Excellent and original. Fantastical and completely romantic. A new twist on Sleeping Beauty and I couldn't put it down. Utterly riveting and refreshing.

2.75/5 stars
Oof, I wanted to love this book. I liked the romance, and I liked Alyce, but the plot was so boring. It was way too long, and drawn out. At the 80% mark, all of the characters conveniently forgot the king was a tyrant, just so they could all be angry at Alyce, including Aurora, who swore she would be different than her father.

3.50 Stars. This was a quality book that I loved in some parts but struggled with some others. I just adore fairytale retellings, especially if they are sapphic. This was a book that I was dying to read and I had a lot of high expectations for it. In the end it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for but it was a well done book and impressive for a debut.

This was a real interesting mix that reminded me of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, but with a lot of new imaginative elements thrown in. I’ve noticed that many reviewers have complained about how slow the first half of the book was and that the second half of the book is what really brought their rating up. I find it funny because I’m the exact opposite of everybody else. I loved the beginning. I thought this was going to be a full 5 star book there for quite a while but I didn’t enjoy the second half as much, which lowered my rating. Yes, parts of the beginning were slow, but I thought it was really well written. I thought the people, the magic system, and just all the world building in general was great. I was buying the whole history and how this magical world functioned and considering this was a retelling, I thought everything was really clever.

My problems came in the second half. I think Walter was trying to do too much and she started to loose me on her story choices. The first half was so set-up, everything had such a deliberate and steady pace to it, and in comparison the second half turned into a clusterf*ck. It was such a different pace that it was jarring to me. And I think Walter was trying to put too many important things into such a small section. We have a moderate twist, then after that a pretty big twist that has a little twist attached to it, then after that a giant twist. It was just way too much. So many things were not like they seemed so it made it that I no longer trusted the author to tell me the real story. I lost complete trust to the point that I started to wonder if what I was reading was real or if maybe it was a dream or vision instead. Unfortunately, in the end that feeling and distrust affected my enjoyment.

There has been some question is this is YA but I would call this New Adult instead. The characters are in their 20’s and there is some cruelty near the end that might bother some younger readers. There is one sex scene but it is just intimate and not explicit. In general, I liked parts of the romance, especially the pairing of the two characters, but I do hope that the romance is beefed up in book 2. The relationship needs to develop more and they really just need more time together as a couple.

Like other readers I was not crazy about the ending. That’s how this is all going to end? I was happy to see that it’s not really the end and that there is a second book. I actually added a half star onto my rating since I now have hope that there will be a better overall ending. Even with the problems I had in the second half of the book, I enjoyed the first half so much that I would absolutely read a book 2. Walter is obviously talented and I think she is only going to get better and better. I’ll happily take all the new and talented sapphic fantasy writers that I can read.

Malice is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, centering on the resident villain who isn't so much of a villain. Alyce has always been forced to exist on the outskirts of society, which contributes to low self-esteem and self-loathing. She wants to fit in and be accepted, but no one seems to be able to do that. The book centers on Alyce’s development and her growth. While the story excels with characterization, the plot is on the slow side.

Walter takes the fairy tale and gives depth to the world and the characters inhabiting it. The story is rich in detail, especially in its world building. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I found myself sympathizing with Alyce, although I was also often frustrated with her decisions. Fans of fairy tale retellings, especially those that enjoy origin stories, will enjoy reading Malice, but it may not be for those who like a faster paced novel.

What a cool story! I love retellings and this retelling of Sleeping Beauty was no exception. What happens if Aurora was looking for love in all the wrong places? What if her true love isn’t a prince, but a sorceress? Alyce is considered evil by the townsfolk because she’s a Dark Grace, even though they all go to her to seek solutions to their petty problems. This was a wonderfully unique sapphic romance. Aurora was perfectly sweet and Alyce is strong and deserving of love.

There were a few twists that I didn’t expect, but also a few plot holes and a couple slow moments but overall, I enjoyed this novel. The writing was mostly fast paced and easy to read, accessible language. You can’t go wrong with Malice if you like romance, fairytales, and LGBTQ+ characters.

Malice is a beautifully dark novel filled with twists and turns, with moments of tender hope and tragic loss. It’s a rollercoaster of emotion that kept me reading two days straight. I couldn’t put it down.

Malice by Heather Walter is sure to leave the reader utterly speechless!  I couldn’t read the pages fast enough. A captivating story that is sure to leave the readers wanting more.

I feel like I keep reading great books lately, and yet again we have a winner because Malice is easily one of the best book I've read so far this year. This has all of the classic fairy tale tropes--evil kings, cursed princesses, magic--and turns it into something darker and more unpredictable that absolutely captivated me.

Malice is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and the ways in which Walter incorporated the traditional story elements was truly brilliant. I was so thrilled by how cleverly Walter managed to bring everything together in such a unique and unexpected way. I had no idea this story would go in the direction it ended up in, but I loved it even more so what it did. This story is set in a world called Briar, a rather hedonistic society that is focused on beauty, wealth, wit, and perfection, all of which are accomplished via the abilities of the Graces. Graces are women "blessed" with the golden blood and the ability to create elixirs with their blood that grants users with any number of traits dependent upon which Grace you visit (i.e. a beauty Grace, healing Grace, etc.). For this story, we follow the "Dark Grace," Alyce, whose magic is seen as a dark curse and is used only for hurting others.

The story is told entirely from Alyce's perspective, and her voice and experiences were unbelievably compelling for me. Alyce is ostracized from the society she has grown up in and is constantly cast aside and shunned as something abhorrent. I've never been an outsider to quite the same extent as Alyce, but I certainly have felt like an outsider throughout a lot of my life and have felt that same lack of connections that she has, which made this a particularly meaningful read. Alyce is deeply bitter and angry (and rightly so) about her lot in life and her treatment from the Graces and society as a whole, and that bitterness is stark in her narrative voice. Her sarcastic comments and general negative thoughts about everyone are at times humorous, but there's always an undercurrent of darkness that hints at a true hatred towards those who around her. It's this darkness that really seems to drive Alyce throughout the book and motivate all of her actions. Until she meets Princess Aurora, that is.

Princess Aurora is one of the many prominent figures in Alyce's life that we meet, and her relationship with Alyce was developed in what seemed to be a very thoughtful manner. There was no instant closeness or trusting bond, but instead things between them grew at a steady pace that I think captured Alyce's penchant for distrusting people well. In addition to Aurora, there are many other side characters that all play roles, both big and small, in Alyce's life, and I found it particularly interesting to see how these characters impacted her thoughts, opinions and experiences, no matter whether they were overtly hostile towards her or simply not quite as welcoming as they might be to someone who is not Alyce.

One of my favorite things about Malice--other than Alyce, of course, who is endlessly captivating--is how immersive it felt. This is fairly long book at 496 pages (according to Goodreads for the hardcover), but it feels like I sped through this in no time. It was also one of those where anytime I put down the book I felt as though I had to sort of take a moment to pull myself out of Alyce's head and focus on reality (which is never fun). Walter's prose is simple and elegant, descriptive but not excessive. I found it utterly engaging and that it had the perfect pacing. I thought that there was a nice mix of seeing Alyce interact at her home at the Lavender House, practicing some magic in a secret location, and visits to the royal house for a variety of mysterious summons. I was never bored reading this, and I think part of that is because no matter what was actually happening plot-wise, I was always engaged with and connected to Alyce, our storyteller, which made it easy to follow. I also found myself constantly excited and in awe over the small details that Walter included to bring this world to life and to connect this story more firmly to the original fairy tale. There are so many delightful details that brought me so much joy (in a dark, morbid way), and it really just makes me that much more excited to see what Walter will "grace" us with next.

Many of you will also be pleased to know that there is prominent LGBTQ rep in this, so if you've ever wanted your fairy tales to be a little less heterosexual, then this might be one you'll definitely want to pick up. Heather Walter's author note talks about how much it means to her to be able to publish a fairy tale with this diversity in it, and that really meant a lot to me to read and to feel that much more excited for it.

The latest trend in fairy tale retellings is to take the presumed villain of a story and make them the tragic hero instead. Books like The Witch’s Heart and films like Maleficent or Cruella ask audiences to view those considered evil in a new light. Malice asks the same of its readers, but instead of fleshing out the backstory of an iconic villain, author Heather Walter chooses to create an entirely new protagonist instead in her dark fantasy novel, effortlessly blending elements from numerous fairy tales to create an engrossing novel sure to have fans excited for more.

Malice follows the story of Alyce, a Grace in the kingdom of Briar. Graces possess magical gifts and work for the nobility in Briar, creating elixirs to maintain beauty or create pretty illusions. Alyce has never been like the other Graces due to her Vila blood, for which she was nearly murdered as a child before it was determined her magic could be useful. Alyce’s gift is different due to her dark magic, which also makes her the focus of the kingdom’s scorn. She’s the Dark Grace, forced to create curses or face death at the hands of the rulers of Briar. But as she begins to seek out the source of her powers, she learns there’s more to Briar – and to her history – then she might have imagined.

But Malice is not just about Alyce’s search for who she really is. It’s also a love story. After a chance encounter at a ball, Alyce finds herself falling for Princess Aurora, the last heir of Briar doomed to die in a year if she cannot find her true love and break the curse on her crown with a kiss. At first glance, Aurora appears to be everything Alyce is not: beautiful, kind, the lightness in Briar. But there’s more to the princess than meets the eye, and as the two bond, Alyce comes closer and closer to believing that maybe she’s not the monster she was always told she was.

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From the start, Malice reels the reader in with its characters and setting. While the book is largely based on the tale of Sleeping Beauty, Walter borrows from many other fairy tales like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, which lulls the reader with familiarity before twisting the story in unexpected ways. Alyce is a heroine worth rooting for, having endured hatred despite her attempts to fit in with the rest of Briar. She is a smart and interesting narrator, and the choice to tell her story entirely through her eyes is the correct one. Not only does the reader not see the many plot twists coming, but we are also able to feel her emotions more acutely as she slowly becomes the powerful woman she deserves to be. She’s not evil, but she’s not entirely good either, and her flaws make her more interesting than a standard YA fantasy heroine (if the label of “heroine” even fits her at all).

Malice is the first in a planned duology, and the cliffhanger ending will certainly have readers clamoring for the conclusion of Alyce’s tale. In Malice, Heather Walter combines intricate world building with a beautiful love story to create a mesmerizing and unique new fantasy.

Malice is available now wherever books are sold.

** spoiler alert ** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed this even more than I anticipated. While telling a fairy tale from the perspective of the villain is certainly not a new concept, I felt this telling was well done and the ending was unexpected. Well, not the part where the princess falls into a deep sleep, because we know it is a different take on the tale of Sleeping Beauty, but the rest surprised me. Which is hard to do.

Many Graces, women who were given magical blood at their birth by the Fae, live in a house together, working together to bring prestige to the household, and individually hoping to be selected to serve in the palace some day. Graces make elixirs with a few drops of their golden blood, and patrons purchase them to enhance their beauty or intellect. Then, there is the Dark Grace, Alice. Alice is half human and half Vila, and so much more! Her green blood, inherited from the extinct, allegedly evil Vila race, is also imbued with magic, albeit, dark magic. She creates elixirs, too; however, her elixirs are not quite as nice. They may give someone warts, turn their teeth black, or make their hair frizzy, for example. And her elixirs are in as much demand as those of the Graces she lives with.

Alice is feared and loathed by nearly all, except the kindest people, including the princess. In this story, Alice seeks answers to her dark heritage, tries to overcome the evil things the kingdom has done to her over the years, and she falls in love with the princess. Will their love be enough for them to live happily ever after, and restore women's place as rulers of Briar? If it is, they need to hurry, because Princess Aurora is cursed, awaiting true love's kiss before her 21st birthday.

This would be a 5-star read but I'm deducting one for reasons that are entirely my own and do not reflect at all on the great way that Walter created a fully realized world full of interesting characters.
So I'll start with the positive. I'm amazed at how well Walter created her world. It's complex, full of history, and the magic system is perfectly grounded and believable. It helps make everything about all the characters, not just Alyce and Aurora, feel like they're real people with lives outside of the story.
This creative reimagining of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale was on its way to being declared a new favorite, but I'm afraid I don't exactly agree with where the author decided to take it in the end. I shouldn't even complain because I was very clearly warned it was going to head in the direction it did, I just really hoped for a different type of ending. The ending is shocking and expertly crafted, I should have known it was heading there, but it still hit me as a surprise. Not just any author can manage that.
That said, sign me up for the sequel because I'm devouring that as soon as I get my hands on it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the early read!

Do you like fairytale retellings?? How about a fresh take on a classic villain?? But make it sapphic??.... Let me do you a favor and introduce you to one of my new favorite things: Malice by Heather Walter!! Seriously. This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty where the princess falls in love with...the evil sorceress. And it's REALLY DAMN GOOD!

Malice is told from the perspective of Alyce, a dark faerie who is treated like an outcast even as the wealthy use her for her dark gift. When we meet her she's more darkly brooding, misunderstood, and marginalized than truly evil, but she is also on of my favorite character types: someone with the potential for both good and evil, but circumstances and how they are treated affects their path.

Seriously, I was living for this book. The slow-burn, forbidden friendship turned romance between Aurora and Alyce, the oppressive political regime, the strict control of women with power, the political intrigue, the twists and turns, and ultimately Alyce with her deep feelings and ability to burn it all down. The world-building is great, it's a fresh take on an old story with strong characterization...have I convinced you to read it yet?

This is definitely a new favorite for me and it was one of the most satisfying books I've read in awhile, cannot wait for the conclusion to the duology! Highly recommend. I received an advance copy of this book for review via Netgalley (and have preordered my finished copy...). All opinions are my own.

Content warnings include violence, gore, death, depictions of blood magic, depictions of torture, homophobia, substance abuse.

Happy Publication Day to Malice!! And thank you to Del Rey Books for the ARC.

This book is unstoppable. I had extremely high expectations for this book, and for me, it absolutely delivered. I flew through this book, staying up late - reading on my lunch break, ect. because I could not get enough of Alyce and Aurora. Malice features so many compelling and multidimensional female characters, gorgeous worldbuilding, and a spellbinding (pun intended) love story.

The last quarter of the book is heart-pounding, stressful, nerve-wracking, you name it. There were twists and turns I never expected and watching the progression of Alyce's character through the course of the novel was fascinating. You can't help but root for her, even though maybe you shouldn't.
I am absolutely DREADING the wait for book two because I genuinely have no clue what is going to happen next and I can't wait to find out.

This book is an excellent read for readers just out of high school. It's perfectly catered to people with YA tastes but in an older age range. The magic system is clear and understandable and that makes this a wonderful read. I loved Alyce as the narrator and was incredibly overjoyed to see the sapphic romance in this retelling. It could have used some more build up and tension but I rooted for the main pair nonetheless.
The book didn't really blow me away though but it wasn't bad. It was just a little bland and detached for me to really sink my teeth into this fantasy world. It reads like a YA book except for some mature sexual scenes. That made it a great age range crossover book but not one that would have me thinking about it for weeks on end.

Every princess must die. Since that fateful day when a dastardly fairy cursed the princesses of Briar to perish, the only loophole was true love's kiss. Not that anyone in Briar cares about them. Much more important to host parties and flaunt baubles. Princess Aurora understands the fate that has been assigned to her, and also wishes to be a good queen for her people someday. Yet, with the curse, that day is likely to never come, as time runs out on Aurora's last year. Alyce, the Dark Grace, is branded a monster, yet Aurora does not see her as one. Alyce has an affinity for curses, hexes, and all kinds of mischief. Alyce is the villain of this story, at least in the eyes of the people of Briar. Yet, Alyce believes Aurora to be kind and true, and Alyce wonders if her affinity for the darker side of magic might hold the key to unraveling the curse that binds Aurora's fate. As their friendship deepens, Aurora's life depends on its tender bond.

I enjoy a good dark fairy tale, always preferring the Grimm style more than the "happily ever after" style, and this story delivered on some of that dark, twisty magic for me! We all know the good old tale of Sleeping Beauty, but what if the tale went quite a bit differently than we've been told? What if the people who lived in the princess's land were basically vain scumbags? What if they created a caste society and stuck the magical folk beneath regular folk, destined to serve without recognition, respect, or notable reward? This has all of that and more as we see much of the story through the eyes of a Grace named Alyce whose affinity for a darker shade of magic brings vengeful and angry clients to her doorstep. Alyce is alone, just as Aurora is alone, yet when the two of them are together, they see each other true, untainted by the vicious vanity and fear of the populace. Even though these two find friendship with each other, those around them do not understand.

Once their friendship begins to blossom into something more, and Alyce grows tired of the people's cruelty and malice, that is when the sparks really begin to fly. Alyce sets her eye on those who have wronged her, and also wishes to save Aurora, while Aurora is there for Alyce in the best way. Exploring the grey area between good and evil, Malice shows that love can spring from the unlikeliest of places, and that sometimes those who profess goodness are full of evil, and those who are reviled may have more goodness in them than will ever be understood. I recommend this tale to anybody who loves a good fairytale retelling, stories told from the "villain's" point-of-view, or sapphic romances.

Entertaining retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale with a queer twist. I really enjoyed the world building and character set up that led us to the story as we know it. Alyce is a Dark Grace, the last of her kind with black magic flowing through her blood. In this world, society pays for Magic from the Graces who actually live in a type of servitude. Although Alyce has it worse because shes feared and bullied even by the other graces. The one exception is the princess Aurora and a romance ensues. Unfortunately not all goes as planned but really ties into the original. Some aha moments and a lot of fun. Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey publishing for the early read.

Malice was one of my most anticipated spring releases and although I’d say overall this sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty is pretty solid, I wish I had loved it more. There are just enough elements of the novel that continuously took me out of the story and prevented me from rating it higher. My main gripe is that the book is unnecessarily lengthy given the amount of repetitiveness and lack of great development. There was quite a lot of info dumping in regards to world building and it was difficult not to skim these drawn out passages. I do appreciate back story and explanation of magic systems but it was a bit overdone in Malice.

I also love slow-burn, but I didn’t feel like Alyce and Aurora had enough moments together and the ones that are included always felt somewhat flat, in turn creating a lack of chemistry. I did appreciate, though the breath of fresh air that Aurora’s character is. So often in books, there are stereotypical reluctant royals, but Aurora strongly desires to rule and researches a way to break the curse without having to rely on a nobleman to save her. I enjoyed and identified with Alyce as well. She has a lot of spunk and while not as monstrous as everyone thinks she is, her character is also presented with some morally grey tendencies. However, going along with my repetitiveness complaint, I admit I did begin to find it tiresome spending so much time in her thoughts as many pages are dedicated to her self-loathing, wanting to better than her reputation, and malice toward Briar. Of course these are each important to the plot and her character development, but I definitely think the amount of internal monologue could have been cut.

As stated previously, with all things said, Malice is a quality Sleeping Beauty retelling with queer representation. The writing style is pleasing, the characters vibrant and I’d definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy fairy tales and sapphic books. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with a digital ARC for reviewing purposes.

Actual rating: 4.5, rounded up to 5

Retellings have been quite popular in YA fantasy in the last few years. I’m sure we’ve all read at least one beauty and the beast re-telling at this point. I’ve read at least three, and to be honest I thought I was done with retellings, but when I heard about Malice, I was intrigued. A sleeping beauty retelling that's sapphic, and is told from the villain's perspective? I had to read it ASAP.

Malice follows Alyce, the dark grace, ostracized for the Vila magic she was born with. Alyce spends her days forced to use her magic to serve the people of Briar. She lives among the Graces, who all have blood magic linked to the light Fae of Etheria. While the Grace's magic produces charms and blessings, Alyce’s magic is used for darker purposes. By chance, Alyce meets Princess Aurora, and the two become unlikely friends. Princess Aurora, heir of Briar, is cursed, and will die if she is not kissed by her true love before she turns twenty-one. Alyce begins to work with Aurora in the hopes of breaking her curse, but she soon finds out that she has a lot to learn about herself, her magic, and the history of the kingdom.

Malice is a refreshing spin on Sleeping Beauty. Walter writes the tale we are already familiar with, but makes it her own with an intriguing fantasy world and complicated politics. This book is Alyce’s origin story. We see how she is treated as a villain from her birth, and how each decision she makes is more complicated than being evil or being good. The magic systems are simple, but fascinating. The Graces magic reminded me of the magic system in Dhonielle Clayton’s The Belles. Walter sets up a whole world in Malice, and there’s so much more to learn and explore. I loved learning about the history of Briar, it’s relationship to other lands, and the different magic that comes from these other lands. You can tell Walter put a lot of time into her world building and made sure everything made sense. I was extremely happy to learn that another book will follow.

Walter’s writing is easy to get lost in, the beautiful descriptions lend to the fairy tale quality of the book. I read this a lot faster than I usually read fantasy, and it was so fun trying to figure out how Walter was going to follow the Sleeping Beauty story while also adding her own twists and turns. The story surprised me at various points, and the ending was magnificent.

My only critique, and the reason I’m rating 4.5 instead of 5, is that sometimes Alyce’s reasoning was a little hard to follow. In some ways, that’s the point of the book, Alyce is a complicated character. You know why Alyce responds to people in certain ways and why she makes rash decisions at times, but there were moments where I couldn't figure out what led Alyce to say/do some things. It makes sense because she’s young and is being thrown into situations that are completely new to her, but as a reader following her POV, I felt like I was missing something. This only happened 2 or 3 times, and did not hamper my enjoyment, it was just a small thing I noticed.

Malice is an excellent debut, and is probably the best retelling I’ve read to date. I will be eagerly anticipating the sequel!! I recommend this to anyone who likes retellings, books with LGBTQIA representation, or anyone who loves reading from the POV of morally gray characters. This book offers all of that and more!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random Housing Publishing Ballantine for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I would like to thank PRH International for providing a review copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Who wouldn’t love a good villain story? I am always fond of reading retellings of classic fairytales, and I can say that Malice by Heather Walter gave me a new meaning what a retelling should be. A luscious, twisted origin narrative, Malice transforms Sleeping Beauty into a grimdark sapphic fairytale.

The story followed Alyce, a part Vila who was popularly known as the Dark Grace. Unlike other Graces who could use light magic like the Faes, Alyce used her dark magic for elixirs and curses. People treated her indifferently, and most times, even worse than that. However, when she met Princess Aurora, the princess treated her kindly. This started their unlikely friendship, which deepened when Aurora asked her to help her break the curse. Would helping Aurora break the curse prove that Alyce was not the monster that others thought her to be? Or would it only prove that she truly was the villain all along?

I really enjoyed this novel. Even when I was already familiary with Sleeping Beauty, somehow the story felt so original and unique. The first half of the story was a little bit slow. In this part, nothing much really happened excerpt for being acquainted with the world building and the main characters’ situation. Even though it was slow, it didn’t even bored me. Some events were a little bit predictable, but it did not affect my reading experience. Although it had romance, I liked how the main focus was still on Alyce’s discovery of her origin, identity, and self-worth and how these things drove her to make her decisions, even the questionable ones. Lastly, the romance was a delight. It was slow burn, and the chemistry was on point.

My favorite thing about this novel was probably the characters. They were complex, flawed, and felt so real. Thankfully, I didn’t have any problems connectiong with them, which was my main problem whenever I was reading a YA fantasy. All have interesting personalities, own struggles, and insecurities.

Overall, Malice was a bewitching sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This is a great debut, and I am looking forward to its sequel.

4/5 stars!

cw: bullying, blood, violence, gore, child abuse, manipulation, suicide, harassment, kidnapping, death, medical experimentation

Oh, hey you like queer retellings. I have a good sapphic one for you today. It is all I ever wanted when I have started reading this book. This is a dark version of sleeping beauty but in this one Aurora falls in love with Maleficent (here in the book Alyce) Everyone thinks Alyce or “The dark grace” is a villain. But is that true? She is an outsider and nearly everyone is rude to her. But she and Aurora become exceptionally good friends. Aurora needs help to break her curse. She must be kissed by her true love till her 21st birthday. If that does not happen, she will die. In the original fairytale Aurora is sleeping throughout the whole Story, we get a lot of interaction with parents and other people. And we can slowly see the romance between Aurora and Alyce growing. The writing style was good for a debut. The pacing could be a bit better, but I like it.
It is dark, twisty, sometime mysterious and then this ending. I NEED THE SEQUEL.. Come on this was so evil. I love stories with villains as protagonists because every villain has a story which need to be told. I give four of five stars :D