Cinderella Retellings with a Twist

Cinderella Retellings with a Twist

This article relates to Lady Tremaine

The most famous version of the Cinderella story is probably the one included in the Brothers Grimm's 1812 collection of fairy tales. But its roots as a folk tale go back far further, and stretch into many cultures. The ancient Greek story of Rhodopis tells of a king who finds a beautiful sandal and sends servants to search for the woman who wore it. The Chinese tale of Ye Xian, dating back to 860, includes many of the hallmarks of the Cinderella story, including the abusive stepmother and the shoe that only the protagonist fits.

Our fascination with this archetypal story continues into the present day, with a wave of modern Cinderella retellings. These days, authors tend to put their own twist on the classic tale. In Lady Tremaine, author Rachel Hochhauser centers the story on Cinderella's stepmother, making her a sympathetic and misunderstood character. Here are some other offbeat retellings:

We Kept Her in the Cellar by W.R. Gorman
Cinderella is a terrifying magical being who must be kept under lock and key by her family. When she escapes and uses her eldritch powers to seduce the prince, her stepsister must decide what lengths she'll go to to stop Cinderella's wave of chaos.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
In this sci-fi retelling, Earth is in the grips of a plague and being closely monitored by the ruthless residents of the moon. Cinder, a cyborg loathed by her stepfamily, forms a connection with a handsome prince—and gets caught up in intergalactic tensions.

Cinderella Is Dead by Kaylynn Bayron
This YA novel puts a dystopian twist on the Cinderella story. Two hundred years after Cinderella's ball, every girl in her town must recite her story daily. When they come of age, they are sent to the royal ball to find a husband. Those who don't, perish. But Sophia is in love with her female best friend. And when her turn at the ball takes a turn for the worse, she flees—and hides in Cinderella's tomb.

Thief Liar Lady by D.L. Soria
This Cinderella is not actually an abused stepchild transformed by a fairy godmother. Instead, she's a schemer and a striver working in cahoots with her stepfamily. Her tragic backstory was expertly plotted to transfix the prince. Her metamorphosis came from her own use of illegal magical spells. But political tensions, and a growing attraction to the wrong prince, threaten to ruin her meticulous plans.

Cinder House by Freya Marske
Ella is a literal ghost in this Gothic retelling, haunting her family's home. Each day at midnight, she is sent back to the staircase where she died. She makes a magical bargain for three nights in a body other people can see and touch. Ella does find her happy ending—but it's a queer, polyamorous one.

There's clearly no shortage of ways to adapt the Cinderella story, and it will be interesting to see how authors continue to rework the tale.

Filed under Books and Authors

This article relates to Lady Tremaine. It first ran in the March 25, 2026 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access become a member today.