Books like 'Hello, Cruel Heart'
Readers who enjoyed Hello, Cruel Heart by Maureen Johnson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy romance retellings historical-fiction teens friendship coming-of-age realistic children
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Mayluna by Kelley McNeil
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA legendary band, an iconic lead singer, and their mysterious connection to a woman whose love helped create the music of a generation. Timing is everything in a powerful novel about fate, regret, and moving on by the author of A Day Like This.In the 1990s, Carter Wills was the lead singer of the English alt-rock band Mayluna, securing his place among music legends... -
Kontesa Nera by Marija Jurić Zagorka
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsGrič spava dubokim snom, Mjesec je razastro srebrn plašt nad crkvene tornjeve, gradske kule, plemićke dvorove i kućice gričkih purgara. Ulice su zamrle, a željezni kapci na prozorima kao da su zakovani. Nigdje znaka budnog čovjeka. I lavež pasa je zamuknuo...Categorized as:
historical-fiction friendship romance historical classics fiction female-author fantasy -
Callie and the Pumpkin Seed: A Cinderella Retelling by Sarah Beran
Rated: 4.71 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsShe’s a baker struggling to support her stepfamily. He’s a prince running from the biggest decision of his life. Can their friendship result in something sweet, or is it a recipe for disaster?Calliope Cendrillon wants nothing more than for her bakery, “Sweet Pea’s Pumpkin Perfections,” to start turning a profit...Categorized as:
retellings children historical-fiction romance fantasy young-adult fiction fairy-tale -
The Hollow Crown by Jeff Wheeler
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsFollowing the downfall of a tyrant, years have passed in prosperity for the kingdom of Ceredigion. Now, as the time comes to celebrate the new king’s nuptials, the specter of a new enemy emerges to destroy all that has been painstakingly built in those years.Tryneowy Kiskaddon has grown up learning military and diplomatic strategy from her father, one of the king’s closest advisors...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction retellings action-adventure arthurian audiobook book epic -
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The Unseen by Irina Shapiro
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratings2014. When skeletal remains are discovered in a bathtub concealed in a secret chamber in a London mansion, Quinn’s only clue is a Fabergé necklace that may have belonged to the victim. As she delves into the life of Valentina, a young Russian refugee who came to live in the house after the Russian Revolution, she’s reminded once again that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. 1917... -
Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady by L.A. Meyer
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAfter being forced to leave HMS Dolphin and Jaimy, her true love, Jacky Faber is making a new start at the elite Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston. But growing up on the streets of London and fighting pirates never prepared Jacky for her toughest battle yet: learning how to be a fine lady. Everything she does is wrong...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction realistic teens 19th-century action-adventure -
The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsA kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction. A king gone missing. Who will survive? Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction teens action-adventure audiobook book -
Spectre of the Sword by Kathryn Le Veque
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA seasoned knight, a lady of royal blood with a price on her head, and a love that should have never been.... 1203 A.D. - The Lady Elizabeau Treveighan is the illegitimate daughter of Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany. Elizabeau was sent to foster at a very young age, her identity known only to a herself and the earl who fostered her...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction adult ancient-civilization audiobook book fiction historical -
A Prince Without a Kingdom by Timothée de Fombelle
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis was the only treasure that Vango was after: the secret of his life.Vango has been in danger for as long as he can remember. He has spent his life running along rooftops, fleeing to mysterious islands, and abandoning those he loves in order to protect them from the demons of his past. But Vango will not run for much longer... -
The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsOne war.Too many deadly battles.Can a king save his kingdom, when his own survival seems unlikely?War has come to Carthya. It knocks at every door and window in the land. And when Jaron learns that King Vargan of Avenia has kidnapped Imogen in a plot to bring Carthya to its knees, Jaron knows it is up to him to embark on a daring rescue mission. But everything that can go wrong does...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction teens action-adventure audiobook book -
Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsA legendary ghost ship. An incredible treasure. A death-defying adventure.Forty years ago, the airship Hyperion vanished with untold riches in its hold. Now, accompanied by heiress Kate de Vries and a mysterious gypsy, Matt Cruse is determined to recover the ship and its treasures...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction realistic teens action-adventure adaptations -
The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe life of a courtesan in Pompeii is glamorous yet perilous...Amara has escaped her life as a slave in the Wolf Den, the city’s most notorious brothel, but now her survival depends on the affections of her patron: a man she might not know as well as she once thought. At night in the home he bought for her, the house with the golden door, Amara’s dreams are haunted by her past... -
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 64 ratings"Let her prove herself worthy as a man." Newly knighted, Alanna of Trebond seeks adventure in the vast desert of Tortall. Captured by fierce desert dwellers, she is forced to prove herself in a duel to the death -- either she will be killed or she will be inducted into the tribe. Although she triumphs, dire challenges lie ahead...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction teens 20th-century action-adventure alpha-mc -
The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA newcomer to the tiny village of Tocurra befriends a young man whose deafness has left him isolated from his fellow villagers. Marnie and Raver learn to communicate through a series of hand gestures, but when a death shakes the village, their special, silent bond causes the two to fall under suspicion of witchcraft...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction realistic action-adventure book bullying -
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The Lioness and Her Knight by Gerald Morris
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsLuneta is tired of living in dull Orkney with her mother and father (who happens to be the most boring knight of King Arthur’s Round Table). She prides herself on always getting what she wants, so when the opportunity presents itself, she jumps at the chance to stay at a family friend’s castle near Camelot...Categorized as:
children friendship historical-fiction retellings action-adventure animals arthurian book -
Sweet Expectations by Mary Ellen Taylor
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsDaisy McCrae knows that change can be sudden—and devastating. And while it doesn’t have to be a bad thing, change has the power to turn your whole world upside down.... Running the family bakery and living in the store’s attic might not be Daisy’s dream life, but she’s beginning to understand what being content feels like. And then she gets some unexpected news... -
Anastasia by Sophie Lark
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAnastasia is the princess no one needs: the fourth daughter born to an emperor without a son, and the only royal lacking a magical gift.Until she collides with a young Cossack rebel, changing both their lives forever.Damien is taken from everything he knows and raised as a ward of the Romanovs.Anastasia develops a strange kind of magic shared only by the Black Monk Rasputin... -
The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAlong with Wit, Charm, Health, and Courage, Princess Amy of Phantasmorania receives a special fairy christening gift: Ordinariness. Unlike her six beautiful sisters, she has brown hair and freckles, and would rather have adventures than play the harp, embroider tapestries . . . or become a Queen... -
Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen, Bahija Fattuhi Lovejoy
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIn an ancient Arab nation, one woman dares to be different. Buran cannot—Buran will not—sit quietly at home and wait to be married to the man her father chooses. Determined to use her skills and earn a fortune, she instead disguises herself as a boy and travels by camel caravan to a distant city. There, she maintains her masculine disguise and establishes a successful business... -
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsShe was born with her eyes closed and a word on her tongue, a word she could not taste.Her name was Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s stories and learning the language of the birds, especially the swans...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction retellings teens 21st-century action-adventure -
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsBeing an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's BoyLife as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction realistic teens action-adventure alpha-mc -
Hand of Fire by Judith Starkston
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA legendary war, an invincible warrior, a woman forced to defend her family and realm--and her independent spirit. Will she become the captive or the captor?Briseis struggles to protect her city, an ally of Troy, from marauding Greeks and her husband's arrogant violence. She finds strength in visions of a handsome warrior god until he appears before her in flesh and blood... -
Enamored in Death: A Story of Thanatos and Makaria by Molly Tullis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPerfect for fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, Jennifer Saint’s Elektra, or Scarlett St. Clair's A Touch of Darkness, this story combines romance and Greek mythology in a twist of several famous myths.In the belly of the Underworld, Thanatos has reigned as the God of Death since time immemorial, disregarding his own fearsome reputation and the loneliness that comes with it... -
One for All: A Novel by Lillie Lainoff
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“There are no limits to the will—and the strength—of this unique female hero.” —Tamora Pierce, writer of the Song of the Lioness and the Protector of the Small quartetsOne for All is a gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, in which a girl with a chronic illness trains as a Musketeer and uncovers secrets, sisterhood, and self-love.Tania de Batz is most herself with a sword in her hand...Categorized as:
friendship historical-fiction retellings action-adventure audiobook book disability feminism -
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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom by A.C. Crispin
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTwenty-five-year-old Jack Sparrow is a clean-cut merchant seaman pursuing a legitimate career as a first mate for the East India Trading Company. He sometimes thinks back to his boyhood pirating days, but he doesn't miss Teague's scrutiny or the constant threat of the noose...Categorized as:
historical-fiction retellings action-adventure book female-author fiction historical nautical -
Verbannt ans Ende der Welt by Rainer M. Schröder
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEngland 1804: Abby Lynn ist gerade vierzehn Jahre alt, als sie an einem kalten Februarmorgen in den Straßen Londons in einen Taschendiebstahl verwickelt wird. Angeblich der Komplizenschaft überführt, verschwindet sie hinter den Mauern des berühmt-berüchtigten Gefängnisses von Newgate...Categorized as:
historical-fiction coming-of-age children romance historical young-adult fiction action-adventure -
The Moonlit Cage by Linda Holeman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDary�'s simple life in mid-nineteenth-century Afghanistan is torn apart when a hateful curse by a jealous tribeswoman leaves her an outcast in her small Muslim village...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book female-author fiction -
Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood by Anna Burke
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRobyn Hood didn’t set out to rob the rich, but in Nottingham, nothing ever goes according to plan....After a fateful hunting accident sends her on the run from the law, Robyn finds herself deep in the heart of Sherwood Forest... -
Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsWhen Petunia, the youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to exist...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction retellings teens action-adventure book -
Aphrodite the Beauty by Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsWell-researched and true to the original myths, each volume in the Goddess Girls series addresses contemporary issues like friendships and relationships from a classically accurate—and entertaining—persepective.In Aphrodite the Beauty, Aphrodite, goddessgirl of love, must deal with jealousy after giving Athena a makeover... -
Disney's Princess Storybook Collection: Love and Friendship Stories by Sarah E. Heller
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFollowing up the best-selling Disney's Storybook Collection, this new collection celebrates princesses and the joy and fun of friendship and romance... -
Il cuore di Derfel by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTorna l'attesa voce di Derfel Cadarn, il guerriero fattosi monaco, un tempo protetto di Merlino e paladino fedele di Artù, per accompagnarci lungo un nuovo capitolo delle sue memorie, che lo vede impegnato a lottare su due fronti ugualmente insidiosi: l'amore e la guerra... -
La spada perduta by Bernard Cornwell, Gaetano Luigi Staffilano
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings... -
The Stepmother by Caroline Lee
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBetween the witch and the rescue, the lost princess had two loving parents… This is their Happily Ever After. There’s a Guild of Godmothers in Everland, Wyoming, and they’re prepared to meddle. They can’t stand the thought of handsome, newly arrived Doctor Jack Carpenter raising his precious little daughter all by himself, and they’re determined to find him a suitable wife... -
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When Ash Falls by Rachel Van Dyken
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Rachel Van Dyken returns to regency romance with the last and final installment in The London Fairy Tales series...A regency retelling of Snow White and The Seven Dwarves.Ashton Wolfsbane, Earl of Grimm, has taken a vow of celibacy after blaming himself for his sister in laws death...Categorized as:
historical-fiction retellings adult book fairy-tale fiction historical industrial-era -
Across the Nightingale Floor, Episode 1: The Sword of the Warrior by Lian Hearn
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard." "The youth Takeo has been brought up in a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people who have taught him only the ways of peace...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction action-adventure book exploration fiction historical male-mc -
Sita's Sister by Kavita Kané
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of Karna's Wife, comes this book about Urmila, Sita's sister and the neglected wife of Lakshman, and one of the most overlooked characters in the Ramayana. As Sita prepares to go into exile, her younger sisters stay back at the doomed palace of Ayodhya, their smiles, hope and joy wiped away in a single stroke...Categorized as:
historical-fiction retellings adult book feminism fiction historical literary-fiction -
A Question of Magic by E.D. Baker
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSerafina was living the normal life of a village girl, when she gets a mysterious letter--her first letter ever, in fact--from a great aunt she's never heard of in another village. Little does 'Fina know, her great aunt is actually a Baba Yaga, a magical witch who lives in an even more magical cottage...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age retellings action-adventure book fairy-tale fiction historical -
On Fortune's Wheel by Cynthia Voigt
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThere are some who say that the Lady Fortune has a wheel, and all men are fixed upon it. The wheel turns, and the men rise, or fall, with the turning of the wheel...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age historical-fiction teens 20th-century action-adventure book classics -
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 83 ratingsAt birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally... -
By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsGiven the chance to train as a squire, kitchen servant Achan Cham hopes to pull himself out of his pitiful life and become a Kingsguard Knight. When Achan's owner learns of his training, he forces Achan to spar with the Crown Prince--more of a death sentence than an honor. Meanwhile, strange voices in Achan's head cause him to fear he's going mad...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction action-adventure book christian epic -
Hooked by Annette K. Larsen
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsShe’s free to fly if her past doesn’t catch up with her. But what if she’s ready to fall for him instead?Cecily doesn’t want to grow up—not if growing up means marrying. After escaping a life of abandonment and mistreatment, she refuses to put her life in the hands of a man ever again. She’s happily settled into her life as lady’s maid to Princess Marilee, and that’s where she intends to stay...Categorized as:
retellings historical-fiction coming-of-age romance fantasy fiction young-adult historical -
Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsThe year is 490 AD. Fiery 16-year-old Elaine of Ascolat, the daughter of one of King Arthur's supporters, lives with her father on Arthur's base camp, the sole girl in a militaristic world of men. Elaine's only girl companion is the mysterious Morgan, Arthur's older sister, but Elaine cannot tell Morgan her deepest secret: She is in love with Lancelot, Arthur's second-in-command...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction retellings action-adventure arthurian book -
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsHoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances--and potential marriages... -
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River Secrets by Shannon Hale
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsRazo has no idea why he was chosen to be a soldier.He can barely swing a sword, and his brothers are forever wrestling him to the ground. Razo is sure it's out of pity that his captain asks him to join an elite mission—escorting the ambassador into Tira, Bayern's great enemy.But when the Bayern arrive in the strange southern country, Razo discovers the first dead body...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction retellings teens action-adventure audiobook -
Dragon's Breath by E.D. Baker
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsEmma and Eadric have no sooner turned back into humans (from being frogs) than Emma's mother is in a panic, Aunt Grassina is distracted because she's found her true love turned into an otter, and Emma's magic is so out of control she sends herself to the dungeon by mistake...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship retellings teens action-adventure animals audiobook -
The Salamander Spell by E.D. Baker
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this prequel to the Tales of the Frog Princess, Grassina is a young princess-in-training. But as the younger sister to Princess Chartreuse, Grassina is not expected to do much beyond behave herself...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction retellings action-adventure animals audiobook -
Twice Upon a Time #3: Beauty and the Beast, the Only One Who Didn't Run Away by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWendy Mass tells the story of Beauty and the Beast, as never heard before!When you're stuck with the name Beauty, people expect a lot from you - like beauty and grace and courage and a sense of style... -
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 69 ratingsMiri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age friendship historical-fiction realistic retellings teens action-adventure -
So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAct Three, Scene OneBertie thinks her quest is almost done. With the help of Ariel and the rest of her friends, she has managed to find her father and rescue Nate from Sedna, the Sea Goddess. Now, all she has to do is reunite her father, the Scrimshander, with her mother, Ophelia, and she will finally have a true family of her own...
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