Book picks similar to
Starter Pack by K.M. Shea


fantasy
short-stories
retellings
fairy-tales

Wolves and Daggers


Melanie Karsak - 2018
    Can she trust him to help her chase down the monsters they’re hunting?Wolves and Daggers is a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale set in Melanie Karsak’s bestselling steampunk universe.

Intuition


Jen Meyers - 2011
    An enthralling glimpse into the Intangible world by an "author [who] has a way with words that just pulls you into the story and holds you there until the very last word, and even then you just do not want to be let go" (Shelly Hammond).Luke and his twin sister Sera have unusual abilities. Hers is a gift--she can heal with a touch of her hand. His is a curse--he can see the future but he can't do anything about it.On a hike up the mountain, Luke has a vision unlike any other--one that leaves him terrified. Knowing that it will come true--and that he must do everything in his power to stop it--leaves his own future uncertain.(This is a short story, and approximately 16 pages long.)Intangible (Book One), Imaginable (Book Two), and Indomitable (an Intangible novella) are available now. Book Three coming late 2015.

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories


Angela Carter - 1979
    K. Rowling, Kelly Link, and other contemporary masters of supernatural fiction. In her masterpiece, The Bloody Chamber—which includes the story that is the basis of Neil Jordan’s 1984 movie The Company of Wolves—she spins subversively dark and sensual versions of familiar fairy tales and legends like “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Bluebeard,” “Puss in Boots,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” giving them exhilarating new life in a style steeped in the romantic trappings of the gothic tradition.

The Court of the Faerie Queen: The River Witch #1-3


Helena Rookwood - 2018
    The fae have escaped into the mortal world. And Tabitha's the only one who can stop them... Set in post-technology Britain and based around Celtic myth, The Court of the Faerie Queen is a romantic fairytale adventure of a young woman’s quest to discover who she really is. The River Witch When strange monsters rise from the river to attack her people, Tabitha’s sent on a desperate journey to seek aid from the fabled Iron City.Armed with only the stone necklace her mother left her and a book of fairy tales, Tabitha faces a world full of dangers, both human and fae. When a trio of mischievous sprites and a handsome, charming wanderer offer to join her, Tabitha’s only too willing to accept their help.But Tabitha’s about to learn that not everyone is quite who they seem... The Iron Court Tabitha is confident that Lysander can help her find the fabled Iron City. With him by her side, she's sure they'll find the help she needs to defend her village from the fae.Lysander, on the other hand, is desperate to keep Tabitha from ever reaching the city. He's determined to hurry her as far away from the ruthless Iron Court as he possibly can.But neither of them knows that the Iron Court is already hunting them... The Queen's Court Tabitha's convinced that the answers she needs can only be found in the Otherworld. And when she and Lysander meet a mysterious, handsome faery who promises he can take them straight to the Queen's Court, it seems like all her wishes have come true.But it quickly turns out that the Kingdom of Faerie isn't quite what she expected it to be...Tabitha and Lysander don't know who or what to trust any more. And the closer they get to the Court of the Faerie Queen, the darker and more wicked Faerie seems to grow... If you enjoy Holly Black's dark faerie stories, the sense of adventure in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse, and Juliet Marillier's romantic mythology, then you'll love the River Witch series. This omnibus edition includes the first three books in the River Witch series (The River Witch, The Iron Court, and The Queen's Court), plus exclusive content including a brand new map showing Tabitha's journey across Bretan, a guide to faerie etiquette, tips on defending yourself in case of a faerie invasion, a magical recipe for recreating Tabitha's river at home, and a sneak preview of the first few chapters in the fourth book in the series.

A Midwinter's Wedding


Melanie Cellier - 2017
    So when she's offered the chance to attend her brother's wedding in a faraway kingdom, she leaps at it. In Northhelm, she'll finally have the chance to stand out. And maybe, just maybe, she'll even find romance.But not everything in the Northhelmian court is as it appears. With her brother distracted by the wedding, only Ferdinand, the ugliest man at court, will listen to Cordelia's concerns. An observant princess and a strangely amphibious soldier may be the only thing standing between all Four Kingdoms and disaster.Cordelia will have to overcome prejudice, deceit and danger if she wants to save the day and find romance at A Midwinter's Wedding.If you enjoy clean romance, adventure and intrigue, then try the books in The Four Kingdoms series now! Each book can be read as a standalone story, however, for greatest enjoyment, they should be read in order.The Four Kingdoms reading order: The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (Book One) The Princess Fugitive: A Reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood (Book Two)Happily Ever Afters: A Four Kingdoms NovellaThe Princess Pact: A Twist on Rumpelstiltskin (Book Three)A Midwinter's Wedding: A Four Kingdoms NovellaThe Princess Game: A Reimagining of Sleeping Beauty (Book Four)

Fifty Shades of Alice in Wonderland


Melinda DuChamp - 2012
    Her boyfriend is nice and polite, but he's also quick and careless in bed, and doesn't give Alice the attention and variety she craves. But he's not entirely to blame, because Alice herself doesn't understand her own needs. She's heard about what sex is supposed to be like, but has never felt anything remotely close to what she's read about in runaway bestselling books.Then Alice follows a vibrating white rabbit down a deep, dark hole, which leads to a place beyond her wildest imagination. There are no nice boys--or girls--down here. Only those who indulge in secret, forbidden, kinky fantasies. Alice is confused and frightened and... aroused. She is bound. Teased. Spanked. Toyed. Brought to the limits of sexual endurance. And during her trials, she begins to understand her body's needs for the very first time.This isn't the fairy tale you grew up reading. This isn't for children at all.This is for those with dark desires, who wish to explore erotic excess beyond the plain vanilla of everyday life. Follow Alice down the rabbit hole, if you dare...

Awakening


Ivy Carter - 2019
    Despised for what she is, she will be lucky to make it through her senior year alive. However, Ella suddenly finds herself thrust into a journey where she not only discovers she is a powerful True Witch but a life mate has also been chosen for her. Slowly falling for her soul mate,Jaxx. Ella is reunited with a family who accepts her for exactly who she is. Ella starts to find comfort in this new life and love she has found, right before her world is ripped apart. As she travels the path Fate has set her on… Chances must be taken. Decisions must be made. Death stalks her every step, but she must uncover the secrets hidden from her or die trying. **BOOK TWO AND THREE NOW AVAILABLE"" Book Two: Twisted- https://tinyurl.com/y4phjm59 Book Three: Chaos- https://tinyurl.com/yynt3ycx **Happy Reading!!**

A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories


Robin McKinley - 1994
    There’s mute Lily, in “The Healer,” who has the power to help others, and receives a startling opportunity to find her voice when a mysterious mage stumbles into town. And Queen Ruen, who is at the mercy of a power-hungry uncle until she encounters a shape-changer in “The Stagman.” In “Touk’s House,” a maiden who has grown up with a witch and a troll has a chance to become a princess, but she must decide whether she would really live happily ever after. When a curse follows Coral to her new husband’s farm in “Buttercups,” the pair has a choice: Succumb to defeat or find a way to turn a disastrous enchantment into a fruitful new venture. Finally, travel to upstate New York with Annabelle. In the title story, her family moves shortly after her sixteenth birthday, and just as she starts to adjust to her new life in a small town, a plan to build a superhighway threatens her new home. But a strange box hidden in a secret attic in the new house may be the answer. This is a delightful assortment of tales from an author with “a remarkable talent for melding the real and the magical into a single, believable whole” (Booklist).

Cursed: A Wish is a Terrible Thing


Marie O'ReganChristina Henry - 2020
    Twenty curses, old and new. ALL THE BETTER TO READ YOU WITH. It's a prick of blood, the bite of an apple, the evil eye, a wedding ring or a pair of red shoes. Curses come in all shapes and sizes, and they can happen to anyone, not just those of us with unpopular stepparents... Here you'll find unique twists on curses, from fairy tale classics to brand-new hexes of the modern world...expect new monsters and mythologies as well as twists on well-loved fables. Stories to shock and stories of warning, stories of monsters and stories of magic. Some might shock you, some might make you laugh, but they will all impress you with their originality. TWENTY TIMELESS FOLKTALES, NEW AND OLD.Contents: *Introduction (Cursed) • essay by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan *Castle Cursed (2020) / short fiction by Jane Yolen *As Red As Blood, As White As Snow (2020) / short fiction by Christina Henry *Troll Bridge (1993) / short story by Neil Gaiman (variant of Troll-Bridge) *At That Age / short fiction by Catriona Ward *Listen / short fiction by Jen Williams *Henry and the Snakewood Box / short fiction by M. R. Carey *Skin / short fiction by James Brogden *Faith & Fred / short fiction by Maura Mchugh *The Black Fairy's Curse (1997) / short story by Karen Joy Fowler *Wendy, Darling (2014) / short fiction by Christopher Golden * Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie (2011) / short story by Charlie Jane Anders *Look Inside Me (2013) / short fiction by Michael Marshall Smith *Little Red (2009) / short story by Adam Stemple and Jane Yolen *New Wine / short fiction by Angela Slatter *Haza and Ghani / short fiction by Lilith Saintcrow *Hated / short fiction by Christopher Fowler *Merrie Dancers / short fiction by Allison Littlewood *Again / short fiction by Tim Lebbon *The Girl from the Hell / short fiction by Margo Lanagan *Castle Waking / short fiction by Jane Yolen *About the Authors *About the Editors *Acknowledgements.

Silver Birch, Blood Moon


Ellen DatlowIndia Edghill - 1999
    An embittered mother cares for her dying son who is trapped in a thicket that guards a sleeping beauty... In a bleak and desolate industrial wasteland, a group of violent outcasts lays the tattered myths of one Millenium to rest, and gives terrifying birth to those of the next.Erotic, compelling, witty, and altogether extraordinary, these stories lay bare our innermost demons and desires--imaginatively transforming our youthful fantasies into things darker, slyer, and more delightfully subversive. The "Snow White, Blood Red" Collection #1. Snow White, Blood Red #2. Black Thorn, White Rose #3. Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears #4. Black Swan, White Raven #5. Silver Birch, Blood Moon #6. Black Heart, Ivory Bones

Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters


Aimee Ogden - 2021
    Atuale, the daughter of a Sea-Clan lord, sparked a war by choosing her land-dwelling love and rejecting her place among her people. Now her husband and his clan are dying of an incurable plague, and Atuale’s sole hope for finding a cure is to travel off-planet. The one person she can turn to for help is the black-market mercenary known as the World Witch—and Atuale’s former lover. Time, politics, bureaucracy, and her own conflicted desires stand between Atuale and the hope for her adopted clan. Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters has all the wonder and romance of a classic sci-fi novel, with the timelessness of a beloved fairy tale.

The Mermaid's Sister


Carrie Anne Noble - 2015
    By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions; by night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphan infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree.One day, Clara discovers shimmering scales just beneath her sister’s skin: Maren is becoming a mermaid and must be taken to the sea or she will die. So Clara, O’Neill, and the mermaid-girl set out for the shore. But the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening Maren.And always in the back of her mind, Clara wonders, if my sister is a mermaid, then what am I?

First Frost


Liz DeJesus - 2012
    She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.She’s about to find out how wrong she is.

Ocean's Justice


Demelza Carlton - 2014
    A Scottish hero determined to protect her. Can they survive the storm? Cast adrift on the Indian Ocean, Maria carries a terrible secret. Wherever she goes, death soon follows, and she's powerless to prevent it. William McGregor boarded the SS Trevessa in search of adventure, but he gets more than he bargained for when he saves the mysterious Maria from the sea. She can't tell them her tragic tale, so the superstitious sailors make up their own stories - and some would sacrifice her to the waves to save themselves from the coming storm. When the sharks start circling and the storm closes in, are sirens more than just a myth?

The Child Thief


Brom - 2009
    His eyes are sparkling gold, and when he graces you with his smile you are his friend for life, but his promised land is not Neverland. Fourteen-year-old Nick would have been murdered by the drug dealers preying on his family had Peter not saved him. Now the irresistibly charismatic wild boy wants Nick to follow him to a secret place of great adventure, where magic is alive and you never grow old. Even though he is wary of Peter's crazy talk of faeries and monsters, Nick agrees. After all, New York City is no longer safe for him, and what more could he possibly lose?There is always more to lose.Accompanying Peter to a gray and ravished island that was once a lush, enchanted paradise, Nick finds himself unwittingly recruited for a war that has raged for centuries—one where he must learn to fight or die among the "Devils," Peter's savage tribe of lost and stolen children.There, Peter's dark past is revealed: left to wolves as an infant, despised and hunted, Peter moves restlessly between the worlds of faerie and man. The Child Thief is a leader of bloodthirsty children, a brave friend, and a creature driven to do whatever he must to stop the "Flesh-eaters" and save the last, wild magic in this dying land.