As a child, I loved all fairy tales, The Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, etc.  Now, as an adult,  I'm looking for another  kind of fairy tale,......... something sexy and scary!  Any suggestions?

Have you tried any of  Gregory Maguire books?  He wrote "Wicked."  Most of his books are based on fairy tales and/or stories that we know and love but told from a different perspective.

Maybe I can help!

I have read some books BASED on a Fairy Tales: The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier- Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, and Child of the Prophecy. Daughter of the Forest is one of the greatest books I have ever read by far.

I'm not entirely sure this is a Fairy Tale per se, but it is a wonderful ancient myth. Make sure you get the Robert Graves translation of this book because it is incredible (and hilarious!): The Golden Ass : The Transformations of Lucius

Also, in my opinion a MUST read (this particular translation-- it is translated by a native speaker and is very modern. I absolutely loved it!!): The Arabian Nights and The Arabian Nights II: Sindbad and Other Popular Stories

This book is based on a smaller story in The Golden Ass, but a more modern retelling: Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold :: C.S. Lewis

Try Charles DeLint.

A good one is Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty trilogy. It is considered erotica.

Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling edited a series of short-story collections for adult readers based on fairy tales. The first book in the series is Snow White Blood Red. If you'll read the book description, it sounds just like what you're looking for!

Windling also edited The Armless Maiden And Other Tales for Childhood's Survivors, an anthology collecting stories from different writers. Each has a fairy-tale theme, and each focuses on child abuse and what children must do to survive. This is the best collection of stories I've ever read, period. I believe the book is out-of-print, but you may be able to find a used copy.

I'd recommend Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire.  It's a retelling of the Cinderella story but from the stepsister's perspective.

 Charles DeLint writes terrific "urban fantasy" that deals with magic, and people and ceatures with magic powers, in the contemporary world. You can find more recommend books and authors on the "fantasy" thread under genres, in the forums.

  You may also like the "paranormal romance" genre, which usually deals with moden-day vampires. There is a woman author out now who is extremely popular , Laurell Hamilton, I think.

I would recommend the books by Laurell K. Hamilton, although I've found that they started to get stale for me.  That might be because I discovered Charlaine Harris' vampire books (based in Louisiana), and Kelley Armstrong's books, which I find to be much more enjoyable.

Then there is Beauty, by Sheri S. Tepper, which gives an interesting twist to a lot of fairy tales, wrapping them altogether into a single book.  It isn't her best book (IMO), but I think it's right up there with what you were looking for.  If you decide to read Beauty and like her writing style, I would recommend Six Moon Dance, which is one of my favorites that she's written.

Finally, Faerie Tale, by Raymond E. Feist.  It has been just long enough since I last read it that I can't give specifics on it, but I loved it, and think it might be something you'd enjoy.

As others have said, Gregory Maguire has done some great things regarding fairy tale-based books.  Personally, I liked Mirror, Mirror the best, but I am intrigued by the story of the Bathories, and enjoy any fictional accounting of their lives.  (Along those line, The Blood Countess is an excellent interpretation of the story of Madam Bathory).

Good luck!

 I was browsing Barnes & Noble today and saw this book titled

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy:

In the winter of 1943, on the outskirts of a dark forest, two Jewish children flee the Nazis with their father and stepmother. In a moment of desperation, the children are given the aliases Hansel and Gretel and sent alone into the woods to hide. Gretel leads her younger brother in search of food and protection, while Hansel leaves a trail of breadcrumbs behind so that their father might find them again. So begins The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, which takes us along on their journey into a forest more ancient than man. In a landscape populated by exotic beasts, refugees, and revolutionaries, the two children embark upon a new life as Christian orphans, protected by a woman who is called Magda the witch and whose tiny hut is heated by an enormous baker's oven.

Jack the Giant-Killer and its sequel Drink Down the Moon by Charles DeLint.

I just finished Enchantment by Orson Scott Card, which is a Russian fairy tale with a modern twist, and designed for adults, not kids.  I really enjoyed it. 

If you're looking for something very "sexy", try the Beauty series by A.N. Roquelaure aka Anne Rice, starting with The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty.  Note that this is most definately not for children, as it is erotic and deals with very adult themes, including bondage and sexual slavery.  It is done tastefully just ... be aware of what you are requesting :-)

Cheers,

Catt

I haven't had a chance to read this yet, but I have it on my TBR pile:  Snow White by Donald Barthelme. 

I recommend Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, and Tanith Lee's Red as Blood, if you can find a copy.

You might like The Book of Lost Things.  Also, wanted to say that the name of the Garcia Marquez book is actually One Hundred Years of Solitude, if you try to look that one up.  :)

There are much better erotic fairy tales then the trilogy by Anne Rice. I thought it was horrid. If you are looking for erotica, I can suggest plenty of other places to look.

I will be finishing the Sleeping Beauty triology soon, and I love the books, i guess it depends on ones tatse in erotica, it wasn't too extreme for me.