This books is absolutely stunning. From the first page to the very end, I was unable to put it down.
Growing up as a child, I always LOVED the movie Sleeping Beauty. Why? Because Maleficent was the absolute best Disney Villain! This book blew my expectations out of the water.

Alyce is a very well written character that is immediately likeable. Stuck in a world where the Golden Blooded Grace's are highly coveted, her green Vila blood makes her stand out like an unwanted blemish. Mistreated and shunned because of her abilities, she is forced to use her powers to "help" people. I love the way she interacts with the Graces. I also love that she is liked by some.
At the introduction of Aurora, I was immediately hopeful for where the book was going and was NOT disappointed! I love Aurora's character! She isnt a helpless princess filled with Vanity and Pride. She is very well written and sassy and I love everything about her.
Watching the relationship grow between Alyce and Aurora was so much fun and I enjoyed the fact that the book not only took a new take on Sleeping beauty, it crashed through all expectations of a "princess story" and completely rewrote it.

Beautifully written, well thought out characters, a refreshing and breathtaking new take on classic characters. .this book will forever be on my list of favorites.

Malice tells the story of Alyce, the girl who will become the witch in the sleeping beauty tale. The first part of the book had promise. The magic system was interesting and the story was different enough to keep me hooked. I got stuck about half-way through, and had to put it down for a while.
The author tries to explain some of the culture and magic system as bits come up in the story, but often the explanations go on too long and cover information that is not critically relevant. This interrupts the flow of the story, so that by the time we get back to the main character pages later, I have lost touch with the moment. These info-dumping interludes should either be shorter or more interesting.
I liked the meet-cute scene, but wasn’t convinced with later interactions between Malice and the Princess. It felt a little forced. I also felt the book took a sharp right hand turn at the very end. I did not understand how the main character could take those actions after the build-up of the rest of the story. Altogether not very coherent, though the idea was a good one. 2 stars.

👿👿👿 (three stars, as rated in angsty little teenage chaos demons that are literally gonna snap ANY MINUTE NOW!)
Here's the thing this book has going for it: if you treat someone like a villain long enough they are going to become one. It is LITERALLY the trope as old as time in fantasy fiction and we canonize basically every character it happens to. {{*cough cough* The Joker, Daenerys Targaryen}} Buuuut for whatever reason we, in the *real* world go round and round in circles with it like there's no possible solution. We call kids thugs and delinquents and then punish them for lashing out. My heart genuinely ached for Alyce at portions of this book because I have seen what she went through reflected in the stories of so many kids who never were given a shot in this world. We may not have the "Grace Laws" of Malice's world, but we have the prison industrial complex, and neither were designed to "protect" anybody but the powers that be. Incidentally, I'd like to see both of em burned to the ground 😏🔥 BUT I DIGRESS!
It is for this reason that I am going to give this book the benefit of the doubt. The whole of the story, admittedly, was inconclusive. As with something like The Joker, Malice reads more like an origin story than a retelling. But we as readers were not really given enough context to fully appreciate the after of this origin story. It just.... ends? And in the spectacularly unsatisfying and dramatic manner of GoT, at that. I can empathize with this story, I just am not convinced it was conveyed to me effectively. I need to emotionally connect with Alyce so much more near the end but found myself mostly annoyed with her. Also, I get tired of stories where everyone is out to get the MC. That just isn't realistic. Everyone has somebody. Alyce needed her somebody. And this story didn't really even give her that.
So, all that being said, I choose to treat this like the start of a series because I guess it could still be turned into one? 🤞🏻 And in that case, I would say that it's downright terrific. To read what occurs AFTER all this and then delve into the "origin" story would drastically improved my experience. And thinking about how much I still want to know about this world and it's characters, I am actually mad that there's not more for me to read yet!! HARUMPH! (Now I'm the one that's angsty....)

I love retellings and they tend to hold a particular draw for me when traditional fairy tale characters are involved. That is initially why I was so excited to read this; however, my enjoyment extended far beyond this leading interest. I was swept up in the outstanding world building and mythology created by Heather Walter and ultimately completely blown away.

I was concerned before I picked this up that this was going to be a straight retelling. And while that wouldn't have necessarily been a bad thing, it wouldn't have been anything really exciting. The most interesting part would have been the queer characters and, if we're being honest, that's what interested me first. Instead, Heather Walter was able to craft an exceptional story full of political intrigue; mythology and mythos; hundreds of years of history that I want to read; and a social hierarchy that has privilege, oppression, poverty, savagery, and beauty all wrapped up in an Etherium-tinted bow. And ON TOP OF THIS, we have at least two beautifully nuanced queer characters with fully formed personalities, characterizations, motivations, and desires.

To say I loved and enjoyed this would be an understatement. I really hope this is the beginning of a series or it at least has a sequel coming sometime in the near future. This was 5 out of 5 incredible stars for me.

3.5 Briar Rose Stars

I had a lot of fun reading this book. I love when retellings get really creative and change a lot of things, because reading the exact same story can be so boring. It was a great book to binge and was interesting and creative, but I could definitely tell that it was a debut novel.

There were moments where I had to pause and think, "did I really just read about a heart beat so loud that people can probably hear it....again?" There were also some moments that definitely could have been shorter. There was a lot of internal dialogue that I felt didn't need to be explained in the way that it did. It just felt longer than it needed to be.

Despite the repetition and the sporadic drawn out pieces, I did enjoy the world building, and all the background of Briar. There weren't elements that I disliked enough to take out, it just felt like there was ... kind of a lot of stuff happening.

I almost was willing to give this four stars, almost. I think for how drawn out some of it was, and how many things were happening all at once, that the ending was rushed. It felt a little, ahem, Game of Thrones in the end. Most of you know the feeling.

Big Takeaway:
Definitely a fun debut novel, with a fun twist on Sleeping Beauty, but perhaps missing that element of literary magic to all come together better. BUT I'm very excited for more books by Heather Walter. I can feel that she will grow as an author and she can blow us all away one day.

I love books that take fairytales and expand upon them in different ways. A familiar story with a darker twist, I loved reading this novel!

Malice by Heather Walter

9781984818652

480 Pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: April 13, 2021

Fiction (Adult), Sci Fi & Fantasy, Fairy Tale, LGBTQIA

I love finding books about villains and I hoped I would enjoy this one. I was not wrong. This is the story of Princess Aurora of Briar. She is the last heir to the throne. The line of queens was cursed that if they do not meet their true love by their 21st birthday, they will die. Each heir has the briar rose mark on their arm which disappears after true love’s first kiss.

The realm has Graces that have magical blood and make elixirs to give beauty, wisdom, pleasure, etc. to the anyone that can pay for their services. They cannot leave the realm until their blood fades. There is one Grace that is different from the rest – The Dark Grace. She is half Vila and has green blood instead of the gold blood of the Graces. Her name is Alyce, although Rose calls her Malyce.

While attending the princess’ 20th birthday party, Alyce is humiliated by Rose. Alyce leaves the ballroom and runs out into the garden. She turns the water in the fountain into mud much to the delight of the princess. The princess and Alyce become friends and work together to break the curse.

The book is written in first person point of view. The characters are developed and the story is fast paced. If you love fairy tiles but think the princess can save herself, you will enjoy this book. It has a different twist on the traditional story. I really hope there is another book after this one.

I really loved this book! I am a weakling for anything that is a fairytale retelling and the addition of being LGBT+ friendly is always a wonderful bonus. This book is from the perspective of Alyce, who is called the Dark Grace. The graces use the power in their blood to make potions and elixirs for the people to use, but Alyce as the Dark Grace uses hers to make curses. One day she meets princess Aurora and they fall in love. I think my favorite part of the story was the bit of a small backstory with the man locked in the tower and exactly how Aurora became Sleeping Beauty. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in fairy tale retellings or LGBT friendly novels

This Sleeping Beauty retelling incorporated its fairytale tropes and conventions in a totally original and unexpected story and world that will appeal to readers of Malinda Lo or Audrey Coulthurst.

An extremely compelling telling of the Sleeping Beauty story. It was full of unexpected events and lots of twisted consequences.

I was drawn to this as it is a modern day telling of the fairytale of “Sleeping Beauty’ from the POV of the ‘other side’! I assume is the evil witch Maleficent!!

Oh I am so sad but I just did not love this. The reviews are great so there is no doubt this story has found the right audience
. My rating⭐⭐..5 rounded up

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing group - Ballantine for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 13, 2021

This was such a great retelling! The blurred lines between good and evil alone were absolutely perfect add that to the discussion of capitalism and this book was so close to perfect. There were so many great things about this story I can't name them all. I just wanted to say that I adored this book!

Thank you net galley for sending me this arc!

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. Once I did I really enjoyed it as I’m a huge fan of any retelling of fairy tales. I thought there was a lot of background information that was given however I really liked that aspect of this book. Overall I did enjoy this book once I got past the first few chapters. Anyone who loves fairy tales and fantasy books will enjoy this one!

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't catch my interest enough. The world building was great, but the characters were mostly one note and the story was slow in too many spots. Some of the plot points were too obvious, and then all of a sudden when there was some real action the book ended. I wish the central characters' relationship had been better fleshed out so that the stakes felt higher.

Yet another retelling of Sleeping beauty? Boring right? NO! This tale is unlike the normal fairy tales and much more interesting than the usual retellings. Princess Aurora is beautiful and kind as she should be but is haunted by a curse. In an effort to find the right handsome man to save her the Queen has forced Aurora to kiss hundreds of strangers since she was a small child. The curse is hereditary and Aurora's older sisters have already died. With less than a year to go before she too will die Aurora enlists the help of a so called evil sorceress. Can a solution be found in time? Enjoy the rich details of the land and its people while you find out.

I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that I love a good villain origin story, and this is certainly that. It explores the evolution of the tormented becoming the tormentor as the line between “good” and “evil” blurs into non-existence. The author was very clever in how she twisted various elements of Sleeping Beauty adaptations into her story, and by the end, you could fully empathize with Alyce and her descent into darkness. This is a character who really has nothing left to lose, and it is tragic to watch her become the monster that everyone says she is. It really makes you reflect on the power of love, and how it has the capability to both redeem and destroy. It’s frightening to think that one choice can determine which.

My only real criticism of this book is that although the author did a fantastic job building Alyce’s character, Aurora’s character felt a bit flat. I would have liked to see more character development for her because I think it would have added more dimension to her relationship with Alyce.

Looks like we're in a wlw fairytale retelling sort of year, first with Cinderella is Dead and now with Malice! Malice follows Alyce, the Dark Grace who can brew elixirs to cause others suffering, and this makes her reviled amongst her peers. She is half-Vila, which means that she is part of a race of evil Fae who were purged in the last Fae war. To make matters worse, generations ago, a Vila sorceress cursed the royal line such that every princess would die upon her 21st birthday, unless she can receive true love's kiss, and Crown Princess Aurora has less than a year before she will perish.

But alas, this is a wlw book, so take a wild guess who will be bestowing True Love's Kiss upon her.

I really wanted to like this book, and I did, but not as much as I'd hoped.

First things first, the romance. The romance between Alyce and Aurora is cute, if a little par for the course. They find solace in each other, each oppressed by the societal structures that would deny them freedom. Aurora is routinely Graced to be picture-perfect, to the point where she has no idea what she truly looks like, and forced to kiss strangers in order to find True Love's Kiss. Together they dream of a brighter future where Aurora lives to be Queen, with Alyce by her side. Aurora is a little too "good" for my taste, but I suppose that's because the story is being told from Alyce's perspective.

The worldbuilding is also quite interesting, with fantastical imagery and detailed lore. The institution of the Graces is built on the exploitation of women who are then discarded when they have nothing left to give. The lineage of the Briar Queens has been slowly eradicated by political in-fighting and foreign princes who want a slice of power. Princesses are denied the ability to be with who they want for the sake of producing royal children, which could even lead to their deaths if their True Love is not a politically advantageous enough match. These were all well-thought-out and kept me interested even in some of the side characters like Rose.

Still, this book was painfully slow at the beginning and felt rather juvenile for the longest time. With a villain origin story, there are usually societal pressures and systems of oppression that turn the protagonist into their final form, but in this book, all of the evils of society are such caricatures. You have the other Graces who bully her for being "evil," common people who shun her, and sneaky men who want to use her power for their own gains. I never got that sense of cold dread at a world that would always seek to keep her caged unless she breaks the system, I saw a parody of exaggeratedly awful people. Micro-aggressions or even just apathy to her suffering would have been more realistic, in my opinion. They were sort of there in the form of the mistress of Lavender House, admittedly, but that wasn't enough to balance out the rest.

For comparison, I'd refer to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao (another fairytale villain origin story!), where Xifeng's willing to do whatever it takes to survive in a world where beauty is the only currency that women have to barter for power with. The fact that she has a ruthless ambition tempered by her love for her childhood sweetheart creates an interesting back-and-forth before she inevitably picks her side at the end of the 2nd act. This tipping point for Alyce doesn't come until too late, near the very end of the story, and rather than feeling like this was the natural direction for the story, I was just knocked off-balance and a little confused based on the lead-up to this point. Certainly, there were points when Alyce was petty and hurt people who were mean to her, and Hilde often warned her not to become the monster that everyone feared she was, but that wasn't enough for me personally.

The story didn't really lead up to the ending. While it was dramatic and epic, I got the sense that the author had an idea for a starting point and an ending point, and didn't adjust the ending after executing the main body of the work. I also didn't like how little agency Alyce had in the end, not when her final decisions seemed to be more motivated by the whims of other people.

Ultimately, I loved the idea behind this, but the execution fell flat for me when it came to the character journeys. I always appreciate ventures into wlw fantasy, but I always feel like they're never actually willing to allow their ladies to be "bad" and kind of waffle about.

I received a digital ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
Heather Walter took a classic fairy tale, which has been adapted many times over the years, and made the tale feel fresh and new with her world-building. The well-established lore of the story allowed readers to easily connect with the characters of the story and their plights. The Graces and their origins felt very natural for the setting and not crammed into the Sleeping Beauty style story.
The novel was an enjoyable read that I couldn’t tear myself away from, leading me to finish my first read through in a night. The ending left me wanting more and hoping for a second book following Alyce and Aurora. Whether or not there is a continuation to this story, I look forward to adding a physical copy of the novel to my library when it releases on April 13th, 2021!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This author often mixes creepy, paranormal, murder, suspense
and adult situations.

This book continues the tradition with a twisted retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

The road to romance, justice, understanding is filled with unexpected turns in the plot. Who is the evil, cunning monster - the princess or the witch?

Get ready to reimagine one of your favorite fairy tales and leave the light on if you read at night.

After finishing this book my first thoughts were.... what? where is the rest? I need more, right now! I had to go onto goodreads and make sure that we would be getting another book and was so happy to find out that there will be.
I love retellings and I loved getting this one from the "villians" point of view.
Alyce sees herself the way others treat her. Most of her "sisters" the other graces treat Alyce like she is a monster, and the only thing she is good for is cursing others. Then she meets Princess Aurora, she likes that Alyce isn't like the others. She is uniqe in the best of ways. As they begin to spend more and more time together trying to free Aurora from the curse that will see her dead in a year if she doesn't find her true love, Alyce finds herself with growing feelings for the princess.
I really liked that we didn't get insta love between them. we go to see the love between them growing.
I also loved the world building, and how Alyce didn't just discover she was different and all of a sudden master her new powers. We see her struggling to learn what she is capible of, and how she is using what she learns. I really enjoyed the whole book, but my favorite part came when Alyce finally let herself go, and show everyone what she has been hiding. I think this is definitely going to go onto my list of favorite retellings.
I really can't wait for the next book.
Thank you to the publisher for granting my wish to read this book.