“If they want a monster, they shall have one.”

Ohhhhhh I really liked this one! The blurb indicates this is a dark fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and while I do agree, I feel there are also a few times I thought back on Cinderella and more so, Maleficent while I read. Walter did an amazing job crafting a ‘villain’ that readers can connect with. I also say villain loosely because Alyce has a beauty, innocence and heart that we watch slowly be destroyed by the ignorance and hatred of the people around her. The depth of this story is exceptional with themes of self-acceptance, LGBTQ representation, the blurred lines of good vs. evil and the destructive force of fear, discrimination and ridicule.

I especially fell in love for the strength of the female characters in this book. Many times we see heroines make awful decisions paired with unthinking motives. While there are instances where emotions cloud the better judgment of Aurora and Alyce, it was refreshing to see Aurora step back and reevaluate circumstances as the Princess. Alyce had a lot more growing to do and reigning in but readers can see where this inability to trust people and self comes from. It played well into the creation of Malice. There are two characters that I felt could have been left out. Unfortunately, I can’t say too much because it will give away plot moments. I personally felt the author was constructing strength around Alyce and finding her inner power. The twist that gives her the push to crossover to the dark side so-to-speak, I felt took away from Alyce’s strength and made it reliant on others instead of her. There is an intimate sexual scene and while it is tastefully and beautifully done it made me wonder if this is in the young adult section. I saw a few book sites insinuate a young adult crossover but feel this would be better suited labeled under new adult for those on the younger side of YA.

This is deliciously foreboding, hexing and so much more than just an average fairytale retelling. Slow to build with character driven plot progress and a darkly enchanting morally grey main character. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a more ominous retelling with LGBTQ representation and feminine strength. Thank you to Penguin Random House/Del Rey for the gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to hit the store and add a stunning copy to my shelves. True rating 4.5/5.

This was such an interesting twist on a very well known story. The characters felt and the story felt familiar while also feeling like something totally brand new! The first half of the book really had me thinking it was going in a certain direction, but towards the end totally left me guessing. Overall I really enjoyed this darker retelling of a well known fairy tale and I already can’t wait for the second half of this duology!

Once upon a time, an evil fairy cursed a line of Princesses to die. The only way to break the curse, true love's kiss. You may be thinking you've heard this story before, right?

I'd say, not quite like this. in Malice, Heather Walter has put her own darkly creative spin on the beloved tale, Sleeping Beauty. Alyce is a Dark Grace, living in a house of Beauty Graces since she was just a young girl. While the wealthy of Briar set appointments with the other Graces to enhance their beauty, they go to Alyce for more sinister potions and tinctures.

Alyce has never fit in with the other girls and is frequently harassed by them; particularly by the beautiful and talented, Rose. As deplorable as their treatment of her is, Alyce grows used to it. She even comes to accept it, in a way. That's why when she crosses paths with the last Princess, Aurora, and Aurora shows her kindness, Alyce isn't quite sure how to react. Why would the Princess want to be friends with her? It doesn't make any sense.

In the midst of all of this, Alyce actually stumbles upon, and befriends someone else. Kal, a man magically imprisoned in a tower, who promises to teach her how to harness her powers. Through her meetings with him, Alyce begins to learn more about her history, potential and the world outside of Briar.

The world Walter created within this story was absolutely immersive. I loved the magic system. Learning about the Graces and their powers, but also the interactions with Fae and the history of Briar. It's richly detailed, but in a way that stays engaging. Alyce was a fantastically created character. I felt her every emotion; also extra points for including her kestrel, Callow. Three cheers for animal companions.

I also thought the relationship between Alyce and Aurora was well done. It felt natural. The stakes were really high and it definitely pushed the drama of the story. I did feel like the end dragged on a bit, but overall, I was so impressed with this. I would definitely recommend Malice for Readers who enjoy the darker side of fairy tales.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to reading more from Heather Walter!

A beautiful retelling of the Sleeping Beauty myth from the perspective of the villain, but a queer twist.

I have become more stingy with giving out five stars over the last year or two; to get one a book has to be one that I know I will read again at least once and probably multiple times. This one definitely fits that criteria! I was lucky to read it in electronic ARC and just ordered a physical copy from BookPeople today after listening to Heather talk about the book in a cool virtual launch event.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And I must say I really enjoyed this fantasy book. Thank you.

Captivating, Dark, Magical Book.

Cannot wait for the Sequel. It was a delightful, magical read.

Grab your copy, you will love it!! Sleeping beauty, Dark.

What initially drew me to this book was the cover. I mean, it’s stunning and I was captivated. The book itself is a fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty and I do have to commend the author for a job well done. I enjoyed this book. I think more than I expected. I enjoyed the character of Alyce and I appreciate the thought put into her voice in the world.

Malice is a superbly dark and twisty fairytale retelling. The main character, Alyce, is an outcast in the kingdom of Briar, serving the role of “Dark Grace” by concocting elixirs for those who wish to curse their enemies. After meeting a shadowy creature named Kal and then the Crown Princess herself, Alyce begins questioning her place in life. I loved witnessing her growth as she discovered her powers, experienced love for the first time, and eventually reached her breaking point. Alyce has quickly become my new favorite quasi-villain and I can’t wait to see how her story unfolds in the sequel!!

I should have known that I wasn’t going to be into this book from the beginning. This poor thing wanders around in a big dark cloak, a chip on her shoulder, and a big creepy bird. Even if she moves far away, looking and acting like that, no one will want to approach her. That and her attitude is just terrible. Which is partly why I chose 2 1/2 stars rounded down. I don’t like Alyce.

And this is coming from someone who was cast out during all my elementary, middle, and high school years, growing up in small town USA. I didn’t have many friends because I was half Asian. I got made fun of and teased more than anyone should have to go through. But that means I should be able to relate to this girl at least a little bit on some level... But nope. Not even a little.

Before I get into why I don’t like her or the other characters, I do want to say, the writing style is great. It did flow for me, but I kept getting angry at the people. I don’t recall there being more than a couple of nice people in this book. The main characters certainly weren’t. And that cover!!!! It’s sooo gorgeous!!!

So here is where (view spoiler)

Anyway, I could go on venting for a while, but I think you get the gist. I am not saying this is a bad read. It’s not, I just couldn’t find anything relatable. But really, that’s probably only me. I just can’t stand people being terrible and heartless. It makes me cringe, and this one is full of cringeworthy characters. Even the one or two that we are led to believe are good turn out to be mean and awful. Just like everyone. I just wish there was something that really pulled me further into the book, but I just wasn’t in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for allowing me to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.

A dark fantasy based on Sleeping Beauty where the princess falls in love with a dark sorceress. This story could have been a trite retelling but the worldbuilding adds depth to the fairy tale and the romance between the characters feels true. This is the first book in a duology, so don't expect things to be wrapped up neatly at the end.

This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty (what is it with me and reading so many retelling lately that I’m just not crazy about?) but with a twist: Alyce, the Dark Grace, the vila, the ones who caused the death curse, falls in love with the princess. She’s grown up in a world that despises her and rejects her.

I loved reading about Alyce’s struggles to live in a world where she’s hated and her compassion and empathy. She’s a beautiful person who is forced to become a monster because of what they think she is, not what she actually is. Her relationship with Aurora is also adorable but I wish they’d had more interactions to make things more believable.

The reason I rated this so poorly was because of the writing. We’re given a ton of exposition at times that could easily have been woven into dialogue or literally any other way other than it being spilled out onto the page. Half of it seemed unnecessary as well, like knowing who rules the other lands when we never go there and it’s never necessary to the plot. Like at all.

It was also terribly predictable in every sense and boring. The ending was the best part to be honest, and I wish it had happened earlier.

While I understand this is a duology... it didn’t have to be. I probably won’t read book 2.

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
This was truly incredible. A nice blending of beauty and the beast and sleeping beauty all meshed together in a lovely grotesque package. How deliciously wonderful.

Welcome to Briar, where the queen and her offspring are curse by a mark urging them to find their true love by their 21st birthday, Graces are mortal/fairy hybrids, and where Alice, a Dark Grace, is shunned and feared by all...all except the next princess, Aurora. Heather Walter creates a world of re-telling of the classic Sleeping Beauty but rather than a handsome prince to break a curse, Aurora seeks the help of the Dark Grace/Vila ("evil fairy")/Shifter (shape-shifting being).

Told in 1st-person POV with Alice as our narrator, readers are quickly immersed in this world of Briar where not everything is as it seems as enchantments can change courtiers' appearance, inanimate objects can be animated, and a war fought by Fairy and Vila can have differing perspectives. The limitations of Alice as a narrator is being unable to see what other characters are plotting (a shifty lot, indeed) and there are some portions of the book that were a lot of Alice's inner-turmoil and angst (which could have been shaved down by about 100 pages, imo). The benefits, however, are the twists as she discovers who she can and cannot trust and how she comes into her power. This is such a creative spin on a classic tale and I cannot wait for the follow-up.

This book had so much potential since I love Sleeping Beauty and love a great retelling like Maleficent. However, I struggled with this book. To me it fell flat with a lot of repetition.

I enjoyed the evolution of Alyce's character, but I wish more was done with her magical capabilities. There were a few scenes that ended abruptly which is weird since this book is longer than average. There were a few fight scenes that were ended far too quickly. If you weren't paying attention, you would have missed that they died.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

malice is the sapphic sleeping beauty reimagining i didn’t know i needed. (i mean, that’s not quite true—i read the blurb months ago and immediately thought “I MUST READ THIS,” but i didn’t expect it to be this satisfying.) i couldn’t put it down towards the end and that cliffhanger just left me craving more.

alyce was the highlight of this novel. she was both sympathetic and truly morally gray, and watching her growth was an absolute delight. i particularly loved her romance with aurora—it is a sloooow burn, but it felt so authentic to both characters and i was rooting for them the entire time. i do think her development was a little rushed/sudden in the last few chapters, but at the same time her actions left me even more intrigued about the sequel.

this is definitely one of the more unique retellings that i’ve read—while heather walter wove the classic elements of the tale into her story, she also created a sweeping fantasy world with its own history, cultures, and magic system. while i found the world building a little confusing at times, i genuinely enjoyed learning about briar—particularly the magical elements, which usually bore me!

my biggest struggle was with the ending. keeping things as vague as possible, it felt like walter was trying to accomplish too much in too little time and the end result was ultimately just a little bewildering.

malice is one of those “my heart says five stars but my head says four” reads for me—i loved it so much despite its flaws, and i would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys villain origin stories, morally gray protagonists, sapphic princesses, dark fairytales, or all of the above.

Are you looking for a dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty? (Well, the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty, that is. The original is pretty dark on its own). If so, then look no further! Malice, written by Heather Walter, is the book for you.

The story starts, as all fairy tales do, with a 'Once upon a time...' The rest of the story refuses to follow that tradition. Once upon a time, there was a witch, and she cursed the royal line. Every princess was doomed to die, but for the most part, people didn't care. It was just the way things were.

For her whole life, Alyce didn't care either. She's never had any reason to care about the royalty, or really anybody else. That is until she met Aurora. Aurora changed the way she saw the world. She treated Alyce with kindness when everyone else treated her with fear and disgust.

Now Alyce is racing against time, desperately seeking to find a cure to save Aurora. She stands a better chance than most, since it was a similar magic that created the curse in the first place.

“New patrons are always so grateful when I offer suggestions. I think it makes them feel less the villain.”

First, can I just say that I love novels written from the perspective of the 'villain?' Especially when their perspective forces us to look at them through a different light. That is only part of the reason why I enjoyed Malice so much, but it certainly didn't hurt.

Malice is, at the start, a bit of a slow-burning read. It takes a while to really understand and appreciate what Alyce is trying to tell us. It takes even longer before Aurora comes onto the scene. But once everything falls into place...that is where the story really starts picking up.

The best part of this novel is that it subverts so many different classic fairytale elements. Since I'm pretty sick of those themes, it was such a delight to see! And I know I'm not the only one out there that will feel that way.

“Dragon's teeth, she's even worse than the others. And I once had a man tell me his own rose garden smelled too nice and was attracting bees.”

The whole concept of Graces/Dark Graces was really fascinating. It helped to explain the motivations of many different characters – not just the main ones. It's actually a concept I wouldn't mind seeing explored in further detail.

Malice is the first installment of what will be a two-part series. I have no idea what is going to happen next, but I can tell you that I'm looking forward to finding out!

A refreshing retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty.

I am a sucker for retellings and this one did not disappoint. It’s dark, twisty, and sapphic! I really liked the choices the author chose to update the classic story- especially her tale of how the kingdom was created with (at first) women in charge.

This was a fun read, but I do wonder why this isn’t categorized as YA. There’s a bit of language, some sex, and a bit of violence at the end, maybe making it more adult? However, I think the style of writing is much more in the vein (har har) of a YA categorization. It was easy and a little repetitive. Many of the naming choices were also a bit on the nose, which isn’t a problem- it just read as YA to me.

I look forward to Part 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Rainbows and Sunshine
April 17, 2021

Well, well, well! Who needs a villain redemption when you could have a hero slowly becoming a villain!!

I have to say that the cover caught my eye first and blurb made me so damn excited! And it delivers! This is a dark sapphic slow burn retelling of Sleeping Beauty and everything I could have hoped for!

It takes a bit to really pull you in but it really helps to establish the worldbuilding. Written very beautifully and I cannot wait for more from the author.

The chemistry between Alyce and Aurora us tangible and I really loved their romance. Alyce's character development is absolutely stunning and reading from her POV really makes us root for her.

If you love morally grey characters and sapphic retellings, definitely pick this up!

I didn't not expect that ending and I'm still processing but all I can say is I need the sequel ASAP!!!! What a cliffhanger!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

Once upon a time, there was an evil faerie who cursed a line of princesses. You’ve heard this one before right? Did you hear the one about the outcast girl, hated by the town but still forced to do their bidding? What if the dark sorceress and the beautiful princess...worked together, were friends, maybe more? Alyce is the Dark Grace of Briar, Aurora the Princess, but the two are inexplicably drawn to each other. Can the dark and the light work together to break the curse?




That was a lot of questions, but here I am telling you to read Malice to get the answers. I LOVED every second of this book. It starts off slow, but the world building is truly beautiful. Heather Walter created a lush world that feels familiar and utterly foreign at the same time. She took the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, sprinkled in some Cinderella and came up with something fresh. I need all of the LGBTQAI retellings.





In Briar there are Graces, individuals with fae blood who make elixirs (with their blood 😬)for the wealthy. Elixirs that make them more beautiful or help them make decision. Then there’s Alyce, the Dark Grace, who is forced to make petty elixirs. Elixirs that make someone clumsy or have warts. I really enjoyed this take on magic.




I am always here to root for the villain 🤷🏻‍♀️. Malice gives us the shades of gray frequently left out of a villain story. Alyce has light in her but it is smothered by the dark of Briar frequently. She’s forced into a box and longs to break free. I loved her journey. There’s a real “make me your villain” vibe that I can’t get enough of.




I should have known exactly where this story was going right? It’s a retelling, but I was still shocked and delighted at every turn. I can’t wait for the sequel. I also want a prequel in the time of the War of the Fae (Heather please?). Malice is out now and if you love YA fantasy, you need it.


Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for my review copy!

“Malice” de Heather Walter tem vários elementos interessantes: além de recontar contos de fadas, é sáfico e tem um universo mais sombrio.

Não se engane pela capa que é belíssima, existe mais de um conto de fadas sendo desconstruído. Aurora, de “A Bela Adormecida” continua precisando correr contra o tempo. Fantasia e romance estão bem equilibrados, personagens são bem construídos e o universo apresentado é incrível. “Malice” é o primeiro livro e eu me pego ansiosa para conhecer e explorar ainda mais tudo o que foi criado de cenário.

Existem alguns buracos na história que soam propositais — pela questão de ter mais livros pela frente — mas confesso que alguns só contribuíram pra deixar a leitura um pouco mais lenta do que me deixar realmente curiosa pelo está por vir. As personagens, como falei, são bem desenvolvidas, fortes e casam muito bem com a parte sombria apresentada, mas a delícia mesmo está no fato de a vilã ser uma grande protagonista.

Pra quem gosta de romance e fantasia, é uma excelente opção de leitura. O livro atualmente faz parte de uma duologia, mas pode ter o universo como pano de fundo para mais histórias e está disponível apenas em inglês.

A creative take on the story of sleeping beauty. I love retellings of classic stories so the premise of this book immediately hooked me; sleeping beauty but in this tale Aurora falls in love with the evil sorceress. This book honestly reminded me a lot of The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton in which we have a society who uses magical beings to alter appearances, change moods and these magical beings are praised and used by the crown. In Malice those beings are called “graces” and Alyce is part grace but her gift is of a darker nature. Instead of altering someone’s appearance to make them more beautiful she can make them ugly, sick or even kill them. So of course she is feared, mistreated and ostracized by her house and most of the community.

The world that Heather Walter created is very interesting; the inclusion of the Fae, the lore of the Brair queens and the transferring of power to ultimately corrupt kings swiftly pulls you into the story. However, once the story has your attention it very quickly starts to meander. The pacing of this story is one of my biggest issues with this book. Nothing happens plot wise until about the eight five percent mark and with the realization that nothing is happening it makes the story lag quite a bit. The reader is forced to concentrate on the characters but I felt like we weren’t given enough character motivations to fully connect to them. Take Aurora for example, she is portrayed in the story as someone strong willed, who doesn’t need the approval of her parents because they don’t treat her like a women who is set to rule nor does she like the idea of marrying one of the princes who are relentless in courting her but the reader never spends anytime with Aurora outside of her interactions with Alyce. We also are not privy to any situations that would substantiate these ideas. We are told these things through the books narrative but the reader never really gets to “see” any of this in affect. Alyce, on the other hand, was such a flawed character too trusting to the point of naivety and I get that, that was the point but it was frustrating to read at times. She was also too nice almost to the point I was wondering if we were ever going to see the supposed “evil” sorceress.

Another issue I had with this book is the love story between Aurora and Alyce which was the books main selling point seemed really underdeveloped. Almost every interaction between the two was spent trying to figure out how to break the curse. They never talked to each other about their wants, likes or anything else. Every interaction could be considered friendly at best but love? I just didn’t see it and because I couldn’t connect to the romance it was hard for me to believe in it. I did enjoy the romance scene that Aurora and Alyce shared. I thought the writing of that scene was expertly written.

Overall, this book had an interesting premise and good writing but the execution just left a bit to be desired. I am on the fence if I will pick up the sequel but I would definitely read something else from Heather Walter in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.