OMG this is going to be my next obsession! I enjoy fairytale retellings and all the possibilities and this one definitely blew my mind! I loved it soo much! While the beginning was a little slow, but the beginning definitely lays down everything that you need to know! The second half of this book is amazing, sitting on the edge of your seat good!
I was expecting something more villianish, something with more of an evil vibe but that's not how this story was going. Alyce is treated like a doormat from so many people, her customers and the others with powers because her powers have more of a sinnister application. While most of those who have powers are making beauty elixirs and things among that nature Alyce helps even the playing field with a "cat" who is getting too much attention her elixir will give that "cat" warts.
The romance was somthing that I didn't see coming. I would definitely ship Alyce and Aurora anyday, they do have their differences but I think it could be promising.One thing I loved about this retelling is that none of the characters are either all good or all evil, most stayed on that middle ground gray area like everyone else! The ending is something that I loathe lol cliffhangers but I do look forward to reading this one again!
This book would be perfect for anyone who loves the darker fantasy, fairytale retellings or even passionate novels! I definitely recommend it and I can't wait for the next installment!!!!!!

I was super excited to read this book! I loved the description and the idea that this was a really unique twist on the old Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. And this book absolutely lived up to my expectations.

Heather Walter created a world full of magic and darkness, love and deception. Everyone has their own motives and Alyce doesn't have anyone she can trust. And just when she does start to trust someone, that trust is broken.

There are a lot of characters in this book but they're all richly developed. This isn't one of those books where you see a character and think, "Wait, was she the one that...? No, wait, that was the other one. Wasn't it?" Each character is unique.

What I really loved is that even the evil characters (well, most of them) were still given that nuanced good side that we know most people have.

The only thing I can say without spoiling it is that I didn't see the end coming. I thought I knew what to expect. And yet I was blown away by something I absolutely never expected. But in a good way.

Best book I've read in a long time. I'll definitely be looking for more of Heather Walter's work.

I love retellings and reinterpretations of fairytales and Malice for the most part delivers. The worldbuilding is flawlessly executed, The story itself is a blend of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. Plus it's sapphic!

I expected Malice to be more about the romance but this is Alyce's story and while romance with Aurora is a part of her story, the main plot revolves around Alyce realizing her own worth and discovering the extent of her power. Alyce went through remarkable character development. I only wish Aurora's character was a bit more developed.
The book is divided into two parts:

Part 1 for me was slow moving and lifeless. The way Alyce was treated by everyone was frustrating and I found the romance underwhelming which was a great disappointment because the hero x villain romance was the reason I picked up Malice.

But then part 2 happened and the book soar higher and higher for me. The romance became angsty, the story picked up pace and pretty much everything worked. One of the villain was obvious from the start but the book did deliver some major shocks.

I would rate part one 2.5 and part two 4. The book ended on a huge cliffhanger. Alyce has only one tether to her humanity left and that person has forgotten her. I am excited to see what the author does with Alyce in book two.

An ARC was given to me for an honest review.

This doesn’t drop till April of next year, but holy hell what a retelling. I did not know I needed a f/f Sleeping Beauty retelling with the sorceress as the love interest, but this is done deftly, with amazing world building to boot. I didn’t perceive the slow start others are talking about, I saw it more as learning about the world prior to meeting Aurora, and it read naturally to me. Absolutely wonderful! Five stars.

MALICE is probably one of my all-time favorite Sleeping Beauty retellings. This time, the witch is the main character, not the princess. Alyce is the Dark Grace; people come to her for curses and potions that will turn their enemies ugly, while they come to the other Graces to become more beautiful. And when Alyce meets Aurora, the princess cursed to die on her 21st birthday if she isn't kissed by her true love, she realizes that she could be more than the hated and feared Dark Grace. Aurora is the first person who seems to enjoy her company, and they start to fall in love.
The world of MALICE is so intricate, and everything you need to know about the world is established early on, which I really liked. In particular, I liked the feminist undertones surrounding the culture of the Graces. Graces have Fae blood, and their blood allows them to cast minor spells such as making someone's wrinkles disappear, or changing the color of their hair and eyes. However, because of their power, the kingdom forces them to be registered and work as Graces, and they are not allowed to leave the kingdom. Towards the end of the book, it quickly becomes apparent how far the kingdom is willing to go to control their Graces.
Alyce herself is meant to be an unlikable narrator, but I honestly found her endearing. No one likes her because her magic is dark, and she is also half-Vila, the same type of Fae that cursed Aurora's family to die if they weren't kissed by their true love. She's very standoffish and just wants to be left alone since no one is nice to her. But once she meets Aurora, everything changes. She begins to develop some self-esteem and she seems much happier and more confident. I really loved reading Alyce's character development, especially alongside her very adorable relationship with Aurora.
The book ends on a cliffhanger, which I wasn't really expecting, and as of right now I can't find anything about a sequel, but I'm so excited to learn what happens next!

i loved this dark fairy tale retelling, the characters were great and it had the same magic as the original Sleeping Beauty tale. I did enjoy the way Ms. Walter writes and I look forward to more from her.

I have always enjoyed fairytale retellings and this one - Sleeping Beauty - is a good addition to the genre. Very interesting setting with Graces who create potions for beauty and charm and the Princess Aurora who is a dissatisfied royal.

I would recommend it to reader who like Dhonielle Clayton's The Belles.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to read and review.

Malice by Heather Walter is an excellent fantasy novel that has it all: fairy tale, fantasy, mystery, action, suspense, romance, and kept me enthralled from beginning to end.

I love that the author took the tale of Sleeping Beauty, Aurora, and Briar and created a whole different feel and story. Yes, this story somewhat describes a plot of how Aurora may have came to be under the sleeping spell, but it has so much more. Here we get the history of the Fae, the Graces, and how the realms/society and world of the Princess came to be. We see the dark undercurrent of what on the surface we thought was a clear cut good vs evil and find that everyone has their faults and blemishes. We also get to meet the Dark Grace, Alyce.

I have to be honest; I love Alyce. I love everything about her character: the fabulous descriptions of her being, her clothing, her mannerisms, inner thoughts, her imperfections, and her deep down heart of wanting to do what is right, wanting to be loved, and wanting to be accepted. However, none of this is as simple as that. What develops is a beyond amazing plot, a wonderful set of complex characters with their own hopes, dreams, fears, motives, and the twisted path that leads us to the end (or is it the beginning?) where we still hold out hope that all will be answered and (in my hope at least) a happily ever after of some sort is achieved.

I love the ending, and I truly hope there is a sequel so I can find out what happens next!

Amazing book!!!!

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Del Ray/Ballantine RH for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, Instagram accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/13/21.

MALICE was a solid 3.5 star read for me, because what's not to love about a dark fairy tale retelling with a fun, lushly described fantasy setting and a queer romance where the princess gets to kiss the witch instead of the prince? There were a few characterization and plot issues--some of which could have been easily fixed, which made them annoy me more--and the whole book could have been better edited, but on balance I still enjoyed it overall. I also don't think the editor's letter using Naomi Novik, Katherine Arden, or Silvia Moreno-Garcia (all incidentally in-house authors) as comps was a good call, because it created expectations of stronger worldbuilding and a more polished writing style than this book, which had a more solidly commercial YA feel to it, delivered. Not that the latter is in any way a bad thing, mind you! But comparing it to YA authors like Malinda Lo, Rosemary Hodge, Sarah J. Maas, Alexandra Christo, and Melissa Bashardoust, or even adult ones like S. Jae-Jones or Gregory Maguire, would have all been better and more accurate choices and less misleading to readers who actually pay attention to comps.

Narrated entirely by ‘the villain’ in the same lovely and flowing manner in which the book blurb was written, ‘Malice’ is a creative and original sapphic re-imagining of ‘Sleeping Beauty.’

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.

The romance in this was also amazing. One of my pet peeves about fairy tale retelling is that insta love is so common. This book was as far from that as it could get. A slow burn, queer romance, that challenged the original story, what else can we ask for? Aurora and Alyce were a compelling couple, and I was rooting for them despite their differences.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me through NetGalley. This book was just absolutely wonderful. It was just so easy to get lost in and I just couldn’t put it down. I just lost myself within this amazing story. I most definitely will read more by this author.

I really enjoyed the book, it kept me interested from beginning to end.
At first I though oh another spin on the Disney Maleficent (even the cover) but as soon as I started reading I was hooked!
The book kept me invested in the characters and hanging on the edge of my seat as I read more and more.
It was a updated dark spin in my opinion on the story of Briar Rose only better!

It’s a good read and I will suggest It to my bookclub!

I received this book from the publisher via netgalley.

I savored this book, and read it as slowly as I could because I fear I will not read anything quite like it for a long time. Alyce was so achingly close to my heart I knew at once I would grieve the ending of the book, and like any book addict immediately crave the next from this author. I will most certainly be buying the physical copy of this book for my shelf and a friend's as soon as I can.

Final verdict: highly recommended.

A show of hands, who else instant click after reading that incredible blurb? I was immediately intrigued by the premise and though I expected this to be a bit darker since we are approaching the story from the 'villains' point of view, I was overall pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this.

Starting from the world-building―unexpected―, the unique and refreshing concept, noteworthy dynamic between the Dark Grace Alyce and Princess Aurora, and the writing style that brought to life the 'villains' thoughts and real feelings―what a debut! Despite my raves, there are a few notable plot holes that I wish the author flesh out which unfortunately I can’t bring them to light since they'll spoil the story, endless amount of miscommunication between the main characters that was continuous throughout the read that could of been cut or shorten, and lastly, the very very predictable plot twist towards the end. Ugh. I wish I could get into it but once again: spoilers!

Nonetheless, this queer retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" was magical and even with its rough edges, well worth the read.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins- Del Ray for the ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I didn’t know I needed a dark sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Then I read the description of Malice. I immediately got on NetGalley and requested the ARC. I was lucky enough to get one and boy, I wasn’t disappointed. Who knew that Sleeping Beauty meeting dark academia was the perfect spooky season read? Honestly, it’s the perfect anytime read. It was a bit slow on the uptake, but once I hit about 15% things kicked into high gear. Full of twists, turns and dark magic, this book gave me everything. It follows the story of Alyce, a dark Grace, who’s shunned by Briar for her different magic. When Alyce gets a rare invitation to the palace for Princess Aurora’s birthday party, none other than Aurora herself befriends her. With a friendship blooming and Aurora’s dark curse looming- what could go wrong?
This is probably one of the best retelling I’ve ever read. Full of intrigue, angst, love, loss, grief and learning to accept yourself as you are- Malice is one of those books that will stick with me for a long time. It’s a plus that it’s sapphic!

DNF 20%. Didn't like this one unfortunately - I found the beginning convoluted with too much uninteresting worldbuilding and layers of magic that seemed to be added without reason. There might be good stuff in it, but there's so *much* stuff that it all gets washed away. Similarly, while some descriptions were beautiful, others were distractingly cheesy.

In the incredibly wealthy land, Briar, luxury and opulence rules. Bordering the kingdom of the Light Fae, as a reward for being a buffer between the rest of the world and the Fae realms Briar was long ago given a gift: some humans in Briar are blessed with Fae magic. Always girls, they are identifiable by their golden eyes and golden blood, which carries their magic in the elixirs they are raised to provide as Graces. Graces live and work in various guild houses, providing their elixirs to anyone who can pay: they are not allowed to refuse, they are not allowed to give away their magic for free, and they are ultimately owned by the Crown. The Graces provide beauty, wealth, and luxury all through their own magic, vying for the honor of moving their House up in rankings or, the ultimate prize, to become a Royal Grace, serving only the royal family.

But for Alyce, The Dark Grace, life is absolute hell. Ugly, bullied and abused all her life, Alyce struggles with her job in Lavender House, because unlike the other Graces Alyce's magic creates curses. She fills orders for jealous, petty courtiers who want to give their rivals warts, or make them stumble at the wrong moment, or become ill. Alyce has no friends in her House or outside it, until she meets the Crown Princess, Aurora.

For hundreds of years, royal heiresses to the Briar Throne have lived and died under the shadow of a terrible curse: receive True Love's Kiss before her 21st birthday or die. Aurora's two older sisters died of the curse, and she wants Alyce's help to discover how to end the curse without kissing anyone else. And so begins the twisting tale of politics, magic, and true love that turns Sleeping Beauty on it's head.

Malice occurs in a fully fleshed-out world of petty grievances, dangerous political machinations, and cruelty disguised beneath beauty. Heather Walter created an entire structure for how Graces work, how magic and wealth have rotted a great society from the inside out, and how an unexpected misfit is both tortured and forced into a role she hates. You can't help but root for Alyce, even when her pain and fear has her making bad choices. It helps that the story is written from Alyce's voice, so the reader always has the reasons for her actions, even when they result in bad outcomes.

I loved this book. I love re-written fairy tales in general, but this one is exceptional. The backstory alone, which the author doles out as Alyce discovers it through her journey, is wonderfully detailed. Walter put the time and effort into this novel that begs for more stories out of her universe.

My only complaint about this book is it ended with me saying, out loud, "WHAT?? NOOOOOO!" because I was NOT ready for the story to end where it did. I immediately looked for a sequel, which I hope will be coming at some point, because I can't wait to see how Walter re-writes the next steps in the story. I could spend a lot more time in the universe she created with Malice.

Malice is a wonderful prequel to the Sleeping Beauty story, giving a well-considered, solid background to how Aurora ended up behind a wall of thorns, dead asleep. It's also a love story, a fantasy adventure full of monsters and magic, and a perfect counter to the fairy tale trope that finding your true love and getting married is all a girl should aspire to do. I highly recommend picking up Malice when it's available.

This book is a fun new twist on sleeping beauty. There’s some interesting changes in world building in the store that haven’t been thought of before. While I didn’t joy the book and all the characters I’m not sure if I would continue reading the series. It’s a very interesting concept.

The old tale of sweet Sleeping Beauty with a surprisingly delicious twist. The author truly transformed this romance staying true to the traditional era of time and adding the right touch of a modern open mind.

This delicious twist on an old tale makes you stop and ponder reality. Nothing is as it seems in a fairy tale and this more than fulfills that mandate. I loved every word!