A refreshing retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty.

I am a sucker for retellings and this one did not disappoint. It’s dark, twisty, and sapphic! I really liked the choices the author chose to update the classic story- especially her tale of how the kingdom was created with (at first) women in charge.

This was a fun read, but I do wonder why this isn’t categorized as YA. There’s a bit of language, some sex, and a bit of violence at the end, maybe making it more adult? However, I think the style of writing is much more in the vein (har har) of a YA categorization. It was easy and a little repetitive. Many of the naming choices were also a bit on the nose, which isn’t a problem- it just read as YA to me.

I look forward to Part 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Rainbows and Sunshine
April 17, 2021

Well, well, well! Who needs a villain redemption when you could have a hero slowly becoming a villain!!

I have to say that the cover caught my eye first and blurb made me so damn excited! And it delivers! This is a dark sapphic slow burn retelling of Sleeping Beauty and everything I could have hoped for!

It takes a bit to really pull you in but it really helps to establish the worldbuilding. Written very beautifully and I cannot wait for more from the author.

The chemistry between Alyce and Aurora us tangible and I really loved their romance. Alyce's character development is absolutely stunning and reading from her POV really makes us root for her.

If you love morally grey characters and sapphic retellings, definitely pick this up!

I didn't not expect that ending and I'm still processing but all I can say is I need the sequel ASAP!!!! What a cliffhanger!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

Once upon a time, there was an evil faerie who cursed a line of princesses. You’ve heard this one before right? Did you hear the one about the outcast girl, hated by the town but still forced to do their bidding? What if the dark sorceress and the beautiful princess...worked together, were friends, maybe more? Alyce is the Dark Grace of Briar, Aurora the Princess, but the two are inexplicably drawn to each other. Can the dark and the light work together to break the curse?




That was a lot of questions, but here I am telling you to read Malice to get the answers. I LOVED every second of this book. It starts off slow, but the world building is truly beautiful. Heather Walter created a lush world that feels familiar and utterly foreign at the same time. She took the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, sprinkled in some Cinderella and came up with something fresh. I need all of the LGBTQAI retellings.





In Briar there are Graces, individuals with fae blood who make elixirs (with their blood 😬)for the wealthy. Elixirs that make them more beautiful or help them make decision. Then there’s Alyce, the Dark Grace, who is forced to make petty elixirs. Elixirs that make someone clumsy or have warts. I really enjoyed this take on magic.




I am always here to root for the villain 🤷🏻‍♀️. Malice gives us the shades of gray frequently left out of a villain story. Alyce has light in her but it is smothered by the dark of Briar frequently. She’s forced into a box and longs to break free. I loved her journey. There’s a real “make me your villain” vibe that I can’t get enough of.




I should have known exactly where this story was going right? It’s a retelling, but I was still shocked and delighted at every turn. I can’t wait for the sequel. I also want a prequel in the time of the War of the Fae (Heather please?). Malice is out now and if you love YA fantasy, you need it.


Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for my review copy!

“Malice” de Heather Walter tem vários elementos interessantes: além de recontar contos de fadas, é sáfico e tem um universo mais sombrio.

Não se engane pela capa que é belíssima, existe mais de um conto de fadas sendo desconstruído. Aurora, de “A Bela Adormecida” continua precisando correr contra o tempo. Fantasia e romance estão bem equilibrados, personagens são bem construídos e o universo apresentado é incrível. “Malice” é o primeiro livro e eu me pego ansiosa para conhecer e explorar ainda mais tudo o que foi criado de cenário.

Existem alguns buracos na história que soam propositais — pela questão de ter mais livros pela frente — mas confesso que alguns só contribuíram pra deixar a leitura um pouco mais lenta do que me deixar realmente curiosa pelo está por vir. As personagens, como falei, são bem desenvolvidas, fortes e casam muito bem com a parte sombria apresentada, mas a delícia mesmo está no fato de a vilã ser uma grande protagonista.

Pra quem gosta de romance e fantasia, é uma excelente opção de leitura. O livro atualmente faz parte de uma duologia, mas pode ter o universo como pano de fundo para mais histórias e está disponível apenas em inglês.

A creative take on the story of sleeping beauty. I love retellings of classic stories so the premise of this book immediately hooked me; sleeping beauty but in this tale Aurora falls in love with the evil sorceress. This book honestly reminded me a lot of The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton in which we have a society who uses magical beings to alter appearances, change moods and these magical beings are praised and used by the crown. In Malice those beings are called “graces” and Alyce is part grace but her gift is of a darker nature. Instead of altering someone’s appearance to make them more beautiful she can make them ugly, sick or even kill them. So of course she is feared, mistreated and ostracized by her house and most of the community.

The world that Heather Walter created is very interesting; the inclusion of the Fae, the lore of the Brair queens and the transferring of power to ultimately corrupt kings swiftly pulls you into the story. However, once the story has your attention it very quickly starts to meander. The pacing of this story is one of my biggest issues with this book. Nothing happens plot wise until about the eight five percent mark and with the realization that nothing is happening it makes the story lag quite a bit. The reader is forced to concentrate on the characters but I felt like we weren’t given enough character motivations to fully connect to them. Take Aurora for example, she is portrayed in the story as someone strong willed, who doesn’t need the approval of her parents because they don’t treat her like a women who is set to rule nor does she like the idea of marrying one of the princes who are relentless in courting her but the reader never spends anytime with Aurora outside of her interactions with Alyce. We also are not privy to any situations that would substantiate these ideas. We are told these things through the books narrative but the reader never really gets to “see” any of this in affect. Alyce, on the other hand, was such a flawed character too trusting to the point of naivety and I get that, that was the point but it was frustrating to read at times. She was also too nice almost to the point I was wondering if we were ever going to see the supposed “evil” sorceress.

Another issue I had with this book is the love story between Aurora and Alyce which was the books main selling point seemed really underdeveloped. Almost every interaction between the two was spent trying to figure out how to break the curse. They never talked to each other about their wants, likes or anything else. Every interaction could be considered friendly at best but love? I just didn’t see it and because I couldn’t connect to the romance it was hard for me to believe in it. I did enjoy the romance scene that Aurora and Alyce shared. I thought the writing of that scene was expertly written.

Overall, this book had an interesting premise and good writing but the execution just left a bit to be desired. I am on the fence if I will pick up the sequel but I would definitely read something else from Heather Walter in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

- “history is written by victors”
- an lgbtq sleeping beauty retelling
- more character driven than i was expecting i think?
- i just didn’t really connect with the characters at all
- i almost dnf’ed around 60%
- i will say that the last 30% or so of the book is JAM PACKED with several twists i totally didn’t expect

This book was such a struggle to get through, and I might not have done it if I hadn't been grimly determined to see how Heather Walter made good on the terrific premise of Sleeping Beauty's true love actually being the dark fairy who cursed her. In the land of Briar, bordering on the fae land of Etheria, a long-ago treaty between humans and fae made it so that Graces are born whose golden blood can produce elixirs that enhance the abilities of their fellow humans. Briar, being a roundly stupid place, squanders this gift primarily on petty vanity.

When our heroine Alyce is discovered as a baby, it's readily apparent that she's half Vila, the magical race of once-fae whose corrupted powers led to their seeming extermination. But some Vila have apparently survived, and after a nightmarish childhood of testing and torture by humans and fae alike, Alyce is finally given the role of Dark Grace, whose green blood is used to enchant elixirs of physical misfortune for clients who wish semi-permanent harm to their rivals.

Chance encounters lead her first to a possible mentor who informs her that everything she's learned about the Vila is wrong, as well as to Crown Princess Aurora, beautiful and doomed to die on her 21st birthday if she's not released from her curse by true love's kiss. A procession of royal male suitors is brought in to "save" her, but as Aurora and Alyce fall in love, they begin to wonder if there isn't another way.

Great premise but told in a way that's infuriatingly dull when not making idiotic narrative choices. First of all, it's glaringly obvious that Alyce being employed by anyone other than the Royal Court is complete nonsense. I also found myself annoyed at the idea that the Briar Queens all gave up their power to their kings throughout generations. As a metaphor for female complicity, sure I get it, but it also ignores the fact that most women don't willingly hand over power but have to have it taken from them, even moreso in monarchic structures. Sure you'll get the occasional queen who will broaden her consort's powers, but for every Mary II, you'll have Elizabeths and Anne and Victoria firmly putting their men back in their places. And not out of any feminist belief -- Lord knows Victoria was notoriously misogynistic -- but because vested power in a ruler does not like to be divested. It was also weird to me how Alyce lamented Briar's lack of military strength, given their heritage, but then clutched her pearls that King Tarkin was trying to restore said strength. Like, what did she think that strength was <i>for?</i>

Which leads to the greatest flaw of this book: that Alyce is dumb as a box of rocks, and doesn't make up for it by being kind or even interesting. She's like fantasy Holden Caulfield, mopey and dopey and utterly convinced that everyone else sucks without ever wondering if she's the one who sucks. The fact that there are only two, maybe three, non-animal characters who come out of this entire book not being an evil jerkface says a lot about the "woe is me" air here. The thing about surviving trauma is that while it may well be the reason for your shitty behavior, it doesn't excuse your shitty behavior or somehow mean you don't have to, much less can't, try to be a better person.

And frankly, the romance sucked. There's one really hot sex scene but I did not believe for a minute that Aurora would fall in instalove with a moody personality who also kept being unfairly mean to her. Honestly, it felt like reading the diary of a shitty teenage boy fantasizing about the hottest, most popular girl in school suddenly falling in love with him despite all his off-putting behavior towards her. And I cannot be the only person baffled by the ending! Wtf is a <span style="color: #ffffff;">Nimara</span>? How is it at all relevant to the story we've just read? Was it a detail related to a queen of old that I missed because it got lost in the never-ending bore of how put upon Alyce was? Honestly, I'd read for several pages then lose interest because everything was so flat and repetitive, and I'd have to force myself to keep reading: couldn't Ms Walter at least have hammered home the meaning of the ending if she was going to yammer on about everything else?!

I'm also less than thrilled that there seems to be a sequel planned for this hot mess. This book ends at a weird point in the Sleeping Beauty myth, and I'm not sure how Ms Walter is going to give readers the HEA we deserve. As with the premise behind Malice, the themes going forward have so much potential, but after reading this alternately dull and insulting book, I don't trust them in the hands of this author.

Malice by Heather Walter was published April 13 2021 by Del Rey and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781984818652">Bookshop!</a> Want it now? For the Kindle version, <a href="https://amzn.to/3a5scwt">click here</a>.

Not the best or the worst retelling of the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty.

The first few chapters were reminiscent of Cinderella. The protagonist Alyce (aka Maleficent) lives with other half fae beings, who treat her like a despised stepsister. The characters' interactions were juvenile (think Mean Girls). Alyce is around 20 years old, but has the inner monologue and dialogue of a preteen. She spends most of the book putting herself down and it gets exhausting. The worse part of the book is the climax of the book; the rest of the book goes downhill from here.

The best parts of this book are interactions between Alyce and Aurora and and learning about the history between the two groups of fae. I would be interested in a prequel book that explores the fae. I appreciate a queer retelling of a classic fairy tale.

I loved this take on the old fair tale! The writing was beautiful, the plot was solid, and the build-up was on point. I loved this and will definitely be buying a hard copy for myself to add to my shelf.

A queer re-imagining of sleeping beauty.

Alyce is regarded as a monster by all, that is, until she meets the cursed Princess Aurora, who without true love’s kiss will be dead on her 21st birthday. The two strike up an unlikely friendship that is full of intimate hand grazes and bottled up feelings.

I loved the conflicted, antihero aspect of this book. Alyce has only ever tried to belong and do what's right. But they always meet her with cruelty and hatred. Mix magic in with those feelings and you have a recipe for a page turner.

I would recommend this to lovers of fairytales and re-imaginings.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This ARC was offered in exchange of an honest and unbiased review:
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3,5*
Pros: An innovative retelling of Sleeping Beauty, from the PoV of Maleficent, including slivers of other tales, such as Cinderella. LGBT+ leads. Interesting world-building and descriptions. Talks about the ostracization of what's different, including prejudice, bigotry, and a lot of attacks and microaggressions that is reflective of the racism in our society (although the book was written by a white writer).
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Cons: Unfortunately slow-paced, failing to hold the reader's attention.

The Gist: The Maleficent/Aurora AU you’ve always wanted

My Thoughts: I’m always a sucker for a fairytale villain origin story, and this one was a lot of fun. And it’s queer, so even better.

The backstory of the Briar Kingdom is a little too complicated to explain here, but as a politics and history nerd I appreciated the amount of thought put into it. This was a unique twist on fae lore that also ties into the Sleeping Beauty story/movie in a fun way. A way that really makes a case for banning men, lmao.

I enjoyed Alyce’s character, even if some of her inner musings did get a little tiresome. She has such cool power but is shunned for her heritage, and we don’t need her telling us at every moment how much it hurts her feelings. There were more than enough examples to show how terribly she is treated.

Alyce’s relationship with Aurora was a bright spot and I loved Aurora a lot. I do wish there was more interaction between them, but that’s part of the tragedy of course.

Recommended for fans of: Heartless by Marissa Meyer, the Maleficent movies, other fairytale villain origin stories

I love that fairytales are being rethought and retold by so many authors. I so wanted to like this book. I had such hope. But, sadly, the story is not for me. I am sure it will become a beloved tale to many, but I just ceased to care after a while. It was just disappointing. Sorry.

Once upon a time, a wicked fairy cursed a line of princesses to die on their 21st birthday if they did not receive a true love kiss. A sleeping beauty retelling with a steamy LBTQ representation that was just so perfect for this story, a story about identity, relationships, knowing who you are, not who the world says you are, and coming into your own as a person. The epic character Alyce who is the evil vila in this world, has been deemed a monster due to her blood being the wrong color to be a grace. Graces are the favored ones with amazing magic that are paid to alter human apprentices, have incredible wisdom, or in some cases are pleasure graces. Alyce, though, is a dark grace cause she part vila with green blood who been branded, humiliated, and shamed as a villain all cause her gifts are horrifying, dark but mind-blowing beyond anything the good graces could imagine. The author weaves this story with fantastic imagery, the world building is impressive, and just the right amount of steamy romance. If your a maleficent fan, a fan of unique retellings, or want an epic read pick this one up today.

Omg I need more of this story!!!!!!!!!! This was an engrossing read and I really hope there will be a sequel because I need this resolved. Incredible!

A book about discovering your sexuality between two young girls both blessed with a fate beyond their liking and woven together in their future. The cover was eye catching and its a rewritten fairy tale caught my interest. The fact that it’s two females instead of a prince doesn’t really stand out a lot in the story.

What did I like? This book started out real slow but after about twenty percent in it gained a respectable momentum that drew me in. Alice us a rough character at start because of the lack of goodness in her life as she is the dark grace. Her magic allows her to conjure up dark services for a price. This is an exploration of self as she strives to be more than she is told she is capable of.

Would I recommend or buy? I felt the kindle price was kind of high and this book is part of a series. The ending just didn’t satisfy me. Now I’ll have to wait for another book. This was my first by this author and it was an interesting first read. I’m not sure I will continue to finish this series. If your interested in fairy tale retellings then you might enjoy this book. Four stars!

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review!

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐ / 5 stars

This is a sapphic love story - a re-telling of the classic fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty. The cover art is beautiful! In the land of Briar, the crown princesses all perish on their 21st birthday unless they have their true love’s kiss. Princess Aurora has been kissing strangers, young and old, since she was eight in order to break the curse to no success. Alyce, a dark Grace, lives her life at Lavender House, as an outcast amongst the other Graces who call her awful names and treat her like an outsider due to her Vila blood. Once she meets Princess Aurora, she finds someone who finally sees her for more than her differences and together they try to find the source of the evil powers that started the curse in the first place as Aurora’s 21st birthday is inching closer and closer.

I really enjoyed the alternative storyline - Alyce is such a strong character and her backstory is so interesting. I loved her relationship with Kal and even her tension with Rose. What I didn’t really feel was her chemistry with Aurora. I find that princesses in these kinds of stories always seem to be a bit bland and helpless, and it rings true here. I thought it was ok, but not crazy about it. This book reads as YA, but has more adult elements to it. I would recommend it to those that love fairy tale retellings.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

MALICE is an edgy, well-written, unique take on the fairy tale genre, told from the perspective of the classic "villain" character. Walter does a fantastic job making Alyce relatable and nuanced, and making her story interesting and immersive. I was hooked from the beginning, and enjoyed the cast of characters, the worldbuilding, and the plot. I really wanted to give this book a higher rating because I did find it genuinely good; however, there were two things about it that were ultimately too offputting for me to overlook.

First (VAGUE SPOILER): The plot does such a great job of setting up Alyce to be a genuinely good person, someone with trauma and human flaws just Trying Her Best. However, in the last couple of chapters, she gets a very Daenerys Targaryen-esque about-face where she (I felt) completely subverts all her character development and behaves uncharacteristically to the point where I disconnected from the rest of the story. Now, at the time I did not realize there was going to be a sequel, so it very well may be that this gets fixed in the second book - however, I still found the pacing of that development a little too jarring.

Second: This story centers a gender-based magic system, which is fine on its own - however, the complete lack of mention or acknowledgment of trans people deeply bothered me. It may be as simple as an oversight on Walter's part, but if an author is claiming their book as positive LGBTQ+ representation, they need to be careful to acknowledge ALL queer identities as valid, especially with something this vital to the plot!

Overall, I did enjoy this book, and my rating is more of a 3.5 ultimately. I will definitely be reading the sequel, however I hope to see these issues resolved/addressed in some way.

4 stars

I have to be up front and say that Sleeping beauty isn't one of my favorite fairy tales but this retelling of it was just everything I didn't know that I needed. I love that this was a sapphic story and the dynamic between the main characters. I felt that the pacing was a little bit slow (even though I flew through this book, there were some parts that I definitely felt like I was slogging through. That being said this was a solid debut and I can't see what comes from this author next!

When I saw Roshani Chokshi recommend this, I requested it right away. Always here for sapphic retellings, especially if it involves villains. And while I struggled at the beginning because there was so much telling instead of showing, info dump about the world, and the feeling of it being a YA book like The Selection, it eventually got better.