A Fairy Tale Book Tag

This tag comes from Books Real When Shared. It's been a while since I've done a book tag centered around fairy tales, but here you go!

Rapunzel – A long book you gave five stars (over 450 pages)

This book clocks in at 573 pages, but when you read it, you can't feel the page count. It's a fast-paced, emotional, visceral, and haunting book with high tension. This book ended up being my first 5-star read of 2025, and it's certainly deserving of that score.

The Little Mermaid – A book that took your breath away

This novella is an Arthurian tale with gorgeous myths and queerness galore. It's a really good book and I recommend it highly.

Swan Lake – A book with the theme of sacrifice

I just could not think of any recent fiction that I've read that dealt with this, and to be honest, this is the most obvious choice I could think of (and, like, the only one!). If you are a Christian, a major motif of the faith is the suffering of Jesus when he was crucified.

Rumpelstiltskin – A book that changed you

My mom got this book for me when I was suffering from early bipolar depression and heartache over the loss of (and destruction of) my first relationship. Although I can't remember anything about this book now, I know that it really helped me when I read it back then.

Cinderella – A book with a self-sufficient character (but not snobby)

The Guinevere of the Camelot Rising series does a ton of stuff on her own, even though she has the attentions of Arthur and Mordred. I like that she's constantly doing knot magic to protect the castle--she's always doing something.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses – A long series you love (or) a book with a lot of characters

Heaven Official's Blessing is not only a long series (8 books!) but it also has a bajillion characters in it, from humans to gods to demons and ghosts. I still haven't finished this series yet, but what I've read I've absolutely loved. I want to write like MXTX very badly!

Sleeping Beauty – A book with a slow plot

It was a YA fantasy novel where nothing happened for approximately 50% of the book except exposition, and then at about the halfway mark a portal opened and there were griffins and griffin riders. That's all I remember because I DNF'd it.

Mulan – A book with a lot of action

I couldn't think of any novels I've read that had a ton of action in it, so my brain switch flipped to manga. And this is the craziest, most horrific and violent and weird manga I've ever read. There is a ton of action in it as the characters are tasked with killing bizarre aliens that have made their way to Japan. It's one of those stories where you have to just check yourself at the door and read it for the sake of reading.

Aladdin – A book that transported you to a whole new world

I really enjoyed the wondrous fantasy world known as Fillory. It's very Narnia-esque but also filled with danger and creatures from folklore.

Alice in Wonderland – A frabjous book with a great cast of side characters

I don't know if I'd call this book frabjous because it's more haunting and eerie. There's a lot of music and music references in here, and it's the lead's band members and friends who make a memorable cast of characters.

Wild Card – Your favorite fairy-tale retelling couple

I really like Prince Rhen and Harper. They got off to a dubious start (Harper was kidnapped and brought to Rhen's castle) but their relationship really bloomed into something special.