What a fresh and different take on the Sleeping Beauty tale! I'm so excited to see a F/F retelling of this story, especially one that explores the infinite shades of gray between good and evil. I was so drawn into Alyce's story and felt so much empathy for her, so much so that the ending and her final choices made perfect sense to me. And, oh my word, THIS AUTHOR'S WRITING. The turns of phrase are just beautiful, poetic in their perfection, and I found myself constantly highlighting sentences for no other reason than I wanted to be able to read over them later and savor the loveliness of the way the words fell together.

A treat from beginning to end from this wonderful new debut author!

I have always enjoyed fairy tales. A flipped retale is always a nice change. Malice is a different tale. I enjoyed the characters and story line. Alyce is a dark power compared to the Grace powers. She is always picked on and hated. Aurora, the princess is cursed and needs to find true love. From here the tale changes and changes. There is mating so this is not for a younger audience.i was surprised by the ending, so worth the read.

I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this amazing fairy tale retelling!

I love fairy tale retellings, and there have been so many incredibly great ones lately, especially in the realm of YA, but I think Malice is my favorite so far of the past few years. I absolutely love retellings from the perspective of the villain, and Malice absolutely does the villain perspective justice. The protagonist is Alyce, who is half Vila, a race of reviled creatures who have been almost entirely eradicated and who, many many years ago, put a curse on the royal family of Briar. Alyce is hated and ostracized but also used for her dark magic. She meets the princess Aurora, who is the first person who doesn't hate and fear Alyce's very being, and Alyce is able to finally start to become comfortable with herself as well. The relationship between Alyce and Aurora is incredibly poignant and I really enjoyed watching it develop throughout the book. Alyce makes an incredibly sympathetic villain, and the way she is used and manipulated throughout the story is heart-wrenching. Everyone in Briar is trapped in their roles, and I really loved that so much of the plot was driven by various characters trying to break free of those roles. This book takes standard fairy-tale tropes and turns them on their heads, and the end result is both incredibly dark and incredibly satisfying.

Highly highly recommend!

Alyce is a Dark Grace, “gifted” by the Fae a special ability a portion of their blood in which allows her to create magical and dark elixirs. Except her elixirs aren’t like the other Grace’s elixirs full of beauty and light. Her elixirs are sinister and maleficent and full of ill intent. These differences cast her in a shameful light in the Caste system within Briar. The people there are scared of her and are only willing to approach her when they need a dark elixir.

But is she really any different than any of the other Grace’s? They’re held captive and bound by the same laws that she is. They have to use their blood to create elixirs for the people of Briar as well. Cursed to use their magic until it fades away?

Alyce thought her life would be nothing more than her dingy lair and creating elixirs for people who were scared of her until one night she was invited to a masquerade ball in the castle and had a surprising run in with princess Aurora.

Now, nothing is as it seems. Princess Aurora doesn’t shy away from Alyce like all of the others.


This novel was good. It had a great LGBQT moment in there that I was excited to see! I was also excited about the characters of the classic fairytales being spun in such different story. I enjoyed reading all of the novel and devoured it all in less than 24 hours.

What I didn’t like about the novel was the amount of back story we got. There was way too much of it and I felt like the plot was lost at times due to the amount of backstory given. In fact, you can skip entire pages due to backstory and you’ll not have missed anything needed for the storyline. Due to this, some of the reading felt stalled. That being said, with all of the elements in the novel present, i sallied forth and enjoyed the novel with all of the backstory.

I received an ARC from NetGallery for review.

A reimagining of Sleepy Beauty, but not exactly what one would expect. Graces are magical women that can create potions and magic that help singing voices croon, blemishes vanish, and dispense wisdom. Not Alyce. Alyce is the Dark Grace, abhorred by upper society, but still requested to wreak havoc on fellow folk. Her magic is dark and twisted and can only bring forth boils and suffering...which of course, people will pay top dollar for. Alyce hates it. Until one day she meets her royal highness, Aurora...who sees past

Absoluuuuutely LOVED this book! Great romance, great storytelling, fascinating magic! I literally don't have any problems with it, it hit all the marks right. I guess the only thing is the language is kinda flowery but, really, it makes sense within the story.

Alyce is a fascinating protagonist that doesn't follow typical protagonist rules, she's belittled and spat at, but instead of "being better than them" she gives into mischief at times for her minor revenge. Which is entertaining to read!

Aurora was really sweet as well, their relationship felt fleshed out and believable. Poor Alyce though, life loves throwing hardballs at her. Can't wait for the sequel! :)

Over the past couple of years, I have learned that I don't really like fairytale retellings; especially the retelling that come almost directly from the source material. It feels like "been there, done that." But this book was completely different. Not only did we get the point of view from the so-called villain, but we got a romance that was new and exciting. I'm glad I gave this retelling a chance!

Malice was AMAZING! I could not put the book down and stayed up late/woke up early to devour this book in two days. Villain origin stories are my favorite, and this one is sapphic? Sign me up, take all my money, whatever you need! I will be posting a full review on my Instagram account (@thebookadvocate) within the next two weeks.

Malice was a truly interesting read. I’d actually say that the plot felt like a combined retelling of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. I adored a lot of aspects from it, but also i did not enjoy other aspects.
I think the author did a great job in character work. Alyce had so much depth and it was so easy to be emotionally attached to her. We got to see her thought process, the way its been sculpted and how its beginning to evolve and that was such an interesting way to read because we as readers know where her character is leading towards so the process of getting there had to be executed well and i think the author did a great job with it. And not only alyce, bust t side characters while not flushed out, had distinct personalities and characterization and I appreciate that a lot. One other thing is the world building is done exceptionally well here, we got to know a lot about the different factions and their histories!!! Undoubtedly the best part was the romance!!! AAAH AURORA AND MALYCE!!!
The nitpicks i had were mostly with the writing style. I wasn’t able to get into it and it felt a bit boring through the middle. This may have been due to the extensive info dumps that happened actually throughout the book so I didn’t exactly love that aspect. 
All in all this was a good book!!! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley

Walter is able to craft a lush and detailed world reminiscient of the simple Sleeping Beauty tale with a villain and sapphic twist. Alyce was able to truly touch upon the balance between good and evil and where she lies upon the aforementioned scale. Malice is dark and beguiling filled with YA tropes in a more adult fairytale retelling giving it a more youthful feel and exuberance. The slow burn wlw romance was beautiful in essence as it challenged the original story. This story is also very character driven which I find more personally easier to read and it allows the readers to gain further depths into the characters until the action begins to kick off in the last 25% of the book
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3769796727

Where do I even start with this book. I love a retelling, especially a retelling from the "villain's" perspective. But Alyce isn't a villain. She's been beaten down time and time again and she finally finds something good to hold onto. It's a beautiful story. Not to mention the world-building? Amazing. The world is rich and full of history and there's no huge chunks of exposition that leave you dying for anything else to be happening.

Also, I am crying in the club tonight over these lesbians.

I am a big sucker for retellings plus the fact the author incorporated LGBT characters into the story??? Absolutely immaculate, hands down amazing.

This was a fascinating new book! I really enjoyed the characters of Aurora and Alyce. I'm already counting down until the second book comes out.

Wow!!! I do retells but this one definitely blows my mind. I love how the author made her retell her own - queer ladies rejoice! This story is haunting beauty about personal struggles and accepting the beauty of friendship and love. Thank you publisher and Netgalley for my e copy - this honest review is my own.

I'm not normally a fan of re-telling books but this was a huge exception for me. The writing is beautiful and the world building was fantastic. This felt like a well created fantasy book far more than a fairy tale spin off. The characters all felt very real, no one is a total background character here everyone is a full conceived person and even if you hated them you, could also sort of see where they are coming from. And of course the love between two women being a key part of the story is going to be so important for so many readers!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/ Del Rey for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing I fell in love with is the cover! I read the E-book of this but I'll need the physical book on my book shelf. This is such a great retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The beginning was a little hard to get into but once I got through the slowness it really picked up and I couldn't put it down.

Alyce a Dark Grace is treated pretty poorly by everyone. She is wanted for her dark magic and the curses she can put on the townspeople for a price but then feared and ostracized at the same time. She is sought out by Princess Aurora who has merely months to live unless she finds her true loves kiss. Who knew that Aurora's true loves kiss was in reach of her all along.

The ending was WOW!!! Actually, I think (hope) there will be a book two because that was some ending and I need answers! All I know is that Malice has that name for a reason and the townspeople created a monster and now has to pay for that. If you are a fan of fairy tale retells, fantasy, dark magic, and romance then I would suggest picking it up.

3.5 Stars

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”—Edgar Allan Poe

Alyce barters her potions and magical abilities to various patrons in Briar. Although she is considered a monster and a mongrel by all those around her, there is one that sees past all those perceptions and falls for the bright soul buried within…the Princess Aurora. But the kind and beautiful princess is cursed to perish unless Alyce can find a way to save her…with true loves kiss…

Malice is an enjoyable reimagining of the fairy tale most commonly known as Sleeping Beauty—but what if the beautiful princess fell for the “villain” rather than the handsome prince! The beginning was a little slow, but it did pick up in the second half, and there is a slight cliffhanger (sorry). I don’t want to give too much away in a review and spoil the world building the author painstakingly created between Aurora and Alyce, so if the blurb caught your attention, I’d recommend giving this a read!



**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

Malice is a dark retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. I know the market is full of fairytale retellings, but Malice did a fantastic job of altering this classic in a new and engaging way.

This story is told from the perspective of Alyce. Though she lives with the Graces, who sell potions to enhance human virtue that are powered by their half-Fae blood, Alyce is not a Grace. She is the Dark Grace. Half Vila, her magic brings only destruction and harm, and she makes a living selling petty curses to pettier nobles. It's an unhappy life, but largely uneventful, until Alyce accidentally meets Princess Aurora.

Last heir to the Briar throne, Princess Aurora (like all the heirs before her) must break her curse by finding true love's kiss before her 21st birthday or else she will die. And her parents are constantly bombarding her with suitors. With only one year left, Aurora would prefer to break the curse on her own. And if Vila magic originally cursed her family, maybe a Vila like Alyce could save her.

Sleeping Beauty has always been one of my least watched Disney films. I didn't dislike it, but the princess is asleep for pretty much the whole thing, so we never got much personality. But Malice presents the princess as a full character. Aurora is witty and determined, and though she immediately takes a liking to Alyce, we get to see their relationship slowly build.

I also enjoyed how much Walter expanded on the world of the original story, with the Graces, the kingdom, and the various Fae.

I am one for happy endings, which aren't guaranteed in dark retellings, but I enjoyed this take on a classic tale and I hope there's a sequel.

~I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.~

Where to start? Not a traditional fairy tale, but oh so real. Walter weaves a story of finding one's true love after such sadness and loneliness. What lengths will Alyce go to, to protect the only person who truly sees her?

Malice by Heather Walters is a wonderfully unique retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I simply adore a villain origin story, and this book did not disappoint. The magic system is pretty unique, as is the political set up of the world. I think Heather Walter could do a lot with this world by including multiple faerie tales later on if she wants. It is made very clear that this story takes place in a small country and there is much more world that could be discovered outside of it.

I love seeing this typical storybook tales being modified to include more representation. This is a beautifully-told sapphic take on a well-known story. I love the character evolution of Alyce, or Malyce, and her story is one that is both tragic and inspiring.

There are a few things in the book that I think should have been flushed out more, along with a few minor plot holes, but I found the book very entertaining. I cannot wait to see what Walter comes out with next!

(This review will be published on Goodreads within the two week marker before the release, and retailer sites once the book is published, as this is what most retailers allow.)