Thank you netgalley and the publisher for sending me this copy.

Sometimes, there are stories you don’t feel drawn into, where you feel detached. And then, there’s Malice.
I was immediately intrigued by the cover, then I saw in the description that it was a queer retelling of Sleeping Beauties which made me feel so excited for this story! I was happy to be approved, and I was not disappointed!

We could say of this book that the pacing is kind of slow, and this is what I liked. I liked it because it allows the readers to immerse themselves into this story, which brought about different aspects from what we usually find in fantasy. Indeed, the story of the Graces was original, and I was really interested in reading about them. Moreover, what I adore in fantasy is well developed word-buildings, when the world has an History, some wars, etc. In Malice, the word-building is well developed, it makes sense and I think it has so much potential to be developed in a series of plenty of books! I want to know more about this world.

Now Alyce… she is different from other main characters in fantasy. She’s not the fiercest, she doesn’t always stand up for herself, but she is still formidable. She went through a lot which makes me feel a lot for her. I love the writing for this exact reason, it is so detailed that I really felt as if I was in her head, every jab, every dirty look, every time it made her feel as if she was worthless. This is the kind of stories that makes you realize that the bad is not always from where we believe it is.
Even though I did not always understand her actions, and I sometimes wanted to shake her, I really liked reading her story and the ending… I like it when the character developments are not the ones we always have in books, and I need the sequel.

I wish there was more of Aurora and more of Aurora and Alyce, I liked the chemistry and because I don’t want to spoil anything, I will not say anything specific but there is a particular scene that became one of my favourite scene throughout all the books I've ever read.

To conclude, a very interesting book in which you can find a well developed world-building, a main character different from every fantasy novels, plot-twists and also breaking hearts (mine).

ARC received from Netgalley for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Our main character is Alyce, a young woman of 20 that makes elixirs and potions that turn out to be more like hexes. She discovers that she is Vila, which is apparently part shifter and part Grace. Alyce falls for Princess Aurora and they decide that the future is female and that they want to rule the kingdom together.
I felt like I didn't read enough of Alyce and Aurora spending time together and developing more of their relationship. I get that it is a "forbidden" love. It felt like it was lacking more details on that aspect. It's an okay read and I do love the plot behind the book. I however did not care for the ending.

This book was received as an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Del Rey in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I could not get enough of this book. I am a huge fan of Sleeping Beauty and the many variations. This one is the first that I have heard where it is in the point of view of the villain who is actually named Alyce instead of Malificent and her perception of Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) was a pleasant and Aurora actually cared about Alyce even though Alyce was responsible for Aurora's sleeping curse and she still cared about her and loved her. If this is not the true meaning of friendship and love, I do not know what is. You want to lean towards the good side of Aurora but you have some sympathy for Alyce, the choice is complicated. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I know our teen book club will have a lot to say for it.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Malice takes the Sleeping Beauty story in a different direction with hints of Cinderella as well.

Alyce is not a typical Grace, mortals born with the power of the light Fae used to make nobels beautiful, graceful etc. Abandoned as a young child, she is part Vila, a type of dark Fae. Patrons visit her, the Dark Grace, not for beauty or wisdom, but for vengeful elixirs. Treated as an abomination because of her heritage, all she wants is to escape Briar and be accepted, treated as an equal. Meanwhile, due to a Vila curse, the land of Briar is down to it’s final heir, Aurora. She must kiss her true love before her twenty-first birthday or she will perish, leaving the kingdom in chaos. When the two meet at a masquerade ball, Alyce is surprised to discover the princess is not afraid of her or her powers. The two become close as they try to discover a way to break the curse on Aurora. The story follows Alyce’s journey of self-discovery as she learns the full extent of her powers and who she can trust. Will her choices and friendship with the princess lead her to redemption or corruption?

Walter creates an engaging story that leaves readers eager for more with an ending that promises a sequel.

I recieved a copy of Malice by Heather Walter from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

I love retellings and reinterpretations of fairytales and Malice for the most part delivers. The worldbuilding is flawlessly executed, The story itself is mix of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. This book is everything I look for. Ever since reading the Young Elites, I’ve been looking for main characters who aren’t so good, who are ruthless and cruel. This book delivered. I was wary for the first half, because Alyce seemed pretty stereotypical. The last 1/4 of this was absolutely amazing though, and I look forward to rereading this and catching all of the details I missed. I can't wait to read more books by this author.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Del Rey Books for allowing me to read this story. To be able to understand the side of the evil sorceress is something I think will be greatly under appreciated, as are many minorities, whether that be minorities of color or sexual orientation, and that’s something I as a part of the LGBTQ community seriously appreciate. The relationship between Alyce and the Graces was fraught with much tension, something that I don’t think will be resolved, probably ever. Alyce’s connection to the Fae Lord was something I thought would end up destroying one or the other, and I’m not sure that it didn’t destroy something in Alyce herself. It was obvious from the beginning the Alyce was going to be Aurora’s true love, and the twist in that where her father turned evil was a little unexpected. Kal’s evil (the Shifter prisoner) was unexpected, after what was probably centuries of imprisonment. His revenge and his Vila “lover” cursing Aurora was messed up, but Alyce working with her in the end to do what she did to Briar was a pleasant surprise. This book is well worth the read, and I cannot wait for its inevitable release date next year.

Note: Book ends on a cliff hanger. It is a great read. Alyce is a Vila, not quite a Grace but not evil. We see her discover her true powers while her friendship with Princess Aurora builds. There are many themes within this well written tale. Friendship, acceptance, trust and love. This is not a Maleficent and Aurora tale, no. It is quite different. You will see yourself in many of the characters within the book. I can't wait for part 2.

Malice was a pretty interesting read set in a realm where some of the people there are gifted with a bit of magic in their blood. They are called Graces and their blood isn't red but gold. However, these Graces don't have powers forever. Once they have used too much, they start to fade and silver starts to show in their blood.

Our main character, Alyce, is called a Dark Grace. She's actually the only one in this realm that is part Vila. Her blood is Green instead of Gold and while the other Graces can produce elixirs for beauty, wisdom, healing, Alyce can only create them for destruction. She is feared and mistreated by everyone for her heritage and differences. The only one that seem to care for her is the Princess Aurora. She is cursed to die at the end of the year if she doesn't kiss her true love.

Overall, I liked this book. I had forgotten it had a lgbt romance and I was really happy and excited to see how it was going to evolve after their first meeting. The plot and setting was pretty interesting to me. However, while I liked how this book ended in a way... I also kind of hate it and how it left things with a certain character. I'm still unsure how to feel about it all and it makes me wonder if the author was planning on a sequel or if she preferred to stop it here. I guess we'll see!


(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

What a great twist on a fairy tale! I love seeing a story from the villain's point of view, especially because they're usually mistreated and/or misunderstood. The fact that this is also a wlw romance made me so happy!

This retelling of Sleeping Beauty asks what if the key to breaking the princess's curse wasn't a prince, but the villain? Alyce isn't the Vila (like a dark fairy) who originally cursed Aurora's family, but she is a descendant. She's treated like a caged wild animal, the people fear her but also use her abilities for curses and ways for them to get back at their enemies. Alyce meets the princess and there's instant attraction and chemistry. I love the way Aurora treats Alyce like she's precious and doesn't shy away from her Vila heritage.

As we see Alyce start to go down the path of a villain, your heart goes out to her. Can you blame her for wanting revenge against those that hurt her? She fights to free Aurora from her curse and save her love, but others are always standing in the way. How far will Alyce go to save her love?

The ending of this is crazy and I'm really hoping for a sequel. I'm excited for this to be released so everyone can check out this awesome story!

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I got an ARC of this book at a conference, where several speakers talked up this title. I was not disappointed! This is one excellent read. If you like retold fairy tales and learning why the villains in fairy tales did what they did, this book is for you. This book speaks to anyone who has felt like they don't belong, to anyone who has been treated poorly because they were different, for anyone who dares to dream of finding a home somewhere other than they are. I loved seeing the budding romance and seeing Alyce learn to use her power. That said, the book is not perfect. I felt a bit lost in the first few chapters, where I wish more of the world building had been explained earlier. But I hung in there, and by chapter 4-5 or so, I felt fully immersed in the world, and I'm glad I did, because it was a satisfying, emotionally fulfilling ride after that. My other complaint is that I didn't realize the book was the first in a duology when I started reading. I so wanted to see the happily ever after in this book! Alas, I have to wait for book two, which I hope will come out very, very soon.

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

Oh man, Malice was a great fairy-tale retelling! Give me evil sorcerers any day and I will be happy. After meeting Alyce, I honestly felt so bad for her. Her living situation wasn't easy and everyone within the Lavender house treated her like shit. She did have one friend but I had a suspicious feeling about her..

Along the way, she meets Princess Aurora. Now stopping here, I was getting some Cinderella meets Sleeping Beauty vibes. Just because the house that Alyce lived at basically treated her as a servant even though she actually worked with clients as well. Ugh, Rose was the worst person in that house and I despised her. As for the Sleeping Beauty.. well Aurora - duh!

Everyone within this kingdom was an asshole. A selfish asshole. Well, everyone but Aurora. Her dad just wants her to be married and her curse lifted.. and she just doesn't want to marry anyone. Basically these guys all suck.

Once these two formed a friendship, I loved them together. Then feelings grew between them and I was even happier. I loved them together but of course, I knew my happiness was going to be taken away. Rather swiftly too.

All I'm going to say is.. everyone in this kingdom should be afraid. You created a monster and now you have to live with her revenge. I hated how she was betrayed but damn - I loved the evilness. Definitely look forward to another book by this author!

Woooowww twisted!! This story is a fantastic fantasy, LGBTQ, and feminist representative. Plus, it’s dark and twisted and evil in all the right ways. That being said, it was a bit long... some parts just weren’t necessary. Similarly, while several twists or revelations felt brilliant, a few felt obvious or a little too convenient. Overall, great story, good romance, decent writing. A much better Sleeping Beauty retelling than I ever expected to read!

Heather Walter's "Malice" is a dark, sapphic re-telling of Sleeping Beauty but I also saw shades of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. I would recommend this book to fans of the ACOTAR series, Maleficent or The Lunar Chronicles.

From what I had heard from others, I expected Malice to be heavy on the romance but really, this is Alyce's story. Of course, her relationship and subsequent romance with Princess Aurora is a part of her story, but the biggest part of the plot revolves around Alyce learning the true scope of her powers, how to use them (and how not to use them!) and discovering her own sense of self. . She went through extraordinary character development. She was easily my favorite character. She is such a fully fleshed character that I felt her embarrassment, humiliations and frustrations.

I really liked the fact that she had a kestrel as a companion pet (and a little frog too). The kestrel is named Callow and he is like a kindred soul to her because they are both damaged in their own ways and suffered abuse at the hands of others. But Callow has found a safe home with Alyce and I love the pureness of that!

The cover of this book is stunning! I would love to see this book in subscription boxes like Owl Crate or Fairy Loot. The cover and the imagery n the book would inspire gorgeous merchandise.

My sole complaint was that it started off a little slow. However, once it got going I could not put the book down!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Happily ever after has to start somewhere and Heather Walter’s Malice depicts a familiar thorny tale well before those classic words might come to pass.

Long ago a curse was placed on the females of the royal family of Briar, with the only respite coming from true love’s kiss, which is the current effort during Princess Aurora’s last year before her potentially fatal birthday. Alyce, known as the Dark Grace, is feared for her unique heritage that manifests in darker magic than the other Grace’s, though she is still sought out by nobles who seek to exact revenge against others through her magic; however, Aurora isn’t put off by Alyce’s differences and believes strongly in Alyce and her power. Their unlikely bond leads to working together to try to find a better solution to the curse as well as shifting the way Alyce perceives those around her, for better or worse.

Featuring familiar aspects of Sleeping Beauty and adding in somefrom other talesand new ones, this imagining of how the classic tale began was intriguing and portrayed some fierce, strong female characters, though they had their fair share of flaws, which created more realistic gray areas versus a fairy tale’s more typical black and white delineation of good versus evil. Some of the early narrative and plot as it and the characters were being established moved slowly but the latter portion of the story moved much quicker and was generally more enjoyable as a result. Though the world is well-built and has unique aspects to it to deepen the magic and lore, the characters have a good base that they begin from, but they could have benefitted from further development to aid in greater, more satisfying, growth, especially with the amount of miscommunication between them that the story relies upon.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A creative reimagining of the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty. What if the villain was also the one to break the curse? After all, can’t villains fall in love too? A must read for anyone who loves and unconventional relationship.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was SO excited for this book, a sapphic, dark, re-telling of a classic fairytale?? Count me in! I loved watching Alyce on her journey of growth and self-discovery. She was morally grey and I love seeing that in a woman MC! The anti-hero/protagonist love story is always one of my favorite tropes. I enjoyed Aurora too, she wasn’t my favorite but I still liked her! Overall there were some pacing issues and it took me longer than I anticipated to finish. I still enjoyed this, and it was a nice read!

Such an interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoyed following Alyce as she learns and grows into what I think is best described as an antihero. Heather Walter does a fantastic job creating a new and unique world that really grabs your attention. The worldbuilding is excellent and none of the characters are one dimensional. Looking forward to seeing where she takes this story next.

I'm a big fan of re-imagined fairy tales, and this one kept me turning the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed it. At first, I was disconcerted by the ending .... but as the dust of reading settled, I became comfortable with how "Malice" fits in well with the already-published "Sleeping Beauty" body of work. Kudos to a well-imagined and well-executed tale!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!

I wanted to love this book so badly. Dark retelling if a fairy tale, and making it sapphic?? That’s my jam. As soon as I’d heard of this book, I’d had it on my to-read list and I was thrilled when it was on NetGalley and even moreso when I was accepted for it.

However, the book starts off with Alyce, the Dark Grace as very much another NLOG (Not Like Other Girls) trope that was popularized in mid-2000s. Unlike most versions of the trope, she doesn’t have good relationships with boys instead, thankfully. She has fairly shallow and negative relationships with her fellow Graces, nearly all who despise and look down upon her throughout the book for her Vila blood. Her most positive relationship with another women who isn't Aurora is a woman she buys supplies from. While I know that this is certainly meant to be a darker take with morally grey protagonist, I would have hoped that Alyce might have at least a few female acquaintances who were feminine, to balance out Alyce's many rivals who were very feminine themselves. There are some minor plot holes having to do with magic

There are certainly concepts that I liked-- a rose-and-brair-crown dipped in golden fae blood that can only be worn by those of a certain bloodline, how families might take matters in their own hands to avoid passing down bloodline curses, how to deal with curses that can only be broken by a "true love's kiss", discussion of how not all "true love kisses" are good, how power can whittled away through generations, and what happens after fairy magic might fade. There's an intriguing sequel hook that I'll likely be reading!

I wish I liked this book more. I really do.

This book is well written and has good character development I just couldn’t personally get into the story and found it a little bit of a struggle to keep reading. Either way it just left a little lacking for me personally. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.