3 Fairytale Retellings Perfect for Kindle Unlimited: The Beyond the Four Kingdoms Series

Dear friends and fae, 

I may be new to this corner of the kingdom, but fairytales have long been a place I’ve called home. My name is Fifi, unofficial royal librarian for Gilded Coach Teas, resident fairytale lover, and someone who has read quite literally hundreds of fairytale retellings over the years. If you’ve found your way to this corner of the kingdom, I’m sure you can also agree, there is something magical about fairytales. The princes and princesses, the castles, the grand kingdoms, the promise of happily ever after.

Our resident lead fairy godmother Marissa has kindly invited me to the fairytale land of Gilded Coach Teas (it was quite the journey across the enchanted forest to arrive, I must say!) to share some of my favorite fairytale retellings. 

I hope to make the carriage journey to this little corner of the kingdom every few months, with more stories in hand, for the fairytales scattered across these lands are truly endless. Many new ones find their way into our world each year, quietly making their way through the kingdoms, many still undiscovered by most. The goal of this book club is to spread the word of these fantastic stories, written by fairytale lovers for fairytale lovers. 

If you too are longing to wander into far off kingdoms and happily ever afters through the pages of a book but aren’t quite sure which path to follow, consider this your invitation. This book club was made for you.

And, of course, each of these stories pair perfectly with a warm cup of your favorite Gilded Coach Tea.

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For this inaugural post, I’ve decided to make this first theme my overall recommendations for peak fairytale immersion. Think of this as a starter kit for those who love fairytales, want to read more of them, but don’t know where to start. Plus, a recommendation of the perfect Gilded Coach Tea to pair with it! Also, did I mention that every single one of these books are on Kindle Unlimited? 

 

A Dance of Silver and Shadows (Beyond The Four Kingdoms) by Melanie Cellier 

For those who want to read about: 

Princesses from various kingdoms who work together to break a curse, discovery of a new set of kingdoms across the sea, golden retriever prince, Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling 

When Princess Liliana and her twin sister set sail for new lands, she hopes to find adventure and romance. But the people of Marin live under the shadow of a curse—one powerful enough to destroy entire kingdoms. To protect them all, Lily and eleven other princesses are forced to participate in a mysterious and secret tournament.

Lily spends her nights competing in a magical underground realm and her days unraveling the dangers of this new court. Although she needs the help of the Marinese prince, Lily knows she can’t let herself grow too close to him. There’s no time for romance when the duchy is about to fall to the encroaching darkness and the winner of the tournament faces a terrible fate.

But Lily and her twin have a secret advantage. And Lily grows increasingly determined to use their magical bond to defeat the tournament, save the princesses, and free Marin. Except she might have to sacrifice true love to do it.

Pair this with: Happily Ever After 

If you take just one recommendation from this royal book club, let it be Melanie Cellier’s Four Kingdoms series. She is not only my favorite author, her Four Kingdoms series are my absolute favorite books of all time. In fact, her Four Kingdoms books are what put fairytales on the map almost 15 years ago now. With the popularity of her fairytale retellings, other authors started writing them too, and that is how this massive indie published fairytale author community that we have today has sprouted. 

Melanie was the blueprint and because of her books, I quite literally never run out of new fairytales to read each year. I now have a huge rotation of fairytale authors to follow, and they’re almost ALWAYS on Kindle Unlimited! 

The Four Kingdoms series itself is broken into 5 parts and consists of over 15 books so it is no small feat to start from the beginning, but if you have time, I highly recommend starting from book one, which is The Princess Companion. But, these books are all standalones. So, if you want to skip right to what I deem are the best books in the series, skip to A Dance of Silver and Shadows, which is the first book of the “Beyond The Four Kingdoms” portion of the overarching Four Kingdoms series. 

In Beyond the Four Kingdoms (which is book 6 in the overarching Four Kingdoms series) twin princesses Lily and Sophie from Arcadia are now grown and are off on their own adventure to a new series of kingdoms discovered across the sea. When they arrive at the Duchy of Marin, they find themselves caught in a curse, where they are forced to compete in the malicious Princess Tourney for the hand of the beastly Prince Dominic. In between the deadly trials they are forced to compete in, you get to meet the other princesses of these new lands, alongside the very sweet Prince Jon who latches onto Princess Lily instantly.  

I cannot recommend these books and these characters enough. And this book is the perfect precursor to the other 4 proceeding Beyond the Four Kingdoms books, where the other princesses get their happily ever afters too. 

 

A Tale of Beauty and Beast (Beyond The Four Kingdoms) by Melanie Cellier 

For those who want to read about: prince who’s harsh and intimidating to everyone except to the princess he loves, barren kingdom under a curse, magical items, Beauty and the Beast retelling 

Princess Sophia has helped her twin sister Lily save the duchy of Marin. But now Sophie faces an even greater threat when she sets out to free the cursed kingdom of Palinar from its beastly prince. Alone, and with danger on every side, Sophie must navigate a magical castle and its even more mysterious master to discover the secret to breaking the curse.

Except the more time she spends with Prince Dominic, the more she starts to question who exactly she's supposed to be saving. With time running out for the trapped inhabitants, and the reappearance of an old enemy, Sophie may have to choose between saving the kingdom and following her heart.

 

Pair this with: La Belle

I did not initially want to put multiple books of the same series on here, to avoid being repetitive. But I simply couldn’t help it, as this royal recommendation is intended to consist of my favorite, most immersive fairytales. So of course, I have to follow up with Princess Sophie’s story, which takes place right after A Dance of Silver and Shadows. Also, if you do read Dance of Silver and Shadows and read that last page, you CANNOT TELL ME you don’t want to instantly pick this one up next. 

Lily and Sophie are kind of a package deal throughout this series, and so are their stories. While technically a standalone, this book also closes out Prince Jon and Princess Lily’s story in a way, too. 

Like its prince, Palinar is a creepy kingdom, completely abandoned from its mysterious curse and spreading darkness. No one dares step foot within its borders, except Princess Sophie of course, who intends to break the curse and tame the beast. One of the best beauty and the beast retellings out there. 

 

A Crown of Snow and Ice (Beyond The Four Kingdoms) by Melanie Cellier 

For those who want to read about: feisty princess who goes on a journey across snow and ice to save a kingdom, an unconventional kingdom that resides atop a mountain, Snow Queen retelling 

An unexpected gift from her godmother will give Celine enough fire to take on an entire kingdom of snow and ice. But first she needs to melt one frozen prince.

Rumors have long swirled about the strange kingdom of Eldon. The only thing more frozen than its mountains are the inhabitants themselves. But Princess Celine has never backed away from a challenge, so she eagerly accepts an invitation to visit.

Yet the situation in Eldon is even worse than Celine feared. And if the kingdom is to have any hope of freedom or a future, she’s going to have to call on new skills and new allies—including the crown prince, Oliver. But against an enemy stronger and colder than ice, all her fire may not be enough.

 

Pair this with: Gilded Lily

I know, I know. I couldn’t help it. The next recommendation is the direct sequel to A Tale of Beauty and Beast, book 3 of the Beyond the Four Kingdoms books. If it’s any consolation I really wanted to put the next Four Kingdoms installment (the Snow White retelling) as my fourth recommendation but I held myself back from that at least! 

I simply could not resist putting Princess Celine’s story on this list. It is by far one of the best books in all 15+ in this series. Of all of the other books that also consist of a long journey, this is absolutely the best one. Celine’s adventure is probably the most intense, which honestly is fitting for her personality. 

The icy Kingdom of Eldon is the most unique kingdom I’ve ever read in fairytales, ever. The castle itself is built into the side of a mountain, and the kingdom extends not below it but above it, rising upwards with the mountain. The people here must be in fantastic shape. They also travel within dark and claustrophobic tunnels built within the mountain, to get around when it becomes too cold to travel outdoors. It’s not exactly a bright and cheery kingdom, but Celine can tackle anything. She’s a riot and a fan favorite in these books. 

 

Thank you friends and fae, for joining me for this first edition of the fairytale book club. I hope you gathered some recommendations to add to your list, and don’t forget to pair it with your favorite Gilded Coach Tea. Until next time!