Cress by Marissa Meyer
Cress is my favourite book in The Lunar Chronicles series, which makes sense as Rapunzel is one of my all time favourite fairytales. It’s been almost 10 years since I read it and I really need to continue my re-read of this series. The relationship between Cress and Captain Thorne is what really makes this for me.
Anyway, back to why this is a great retelling. It’s a unique way of telling Rapunzel’s story. Instead of being locked in a tower, Cress has been on a satellite since she was a child. I never knew how much I needed Sci-Fi retellings of fairytales until I discovered this series as a teen. Here’s to hoping I’ll continue my re-read soon. If Amazon could reduce the price of the ebooks, I’d really appreciate that.
Synopsis: In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who’s only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
This is less of a retelling and more of a ‘loosely based on the characters’. Inspired by Arthurian legend, this book is a fun campy twist on characters we all know but in a way we haven’t seen before. Basically, this book is what BBC’s Merlin should have been, but Merlin isn’t actually in this. Would it have been too on the nose to have Arthur and Merlin as love interests? Maybe, but it would also be great.
If you’ve watched or read My Lady Jane and loved it, you’ll love this book too. It has really similar vibes.
Synopsis: It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.
They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run-up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.
Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight, and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother. Lex Croucher’s Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.
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