8 Must-Read Fairy Tale Mashups for Once Upon a Time fans

Enchanted, by Alethea Kontis
The animals in the wood near Sunday Woodcutter’s home speak in “wise riddles and almost-truths,” so when Sunday meets a talking frog named Grumble it’s par for the course. Sunday is the youngest of seven daughters, born to a “family of taleswappers” who tend to run off with pirate princes, swipe gold coins from leprechauns, or become locked in towers. Sunday’s own fate seems intertwined with the story of Cinderella, because once Grumble returns to human form, he throws a mandatory ball, determined to locate the young woman who so entranced him. Problem is, Sunday’s family has reason to hate the prince. Just try to count all the fairy tale references in this awesomely unforgettable novel.

Kill Me Softly, by Sarah Cross
Much like Storybrooke, the town of Beau Rivage is a haven for fairy tale characters. Birthdays tend to be monstrous, curse-filled affairs, as (almost) 16-year-old Mira is about to find out. Raised by her two godmothers after the mysterious deaths of her parents, she’s determined to find answers about her forbidden birth place—but Mira gets more than she bargained for when she runs away to Beau Rivage. Perfect for fans of Sleeping Beauty.

The Dark Mirror, by Juliet Marillier
A historical fantasy novel based in part on the real-life Picts of northern Scotland, where rituals to stave off the fair folk abound, Mirror finds druid apprentice Bridei learning the secrets of hearth magic, as well as how to “hunt or starve; hide or be taken; fly or fall.” Loyal to the ancient gods, Bridei longs to unite the kingdoms of Priteni but refuses to fight for the crown unless his beloved Tuala—a fairy princess distrusted by his mentor—can be his queen.

Beastly, by Alex Flinn
Set in present-day NYC (a place Emma Swan knows well), this is Cruel Intentions meets Beauty and the Beast, as rich, popular, model-hot high school freshman Kyle Kingsbury plays a cruel prank on a classmate. One problem: the classmate is a witch who curses Kyle in retaliation. Repulsed by his new beastly appearance, he changes his name to Adrian (which means “the dark one”), leaves his expensive prep school behind, and hires a blind tutor for lessons. But if he wants to break the spell, he must find a girl who can truly love him, warts and all.

The Glass Casket, by McCormick Templeman
Rowan Rose lives in Nag’s End with her father, where she studies language and practices her gift of translation. Even though fairies and wood sprites live openly in the woods, Rowan’s life is relatively peaceful until it’s upended by the arrival of a new family with deep ties to her own. The new girl, Fiona Eira, is “beautiful in the way that a crisp apple was delicious—almost too sharp but with an underlying sweetness that makes its jaggedness merely seem bright.” As an otherworldly evil wreaks havoc in the village, it seems Rowan may be the only one who can stop it. A mixture of slow-dread terror and swoonworthy heartache, both romantic and literal.

Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale
Based on the fairy tale “Maid Maleen,” by the Brothers Grimm, and set in medieval Mongolia (how’s that for a unique mashup?), the story depicts “Mucker maid” Dashti and the royal Lady Saren as they spend several years locked in a tower as punishment for Saren’s refusal to marry the man her father chose for her. Saren orders Dashti to impersonate her for visitors, but “pretending nobility is the grossest crime imaginable,” and Dashti fears for her life despite the very real love story she’s enacting with the compelling Tegus Khan.

Rump, by Liesl Shurtliff
Though technically a middle grade book, Rump appeals to all ages because its premise is timeless: do we choose our destinies, or do they choose us? Rhyme-loving, 12-year-old Rump never learned what his full name was supposed to be, and in the kingdom where he lives, in which one’s name is their destiny, that’s a huge deal; after all, no kid wants to be known as “Butt.” Eager to prove himself, Rump takes up his late mother’s controversial vocation: spinning straw into gold. His grandmother warns him this behavior will bring nothing but trouble, and soon he’s trapped within a curse that will require all the resources he and his friend Red possess. An utterly charming tale.

Jekel Loves Hyde, by Beth Fantaskey
A rule-abiding good girl, Jill Jekel would never dream of disobeying her father’s command that she stay away from his bizarre chemistry experiments—but upon his death, Jill begins fashioning potions with abandon. She pairs up with a brooding classmate, Tristen Hyde, who believes he harbors a monster inside him and offers to sample her potions in the hopes of finding a cure. But what if Jill likes the idea of becoming “tenfold more wicked”? What if she enjoys unleashing a dark side of her own?