I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I typically love all things fairy tale, so I was super excited to learn about this sapphic Sleeping Beauty retelling. So many people I know on Goodreads and Twitter have been loving this book recently, so I was so happy to see that my NetGalley request was approved!

Heather Walter’s adult debut Malice is the dark, sapphic retelling of my dreams. The story follows Alyce who is part Vila and known as the Dark Grace. She acts as an evil sorceress in Briar, using her dark magic to sell elixirs. The people who frequent her business are the same people who shame her and see her as a monster. One of the few people who treat her with kindness is Princess Aurora. The two begin an unlikely friendship that soon develops into something more when Aurora convinces Alyce to help break her curse. With Aurora by her side, Alyce, for the first time in a long time, feels hope and has dreams. However, she will never be more than the Dark Grace to Briar.

The beginning of this book was definitely slower, and I found myself not loving the writing. This might be because there was so much dense background information and history thrown in for the set up. It seemed like it could have been naturally introduced better instead of verging on info dumping. I will say this definitely got better throughout the novel. The story really started developing, and part two picked up the pace as well. It took me a few chapters to understand Walter’s voice and structure, but everything soon fell into place. I admire how the author balanced all of these things though. Despite a slower start, Walter still showcases an excellent writing style in her novel.

I really loved how Malice was a completely new take on the original story of Sleeping Beauty. Walter has nods to the original but makes something unique and refreshing. I really liked the darker, angsty vibes this book had. I was honestly sold when I heard it also had a complex villain, morally grey characters, and a stubborn princess. I do not think I have read many books from the villain’s perspective, so this was a really cool experience. We get to see Alyce’s internal struggle about this. It is a back and forth between who she is, who she wants to be, and who others see her as. You can sympathize with her and understand that some things are in the middle rather than solely good versus evil.

I immediately loved Aurora’s character as well. It is cool that she has a bigger role in this narrative compared to the original fairy tale. I loved how Aurora’s life and role as a princess opened up conversations about duty, family, agency, etc. She did not just go with the flow and accept what was happening to her. She was stubborn and dedicated and incredibly smart. She genuinely wants to rule and do good for the people in Briar.

Apart from Alyce and Aurora, I think all of the characters were really well developed. They all had interesting personalities, and I liked how Walter explored more of their motivations and internal struggles. It was interesting to see the different Graces and magic too.

Certain reveals at the end were a little predictable but not necessarily in a bad way. They were not glaringly obvious to the point where it takes away from the story and experience. I guessed a couple of things, but the author could have intentionally been dropping subtle hints and clues that you gradually pick up on. Again, this does not seem like a bad thing to me. Sometimes it takes really good writing to pull off things like this and have everything suddenly click into place for readers, and Walter does just that.

Malice was a wonderful read. Heather Walter created a very enthralling story that pulls readers in. There are a ton of things I loved about this book. I really enjoy unique retellings and an adult, dark, and sapphic take on Sleeping Beauty is right up my alley. I honestly cannot wait for the sequel!

*Content warning: bullying, child abuse, violence, murder, death, body shaming, confinement, torture, medical experimentation, harassing, kidnapping, death of a parent, suicide, execution*

Thank you to the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book before its release on April 13, 2021.

I really liked the twist on a common fairytale. It was well written and very enjoyable. I don't know that it was a show-stopping favorite novel of the year but it was definitely very good and worth reading. I will recommend it for sure.

So good! So well written, a stunning retelling, and such compelling characters. I totally felt for Alyce, cheered her on, was absolutely betrayed by those who were against her. Cannot wait for book two!

Dark. and angsty and full of action. This romance is a slowwww burn and does not disappoint. Be careful who you trust!

This was just okay.

I’m a sucker for Fae, magic, and sapphic stories. Something so far removed from our world is always welcomed in these times. Some look for comfort/escapism in conspiracy theories or breakthroughs in physics that affirm the fallibility of our understanding of the universe. I lose myself in low fantasy.

I was expecting an epic, adult sapphic fantasy similar to “Priory of the Orange Tree” by Samantha Shannon, but I got something closer to “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard. My expectations for a more complex, darker story have a huge factor in my disappointment as a reader. The stakes/conflict in the novel were too interpersonal, despite the political and societal structures. There mistakes and missteps that our protagonist makes were young mistakes, early mistakes, emotionally immature mistakes that didn’t necessarily align with her personal history.

The homage’s to the original Germanic fairytale were well-placed and appreciated by those familiar with the tale. This, along with the blood magic, were my favorite parts of the novel that kept my attention.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

One Sentence Summary: A retelling of Disney's Sleeping Beauty, but from the black fairy's perspective.

For most of my life I was something of a fairy tale purist, digging for original versions of the Disney movies I spent my childhood watching. But, as a mom, I've become nostalgic for my childhood and more flexible, so fairy tale retellings have been catching my eye. There was so much I liked about Malice from the switched perspective, the reinterpretation of a Disney classic, the love story of two women who shouldn't fall in love. I also really enjoy a good villain origin story, so I'm thrilled to have had the chance to read this one.

The Plot: A Twist on a Disney Classic

We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty, a beautiful princess cursed to sleep for a hundred years before being awoken by true love's kiss. But we don't really know the story behind the wicked fairy who cursed the princess. Malice artfully and fascinatingly presents her backstory and a whole world to go with it.

Alyce is neither human nor fae and definitely not a Grace, a human child blessed by the fae with magic blood. But she was raised by a former Grace, so peddles her dark magic alongside her sister Graces' magic of wisdom, beauty, and charm. Ugly compared to the Graces, she's avoided unless someone desperately needs what only she can offer. But Alyce longs for more, for better.

Aurora is the last remaining crown princess. Doomed to die on her twenty-first birthday if her true love doesn't kiss her beforehand, she seeks out Alyce's dark magic in the hopes it'll help her break the curse. But something blossoms between the unwanted Dark Grace and the beautiful and entirely unexpected princess.

The story, though, can only go one way.

I loved Malice because it took a familiar story and twisted it and gave the villain her own story. But I also wish it had given itself permission to further push the bounds of the Disney story, to take it in the direction I kept thinking the story was going to take. Instead, it adheres fairly closely to the familiar Disney story, sometimes almost feeling like it was forcing the story into boundaries it kept fighting against. At the same time, it threw wrenches into the Disney story, taking a stab at something new and different to distinguish itself. But, for a story that stuck so closely to the Disney version, it only made me scratch my head a little.

But it was a delightful and magical read. Walter reimagined the world in a really interesting way, brought in wars and strong female leaders reaching far back into history. The world building unfolded so incredibly well that I was just sucked in and the pages flew by. I was caught up in the utterly superficial world Alyce is forced to live in, and couldn't help but feel angry on her behalf. I adored her story because she tried so hard, but the world was bent on making her the villain.

At the same time, the pacing was uneven, especially after the first half. I felt a little bogged down, realizing I had only been so sucked in because I found the world fascinating. There were plot points that were thinly veiled plot points, that felt almost pointless but, for whatever reason, were important to Alyce to experience. Fortunately, it picked up near the end and I loved, loved, loved reading how Alyce fully embraced becoming the villain. She was glorious.

I'm not a big fan of romance in books, so haven't read too many queer romance stories, but the ones I did read never really satisfied me. This one did. The romance was more front and center and I loved Alyce and Aurora's dance. They were incredible and lovely together and I just wanted them to be happy. I do wish the romance had been a bit stronger, but, overall, it was a wonderful one that really helped shape Alyce.

The Characters: A Villainess in the Making

Briar is, largely, painted to be a very superficial society, especially if you're wealthy and not a commoner. So, of course, I expected a slew of superficial characters in Malice. They didn't disappoint. But there are also so many surprisingly complex and interesting characters. They went deeper than the skin and helped peel back the pretty layers of Briar.

The Graces are girls who were blessed at birth to have golden blood and colorful hair. By their natures, they should be superficial, doling out elixirs for beauty, charm, wit, wisdom, artistic abilities, and more. Their job is to make the wealthy beautiful and be beautiful themselves. But many of the ones the reader gets to know are deeper than that. They have their own worries and fears. Many of them don't go beyond the superficial, but we get to know Alyce's sisters: Laurel, Rose, and Marigold. There's more to them, or, at least, to some of the Graces, so it was fun to get to know them.

Alyce herself is a fascinating creature. Not human and not fae, she's something else entirely. It makes her look strange and ugly in the superficial society, and it twists her. But there are also glimmers of gold in her heart, a desperate need to want to do and be good. She struggles against the vileness of her blood, of her dark nature that she can't shake off no matter how she tries. I loved her story, of her descent into villainy, because it didn't have to be that way. She was just a young woman making the best of her situation and wanting happiness just like anyone else.

I loved everything about Aurora. For someone with such incredible superficial prettiness, she was anything but superficial. Kind, caring, witty, smart, and desperate, she was complex, strong willed, and stubborn. I loved how she subverted the noble society, how she tried to make her own way.

The Setting: A Continent of Strained Relations

Malice introduces the world of Briar, a gifted home to the humans by the fae who merely tolerate them because of an old promise. Throughout the book, we get the history, from the first queen to the current crown princess. It was fascinating to see the descent of these women who had started out with such a strong matriarch.

The whole world was quite interesting. Divided into three lands, it houses the fae, the humans in Briar, and long wiped out dark creatures in an inhospitable land. Honestly, they each seemed a little simplistic, but I liked the varying approaches to their entangled histories, to the subtleties of their individual societies that are slowly revealed. There's also a greater world beyond this land, one from which princes come to try to break the curse, but we only get little inklings of what they were like.

The magic, though, was fascinating. The fae and the Graces and the dark creatures all had their own forms of magic that were used in different ways. In Malice, the Grace magic, in particular, is really explored. I loved that it was housed in the Grace's own blood, and that the cost was high. It helped heighten the fear of every Grace, and twisted more than one.

Overall: A Delightful Retelling of Sleeping Beauty

Malice presents a very reasonable alternate story to the Disney version. I just wish it had broken out of the boundaries of that story to take a life of its own. Then again, it probably wouldn't really be a retelling. As a retelling, it was, actually, quite delightful. I loved getting Alyce's villain origin story. Her romance with Aurora was sweet, and her life a complete mess. The world bent her no matter how hard she tried to fight it, and it really gave her no option. There were some elements that baffled me a little as I tried to fit it into the idea of this being a retelling, so I both enjoyed it as a retelling, but also felt it could have been so much more if it had liberated itself from that confine.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5 stars
Sometimes a book comes along that is so magical and so unexpected that you finish it in one fell swoop. Malice, a sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, is just the book. This was a beautiful, lush experience, filled with masterful worldbuilding and one of the most interesting protagonists I've read in years. The first-person perspective forces the reader to see things only as Alyce sees them, and thus it makes a hero out of an antagonist and an arc that left me breathless.

It's a gift, to read something that makes you go, "oh, yes, I stand with the villain, actually", even if the conflict is not as simple as good-vs-evil.

This book is a slow, dark descent into romance and the madness that comes with it. As someone who's a huge fan of Maleficent - both the movies and the character herself - this book was near-perfect. As mentioned, it is a little slow, which might turn off some readers, but I found the crawl to be exciting. I finished this in a couple of hours, too, so it wasn't at any point a slog to get through. Another pro of this book is that it relies almost entirely on relationships between women, be they good or bad. There are few male characters, and those few are very important, but the focus never shifts from the women.

The book does get -.5 stars for cisnormativity. It's a queernorm world, and there are frequent mentions of mlm, wlw, and queer polyamorous relationships, but we have no confirmation of any nonbinary people existing. Also, several aspects of the magic system just seem to fail to recognize binary trans folk at all, which did lessen my enjoyment of it.

If you like retellings, Sleeping Beauty/the Maleficent movies, morally grey protagonists and a sweet (...mostly) romantic subplot, I'd definitely pick this one up.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I enjoyed this, but I didn't love it quite as much as I had anticipated. I particularly enjoyed the fairy tale retelling aspect here! It's mostly Sleeping Beauty from the villain's point of view, but there were also elements (particularly in the beginning) that were reminiscent of Cinderella. The pacing was decent overall, but it did have some repetitive parts and predictable plot points.

This society was rather interesting. It's extremely materialistic with these Graces used for their abilities to provide enhancements (like beauty, wit, etc) to nobles. Even though Alyce is feared and shamed, people still go to her for help with their dirty deeds. This provides the grounds for interesting internal conflicts for Alyce because she just wants to be accepted and fit in with the other Graces. I thought that this story was very much about her accepting who she actually is and taking control of her life. Her journey is understandable - she's really not treated well, so I rooted for her to take some power back! She is naive at times and doesn't always make the best (or nicest) decisions.

I really liked how Aurora and Alyce want to change things in this world. I mostly enjoyed the romance here, but I felt like we didn't get to see quite as much of it as I really wanted. There were an interesting variety of people and magical beings like fae, shifters, and these Graces with magic in their blood.

In general, I did like how the plot built up over the book to where the ending was pretty exciting. I feel satisfied with where it ends up, especially knowing that it's an origin story for the villain in Sleeping Beauty. I would be interested in reading another book in this world!

I did have an enjoyable time with this overall, and I'd recommend it if you're interested in this premise/fairy tale retellings!

I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.

My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 6:10-9:12 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=futp3YcNym8

Malice is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty in which Aurora falls in love with the evil sorceress.

We follow Alyce as she navigates the world of the Graces all while discovering the true depths of her power.

It was interesting to catch glimpses of the villain Alyce is bound to become, like when she messes with Rose's elixirs. Her treatment by others is hard to read about because you grow to love the character and want what is best for her; I’m surprised Alyce didn't turn “evil” sooner. Aurora is the only person to treat her well.

I thought the book would focus more on the romance, but it’s more about Alyce’s character development. I love Alyce’s and Aurora’s relationship but wish Aurora was more present in the story and better developed.

I wanted to see Alyce interacting more with the other Graces. Rose was an interesting side character along with Laurel. I would like to read about them living their day-to-day life as Graces. Hilde was underused as a character and I hope that she plays a bigger part in the next book.

Part one was slow going and had some info-dumping- including histories of other courts that added no substance to the story. Part two picked up and the ending was absolutely incredible, culminating in a heart-pounding ending that left off with a pretty big cliffhanger.

Alyce’s transformation from beginning to end was amazingly built up to and I can’t wait to read the next book!

I love a good morally grey character, and I love a descent into villainy. Make it sapphic, and I'm just about bound to love it, and this is a fairytale reimagining as well, what more could you want?

I loved the world building and magic system in this book, and the descent into villainy was very believable. I have to say the book moved a little too slowly for me to stay intrigued, but overall, I did really enjoy this.

I loved this book. This retelling of Sleeping Beauty was so clever and it twisted the story the perfect amount, where it was recognizable but still entirely fresh. The world-building was fantastic and I loved the history, the concept of the Graces, the magic systems, and the politics of the Kingdom of Briar. Alyce was a complicated and morally gray heroine, which was unique and an exciting thing to experience as a reader. I had so much empathy for her and it was fascinating to see someone who clearly had a good heart fight with her natural-born magic, which is powered by mal-intent, as well as the horrible way society has treated her for her entire life. Princess Aurora was totally loveable and their relationship broke my heart with its sweetness. The entire book is filled with a cast of complex and morally gray characters, creating some pretty great twists and turns in the plot. The ending left me in shock- it was so not what I expected to happen and I loved every second of it. This is one of my favorite fairy tale re-imaginings that I have read. I highly recommend it and am excited to see what else Heather Walter has up her sleeve.

Gorgeous fairy-tale vibes, with a twist. I loved Alyce, I thought she was a really compelling character, with the kind of villain backstory I can get behind. Aurora was lovely and kind, and I loved the slow burn of *this* relationship, when I don't typically love slow burn, because here it was not code for no new developments. The romance was clearly building, they were doing things together that were clearly growing their affections for each other, just not anything overtly romantic/sexual. It also wasn't code for, we might kiss in the last ten pages, there was plenty of action after the kiss as well. Plus the fantasy world happening around them was both familiar and new, and was really interesting to read while waiting for the romance to develop. The end hurt me. I get why the author chose to go that way, but I was hoping for something else (that I won't spoiler by saying here) and that is not what I got.

Bewitchingly delightful.I love an alternative read. It has just enough spice in the language that you can almost see the side eye. The princess beautiful but chafing against her perfection. The outcast always on the lookout for the slight. A perfect scenario for a tale turned upside down to the delight of us all. You are invited to take every image of Sleeping Beauty and not only twist it but turn up the steam and dream a better outcome for both. I hope to read more of these fractured fairy tales.

After reading the blurb I immediately went "I want this book this instant" and Malice did not disappoint. Malice is a wonderfully sapphic, dark and captivating Sleeping Beauty retelling. I'm so excited for its release (full rtc)

DNF at 32%

I am so disappointed that this one didn’t end up working out for me since I was thoroughly looking forward to a dark, sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

Why this book didn’t work for me:

- The pacing of the book is incredibly slow. I’m all for all slow pacing when fantasy books first start when there’s lush works building and a unique magic system that captures my attention. The world building in this one is just okay. And so much of the initial set up and magic system reminded me of The Belles by Dhionelle Clayton (which I loved), but it didn’t work here.

- There’s so many info dump chapters. Since the author is trying to educate the reader at the same time as Alyce about Alyce’s dark magic since she’s half-Vila, there’s entire passages of the history and lots of telling with very little showing.

- At the 32% mark, we are finally seeing Alyce start to use her dark magic, but it’s just petty revenge on the Graces who’ve physically and emotionally tortured her for her entire life. How she wasn’t ready to burn the entire thing down was beyond me?!

- And the whole curse that Aurora seems intriguing, but it’s pretty obvious where the storyline is going between Aurora and Alyce so I don’t need to continue reading to solve that mystery.

Thank you to Del Rey Books for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

It amazes me that this book is only a debut novel. The magic system was so interesting and unique (from all the fantasy I have read at the very least) and this take on Sleeping Beauty was from a different perspective. This is told from the “villain’s” point of view with Aurora as the side character and love interest. Alyce, our protagonist, is morally gray and still coming into her power. Not every decision made will be ones you agree with, but it adds to her character complexity and arc.
The pacing was a little bit off at times. The end of the book really took off in comparison to the beginning and middle, but this didn’t take away from my enjoyment.
Highly recommend! and i’m very excited for the sequel.

Aurora's family was cursed by dark magic, and it could only be broken by true love's kiss. She's a kind princess, likely to be a good ruler for Briar, and doesn't care that Alyce the Dark Grace has the same kind of magic that had cursed her. Aurora can't stand having to kiss princes in the hopes it will break her curse, but she's running out of time.

Told from Alyce's point of view, we learn about the Graces, women gifted with golden blood that are able to do magic by infusing drops of their blood into elixirs. When their magic runs out and their blood is silver, they're essentially put out to pasture, running guild houses for other Graces or getting married. Alyce, however, has the green blood of the Vila, creatures that once were enemies of the fae. Alyce is reviled by other Graces and even the common people in the kingdom of Briar unless they need her to create a curse. She tries to learn how to do more with her magic and loves the princess Aurora, but every step of the way people don't trust her and make her feel unwanted. She's angry and feels unloved, which makes her trust unwisely.

I felt so bad for Alyce, being picked on for things she can't help. The Queen is essentially a figurehead, and the nobility tend to be vain and fickle as well. They also belittle Alyce even as they want her curse elixirs, and humiliating her at her first ball made me want to smack them all. This is the first half of a duology, so its explosive ending will lead into another novel. I can't wait to read it and see what happens next. After so much heartache and betrayal, I do want to see a happier ending for Alyce.

I love a good fairy tale retelling, especially one with awesome diverse representation and morally ambiguous characters!

This is a darker retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story that we all know (you know, the Disney version), but in this case, we have our Maleficent character fall in love with Aurora. I honestly feel like the themes that are in this book are some of the things that Maleficent tried to touch on, but had some problems with tone and that rape allegory scene where the King drugs Maleficent and then takes her wings in order to prove that he's gotten rid of the dark fae.

Luckily, Malice avoids all of that. Instead, we watch the story unfold through Alyce, a young woman who was unfairly named a Dark Grace because her magic has negative impact on those around her. And she is part Vali, this universe's version of a dark fae. This book does not shy away from the abuses that Alyce faces from her peers and how she clings to the first person who treats her like someone worthy of being treated well, even if he is shady as all else. Then Aurora, the princess of Briar comes into the picture, and the pair bond fast. Aurora is Alyce's hope, and reading her try to wrap her head around her feelings was so compelling.

Like other reviewers, I thought the first part of the book is really slow. But once I hit part two, it felt like the pacing picked up a notch, and all that slow pacing built into an explosive ending. The romantic aspect of Aurora and Alyce is always there, but the focus is really more on them bonding over their attempt to gain back their agency. There are some hiccups here and there, as this is a debut, but for me its more about the slow crawl of the first half of the book. It works so hard to show how badly Alyce is treated, but I felt like it didn't really move the plot all that much.

If you can get past the first part of the book, you'll appreciate some of the careful and complex worldbuilding and character development. Alyce is a frustrating and awesome lead, as she embodies all the problems with people who are sympathetic, but have given up because they were beaten down for so long. Aurora is an amazing foil for Alyce as she too is bound by a force outside herself, but still has fight in her. This is a great retelling of Sleeping Beauty and I can't wait for the sequel.

This retelling was a clever and interesting way to bring some freshness into this fairy tale. I really enjoyed what the author did with this and can't wait for the next book. Love a good LGBTQIA twist as well!