Look. You can basically write anything simply related to Sleeping Beauty and Maleficient and I am going to love it automatically. There are very few exceptions to this rule.

The writing kept me hooked from page one. I loved the Gothic elements to the tale. I found the world building terrific.

In a time where retellings are getting to be quite popular, I found this one to be one of the better ones.

Careful, this book has witches, curses, and a dash of romance that'll make your heart race! I adored the author's writing, I felt like it was atmospheric and haunting, and the world she's crafted is beautifully eerie. The characters, especially the strong-willed heroine, are so well-drawn that you can't help but root for them, even as they grapple with the shadows of their pasts. If you're into dark, twisty tales with a touch of the magical and a hint of romance, this book will cast a spell on you that you won't want to break.

I'm thoroughly smitten with "Her Dark Enchantments". The characters are immediately endearing, and the romance unfolds at a compelling pace. Their mutual understanding of feeling deemed 'unlovable' resonates deeply. While the magic system leans more towards the subtle, it aligns well with the fairytale essence, and the nuances introduced are utterly captivating. The world-building is spellbinding, drawing the reader in from the start, culminating in a spectacular ending.

Thanks to Quill and Crow Publishing House for an e-arc of Her Dark Enchantments.

Every villain has an origin story and this is Myravelle Spinner’s.

This book didn’t hook me right away, but once it did I was in it. This retelling of Maleficent was wonderful. Myravelle is a fairy and in service of the king, but not by choice. Part of her duties involve her waking those who have been touched by the sleeping curse which requires a canvas - a person chosen by magic - that is used to siphon from by cutting them.

Even though I guessed many things that were going to happen, I still found myself entertained and loved seeing another version of how she came to be. I felt like a few other fairy tales were woven in too.

If you like retellings, then I would highly recommend this. The one thing I wish was that the last quarter of the book felt so rushed and I wish some pivotal moments were stretched out a bit more.

Overall a good read that I think a lot of people will enjoy!

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I love a good origin story and this is one of those tales that pulls you in from the get go. I have heard the saying what makes a person a villain. It was not one to save them from that path. This novel gave me that kind of feel. It was woven with beautiful but dark words. I enjoyed the characters and the choices they made. I don't want to share to much but it is worth a read and maybe another.

This was a perfect mixture of Dark and twisted. It gave me Once upon a time vibes mixed with a maleficent type of atmosphere. It was an enjoyable read.

I am a sucker for retellings of fairy tales. This book was a great concept with great ideas but the trouble was with the execution and the pacing. Maybe I am not a fan of the writing style? It was a little slow and had a lot of repetition. Sorry! Wasn't a fan.

I really enjoyed this retelling of Sleeping Beauty from Maleficents perspective! It was interesting to see how she ended up cursing Briar Rose! It definitely made you think about how angry she was to lose the love of her life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Have to say, this really wasn't for me. The premise was good, the ideas that the author came up with were really interesting, but the execution really wasn't great.
The writing style was really terrible and the characters were really flat. Maybe YA readers will have an easier time reading this.

A solid reimagining and blending of fairy tales. Myravelle was a captivating character, and the story that was woven was entertaining to read.

There were a few moments where the pacing felt a bit off. The first half of the book felt like it was too slow, and the last 10% felt too fast. I almost wish the last like 15-20% of the book had been stretched out to closer to 30-40%.

Solid book though, especially if you like reading the story of the supposed villain.

Thanks to the Author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion and voluntary

3 stars!

But, to be honest, it's because I'm not too sure how I feel about this all the way yet.

We have another adult fairytale retelling, this time of Sleeping Beauty, and I'm not mad about it. In fact, I'll probably read every single one that comes across my way. Why? Because I'm a bi**h for them.

I like what Briar did in making the plot more unique. The element of trees being such a central plot point in this was refreshing, instead of it just being a fairytale retelling full of smut and no interesting plot. This also had moments that reminded me of Wicked and Rumpel, which just made this more fun to read. You can easily end up caring about the main characters, Mryavelle and Byzarian, and even if you don't, at least you're able to understand them. We also get to see some different types of representation and we get to play with the idea of "what does it mean to be evil or good?" This read was definitely fun.

I appreciate that this book made me think and I, honestly, appreciate that I'm still not sure how I feel after reading it to rate it one way or another. Maybe it'll just remain at 3 stars, maybe it'll drop or go up. I'll give this a reread later on down the line and see if my opinion changes.

I went into this story fairly blind, having only briefly glanced at the blurb and being drawn in by the beautiful cover and the promise of a fairytale retelling.

What I got, at least in the first 75% of the book, was a dark, twisted and kind of kinky story that surrounded an intricate, broken and flawed set of characters. There was layer upon layer of each being peeled back for the reader to enjoy.

I enjoyed Byzarien and Myravelle's story quite a lot, not even really putting the new story to the tendrils of the original until after the 75% mark. The first three quarters of this book is where the story really shines.

I liked the sweet glimpses into life, the peek into a world of gods and beliefs that seem somewhat crude and simultaneously quite complex. Some elements of the magic was handled well, others leaned heavily on tropes we know well and are well used. Some character choices were obvious nods to the original, others not so obvious until later.

Are there plot holes and flaws, yes, but those didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the story. At least not to start with.

However, after the 75% mark, what should have been a gut punch to the feels, felt rushed and utterly cosmetic. I felt absolutely no emotional connection and that really ruined an otherwise solid 4 star book. Unfortunately all the lovely build up and character development was lost in a single scene and the book just couldn't recover.

If you like fairytale retellings, or even the Disney worlds of Maleficent, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty etc then you may enjoy this story. However, if you're looking for something that is 100% true to the originals, look elsewhere.

**Note: I was given an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley**

❥ 4 stars ☆

This is a retelling of Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and how she became The Wicked Fairy or The Mistress of All Evil, mixed with some Rumpelstiltskin vibes.

Every other chapter is from Myravelle Spinner and Byzarien Dupont’s point of view alternately.

It’s clear that Myravelle was not born as a bad or evil person, and she is forced to perform magic for the king and the king’s soldiers. All she wants is to save her mother who is also forced to work for the king by spinning gold, and for both of them to be safe.

Byzarien is one of the king’s soldiers, who has experienced pain of his own in the past. He and many other soldiers really dislike fairies, and also think that fairies are the ones behind many attacks against the soldiers. Byzarien has a friend group of 4 other soldiers who were all kind people and friends, and two of them are lovers.

❝Once upon a time,❞ she whispered, ❝there was a girl of stars and a boy of scars. They burned one another in ways only true love can. When the eternal winter snuffed the flames inside of them, they froze together into a beautiful statue. Their love remained eternal as the forest grew all around.❞

While I was reading the last couple of chapters I remembered that this is a retelling book without a sequel so the story will have to end in this book, and I wondered how things would work out for them and how the story would end.

Reading about Myravelle and Byzarien being so happily in love was beautiful and captivating enough that it made me forget for a moment that this is a Maleficent retelling, and therefore I didn’t really see their sad ending coming. They were so happy together and they became better from being together, and they both deserved that.

They were so close to getting to live happily ever after together which makes the ending of their lovestory even more sad. Myravelle was just as close to a future where she didn’t choose to become The Wicked Fairy.

The concept is great, the execution is not. Unfortunately the pacing is off, there are plot holes, and at at times the main character is pretty boring. The characters just never felt fully fleshed out. I walked away with an overall feeling of enjoyment but there is work to be done.

when I saw this book was a fairytale re telling I was super intrigued and excited. especially sleeping beauty one of my favorite princesses. However, this book fell short for me, I found it super slow in the beginning and that make it so hard to finish off novel. It had some great elements including many fairytales but I just wish it flowed easier. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

3.5 stars.

I wanted this book to hold my attention more but overall it was okay. I think some scenes could've been fleshed out a bit more but I found the premise pretty interesting and that made me want to come back to the story when I had put it down.

There was no mystery in terms of what to expect for 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝑬𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 by Rosalyn Briar. If you love a good fairytale retelling, then this is a book that you'll enjoy. There were moments where the pacing was a bit too slow, but there was also a lot of world building and character building taking place so that wasn't too much of a surprise. The story didn't disappoint and it felt fun at times leaning into this world that we, the reader, are given a peek into.

A Maleficent retelling will always catch my eye and Her Dark Enchantments didn't disappoint! it was a very quick read, filled with magic and the best dark fairytale vibes, even though sometimes I had to fill the blanks by myself. It was an overall good read, and I can't wait what the author puts out next!

I love fairytale retelling, and this one was exactly what I was hoping for. Elements of Sleeping Beauty, reminding me of Wicked. It was lovely! There were a few parts where I was filling in my own blanks, but it didn’t detract at all.
I would read this again!

A fairytale retelling that is also a dark, paranormal romance? This book has a little bit of everything! Growing up, Maleficent was one of my favorite Disney characters and I still find her fascinating today. I have yet to find a compelling backstory about her, yet Myravelle's tale was so bewitching, tragic, and raw that I couldn't help but enjoy it. I love the twist of Myravelle being compared to a black widow spider - one that lures kings into her web just to sustain her family's survival. Rosalyn Briar offers an explanation as to why one of the world's most infamous villains was created and she ends up creating a fully realized and complex version of this character that readers deserve to experience.