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A Fairy Tale Retold #1-4
Beasts and Queens
You've heard these stories before. But not like this...
Hidden in a dusty Indian village, Preeti Kamla hopes her bad luck is over...until the Demon Rajah claims her as his bride.
In imperial Byzantium, Michael the fisherman dreams of power and fortune. But will his ambition destroy the city and everything he holds dear?
Only a madman would go into Faerie of his own accord--and that's exactly what humble blacksmith John must do to rescue his lost love.
In Prohibition-era New Zealand, cabaret singer Ruby Black lives for thrills--but will she survive being mistaken for a dead girl?
"Beauty and the Beast" and three other classic fairytales find a vivid new lease on life in this wildly diverse collection of novellas from historical fantasy author Suzannah Rowntree, available for the first time in a discounted boxset edition.
Hidden in a dusty Indian village, Preeti Kamla hopes her bad luck is over...until the Demon Rajah claims her as his bride.
In imperial Byzantium, Michael the fisherman dreams of power and fortune. But will his ambition destroy the city and everything he holds dear?
Only a madman would go into Faerie of his own accord--and that's exactly what humble blacksmith John must do to rescue his lost love.
In Prohibition-era New Zealand, cabaret singer Ruby Black lives for thrills--but will she survive being mistaken for a dead girl?
"Beauty and the Beast" and three other classic fairytales find a vivid new lease on life in this wildly diverse collection of novellas from historical fantasy author Suzannah Rowntree, available for the first time in a discounted boxset edition.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2017
6 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Suzannah Rowntree
34 books600 followersHi! I live in a big house in rural Australia with my awesome parents and siblings, drinking fancy tea and writing historical fantasy fiction that blends real-world history with legend, adventure, and a dash of romance.
If you like the historical fantasy of Gail Carriger, S. A. Chakraborty or Naomi Novik, you'll probably like my stories too!
You can visit me online at https://suzannahrowntree.site
GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I'm afraid I don't accept every single friend request I receive, unless we already know each other, or it looks like we have tastes broadly in common. However, please feel free to follow and interact.
If you like the historical fantasy of Gail Carriger, S. A. Chakraborty or Naomi Novik, you'll probably like my stories too!
You can visit me online at https://suzannahrowntree.site
GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I'm afraid I don't accept every single friend request I receive, unless we already know each other, or it looks like we have tastes broadly in common. However, please feel free to follow and interact.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 19, 2025
ENGLISH: Retelling of four classic fairy stories:
The Rakshasa's Bride: Retelling of Beauty and the Beast, traditional French story, best known in the version by Madame de Beaumont. In this version, the action has been moved to India and the beast has become a rakshasa, a demon in the class of Ravana, king of Lanka and enemy of Rama, in Ramayana. The protagonist, rather than Belle, is called Preeti, a transparent name change. This story is the least innovative of the four, as it follows the original with very few changes.
The Prince of Fishes: Retelling of The Fisherman and his Wife, a story by the Grimm Brothers. In this version, the action has been moved to Bizantium and the fisher is more active, compared to his wife in the original version. This adaptation is very ingenious, for Byzantium is the perfect environment for the story.
The Bells of Paradise: Retelling of Jorinda and Joringel, a story by the Grimm Brothers. The chapter about Gloriana's palace dragged for me. All in all, this is the story I liked less.
Death Be Not Proud: Retelling of... well, that would be telling ;) An original modern adaptation of a classic fairy tale. I won't say more, because the author would rather the reader discover which fairy tale, although from a certain point it is obvious. But I find it curious that the prince has been made the main suspect in the story.
ESPAÑOL: Nueva versión de cuatro cuentos de hadas clásicos:
La Esposa del Rakshasa: Versión de La bella y la bestia, cuento tradicional francés, más conocido en la versión de Madame de Beaumont. En esta versión, la acción se ha trasladado a la India y la bestia se ha convertido en un rakshasa, un demonio de la clase a la que pertenece Ravana, rey de Lanka y enemigo de Rama en el Ramayana. La protagonista, en lugar de Bella, se llama Preeti, un cambio de nombre evidente. Este cuento es el menos innovador de los cuatro, pues sigue al original con muy pocos cambios.
El Príncipe de los Peces: Versión de El pescador y su mujer, cuento de los hermanos Grimm. En esta versión, la acción se ha trasladado a Bizancio y el pescador es más activo, en comparación con su mujer en la versión original. Esta adaptación es muy ingeniosa, pues Bizancio es el entorno perfecto para esta historia.
Las Campanas del Paraíso: Versión de Yorinda y Yoringel, cuento de los hermanos Grimm. Me costó bastante trabajo leer el capítulo sobre el palacio de Gloriana. En conjunto, es el que menos me ha gustado.
Muerte, no Seas Orgullosa: Versión de... decirlo sería hablar de más ;) Original adaptación moderna de un cuento de hadas clásico. No diré más, porque la autora prefiere que el lector descubra cuál, aunque a partir de cierto punto es evidente. Pero es curioso que el príncipe haya sido convertido en el sospechoso principal de la historia.
The Rakshasa's Bride: Retelling of Beauty and the Beast, traditional French story, best known in the version by Madame de Beaumont. In this version, the action has been moved to India and the beast has become a rakshasa, a demon in the class of Ravana, king of Lanka and enemy of Rama, in Ramayana. The protagonist, rather than Belle, is called Preeti, a transparent name change. This story is the least innovative of the four, as it follows the original with very few changes.
The Prince of Fishes: Retelling of The Fisherman and his Wife, a story by the Grimm Brothers. In this version, the action has been moved to Bizantium and the fisher is more active, compared to his wife in the original version. This adaptation is very ingenious, for Byzantium is the perfect environment for the story.
The Bells of Paradise: Retelling of Jorinda and Joringel, a story by the Grimm Brothers. The chapter about Gloriana's palace dragged for me. All in all, this is the story I liked less.
Death Be Not Proud: Retelling of... well, that would be telling ;) An original modern adaptation of a classic fairy tale. I won't say more, because the author would rather the reader discover which fairy tale, although from a certain point it is obvious. But I find it curious that the prince has been made the main suspect in the story.
ESPAÑOL: Nueva versión de cuatro cuentos de hadas clásicos:
La Esposa del Rakshasa: Versión de La bella y la bestia, cuento tradicional francés, más conocido en la versión de Madame de Beaumont. En esta versión, la acción se ha trasladado a la India y la bestia se ha convertido en un rakshasa, un demonio de la clase a la que pertenece Ravana, rey de Lanka y enemigo de Rama en el Ramayana. La protagonista, en lugar de Bella, se llama Preeti, un cambio de nombre evidente. Este cuento es el menos innovador de los cuatro, pues sigue al original con muy pocos cambios.
El Príncipe de los Peces: Versión de El pescador y su mujer, cuento de los hermanos Grimm. En esta versión, la acción se ha trasladado a Bizancio y el pescador es más activo, en comparación con su mujer en la versión original. Esta adaptación es muy ingeniosa, pues Bizancio es el entorno perfecto para esta historia.
Las Campanas del Paraíso: Versión de Yorinda y Yoringel, cuento de los hermanos Grimm. Me costó bastante trabajo leer el capítulo sobre el palacio de Gloriana. En conjunto, es el que menos me ha gustado.
Muerte, no Seas Orgullosa: Versión de... decirlo sería hablar de más ;) Original adaptación moderna de un cuento de hadas clásico. No diré más, porque la autora prefiere que el lector descubra cuál, aunque a partir de cierto punto es evidente. Pero es curioso que el príncipe haya sido convertido en el sospechoso principal de la historia.
December 31, 2017
I enjoyed the first and last of the four stories in this collection the most, and am choosing my rating based on those. The first, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in historic India, followed the traditional tale we're familiar with very closely. I loved the different setting and characters, and could have wished for more variation in the story itself, but was still quite happy with the read. The two middle stories were decently well written, but I tend to prefer heroines to heroes, and get easily frustrated with certain tropes or character types that were present in these stories--that's me, not the book per se--so I just moved on to the final story, which I'm glad I didn't miss. This fairy tale riff has another unusual setting, with an unreliable narrator and a great deal of uncertainty as to who you can trust and just what happened in the narrator's past. It's the sort of reimagining I would have wanted for the B&B retelling the book opened with--although I was presented with clear evidence of which fairytale this was within the first 10% of the story, I was so engaged I didn't actually figure it out until much later (at which point I almost laughed out loud at myself). While I didn't like a certain scene being kept secret from the reader until a point of reveal, overall I much enjoyed this story. Forgive me, I just like to gripe sometimes. :)
November 11, 2017
The Rakshasa’s Bride:
At first it was slow going but as I got into it, I got more interested in what happened next and actually found it quite interesting and fascinating with every turn. Amazing.
The Prince or Fishes:
It was cute at first but as it progressed it became a bit well... predictable. I could see what was gonna happen. Not detail for detail but the idea of it and such. But it was cute.
The Bells of Paradise
At first I found it cute and then long. And then I found it cute and interesting. It was a nice twist and turns around.
Death Be Not Proud
Had my attention the whole time. That was amazing. I loved the whole mystery of it and the risks involved and just wow. Amazing. Awesome.
In general I loved the High and Low Memetic modes of literature. Also the Romantic mode. The idea of stories like this together was cute. :)
Thank you
At first it was slow going but as I got into it, I got more interested in what happened next and actually found it quite interesting and fascinating with every turn. Amazing.
The Prince or Fishes:
It was cute at first but as it progressed it became a bit well... predictable. I could see what was gonna happen. Not detail for detail but the idea of it and such. But it was cute.
The Bells of Paradise
At first I found it cute and then long. And then I found it cute and interesting. It was a nice twist and turns around.
Death Be Not Proud
Had my attention the whole time. That was amazing. I loved the whole mystery of it and the risks involved and just wow. Amazing. Awesome.
In general I loved the High and Low Memetic modes of literature. Also the Romantic mode. The idea of stories like this together was cute. :)
Thank you
October 21, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this contrasting selection of novellas, based on traditional tales. The author creates a powerful sense of place in each one and there are layers of meaning which make them ripe for re-reading. Well-researched and beautifully written, I hope they find a wide audience.
November 2, 2018
Collections are always a bit hard to review, so I'll just give a mini-review for each of the novellas:
The Rakshasa's Bride: A Beauty and the Beast retelling set in India. It was a reasonably enjoyable retelling, but the allegory aspect felt shoehorned in, and turned the story on it's head from what I expected--not in the fun twist kind of way, just in a confusing kind of way. As far as content goes though, it was completely clean, and should be safe for children of any age (unless you're concerned about the confusing allegory aspect of the story). 3 1/2 stars.
The Prince of Fishes: A retelling of The Fisherman and his Wife set in the Byzantine Empire. I don't like the original story much, and the retelling made it make a bit more sense, but didn't make it a whole lot more enjoyable for me. The best things about it were the historical setting and the fact that again, it's completely clean. The only possible concern for having young children read it is you need to be okay with explaining the huge theological debate about icons/images going on through the story. 2 1/2 stars.
The Bells of Paradise: A retelling of some obscure tale I don't remember the name of but was a lovely story about Faery and promises and love and the tension between wanting home and wanting adventures. Very close to being my favorite in the book. There is some animal violence/blood and the land of Faery is probably confusing for very young readers, but still no real content to warn about. 4 stars.
Death be Not Proud: A retelling of set in New Zealand. I'd read this one before in a different collection, and it's probably the best in this book. Complex and twisty, just a little bit dark. This one has more violence (especially discussion of a murder that took place before the story opens), so probably not recommended for very young or extremely sensitive readers, but still nothing I would consider to be major content. 4 stars.
The Rakshasa's Bride: A Beauty and the Beast retelling set in India. It was a reasonably enjoyable retelling, but the allegory aspect felt shoehorned in, and turned the story on it's head from what I expected--not in the fun twist kind of way, just in a confusing kind of way. As far as content goes though, it was completely clean, and should be safe for children of any age (unless you're concerned about the confusing allegory aspect of the story). 3 1/2 stars.
The Prince of Fishes: A retelling of The Fisherman and his Wife set in the Byzantine Empire. I don't like the original story much, and the retelling made it make a bit more sense, but didn't make it a whole lot more enjoyable for me. The best things about it were the historical setting and the fact that again, it's completely clean. The only possible concern for having young children read it is you need to be okay with explaining the huge theological debate about icons/images going on through the story. 2 1/2 stars.
The Bells of Paradise: A retelling of some obscure tale I don't remember the name of but was a lovely story about Faery and promises and love and the tension between wanting home and wanting adventures. Very close to being my favorite in the book. There is some animal violence/blood and the land of Faery is probably confusing for very young readers, but still no real content to warn about. 4 stars.
Death be Not Proud: A retelling of set in New Zealand. I'd read this one before in a different collection, and it's probably the best in this book. Complex and twisty, just a little bit dark. This one has more violence (especially discussion of a murder that took place before the story opens), so probably not recommended for very young or extremely sensitive readers, but still nothing I would consider to be major content. 4 stars.
January 2, 2018
Make sure you read the last one!
This is a collection of 4 fairy tales. I LOVED the last one. Beautifully done.
The second one intrigued me, having never heard that story before, even though I didn't care for one of the characters. (Pretty sure that was what the author intended.)
This is a collection of 4 fairy tales. I LOVED the last one. Beautifully done.
The second one intrigued me, having never heard that story before, even though I didn't care for one of the characters. (Pretty sure that was what the author intended.)
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February 11, 2022Rich and surprising tales
I loved the blend of fairy tale, historical fact, and lovely original spin. Each richly told tale pulled me in and surprised me.
I loved the blend of fairy tale, historical fact, and lovely original spin. Each richly told tale pulled me in and surprised me.
September 8, 2023
meh, not for me.
February 11, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
October 3, 2024
I really liked this!
4 classic fairy tales told with twists and in different times and places.
One takes place in India, the other in the Byzantine empire, then a magic forest in England, and lastly New Zealand during prohibition.In my opinion, it's best to read each story in one sitting, if it's possible. That way, you get the full impact of each.
4 classic fairy tales told with twists and in different times and places.
One takes place in India, the other in the Byzantine empire, then a magic forest in England, and lastly New Zealand during prohibition.In my opinion, it's best to read each story in one sitting, if it's possible. That way, you get the full impact of each.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews