The original Goose Girl fairytale is about a young woman caught between two worlds. A princess unwittingly swaps places with a maid and is forced to live as a servant, guarding the geese of the castle. Intisar Khhanani's retelling features an evil sorceress rather than a wily maid, who takes away Alyrra's identity and interrupts her marriage to Prince Kestrin. Alyrra works as a goose girl, and as she gets to know Kestrin without the trappings of her royal identity, she realizes she must take back her identity in order to save him, and the kingdom, from the evil sorceress. A satisfying retelling with Islamic culture and traditions seamlessly woven throughout the story.
The legendary myths of King Arthur might not be considered traditional fairytales, but magical quests land them in the same category for me. This retelling of the famous Excalibur legend takes place in outer space. Ari is deemed the next incarnation of King Arthur after crashing to earth and pulling a sword from the stone. Soon, she meets Merlin and they embark on a quest to take down not a mythical creature but an evil and oppressive government. And a curse, for good measure.