Liz Braswell is best known for young adult fantasy that reimagines beloved fairy tales and iconic Disney stories. In books like A Whole New World, she takes familiar characters and settings, then asks intriguing what-if questions that send the story in an entirely new direction.
If you enjoy Liz Braswell’s inventive retellings, layered villains, and fresh spins on classic tales, these authors are well worth adding to your reading list:
Jen Calonita writes lively retellings that will appeal to readers who love Liz Braswell’s playful approach to familiar stories. Her books often remix classic fairy tales with humor, fast-paced adventure, and characters who feel accessible and easy to root for.
A great place to start is Mirror, Mirror, which offers a fresh take on Snow White while weaving in friendship, betrayal, and plenty of suspense.
Serena Valentino is a strong choice for readers who enjoy retellings that dig into the darker side of well-known stories. Like Braswell, she revisits familiar Disney worlds, but her focus often falls on villain origin stories and the emotional wounds behind them.
Her book Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen gives the Wicked Queen greater depth, revealing the heartbreak, fear, and choices that shaped her into an iconic antagonist.
Marissa Meyer excels at reinventing classic tales in imaginative new settings. Her stories pair memorable characters with clever worldbuilding, making them a great fit for anyone who enjoys Liz Braswell’s talent for reshaping the familiar into something surprising.
Her novel Cinder, the opening installment of the Lunar Chronicles, transforms Cinderella into a futuristic sci-fi heroine with plenty of heart and grit.
Rosamund Hodge brings a darker, more gothic sensibility to fairy-tale retellings. Her novels are rich with emotion, moral complexity, and haunting atmosphere, making them ideal for readers who appreciate fantasy with a sharper edge.
Readers who like Braswell’s reimaginings may especially enjoy Cruel Beauty, a lush and unsettling take on Beauty and the Beast that blends romance, myth, and danger.
Naomi Novik combines the feel of old folklore with polished, immersive fantasy storytelling. While her work often leans more original than Braswell’s, she shares that same gift for taking familiar fairy-tale ideas and making them feel vivid, strange, and new.
Her book Uprooted is an excellent pick, mixing folklore, mystery, and magic into a spellbinding story with emotional weight.
Robin McKinley is a classic name in fairy-tale fantasy, known for retellings that feel graceful, character-driven, and quietly powerful. Her protagonists often resist expectations and grow into their own strength, which makes her a natural recommendation for fans of Braswell.
If you want to start with one of her best-known works, try McKinley’s Beauty, a thoughtful and enduring adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast."
Holly Black is best known for dark, seductive fantasy filled with danger, ambition, and hidden magic. Although her books are not always direct retellings, they share with Braswell’s work a fascination with familiar archetypes, complicated loyalties, and enchanted worlds with sharp edges.
Fans looking for something immersive and intense should try Black’s The Cruel Prince, a gripping story of faerie politics, betrayal, and a fiercely determined heroine.
Alex Flinn reimagines fairy tales in contemporary settings, bringing classic themes into the lives of modern teens. Her books are accessible, emotionally grounded, and often blend romance, personal growth, and a touch of magic.
If you enjoy Braswell’s updated takes on old stories, Flinn’s Beastly is a great next read, retelling a familiar tale in present-day New York City.
Jackson Pearce has a knack for taking recognizable fairy tales and giving them a darker, more action-driven spin. Her writing often emphasizes strong characters, tense atmosphere, and twists that make old stories feel newly urgent.
Fans of Braswell’s adventurous retellings may want to pick up Sisters Red, a gritty reinterpretation of "Little Red Riding Hood."
Meagan Spooner writes fantasy with vivid settings, emotional stakes, and a strong romantic thread. Her retellings are lush and dramatic, making them especially appealing to readers who enjoy the magic and momentum of Liz Braswell’s stories.
One of her standout novels is Hunted, a compelling reimagining of "Beauty and the Beast" with adventure, tension, and heart.
Soman Chainani is an excellent recommendation for readers who like fairy tales that question traditional ideas of heroes and villains. His stories are clever, imaginative, and often laced with humor, while also exploring friendship, ambition, and the blurred line between good and evil.
His series, beginning with The School for Good and Evil, follows two friends sent to a magical school where fairy-tale roles prove far less simple than they first appear.
Melissa Albert writes stories that feel like fairy tales seen through a darker, more contemporary lens. Her work balances mystery and fantasy with an eerie realism, which makes the magic feel all the more unsettling.
In The Hazel Wood, Albert draws readers into a world of sinister stories and creeping enchantment, where fairy-tale logic begins to invade ordinary life.
Katherine Arden is a wonderful pick for readers who love folklore-rich fantasy. Her novels are atmospheric and beautifully layered, with vivid settings and a deep connection to myth and oral tradition.
Her novel The Bear and the Nightingale transports readers to medieval Russia, where magic, winter spirits, and old beliefs shape a mesmerizing and unforgettable story.
Heather Walter offers the kind of bold reinterpretation that many Liz Braswell fans enjoy. She takes a well-known fairy tale and shifts the perspective, exploring identity, desire, morality, and the consequences of being cast as the villain.
Her novel Malice reimagines Sleeping Beauty in a way that feels both modern and sharply subversive, turning a familiar tale into something darker and more emotionally complex.
Evelyn Skye writes immersive fantasy with a strong sense of place, romantic tension, and high-stakes magic. While her work is less directly tied to fairy-tale retellings, readers who enjoy Braswell’s sweeping storytelling and imaginative premises may still find plenty to love.
In her debut novel, The Crown's Game, Skye sets a magical rivalry in imperial Russia, blending spectacle, emotion, and intrigue into a highly readable fantasy.
