Rosamund Hodge’s Fairy-Tale Worlds are Dark and Twisted (And You Have to Visit Them)
I approach all fairy tale retellings with a large amount of trepidation. I love the classic tales, and I love gritty retellings, so I get really excited when an author takes a crack at rewriting a childhood favorite. But not all of these novels leave me satisfied. They either don’t push the envelope enough, or try so hard to be edgy the story suffers. A good fairy tale should be magical, a bit bittersweet, somewhat bizarre, and, above all, dangerous. These are worlds where monsters roam, logic doesn’t always apply, and true love is the only thing that can hold off impending darkness. It’s really hard to find an author who can strike a balance between all of these requirements.
Luckily, Rosamund Hodge likes a challenge.
Fans of nontraditional, gritty fairy tale reboots absolutely must give Hodge a read. She’s a powerful storyteller who can weave incredible complexities and nuances into the tales we all know and love. Here’s why you need to add her books to your fairy-tale collection.
Gilded Ashes: A Cruel Beauty Novella
eBook $3.99
Gilded Ashes: A Cruel Beauty Novella
In Stock Online
eBook $3.99
Hodge has a pretty dark take on your favorite tales
A lot of authors have attempted to write edgy retellings of fairy tales, but few really commit to it like Hodge does. She creates worlds in which her characters are constantly under the threat of supernatural violence, where getting your hands cut off or getting possessed by demons is just another Monday. It’s a very scary environment, which probably explains why her characters are so badass. You have to be tough to live in Hodge’s world, which means her heroes are willing to get their hands dirty for the greater good. They’re like warrior versions of the fairy tale characters you grew up with. Plus, you’ll never look at Cinderella’s fairy godmother the same way again.
Her heroines are nothing like the princesses you grew up with
Growing up, I loved fairy tales but had a hard time identifying with any particular princess. Disney’s reboots helped a bit, particularly with bookworm Belle, but for the most part I couldn’t find a ton of female protagonists I had much in common with. They were often plucky enough, but so faultless and cloyingly sweet it was hard to relate. Hodge’s heroines are far from the pure, innocent princesses of yore. They’re feisty and witty, but also cruel, violent, and deeply flawed. In other words, they’re fully human, and rather than repressing these negative traits, they acknowledge them, but try to be defined by more. They also look for a love who accepts all of them, not just the kind and pretty parts. Now THAT’S a princess I can get behind.
Hodge has a pretty dark take on your favorite tales
A lot of authors have attempted to write edgy retellings of fairy tales, but few really commit to it like Hodge does. She creates worlds in which her characters are constantly under the threat of supernatural violence, where getting your hands cut off or getting possessed by demons is just another Monday. It’s a very scary environment, which probably explains why her characters are so badass. You have to be tough to live in Hodge’s world, which means her heroes are willing to get their hands dirty for the greater good. They’re like warrior versions of the fairy tale characters you grew up with. Plus, you’ll never look at Cinderella’s fairy godmother the same way again.
Her heroines are nothing like the princesses you grew up with
Growing up, I loved fairy tales but had a hard time identifying with any particular princess. Disney’s reboots helped a bit, particularly with bookworm Belle, but for the most part I couldn’t find a ton of female protagonists I had much in common with. They were often plucky enough, but so faultless and cloyingly sweet it was hard to relate. Hodge’s heroines are far from the pure, innocent princesses of yore. They’re feisty and witty, but also cruel, violent, and deeply flawed. In other words, they’re fully human, and rather than repressing these negative traits, they acknowledge them, but try to be defined by more. They also look for a love who accepts all of them, not just the kind and pretty parts. Now THAT’S a princess I can get behind.
I love a good villain, the darker and more complex the better. Hodge prefers her baddies to be of the demonic variety, and I have no problem with that. Her villains are either anti-heroes (like the Gentle Lord or Erec), misguided souls (like Maia’s mother), or just plain terrifying agents of darkness (the Devourer and the Children of Typhon). When it comes to really trying to scare the pants off of someone, you can’t beat demons. And Hodge makes sure that her particular brand of demons aren’t rated-G. They’re terrifying, powerful, and even seductive at times. In particular, her description of NAME in Crimson Bound are mind-blowingly scary.
Her relationships are pretty sexy
I am deeply, deeply in love with both the Gentle Lord and Erec. Hodge’s male heros (and anti-heroes) are charming, funny, and bloodthirsty, just the way I like my men. And their relationships with Nyx and Maia, respectively, are red hot. For two couples who stay chaste for at least the first half of the book, the sexual tension between them was enough to make a reader blush. Their love is fiery, partly because their passion stems from the heroine’s desire to kill her lover (and I mean that literally). These are definitely NOT your traditional fairy-tale romances.