I had heard nothing about this book prior to receiving the arc. When I realized it was an LGBT sleeping beauty retelling, I was very excited to see where it would go and I was not disappointed. Will definitely be recommending this book upon its release.

For fans of Maleficent and Wicked. We get Sleeping Beauty told from the other side, the Dark Grace Alyce's POV.

Set in a world where humans and the light fae joined forces long enough to defeat the Vila - magical creatures of the dark. The king of the fae bestowed the Briar crown on a human woman as thanks. In return, the Vila cursed the human queen so that all of her heirs would die but the fae lightened the curse. Each princess can break her curse and live if she receives true love's kiss.

Graces are human girls, gifted with golden fae blood in their veins that they use to create elixirs for beauty, wisdom, pleasure. Houses of Graces compete with each other for patronage but only one house has the Dark Grace.

Alyce has Vila blood instead of fae so her blood causes ugliness, sickness, and even death.

The writing is full of lush and detailed descriptions of the Graces' clothing and appearance, the food and wine, and the gorgeous Briar castle. The tone was dramatic and moody with touches of the romantic.

Because it's a retelling, it was easy to see where the storyline was going and I appreciated the author working in Sleeping Beauty touches like a spinning wheel. I wanted to know more about the history of this world. I appreciated that Princess Aurora accepted and wanted Alyce with her darkness instead of wanting to change or redeem her.

While Alyce and Aurora were well developed, the other characters felt flatter. The bad characters were very bad with no redeeming qualities. As an Alyce fan, I hope there's a sequel in the future.

Hooked early on from the premise of a sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, this book caught my attention and held it. The world-building was rich and the characters were interesting, but I found myself worrying as the remaining pages quickly dwindled down.

For the most part, it was a refreshing page-turner, boasting female characters with depth, character development, and complexity. While I would have liked more time spent on Aurora, getting to know Alyce and the other girls in the Lavender House (their residence) made for easy attachment. I could picture the world Walter built with clarity and interest. The story was gripping.

On the other hand, a lot happens in the last third of the book that does not wrap up as well as the developments that came beforehand. I find myself hoping for a sequel in order to provide resolutions for things both presented earlier and opened up by the ending. I'm not the biggest fan of the ending, but since it is something of a open ending, I certainly wouldn't be opposed to reading more should there be a continuation.

Finally, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I struggle with a lot of world building and this book had that. It wasn't super enjoyable for me to read until the last 150 pages or so - and then it was an INTENSE page turner. Also loved that it was a f/f Sleeping Beauty retelling. Want more fairy tales like this!

Who needs Prince Phillip to break her curse when she has a misjudged, quite lovable evil sorcerer! Yes, my friends, this is creative, sappy, angsty, intriguing, captivating retelling of Sleeping Beauty!

After reading this quite tempting blurb and magnificent cover, eventually I started scream : “I WANT THIS ASAP!” Thanks to the publishers heard my cry for help and they didn’t reject me this time!

You know how the fairy tale stars, a wicked, vengeful fairy curses the princess to die : a curse could be only broken by true love kiss. But in that case: princess does not need a knight in shiny armor, a sexy prince or Christian Grey to break the curse! ( Christian Grey only works to break my morning curse: I’m heavy sleeper!)

Princess Aurora actually needs Alyce who is branded, humiliated, shamed as villain because she has gifts: horrifyingly darker, mind blowing gifts you cannot ever imagine. She is outcasted, labeled as monster and abandoned to live a lonely life.

But is she really the villanelle of this story? Because everyone in the Briar only cares about jewelries, glamorous parties they throw, charm-granting elixirs they use. They’re selfish, hedonistic, self centered people who never care about princess or future of Briar if she really dies!
Only one who thinks and care about the princess is Alyce: Dark Grace, who is powerful enough to end her life. But does she really want it? Only one year left for Prince Aurora to break the curse and survive! If Alyce helps her, they can change the future by forging a brand new world! But will she do it? Both her and princes are not so different: they are both caged in their own prisons and they need to find their ways to freedom.

There are some plot holes in the story that I wish were written differently ( I cannot exactly tell those points without giving spoilers so I’m shutting my mouth ) but I mostly enjoyed the detailedly depicted, unique, mesmerizing world building.

I truly loved Alyce and the author’s different approach to the villanelle’s mind and her true feelings. In the regular fairytale universe there is strict line between good and evil: but the author shows that there are so many grey areas and evil we thought can have goodness and light in her/his heart just like the good ones have dark sides. Their choices define who they are, not their abilities or powers!

Well, I’m giving 3.5 stars and I’m happily rounding them up to 4 original, breathtaking, well-developed, smart, new age fairy tale stars!

I think I enjoyed this version of fairytale more and I don’t say no to a sequel!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine/ Del Rey for sharing this digital copy of this anticipated novel in exchange my honest opinions.

WOW, this is the first book in awhile that I've really enjoyed. I liked the twists and turns the author provided on this updated version of Sleeping Beauty. I did figure out a few of the twists coming, but the ending was unexpected (as unexpected as a retelling of Sleeping Beauty can be). All in all, this was a well-written and exciting book.

This was a 4-5 star read. I thought it was an unique, clever, and well done reimagining of Sleeping Beauty! It face me a much needed break from my normal genre! I liked the way it was written, I also had some intense feelings for some of the characters! Very unputdownable, especially if you are a fan of fantasy or reimagining of old fairy tales! I would definitely recommend to any of those who love what I mentioned above, as it’s a very riveting story! Would also recommend to those looking to dip into this genre! The writing was beautiful, the characters developed amazingly, and I felt they did a great job of reimagining a timeless story!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use lower Amazon reviewer number on release date!

This is not my typical read and I don't remember wishing for it on NetGalley but apparently I did. I enjoyed the build up of how Alyce went from being misunderstood and treated poorly to coming into her power. I'm wondering if there's going to be a sequel?

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this imaginative re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. I felt so bad for Alice, all she wanted was happiness and to be accepted as she was. She was not the evil person the fairytale made her out to be and her relationship with Aurora was sweet. The ending made it seem that their could be another book in the works, and I hope I’m right because I want a happily ever after for them.

A sapphic retelling of sleeping beauty where the princess falls in love with the evil sorceress? SIGN ME THE HELL UP. The moment I read the premise I was so so excited to read this book. I was lucky enough to snag an arc and I was not disappointed. This was such a great and really fun retelling. The story revolves around Alyce, a Dark Grace, graces being half fae who can bestow gifts such as beauty, wisdom, or in Alyce’s case.... darker gifts. Alyce is half Vil, and the last of her kind, making her the most hated and feared amongst the Graces. However, one day she meets Princess Aurora... and they both find that they are both prisoners in their cages and find solace in each other. The romance was great and I was rotting for Alyce the entire time. Everybody just takes from her and treats her like absolute garbage and when she finally finds out the true extent of her gifts and what it truly means to be part Vila, I was so amped. The story was great and honestly I would highly recommend this for anyone who loves an interesting romance fantasy book or a fairytale retelling with a twist. The ending had me begging for more and I would honestly love a sequel to see where Alyce goes and what happens with Aurora... seriously please give me more Heater Walter.

*Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

4/5
There is nothing I love more than a story reimagined and retold, but make it sapphic and I just might push all my responsibilities aside to read it as soon as possible. Malice brings a new side to the Sleeping Beauty story, one that is dark, twisted, and full of power. Heather Walter gives agency and authority to these characters in a story that was beyond overdue for a refresh. The world of the original story seemed to lack in world building, but that is not the case here. Here, there are clear distinctions in a world reevaluated from the get go.

I initially didn't know what to expect from this, as is the nature of reading a retelling, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. This book follows Alyce, who takes on the role of Maleficent, as she grapples with her own identity and ties to her past. Alongside this is her growing friendship and eventual romantic relationship with the princess Aurora. Walter ties in some significant connections to the original story, while at the same time bringing new meaning to the elements that coincide with that. Overall I think this was executed well, if not a bit convoluted at times due to the amount of history and information being conveyed to the reader. Towards the end, I found it did take on a few too many developments that I'm not sure panned out in the way the author intended. This could just be because it isn't clear to me whether or not this is a standalone or part of a larger series. I hope it's the latter. All together an interesting read!

This is a mixed review. I wanted desperately to love this title. Ultimately, I will recommend it to people, especially people looking for Sapphic fantasy. That said, I had a few major issues - revealing that the princess falls in love with Alyce in the copy took much of the urgency out of one of the major plotlines. There were a few major holes in the world-building/magic system that frustrated me throughout and were never addressed. (Namely, if Alyce's magic is intent based and has been proven to fade when her intent fades, then really much of the plot should be unnecessary.) I was, however, excited to see that there was room for Alyce's anger and vengeance, and she was given space to be messy and complicated. That's not something you see a lot of with female characters, so it was refreshing. Overall, a good book, but one I will continue to quibble with.

*Thank you so much to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for giving me an Earc of "Malie" in exchange for an honest review.*An amazing imagivitive retelling of Sleeping Beauty unlike any other I've read. Told from the POV of Aylce aka The Dark Grace, the "villian" was wonderful. I loved how morally grey she was. The story was excellent, doing what ever great fairytale retelling should, twisting well-known elements of the orginal tale into new and exciting things. I really liked the Graces, i though they were interesting (and vile). I loved Aurora and Aylce and wish this wasnt a standalone, if only so I could see what comes next.

Oh my goodness gracious! This book was incredible. I couldn’t put it down and read it in one (staying up much too late). I’m so glad I came across it.

A dreamy and dark twisted retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The dynamic between Aurora and the sorceress is a dark, dreamy sort of magic. I loved this book and felt it's magic in every page.