Ahhh this book is everything! Do we still say that? Something is everything? Well I don't care cause I really loved this book! To be fair I already love re-tellings A LOT so I may be a bit biased. It's been a while since I've really rooted for a "villain" in a book but was Alyce really a villain? I absolutely loved the Lgbtq+ representation and it added such a great element to the whole story and was one of the biggest things that had me hooked and excited to keep reading. I really loved the writing and worldbuilding in this book and can not wait for the next in the series! Though its early in the year Malice is definitely going to make it into my favorite reads of 2021!

Malice is a book that revolves around deconstructing this villianess narrative. Because of her differences, Alyce is ostracized, even as they need her magical skills. Alone and reviled, Alyce questions whether her power is a curse or blessing, wondering if she will be hated by everyone she meets. What intrigued me about Malice is the way that Alyce's society has constructed her monstrosity. The ways they've perpetuated lies and ignorance, those who stand by and watch her treatment, to perpetuate this myth of her own monstrosity.

But what Alyce needs to do is figure out not only her own powers, but the truth of the world around her. She struggles to embrace, and train, the power within her while she searches for allies and friends. While Alyce makes mistakes, like having power you never thought you had paired with vengeance, she is still very much entrenched in a system which seeks to destroy her. To tolerate her when she's needed, but as soon as she leaves the boundaries of their cages, will do whatever it takes to turn her into what they always believed. As Alyce, how does she figure out who she wants to be, without falling into their traps?

MALICE is an immersive and imaginative retelling of “Sleeping Beauty.” The worldbuilding is vivid and original, and I’m obsessed with the aesthetic of the entire book. I love that it’s told from the villain’s perspective and that it’s kind of a villain origin story. I’ll be honest and admit that I don’t recall much about the story of Sleeping Beauty besides Aurora, a princess who needs true love’s kiss to wake her from an eternal slumber, but the way Heather Walter tells the tale leading up to that event had me accidentally skimming pages ahead just to see what happened next. The last 20% needed to happen but I was hoping for a happier ending. I am glad that Alyce got to claim her full power by the end, though. I am desperate for the sequel, and eagerly await its publication in 2022!

Actual rating: 4.5.

Malice is the sapphic Sleeping Beauty retelling of my dreams. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, and it (mostly) did not disappoint! I really loved the unique magic system and world building (especially the system for the Graces' magic), and the characterization of Aurora as anything but the swooning princess in need of a savior.

My only real gripe was about the ending. I wasn’t disappointed with what happened in the ending, moreso with how abruptly it came and went. The entire book was so thoughtfully written and everything slowly built up to Alyce’s transformation to full villainess (not a spoiler, this is explicitly mentioned in the blurb) and I didn’t feel like the ending did her story justice.

This is the first book in a duology, and I have high hopes that Book 2 will more than make up for the ending of this first book, but I still felt it was worth noting. That being said, please read this book! It was phenomenal, and I honestly can’t believe it’s a debut novel.

From the opening pages of Heather Walter's debut, I was hooked on Malice. Alyce is a complex character, so reviled by all of her peers it's impossible not to sympathize with her plight. The last known member of her kind, Alyce is a Dark Grace, part Vila, green-skinned and blooded. Vilas deal in curses and terror, punishment and revenge. The rest of the Graces of Lavender House and throughout Briar have gifts in magic in beauty, wisdom, art, and other attributes everyone desires, blessed by the fae of Etheria. Universally hated, all Alyce wants is to save up enough money to escape Briar and go somewhere to live out her own life without being forced to use her gifts to create elixirs and curses for the petty people of Briar.

But all of that changes when she has a chance meeting with the crown princess Aurora. The last surviving heir to Briar's throne, Aurora has only months left to live before the curse that claimed her sisters ends her, too. If she doesn't find true love's kiss before her 21st birthday, Aurora will die just like her sisters. When Aurora is the only person to accept Alyce as she is and not judge her for the actions and crimes of her ancestors, Alyce finds herself unable to resist helping Aurora in any way she can.

This LGBTQIA retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the evil sorceress's point of view was engrossing right from the beginning. While some may find the pacing to be slow, I loved that Walter takes the time to describe so many elements of world-building. It's intricate and vivid, and Walter nails the details of the history of the realms, the magic of the Graces and Vila, and the war between the fae and the humans. Walter's characters are all vivid and interesting, with so many dwelling in that gray area between hero and villain it's nearly impossible not to empathize with them all.

Malice ends with enough closure to be satisfying and still leaves readers wanting more. I'm so excited for the second book. Thank you very much to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This was such a compelling read. I’m a sucker for any fairytale retelling, but I definitely have a soft spot for stories told from the villain’s perspective. Understanding their motives, getting a glimpse inside their brain, seeing how they think they’re the hero -- that’s one of my favorite things. And this is a wonderful example of just that.

I will admit this book had a bit of a slow start; the worldbuilding was very cool but very intricate and it took me a while to really understand what was going on. The history of Briar and the hierarchy of their particular realm is decently convoluted -- but once you’re in, you’re in. I found myself drawn in almost without realizing it, blowing through pages just to see what happens next.

Poor Alyce. That girl did nothing wrong and yet everyone hates it for it. You know I love an antihero but Alyce was only ever a villain to everyone else; her motives are pure and entirely understandable. The most recognizable aspects of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, the ones that paint the picture of a dark fairy, are mostly not even of her doing. And yet the poor thing cannot catch a break.

The LGBTQ+ aspect of the novel was so lovely, though the prejudice around it was a bit confusing. Briar is described as a realm in which same-sex couples exist and are allowed to live and love freely -- except in the case of royalty. That’s a no-no, entirely forbidden. That being said, I love how there are no labels used for either girl. They just are. Two girls that pair up to fix a problem, become friends against all odds, and then something more.

Malice sets up the Sleeping Beauty story we’re familiar with and yet also leaves the door open for so much more.

I was not expecting a cliffhanger, but I can’t say that I mind; I’m very curious to see where this story goes.

This fairytale reimagining is definitely one to pick up if you like dark, dangerous, and unpredictable. In the very best of ways, of course.

An interesting take on a familiar fairy-tale! I love imaginings of old stories so this was right up my alley.

I absolutely love retellings and I mean all retellings, there isn’t one genre of retellings that I don’t love but I do have a special place in my heart for fairy tale retellings and this one is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a twist, it’s queer!

Aurora is the heir to the throne and Alyse (Maleficent) is a dark grace who is treated with fear and hatred from her fellow graces because she uses darker magic. The two need each other to defeat the curse and that is all I’ll say of the plot because it’s just so good I feel like you should read it yourself and I’m not sure I wouldn’t actually reveal a spoiler.

I really like retellings that take a character who is usually a flat villain and tells a different story from their perspective do redeem the characters who we are taught from childhood to hate. Heather Walter really does a lovely job turning the Disney tale on its head and making you sympathize with Alyse from the very beginning of the story and that only grew for me throughout.

I adored this and recommend this to anyone who loves fairytale retellings.

CW: bullying, manipulation, kidnapping, various forms of violence

Poor Alyce. Abandoned at birth and raised without love she faces a life where she is feared, despised and friendless. Alyce is the Dark Grace. Instead of bestowing beauty, wisdom, or other charms, clients come to her to make their foes ugly, uncoordinated, or cursed with some other malady. The only person who isn’t immediately repulsed by Alyce is the Princess Aurora who is cursed to die at the end of the year unless she is kissed by her true love.
I couldn’t put this book down. Walter has done a fantastic job of crafting Alyce. She is from the same line of evil sorcerers that originally cursed the Princess Aurora, but Aurora is able to bring out the desire for good that lurks within Alyce’s soul. But when Alyce tries to use her gifts for good to cure a dying noble everything goes terribly wrong. And as time goes on her desire to learn more about her heritage leads her to trust the wrong person and everything collapses around her as she inadvertently releases the evil that she was trying to quell. I was really pulling for Alyce throughout as I secretly wanted that happily ever after ending and hoped that she would quash her evil side once and for all. But alas, it didn’t happen. And that was precisely the point. Thanks you Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Malice is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a sapphic twist. We see the story unfold from a first-person POV, through the eyes of Alyce, a half-Vila who’s the last of her kind living amongst a kingdom and peoples diametrically opposed to her existence. The Vila are the comically evil foil to the Fae, a race of angelic magical beings and, as with all caricature, we soon learn that perhaps things aren’t as black and white as they seem.

While the half-Fae of the kingdom, known as Graces, are celebrated for their “light” magic – the ability to gift beauty, wit, pleasure, and wisdom - Alyce is similarly ostracized for her dark magic. We are drawn to the inherent hypocrisy of the kingdom’s inhabitants here, as Alyce’s gifts are sought out in equal measure to the Graces’. Alyce herself is a proxy for the darker side of human nature – the jealousies and vindictiveness we all possess but are ashamed to acknowledge (though we are quite happy to criticize these traits in others).

The book explores Alyce’s transformation from outcast to the full-fledged villainess of fairytale fame – though one could argue that she becomes her own hero. In that way Walter’s Malice almost a spiritual prequel rather than a retelling. Walter managed to make Sleeping Beauty her own - she crafted a vibrant world with a rich magical system and a deep historical lore that will no doubt be further explored in the sequel. I don’t want to spoil the romance, so I’ll just say that it’s well-paced and sweet, and ends on a cliffhanger that turns Sleeping Beauty on its head.

However, I think this book could have benefitted from a few more passes through an editor. In the first third of the narrative, we are treated to a loooot of exposition. I understand that perhaps there weren’t many opportunities to “show” a lot of the cultural mores, political bodies, and magical systems that embody this world, but spoon-feeding this information to me in textbook-fashion through Alyce’s POV took me out of the world completely. There is also some repetitiveness in Alyce’s POV. Maybe it’s because I read the whole book in two sittings, but I found myself thinking “you already pointed this out / complained about this before” in many sections. So yeah, at almost 500 pages, I feel like these things could’ve been better executed.

Additionally, towards the end, some black and white decisions were turned inexplicably gray, almost as if shoehorned in for additional drama. Drama that definitely was NOT needed because the last 10% of the book was a bonkers (like Millennium Force roller coaster mad) and filled with more than enough twists to leave you reeling.

Despite these issues, I found this to be overall an entertaining, casual read and I will be tuning in for Part 2 of the duology!

Disclaimer: I got this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty! In this retelling, Aurora falls in love with the villain instead of Prince Philip. In this book, the sorcerer is just misunderstood and misguided. Aurora is still relatively sweet and innocent. I loved that I got to see a fresh take on this beloved fairytale. I'm extremely picky with my fairytale retellings, but this one didn't disappoint me! The only thing I wasn't a fan of were the minor plot holes in this book. This is a spoiler-free review so I will share what it is on my blog after pub day! I''ll be posting about this on my bookstagram page too closer to the pub date. I'm @meetcuteromancebooks. This is one you don't want to miss!

Book TW: child abuse & neglect, xenophobia, torture, emotional abuse/manipulation

It’s no secret that I adore fairy tale retellings. There is rarely a retelling I don’t appreciate or love. Malice is no exception. I ADORED it. Now, if you’re hoping for a cute villain/hero romance... not really. Does it have cute moments? Absolutely. But this is a morality tale and a tragedy at its heart. Much like the fairy tales all retellings are based on, this story has a moral but instead of focusing on the light side and dark side duality, this tale explores the murky grey. There is not a single character (except maybe Aurora) who is “good” and Alyce, our MC struggles with her morality the entire novel. This is also a story about power and oppression. It explores how people react when they have been repeatedly pushed down and oppressed and alternatively... what happens when they discover they do have power.
Now I loved Alyce’s perspective but it’s often difficult to read the horrible things people do to and say about her because of her heritage and to know when she’s being manipulated before she does. It’s uncomfortable to see her struggle with wanting to be “good” when everyone tries to force her into an evil box. She’s complex and interesting and the development of the romance with Aurora was done really well.
The writing is beautiful, harsh, and intense. The pacing is great and builds beautifully. And then the end... well, it leaves an impact and I just kind of had to go “oh. It went THERE.”
It has all the callbacks you need to the fairy tale you need while still developing its own world and system. I love the inclusion of the Fae and the Vila and how the magic works in this tale. I do think that in comparison to everything else in the book you could definitely argue that the “dark” magic is overpowered, but I think it was handled well in the context of the story.
If you’re in the mood for a very dark fairy tale and a sapphic romance that will leave you angsty and maybe just a bit put off because the hopeless romantic in you is always hoping for a completely happy ending even when you know it’s prooobably not gonna turn out how you want... yep, you’ll love Malice. I think this is definitely reread material for me! I just- have so many feelings and I can’t even say most of them because spoilers!!!

2.5/5 stars.

I'm usually a big fan of retellings, be it for myths or fairy tales, so I went into this with high hopes. This book is a retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale but with a twist in that its also a love story between the Princess Aurora and the Dark Grace Alyce.

The book is very slow in the first 50% and the action doesn't really begin until the last quarter - and by then there's only so few pages left. The worldbuilding is given immediately and I'm bogged down by all the details trying to keep everything straight and piece it all together. I wish that the details had been interwoven some more throughout rather than given immediately - perhaps it's only me, since I have trouble keeping up with high fantasy novels, but I found it hard keeping up with all the details about the different regions and alliances. I didn't expect the things to do with the monarchy and allegiances to be such an integral part of the book, but I know its an aspect that lots of fantasy readers enjoy so I'm sure others will like it more than I did.

I rooted for Alyce the entire way through, but I didn't care much for the other characters. I wish we had gotten more from Aurora, she did seem like a great character but I think tinged with Alyce's view of her, we didn't really get a multifaceted view of her. Alyce, however, was a complex character and I liked reading about her discovering more about her magical abilities. It was intriguing to read about, but wish it had been executed better to be more exciting.

Overall, this is a good book for fans of epic fantasy books that are fairy tale retellings, but just wasn't for me.

I've always been fascinated by reading books through the villains pov and this book was no exception. Taking inspiration from Sleeping Beauty, Malice takes readers through a journey of an outsider wanting to find herself.

I loved the progression of Alyce and how she bounces back and forth from wanting to do what's "right' and what's 'wrong'. Ultimately her actions become based on the need to protect the one she loves.

I do wish we had gotten more from Aurora's character as I loved her and Alyce interacting with one another, as well as Aurora's character being interesting for a princess.

This ending absolutely destroyed me and I'm just going to leave it at that.

Overall, 4 (maybe 4.5 stars, I have to think about it more) out of 5 stars. An engaging retelling to say the least.

This dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty was so beautifully written. Lots of dark twists that will keep you intrigued until the very end. I am really hoping for a second book, I was left wanting more to the story at the end! Great read!

I am broken. I am a broken human. Slow burn like whoa. I am positively weeping. This author is cruel beyond measure leaving it as she did. And if I don’t get a sequel where I get my got-damned happily ever after, heads are gonna roollllllll.

I received and ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
t's a classic well-known and much beloved tale. How much could it be changed? Quite a bit it seems. We all know the basis: beautiful princess pricks her finger on a cursed spinning wheel falling into a deathlike sleep only to be awoken by true-love's kiss.
And all that happens. Centuries before our tale. The kingdom is rich and prosperous, gifts of the fae being borne by the Graces of the kingdom as a thanks for wiping out the dark Vila whose curse to cause the death of all female heirs on their 21st birthday was also lessened to allow first-love's kiss to save each of them.
Now, one of the ancient foes heirs is born in the kingdom to a human mother. Deemed "safe-enough" her gifts are used by the kingdom in service as the Dark Grace, granting curses and misfortune rather than beauty, grace and wisdom. Tormented by her peers and nearly friendless, she just dreams of escape.
Until she meets the princess and entirely different ideas become possible. Maybe, impossibly, there's a chance for a happy ever after? With the assistance of a new-found ally and a handful of, not friends but at least not enemies, she dares to dream.
This was a great premise and I enjoyed reading this story and this take on the classic. Turning the classic black-and-white good vs. evil into shades of gray with all the real-feeling moral ambiguities we encounter and feel the character felt like people we know, or ourselves, and wonder how we would respond. With the addition of LGBTQ elements, discussion of oppressions and class struggle mixed in with classic bits from other tellings of the tale, Fae elements, and a nice sprinkle of classic Disney it was an entertaining ride.

This is a wonderfully written page-turner. Heather Walter mixes world-building with character development really well, so the plot is compelling from the start as she builds out Briar. It's so lovely to have a book with a queer main character and plotline that's not rooted in either tragedy around that or a coming out narrative - the main character's relationship is integral to the story and queerness is part of that, but it's not there for its own sake. Can't wait to read book 2!

Characters were dynamic but unrelatable. Good twist on story with interesting shift in plot. Will recommend if brought up.

Omg omg omg... Please tell me that there is going to be a sequel to this book because I'm hooked. And that ending! We need a sequel. Alyce and Aurora need their happy ending.