Fairy Tales were originally morality tales for adults. There seems to be a revival of fairy tales coming to the big screen or on stage lately. Just last year there were the movies Maleficent and Into the Woods. Cinderella is this year’s golden girl and the following novels just add to her walk of fame.
I was introduced to Gregory Maguire through his novel, Wicked. His Confessions of an Ugly Step-sister continues his rewriting
of classical children’s stories through the eyes of the villains. Iris
is not exactly a villain in the classical sense, just like all of
Maguire’s characters. You get to understand and sympathize with these
characters. Iris is the plain younger daughter of Margarethe Fisher.
She has to take care of her mentally challenged older sister Ruth and
her stepsister Clara. Is there a happily ever after for any of these
girls? Well, read the book to find out. 
A vampire and a blonde walk into a bar…I know this sound like the start of a joke; but it is just one of the plot points to the wonder fantasy novel, Charming by Elliot James. John Charming is not your average prince.
After all, most princes are not tending bar in the back woods of rural
Virginia. John comes from a long lineage of dragon slayers, witch
finders and killers dating back to the fall of the Roman Empire. Elliot
has a winner in this start of the Prince Charming series that are
packed with adventure, humour and plenty of plot twists to keep the
reader on the edge of their seats. 
Nancy Madore reimagines classic fairy tales in Enchanted : erotic bedtime stories for women. These thirteen tales
reminded me of Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty trilogy. They are guaranteed
to sizzle and titillate. Madore states in her foreword “It is my
belief that to empower women sexually (or in any other part of their
life, for that matter) we need to stop trying to control or change
them….We need to feel safe being sexual without the fear of being
exploited, changed, categorized, punished, shamed or degraded”. Some of
her stories tackle self-image head on (“Mirror on the Wall” and “The
Ugly Duckling”). Madore’s Cinderella faces the challenge of keeping her
love life “hot and sexy”. If you like this novel you might consider
the others in the trilogy. 
A more modern retelling of this tale is The Cinderella Rules by Donna Kauffman. Every little girl gets a bit
brainwashed by fairy tales and the myth of happily ever after. The
three fairy godmothers of Glass Slippers, Inc. guarantee they can bring
out the princess in any woman. With Darby Landon they have their work
cut out for them. Darby is more comfortable in jeans and cowboy boots
while working on her Montana Ranch. But her father’s business deal
needs to turn her into a princess – fast. This modern day Cinderella
ends up with two princes to choose from and she is determined to stay
dancing way past midnight! May you have your own happily ever after!
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