Since I’m writing a fairytale-retelling trilogy, I thought it would be fun to count down the top ten fairytales. When I was researching this, it seems the number one fairytale was pretty universal. From there, a few stayed on the lists, and some of the lists had stories I’d never heard. (The Valiant Tailor?)
In my trilogy, I chose Rapunzel, Swan Lake, and Rumpelstiltskin to retell. Each story I’ve given a twist. Rapunzel is told through the witch’s eyes, who happens to be a heroine. Swan Lake is about a dragon swan shifter, and Rumpelstiltskin is a redemption story. Those are the stories I chose because I love them, and they’re definitely in my top ten, but what are the universal top ten? After surveying several lists, here’s what I came up with:
10. Snow White
9. The Princess and the Pea
8. Aladdin
7. The Frog Prince
6. The Little Mermaid
5. Swan Lake
4. Rumpelstiltskin
3. Rapunzel
2. Beauty and the Beast
1. Cinderella
Now tell me which order you’d put them in!
If you haven’t yet, you can add The Witch’s Tower (a Rapunzel retelling) to your Goodreads list. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO GOODREADS! It releases on March 11, 2019!
Don’t know what it’s about? Here’s the synopsis:
Gothel is a witch. Punished for the actions of her mother, her choice is simple: either she stands guard over Princess Rapunzel — or she dies. But just because a choice is easy doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. Protecting Rapunzel means watching as the princess lays trapped in a tower, bedridden by hair that is so long and heavy it’s slowly driving her insane. Gothel’s life has become one of imprisonment and solitude as well — until a prince and his handsome squire appear at the tower.
Only one object can cut Rapunzel’s hair and end the curse: a pair of magical shears. But the shears are guarded by the most terrifying witches in the land, who also happen to be Gothel’s aunts. As Gothel and the prince’s squire, Raj Talmund, work to form a plan, she finds herself more and more drawn to the mysterious young man from the Outerlands. Unfortunately, his destiny is far more dangerous than she wants to admit: to save a princess, he must kill the witch who’s been forced to guard her.