Shonna Slayton Books in Order
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Fairy-tale Inheritance Series in Order
What is the reading order for the Fairy-tale Inheritance Series? You would think with such a simple question, there would be a simple answer! But, with all fairy tales…not everything is as it seems.
The shortest answer is that aside from the Cinderella books, they are all standalones that you can read in any order.
The Cinderella books go together. I wrote Cinderella’s Dress first, then the conclusion to the duology, Cinderella’s Shoes. Followed by the prequel novella Cinderella’s Legacy to answer some reader questions in a retelling of Cinderella.
If you want a suggested order, here are four different ways to read the Fairy-tale Inheritance Series novels based on what kind of reader you are.
What kind of reader are you?
1. Do you read like a Librarian? Then read the Fairy-tale Inheritance Series in order of publication:
1. Cinderella's Dress
2. Cinderella's Shoes
3. Snow White's Mirror
3a. Cinderella's Legacy (novella)
4. Beauty's Rose
5. Sleeping Beauty's Spindle
6. The Little Mermaid's Voice
2. Do you read like a Historian? Then read the Fairy-tale Inheritance Series in order of historical time period:
1. Late 1800s - Sleeping Beauty's Spindle
2. 1902 - Snow White's Mirror
3. 1912 - The Little Mermaid's Voice
4. 1940s - Cinderella's Dress
5. 1940s - Cinderella's Shoes
5a. Once Upon a Time - Cinderella's Legacy
6. 1986 - Beauty's Rose
3. Do you read like a Fairy Tale Fan? Then read the Fairy-tale Inheritance Series in order of your favorite fairy tale:
You chose the order, but keep the Cinderella books together, with DRESS first, then SHOES and then LEGACY.
Note: Cinderella’s Legacy is a prequel novel in terms of time. You could read it first, but then you’d know all the spoilers for DRESS and SHOES. It’s all up to you!
4. Do you read like a Purist? Then read the Fairy-tale Inheritance Series in order of original publication
Before the books were pulled together into a series, they came out as separate books with a traditional publisher. I’ve since gotten my rights back and added more books to the series.
1. Cinderella's Dress (2014)
2. Cinderella's Shoes (2015)
3. Sleeping Beauty's Spindle (Originally named Spindle, 2016)
4. Snow White's Mirror (2018)
4a. Cinderella's Legacy (novella, 2019)
5. Beauty's Rose (2019)
6. The Little Mermaid's Voice (2021)
So what kind of reader are you? In which order are you going to read the Fairy-tale Inheritance books?
Other Shonna Slayton books
Even when writing standalones, I like to group books into series based on common elements. Creating a series leaves an opening for similar books as I write them.
River Kelpie Series
I’ll update this three book series as the titles are revealed in 2025. The kelpie books started with Book 1: Rise of the Kelpies. But as I was writing the second book, I realized I needed more details about the Kelpie Wars in the past and then wrote the prequel set about 18 years earlier. The prequel is currently in edits, and I’m over halfway through the first draft of book 2.
Prequel (2025)
Book 1: Rise of the Kelpies
Book 2 (2025)
Lost Fairy Tales Series
So far, there is only one book in this series. The second book was going to be based on a river princess, but the idea ballooned into a three book series (see above: River Kelpie Series). So the style and tone of The Tower Princess (medieval fantasy) is closer to the River Kelpie books than to the Inheritance books (historical fantasy).
Historical Women Series
Alas, this series also only has one book so far. The story was so fascinating that I had to stop and create a novel around the real-life historical accounts of these two daring reporters racing time and each other around the world in the late 1800s.
Liz and Nellie: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland Race Around the World in Eighty Days
No matter which book you plan to start with, if you read in ebook or audiobook formats, consider buying directly from my bookshop here. You’ll not only get the best bundled prices, but you’ll also get the bonuses included with the ebooks (extra epilogues or alternate POV chapters and artwork.)
Happy reading!
-Shonna