Fantasy with Friends: Fairy Tale Retellings

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

Do you like reading fairy tale retellings? What, in your opinion, makes a good retelling?

I have a somewhat complicated history with fairy tales. It’s my mom’s fault.

Most of the kids I grew up with knew all the classic fairy tales. They were probably the sanitized Disney versions since I grew up during the Disney Renaissance, but they also had parents who read fairy tales to them. Again, definitely the sanitized versions, because I don’t remember anyone mentioning anything about chopping up feet and iron shoes, much less pregnancy and blindness.

But my mom did not. She absolutely refused to read fairy tales to us even though we had two thick books full of them. Many of them aren’t even that bad! But she insisted they were too gruesome and didn’t want to expose her children to them. Well, I was probably around 10 when I discovered those fairy tale books and started reading them. They weren’t too bad, so I started asking why she never read them to us. I kind of felt a little left out being the only kid at school who didn’t even know who Little Red Riding Hood was. Thanks to Disney, I knew Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and the Little Mermaid. So, if Disney didn’t make a movie on it, I didn’t know it. Those books were my only source of fairy tales for a long time.

Then I had the brilliant idea to take German in high school. Senior year we finally started studying fairy tales. In German. We read Grimm’s fairy tales in German. I loved every minute. But, since then, I’ve had a bit of an interest in the original stories. In college I did a paper on feminism and fairy tales and discovered a really old Chinese version of Cinderella. So everything since then has, essentially, been a retelling in my head.

In theory, I enjoy a good retelling. I’ve read a few. But I wouldn’t say I love them. The imagination the authors put into them to reimagine them in different ways for more modern times is often astounding. And yet I don’t think I can point to any specific ones I absolutely love. Ella Enchanted has a special place because it was a favorite childhood book, but I also didn’t know much about Cinderella beyond Disney’s version. For me, I think, a successful retelling really captures the essence of the story, the message and warning the original imparts, and an overall feeling of magic. I don’t want the story beats; I want the same feeling I get when I read the earlier versions. It’s the same for any kind of retelling. I want the same heart, just different skin. It’s been hard for me to find, so I kind of avoid fairy tale retellings these days.

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Fantasy with Friends: Fairytale Retellings.

This week's discussion is about whether you enjoy fairytale retellings and what makes a good one, and I had a few in mind to discuss!

https://breathesbooks.com/2026/05/18/fantasy-with-friends-fairytale-retellings/

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Fantasy with Friends: Early Memories.

This week asks about how people got into the fantasy genre, and the earliest fantasy books they read. Mine turns out to be heavily influenced by my mother.

https://breathesbooks.com/2026/05/11/fantasy-with-friends-early-memories/

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Fantasy with Friends: Learning from Fantasy?

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

Has reading a fantasy book ever inspired you to do further research into something else? (ex. Read a classic the book is inspired by/read a history text/read nonfiction writings by the author/resaerch a specific topic)

Probably? Especially historical fantasy, when I probably looked up time periods and matched up historical features, or read more about the periods of time the books were set in. Honestly, I love researching and looking things up, so probably a lot of books have inspired me to do further research. When it comes to historical anything, as a book reviewer, I like to try to get my bearings to see if I can comment on any accuracy, so that usually necessitates at least a little additional reading.

Otherwise, I don’t think I’ve been inspired to read any specific books or texts. Though I’ve read so much and my brain makes odd connections, so I wouldn’t put it past myself. I just don’t think I’ve consciously done that.

Though I do have a fun story from when I was a high school freshman. I was reading high and epic fantasy and kept running into a word that I neither knew nor could figure out from the context. So, about three books later, I finally looked it up. I’ll now forever know what inevitable means and will remember The White Tribunal by Paula Volsky with fondness. That book was the breaking point for me, and, after that, a whole lot more made sense.

I want to say The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley at least had me looking up the time period and doing some additional reading just to see how it could have been twisted back and forth. I also found it too confusing for my tastes, but understanding the real historical timeline helped ground me a little. And I do enjoy researching actual monuments that make it into novels. I’ve gone onto museum and gallery websites and perused them just because they were featured in books.

As for any further or deeper research? I’m going to have to say no for now, though I can’t say I haven’t picked up other books because I saw them mentioned somewhere and they were somehow linked to a previous book I read.

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Fantasy with Friends: Future Fantasy Classics?

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

What contemporary fantasy works do you think could become future classics?

I really have no clue. I don’t even know what’s made the books we consider to be classics today to be classics in the first place. It’s something I’ve asked myself many times over the years as I’ve tried to puzzle out why we still read some books over others. I haven’t figured it out yet. So I really have no idea what might make today’s fantasy novels the classic fantasy novels of tomorrow.

But, if I had to pick, it would probably be most of the books I don’t care to read because I tend to not read the more popular books. I also tend to find them to not be to my taste. But everyone seems to be reading them, so that’ll probably prolong their popularity enough to make them last. Maybe?

Then again, I think it’ll probably be those books that have a timelessness to them, or that say something about today’s society. I really enjoyed those classics, the ones that revealed what life was like back then. But I also loved the classics that had a timeless story, one that could, in theory, play out today. There are probably a number of current fantasy novels that might match that criteria.

I also think that, with so many books being adapted into movies and TV shows, those books will probably stand the test of time a little longer. People years from now will be able to watch them and then maybe they’ll be curious about the source material and that’ll lead to a whole new group or generation of people reading them, perpetuating those stories.

But I, personally, would be hard pressed to point to specific novels I think might become classics in the future. Who am I to say what teachers will use to teach, or what tastes readers will have, or even what some people in their ivory towers will deem the books to read? I can only hope that some truly decent novels with excellent prose will make it onto those lists. Because some of the classics sometimes read more like pointless drivel than actual stories worth reading today.

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Fantasy with Friends: Fantasy Subgenres

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

Do you have any favorite subgenres of fantasy such as urban fantasy, historical fantasy, etc.?

Technically, I enjoy most fantasy. I’ve probably sampled most of the different subgenres, to varying degrees of enjoyment. I enjoy a good urban fantasy, paranormal fantasy, historical fantasy, dark fantasy, etc. novel once in a while. But I wouldn’t say I would actually consider any of them a favorite despite vastly enjoying a novel or two in each. I’d say only epic fantasy and, to a lesser degree, magical realism have my heart.

I accidentally found myself falling in love with fantasy way back when I was 14. There’s a bit of a story associated with why I love epic fantasy here. I was probably somewhere around 3rd or 4th grade when I just turned into a voracious reader. My parents could barely keep up with my love of books, and I could hardly keep up with what was already being published. I finished every book that called to me in the Children’s section by the time I was 10, and was exceedingly disappointed by the boring fiction that filled the very tiny Teen section. When I was 13, I was bored with what I had access to according to my grade level and, out of desperation, asked my mom if she had any books with dragons. Well, she managed to dig one out. All I remember is a green dragon with a green eye on the front. She also tried to give me Outlander, but I found that boring and, even today, Clare and her husband (present-day) are forever rolling down a hill in my head. So I wandered into the adult section, found my way into Science Fiction & Fantasy. I have to say, those books had better covers. I was riveted. But I really, really, really needed a series to read. Preferably a really long series so I didn’t have to think too hard on what to pick up next. And that’s how I found the very long Wheel of Time books and forever fell in love with epic fantasy.

For a very long time, if a series had less that three books, I wouldn’t read it. There were a few I did enjoy, but I was looking for four or more books. I’m sad that’s getting to be harder to find these days. I just want to spend more time with my favorite characters, but that seems to be too much to ask for. Nevertheless, the damage was done. I fell in love with sword and sorcery, insane characters insanely plotting, good vs. evil, world shattering stakes, and the epic relationships that form between characters. Being pulled into a world where things could be dire at every turn holds my attention like little else can. When I picked up those first epic fantasies in high school, it made high school and adolescence so much more…doable. I wasn’t going out and saving the world, just trying to keep a high GPA to get into a good college with, hopefully, a decent scholarship. Compared to the whole entire world being at stake, that was nothing. Even today that feels more appealing that what we’re living through.

So I would definitely say epic fantasy is my favorite fantasy subgenre.

But I also love magical realism. This really feeds into my hope that I’ll come into my powers one day even though I’ve seen zero evidence of actual magic in real life. But I’d love to stumble on a little town where magic is just woven into the fabric of daily life. It definitely all started with Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. After that, after falling in love with how normal magic was in that little town, I went hunting for more. It wasn’t as easy to find back then, so I’m thrilled to see so many being published today. I especially love the magical realism in books translated from Japanese and Korean, partly because they just tug at my heartstrings and partly because I’m Asian and it’s nice to see cultures I’m familiar with reflected back to me. I just really love the idea of magic being threaded into daily life.

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Fantasy with Friends: Low or High Fantasy?

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

Do you prefer low or high fantasy? Or both?

As a longtime fantasy reader I have certainly read both, but high fantasy will always hold my heart. I love being swept away on an epic adventure through a world that may or may not resemble anything I recognize at all. Part of the fun of fantasy is getting to explore a completely new and unique world.

Low fantasy does sometimes find a spot in my reading life. It often feels simpler and easier on my brain, so I like using it, as well as a couple of other genres, as something of a palate cleanser. I love the way high fantasy makes me think fast just to keep up, but sometimes it gets a little heavy book after book after book. Sometimes life just gets too messy and heavy. So I turn to low fantasy for the simplicity I find in the worlds. There are fewer rules to remember, and so much more is familiar so it’s easy to put them aside until they pop back up instead of having to store that information in a spot in my mind. I think it also allows readers to really focus on things like character development, the emotions, and the plot because the world building isn’t so massive.

But my favorite thing about fantasy is the world building. To me, any story can be nested in fantasy. A romance, a mystery, an adventure, academia. Anything. Fantasy, to me, is all about the world and the unexplained. It’s the strange worlds, the strange creatures, the magic, the weird. While low fantasy can certainly have all of that, I just happen to have a greater appreciation for those authors who build worlds from the ground up. I’ve been writing fantasy worlds since I was 10 (technically 8, but that was co-written), so I understand what a massive undertaking it is and just how much work goes into creating a working world. So that’s a big part of the reason why I love high fantasy.

I also just love the idea of stepping into the unknown. I love discovering something new, and high fantasy usually gives me that more than low fantasy. I love the feeling of feeling completely lost in a new world, because, very often, as I keep going, it suddenly starts to make sense and that’s just the most incredible feeling to me. I think that’s why I loved The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick so much. It was sometimes overwhelming, but, halfway through, things just started clicking, and nothing can take that excitement and sheer joy from me. It’s what makes high fantasy so incredible to me.

Then there’s just the sense of being swept off my feet into an extraordinary adventure, whether it takes me out into the wider world or confines me to a specific location. I find there’s something exciting about maybe finding a familiar story nested in a unique world or finding the adventure of a lifetime in a place I never thought could exist. I love how things can be bent and broken and somehow make sense. I do not like when things bend and break for the sake of the story, but, when it just works, it feels like magic all on its own.

And, at nearly 40 years old, I still find myself waiting to come into my powers or finding a portal that will take me elsewhere, so I consider high fantasy to be an acceptable way of doing what I’ve always dreamed of.

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
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Fantasy with Friends: Underrated Fantasy Books

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

What is an underrated fantasy book you would recommend?

Considering I tend to read off the beaten path, most of the fantasy I’ve read is probably underrated. I’ve been reading fantasy for over 20 years, so probably a lot of the books I read back when I was a teen? It’s kind of amazing to see how fantasy has evolved since the 80s and 90s.

One of the early fantasy series I read has always felt like one of the more underrated of the author’s series. Readers tend to think of the Alanna when Tamora Pierce is mentioned, which I enjoyed as long as I read the first and last books. But I adored her Circle of Magic quartet, even to this day. My copies are probably close to falling apart, but I can’t bear to part with them. While I’m pretty sure Lark and Rosethorn, the two women caring for four orphaned and abandoned children with particular magics, were lesbians, there’s no focus on romance, which makes sense since these were written for children! Instead, it focused on the friendship between these four very different kids from different walks of life and the siblinghood they formed.

Jumping forward a bit, well, it’s probably most of the books I read. When I was in high school, there was no Goodreads and I definitely hadn’t even heard of Amazon yet. I didn’t even really start using the Internet until college in the early 2000s, so I literally had no clue what books were out there unless they were stocked in the bookstore and library. There were no reviews to peruse, and none of my peers were reading adult fantasy (some years ago, I did share the books that were popular when I was in high school…that I mostly didn’t read). My favorite turned out to be the The Watershed trilogy by Douglas Niles. Today, I don’t actually remember a whole lot, but it felt like quintessential fantasy. There were dark lands and evil beings and magical waters. There was romance and friendship. There were adventures and danger. I loved these books. They were so much fun to read. I remember the story and world building being relatively easy to follow, so, if you’re looking for old underrated fantasy, this series might be fun.

I ended up taking a long break from reading fantasy between college and when I became a mom for the second time, basically when I started book blogging. I had grown dissatisfied with fantasy and nothing was really piquing my interest. But, thanks to book blogging, I’ve enjoyed so many different kinds of fantasy books, from indie authors to traditionally published books.

I can’t fail to mention two fantasy authors I absolutely love (and, no, it’s not just because I’ve been a faithful reader of their blogs and have been following their author journeys for years!).

Jennifer M. Zeiger’s Hidden Mythics series only has two books so far, but she’s hard at work on the third. They’re perfect for YA and adult readers, with friendship and romance and family drama. But it’s the world building that gets me every single time. I’m in complete awe of how beautiful it is and how it manages to transport me. I normally see the settings in vivid color no matter what book I read, but these make me feel like I’m literally standing there with the characters. The attention to detail is incredible, and I always think these books are worthy of being traditionally published.

Lucia Damisa’s A Desert of Bleeding Sand series gets me in the heart every time. The third book is due to be published soon, and I am on pins and needles after the way the second book ended. I have a soft spot for African-inspired fantasy, and these books absolutely live up to every expectation. The romance is gorgeous, and yet these aren’t romantasy novels. There’s danger and war and enemies infiltrating. There’s friendship and family and loss. There are tenuous ties that are tested at every turn. These characters are stunning. And, yes, I know I mentioned Lucia’s books last time with the religion question, but, like Jennifer’s books, I’ll take every opportunity to mention them.

Other than those, I would have to say the Captain Kit Brightling books by Chloe Neill, especially for readers who enjoy Napoleonic and regency era books. Considering this series was basically canceled after 2 books, I’d say they definitely weren’t popular. And yet I had so much fun with them. They were exactly the light kind of reads I needed during the pandemic. These books are light, fluffy fantasy, blending RJ Barker’s The Bone Ships series and Jane Austen’s novels, a really fun blend that spoke to my fantasy and classics loving heart.

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
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Fantasy with Friends: Religion in Fantasy

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

What are some interesting portrayals of religion in fantasy? Do you like seeing invented religions, or do you prefer fantasy worlds to have none?

Religion and I had a falling out about 25 years ago. Despite being raised at a Lutheran school and attending a Catholic church on the big holidays, my family wasn’t particularly religious. So I’ve always been able to think rather flexibly about religions. Having an interest in Greek mythology, and even more ancient pantheons, helped, too. Religion has always felt more like a series of stories to me, especially since I can never quite decide if I believe in reincarnation or just, poof, zapping out of existence upon death. To me, religion has always been less a way of life and more of a desire to figure out what comes after death.

Anyways. I love invented religions in fantasy novels, when I do notice them. Honestly, I don’t pay much attention to whether there’s religion in the books I read. Most of the time, I can see the parallels to the religions we all know. Some of them are thinly veiled Christianity, and that doesn’t always work out well (like The Mystery of Lancelot Kingdom by Andre Alexander. It was just Christianity under different names, and it didn’t really work well with the fantasy story). Really, I could take or leave religion in fantasy. I don’t need it, but it’s fun to see what spins an author takes on religion. If a book doesn’t have one, I never feel like I’m missing out. I’m an atheist, so religion is just a fun bit of world building to me. Otherwise I don’t pay much attention to it. I’m assuming since so many of the books I’ve read have had gods interfering there must be some kind of organized religion around them, but I really don’t pay attention to it.

But I have to take a moment to talk about Lucia Damisa’s A Desert of Bleeding Sand series. I’ve been a faithful follower of her blog since before she wrote these books, and it’s so wonderful to be able to read them now. I know she’s Christian in the most beautiful way, and I love seeing how it translates into her novels. While it’s written under the guise of a fictional religion with a fictional god, it’s easy to see the references. I love how neatly Christianity, under a different yet similar name, slots into her world. It’s woven in so perfectly that I can see the inspiration, the pure faith, and still see her books as a fantastic fantasy world with its own religion. I feel like I’m explaining this poorly, because it’s really so masterfully done.

In answer to the question, I don’t really care if there’s religion in a fantasy novel. If there is, I hope it makes sense. If not, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
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Fantasy with Friends: Magical Schools.

This week's theme is magic schools, and I discuss a bit how it's hard to get away from the magical Scottish castle in the room when it comes to that... but how there are definitely alternative models.

https://breathesbooks.com/2026/03/02/fantasy-with-friends-magical-schools/

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