Fairytales have shaped our cultural consciousness for centuries, often reinforcing traditional gender roles and expectations. In recent decades, however, authors have breathed new life into these familiar stories, reclaiming and reimagining them through feminist perspectives. These retellings challenge patriarchal narratives, giving voice to silenced female characters and exploring themes of agency, power, and identity. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating extraordinary books that transform classic tales into powerful stories of female empowerment, resilience, and autonomy. These reimaginings don’t just entertain—they invite us to question the stories we’ve inherited and imagine new possibilities for storytelling itself.

The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories by Angela Carter

In this revolutionary collection, Angela Carter strips away the gauzy veneer of traditional fairytales to reveal their raw, sensual core. Published in 1979, these ten stories reimagine familiar tales through a distinctly feminist lens, transforming passive heroines into complex women with desires and agency of their own. Carter’s lush, Gothic prose creates a world where violence and sexuality intertwine, where women confront predatory men and their own primal natures. Rather than waiting for rescue, Carter’s heroines save themselves, subverting patriarchal narratives with fierce intelligence and unexpected power.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Circe by Madeline Miller

Daughter of sun god Helios, Circe lacks the qualities valued by gods— until she discovers her talent for witchcraft. Banished by Zeus to a remote island, she perfects her magical abilities while crossing paths with mythology’s most famous figures, including Odysseus. As a woman standing alone between worlds, Circe finds herself targeted by vengeful gods and men alike. When confronted by a particularly powerful Olympian, she must summon her strength and make the ultimate decision: embrace her divine heritage or choose the mortal world she’s come to love.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Bear And The Nightingale by Katherine Arden

In Russia’s remote wilderness, young Vasilisa thrives amid endless winters, captivated by tales of Frost, the feared winter demon, and the protective spirits Russians honor. When her widowed father’s devout new wife forbids these ancient traditions, disaster befalls their village— crops fail and sinister forest creatures draw near. As her stepmother pushes her toward marriage or convent life, Vasilisa realizes she must embrace secret gifts she’s long hidden to defend her family against threats straight from folklore. The Bear And The Nightingale is a spellbinding debut weaving Russian mythology into a tale of courage, family, and the enduring power of ancient beliefs.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

Seeking escape at twenty, Boy Novak flees to remote Flax Hill where she meets widower Arturo Whitman and his enchanting daughter Snow. Captivated by Snow’s radiance—a childhood joy Boy never experienced—she marries into their seemingly picture-perfect world. But when Boy delivers her own daughter, Bird, uncomfortable truths about Arturo’s family emerge, shattering the delicate balance between these three women. Their fractured connections reveal deeper complexities about identity, appearance, and family secrets. Helen Oyeyemi’s brilliant novel weaves together their intricate relationships with sparkling prose and unexpected turns, crafting a mesmerizing exploration of how we see ourselves, each other, and the stories we construct to survive.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Growing into her mother’s striking beauty becomes young Princess Lissar’s curse when it ignites her widowed father’s depraved obsession. Fleeing unspeakable trauma with only her faithful hound Ash beside her, Lissar’s identity fragments amid her desperate escape. Trauma shrouds her memories as she wanders, eventually finding refuge as a kennel maid in a distant kingdom. There, a compassionate prince gradually awakens her heart, even as she remains blind to her own past. When he recounts the tale of a missing princess with a beloved dog named Ash, worlds collide. This haunting fantasy explores healing’s painful journey through darkness toward reclaiming one’s shattered self and the possibility of love after devastation.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

When Miryem takes over her father’s struggling moneylending business, her knack for turning silver into gold catches the dangerous attention of Staryk king. Bound by an impossible challenge, her fate intertwines with Wanda, a poor farmgirl escaping abuse, and Irina, a nobleman’s daughter wed to a tsar possessed by a fiery demon. As winter’s supernatural grip tightens, these three women navigate a treacherous landscape where bargains carry deadly consequences and magic exacts steep prices. Weaving Jewish folklore with the Rumpelstiltskin tale, this spellbinding fantasy explores courage, sacrifice, and unexpected alliances forged when facing powers that transcend mortal understanding.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Girls At The Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine

In 1920s Manhattan, eldest sister Jo leads her eleven siblings in nightly escapes from their controlling father’s townhouse to jazz-soaked speakeasies where they dance until dawn. As “The General”, she’s protected them since their mother’s death, creating a world of freedom beneath the glittering lights. But when their father announces plans to marry them off, their secret rebellion intensifies. Dancing through increasingly dangerous venues, their world shatters during a police raid where Jo encounters Tom, a bootlegger from her hidden past. Caught between family loyalty and personal desire, Jo must finally choreograph her own future in this spirited reimagining of the “Twelve Dancing Princesses”.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

Three women’s lives intertwine across centuries in this spellbinding reinvention of Rapunzel. In Renaissance Venice, the artist Tiziano’s bewitching muse Selena imprisons young Margherita in a tower after her father steals herbs from a forbidden garden. As Margherita’s haunting songs reach beyond her confinement, Charlotte-Rose weaves these threads into the fairytale we know today. Kate Forsyth masterfully blends historical detail with magical realism, creating a captivating exploration of creativity, imprisonment, and the transformative power of storytelling to free us from our towers.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Princess Ani enters the world with sealed eyes and an unuttered word waiting on her tongue. Raised alongside swans and stories, she develops a rare gift for understanding animal languages but struggles with human connections. When betrayal forces her from her royal position during a journey to meet her betrothed in a neighboring kingdom, Ani disguises herself as a humble goose girl. Working among commoners while her lady-in-waiting assumes her identity, Ani must harness her hidden talents and find her true voice to reclaim her destiny. Shannon Hale’s luminous reimagining of the classic Grimm tale weaves nature’s wisdom into a captivating journey of self-discovery and unexpected strength.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Daughter Of The Forest by Juliet Marillier

As the cherished only daughter among six protective brothers at Sevenwaters, Sorcha’s peaceful existence shatters when her father falls under the spell of an enchantress stepmother. The brothers are transformed into swans, their fate bound to Sorcha’s impossible task—she must weave six shirts from painful stinging nettles while maintaining absolute silence until completed. Kidnapped and taken to foreign shores during her quest, Sorcha faces an agonizing choice between her brothers’ salvation and an unexpected love that touches her soul. In this Celtic reimagining of “The Wild Swans”, ancient forest magic interweaves with human resilience as Sorcha discovers that while words may be forbidden, her heart speaks a language powerful enough to transcend all boundaries.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble