The Cursed Hunter — Bethany Atazadeh

For readers who love spellbinding fairytale retellings with unexpected twists like The Lunar Chronicles or A Curse So Dark and Lonely. A tough merchant's daughter meets a beast and gets more than she bargained for. This story can be read as a standalone or as part of The Stolen Kingdom series (reading order below). Nesrin Ahmadi needs a dragon's egg, no matter the cost. The money from its sale could cancel her family's enormous debt and keep them in the lavish lifestyle they're accustomed to. Only one problem. A dragon's egg is incredibly rare; and no one has ever found one fully intact before. After years of searching, she's about to give up, when creditors come to threaten her family. Climbing to heights she's never dared to go before, Nes risks everything to find an egg… …and finds a dragon instead. The Cursed Hunter is a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling. Set in a world that humans share with mermaids, dragons, and the elusive Jinn, this is not the fairytale you remember…  If you enjoy fantasy worlds, magical races, and surprising spins on classic fairy tales, then you'll love this enchanting retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  THE STOLEN KINGDOM SERIES READING ORDER: Book 1: The Stolen Kingdom: An Aladdin retelling (Arie's story)Book 2: The Jinni Key: A Little Mermaid retelling (Arie and Rena's story)Book 3: The Cursed Hunter: A Beauty and the Beast retelling (Nesrin's story)Book 4: The Enchanted Crown: A Sleeping Beauty retelling (Arie, Rena, and Nesrin's stories join together in this epic series finale)**NOTE: readers can also start the series with Nesrin's story in book 3 before reading the other books in order THE QUEEN'S RISE SERIES (a connected trilogy in The Stolen Kingdom Universe) Book 1: The Secret GiftBook 2: The Secret ShadowBook 3: The Secret Curse