and Romeo, O Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy their happiness.Secrets unfold and surprises abound in Stacey Jay's powerfully dark romance, which reunites literature's most tragic couple.
Frenzy
Casey L. Bond - 2016
The survivors came together to create this safe haven. Nestled between a fierce river and a city’s flood wall, the well-being of its residents hangs on a long-established treaty with the night-walkers. Sounds simple enough, but lately, the people of Blackwater have been dying, and the humans believe the night-walkers are to blame. Porschia Grant starves for more than her parents’ affection. Forced to enter the rotation, she will be given extra food rations in exchange for becoming a vampire’s breakfast and dinner for a week. The rotation has an extra responsibility as well: leave the colony and enter the dangerous forest to hunt for food. A night-walker will protect the hunters from the infected that roam the woods. But with the treaty hanging in the balance and tension between the humans and vampires rising, anything could happen in the darkness. What would you do if your only chance at survival might kill you? Suggested reading order for The Frenzy Series: Frenzy, Frantic, Frequency
Stray
Elissa Sussman - 2014
I am grateful for my mother, who keeps her own heart guarded and safe. I am grateful for my adviser, who keeps me protected. I am grateful for the Path, which keeps me pure. Ever after.Princess Aislynn has long dreamed about attending her Introduction Ball, about dancing with the handsome suitors her adviser has chosen for her, about meeting her true love and starting her happily ever after.When the night of the ball finally arrives and Nerine Academy is awash with roses and royalty, Aislynn wants nothing more than to dance the night away, dutifully following the Path that has been laid out for her. She does not intend to stray.But try as she might, Aislynn has never quite managed to control the magic that burns within her-magic brought on by wicked, terrible desires that threaten the Path she has vowed to take.After all, it is wrong to want what you do not need. Isn’t it?
Kill Me Softly
Sarah Cross - 2012
Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.
Fairy Metal Thunder
J.L. Bryan - 2011
Even worse, Jason has a crush on their lead singer, but she doesn't seem interested in him at all.Then Jason steals instruments from the fairy world. Soon the band is enchanting crowds, and Jason is a step closer to the girl he likes, but the new gear is brimming with destructive magic they can't control.Their shortcut to success has cost a troupe of innocent fairies their livelihood and turned Jason and his band into enemies of the powerful Queen Mab, who sends hunters to track them down, including one of the most dangerous creatures in Faerie...a small unicorn named Buttercake.
The Forsaken Saga Complete Box Set (Books 1-4)
Sophia Sharp - 2015
Join Nora and Hunter as they go on a magical journey of love and adventure in a beautiful supernatural world! FORSAKEN:Nora Colburn was perfectly content in life. A junior in high school, she had good friends, a great family, and did well in school. Nothing particularly exciting ever happened where she lived, and everything was stable.But that all drastically changes when a new student arrives at Nora's school. Wild rumors swirl about his past, and Nora becomes determined to find out the truth.As she gets to know the mysterious student, he shares with her an ancient secret... one that may yet put both of them in grave danger.And for the first time in her life, Nora is exposed to a completely unfamiliar world. She is swept away on an exhilarating journey that takes her to a place where romance and great destiny may yet await... and where supernatural powers run wild.REVELATIONS:Nora has survived the dark caves, and emerged with Hunter by her side. But her escape is quickly tainted as she realizes the biggest danger still lies ahead...She has been transformed, and powers she has never known begin to manifest themselves within her body. As she struggles to gain control, how long will she be able to restrain herself - and her new bloodlust - from taking over?As she journeys onward, doubts begin to creep into her mind. Doubts about leaving home, about the decisions she's made. But with the Vassiz still behind her, there is no turning back, now.And she has questions that need to be answered. Just who are the elders, and why have they taken such a keen interest in her? As she starts the unravel the cloak that shrouds their existence, she begins to suspect that she may have stumbled into something much larger than herself... and starts to understand her destiny for the first time.RELENTLESS:There is a prophecy that speaks of a time of great turmoil, a time when the rule of power will be overturned by the hammer of fate. That time has come, and one girl stands in the middle of it all...Nora has been reunited with Hunter, and together they must face the elders. But this time, they have the angels on their side. It is a precious advantage, but only if used properly...She has learned of the prophecy of her fate, and learned of her destiny. But while others are certain, she is less sure. And as she moves forward, she learns that absolutely nothing can ever be guaranteed. FORETOLD:In the epic fourth book of The Forsaken Saga, Nora comes face to face with the elders for the first time. With Hunter and the angels at her side, she will try to do that which no one has done: destroy the elders, and break their terrible reign of power.But it will not be easy. The elders have held on to their posts since the first memories of the Vassiz. Will prophecy be enough to guide Nora against them?If she succeeds, the world as she knows it will change forever. But if she does not, everyone she knows will suffer a terrible fate. She is determined, but there are hidden secrets that may yet prevent her from reaching her goals...
Wolf Hollow
Nikki Jefford - 2017
. . no one besides a hotheaded half-breed. Tabor, a rebellious outcast, is the hollow's only wizard shifter. Constantly overlooked despite his strengths, Tabor believes Sasha is as shortsighted as the rest of the pack until she proves there's more to her than a blindly obedient lapdog. Unable to resist the proud and sensual pureblood, Tabor would risk everything to claim her. Despite her vanishing bloodline, Sasha can't resist the charismatic half-breed, even as the elders set her up to breed with another pureblood. Predators are closing in, threatening the strength and stability of their pack, and there are shifters within Wolf Hollow willing to do anything to prevent the pair from mating. If you enjoy J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Dannika Dark's Seven series and Jennifer Ashley's Shifters Unbound, come meet the Wolf Hollow Shifters.
Beauty and the Beast
Jenni James - 2012
Fans of Disney, fairy tales, and fantasy will love the Faerie Tale Collection by Jenni James. A prince by day and a wolf by night—Prince Alexander has been turned into a werewolf and has one year to find someone to love the beast and break the spell, or he will be a wolf forever. He has nearly given up achieving the impossible, knowing no girl would ever fall in love with such a monster.Just when he is about to abdicate the throne to his cousin, he meets Cecelia Hammerstein-Smythe, while a wolf, and begins to hope for the first time in months. Can he balance both worlds as a human and beast, gaining the love and trust of a girl who has every reason to despise him?Cecelia detests the prince. She only knows Alexander as the arrogant monarch—the tyrant who has made her life miserable—though perhaps he's changed right before her eyes. He's not as full of himself as he once was. The prince is gentle now... but then again, so is the beast.
Lukas
Sarah J. Stone - 2019
But instead, I’m drawn to him like a magnet. My father is Alpha of my pack. And Lukas has arrived in town to warn him of danger. A murderous pack of wolf shifters is out to kill us. Lukas wants to save me… but he’s the worst of his kind. What happens when he’s the only one I can trust in the midst of terror and battles? This is a steamy paranormal shifter fantasy romance series with a HEA and no cliffhangers. Fans of Terry Bolryder, T.S. Joyce, Candace Ayers, Zoe Chant and Harmony Raines will like this shifter series.
Libra Ascending
Tamar Sloan - 2021
One Task. Save the universe.Brielle has never been normal - she sees things no-one else does. But as it looks like she’s about to be adopted after growing up in an orphanage, she’s the closest she’s ever come. All she has to do is act...well, normal.The new guy in town, Tristan, is anything but that. On the first day she meets him, he starts talking to her of visions and aliens and a darkness so evil, it will take twelve Zodiac heirs to defeat it. Brielle knows she should run the other way, as fast as she possibly can. If only she wasn’t so undeniably drawn to him…When assassins attack and Brielle can no longer deny she has powers, she begins to wonder—is Tristan telling the truth? Are there others like her? Are her feelings so powerful because she and Tristan are soulmates? And ultimately, will Brielle have to sacrifice everything she’s ever wanted so she can join a daunting fight to save the universe?
Verity
Claire Farrell - 2011
Lately, she’s felt ready for a change, and the universe seems to agree. Her new best friend’s brother is the boy of Perdita’s dreams. Literally. Even though he plays hot and cold, she’s sure there’s more to it, but she’s kind of distracted by the sense she’s being followed - not to mention the rumours of wild animal sightings that seem to mean more to her new crush’s family than they should. Perdy’s on a mission to find the truth, but maybe the truth is the danger she should hide from, after all.
Tell the Wind and Fire
Sarah Rees Brennan - 2016
Now she just wants to keep her head down, but her boyfriend has a dark secret of his own—one involving an apparent stranger who is destitute and despised. Lucie alone knows the young men’s deadly connection, and even as the knowledge leads her to make a grave mistake, she can trust no one with the truth. Blood and secrets alike spill out when revolution erupts. With both halves of the city burning, and mercy nowhere to be found, can Lucie save either boy—or herself?