Whether it was for school, work, or recreation, you’ve probably read one of literature’s classics at least once in your life. If you have enjoyed them or would like to read another version of them, here are 5 modern retellings of classics:
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
In 1926 there are two gangs that rule Shangai, the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers, who have had a feud for generations. Juliette Cai is the heir to the Scarlet Gang and Roma Montagov is the heir to the White Flowers. Based on their family history they should be enemies, and they are, but before that they were lovers. Now they must set their differences aside to figure out what is causing the sudden deaths of their people and save the city they both want to rule. This retelling of Romeo and Juliet is the first book in the These Violent Delights series. The second installment is expected to be out in November of this year.
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
In this retelling of Peter Pan, Wendy Darling is an 18-year-old going into college. Five years ago she and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but she was the only one found, with no memory of what had happened. Now the town’s children are going missing, and it seems similar to what might have happened to her brothers. In an attempt to escape her worries Wendy almost runs over a boy lying in the road. He introduces himself as Peter, a boy Wendy thought only existed in stories, and tells her they need to do something about the missing children or they will end up like her brothers. In order to save them, Wendy must face her past and venture into the woods.
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
Jamie Watson is the great-great-great-grandson of the recognized John Watson. He is being sent to Sherringford, a prep school in Connecticut also attended by Charlotte Holmes, a direct descendant of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. According to all books and movies about their relatives, they should be friends or at the very least acquaintances, but it doesn’t start that way. Everything changes when a student mysteriously dies at Sherringford and both of them are being framed for murder. Jamie and Charlotte have to join forces to clear their names and find out want is going on at their school. This is book one out of four in the Charlotte Holmes series.
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
Haitian-Dominican Zuri Benitez has pride. Pride in her family, her roots, and Brooklyn, her city. Her neighbourhood is rapidly being gentrified by rich people moving in and she can’t say she likes this change. When the wealthy Darcy family moves across the street from her Zuri isn’t happy and wants nothing to do with them, especially with one of their sons, the arrogant Darius. In this reimagining of Pride and Prejudice a young girl tries to find her place in her changing hometown.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
This sci-fi retelling of Cinderella takes place in New Beijing, where humans and androids are being affected by a deadly plague and are unaware they are being watched from space by the Lunar people. Cinder doesn’t have a clear understanding of her past or where she comes from, but for now she lives with her stepmother who blames her when one of her stepsister’s becomes sick. In a complicated turn of events, her life is suddenly entangled with Prince Kai and the Royal Palace. In between her work, her stepmother, and secrets unveiled about her past, Cinder might be the key to saving her world. This is the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series. The other books in the series are all based on different fairytales.