the wlw retelling of sleeping beauty i didn't know i needed!!! for too long i've been fed heterosexual versions of fairy tales, and to find a lgbtq+ AND a sapphic retelling is simply a blessing! if anyone has not read it yet, they are missing out!

Sleeping Beauty retellings are always my favorites so when I first heard about Malice, a retelling from the villain’s point of view, I couldn’t wait. And Heather Walter absolutely knocked it out of the park.

Alyce was a great protagonist and it was fascinating to watch her descent into evil (but is she really evil?) Her friendship with Aurora was a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed seeing how they went from friends to more. I loved how the author took a tale that seems so black and white and added so much nuance to the story. There were a few parts that I wished were fleshed out a bit more and the ending felt a bit rushed, but I still loved this one.

Overall, Walter’s dark take on the classic sleeping beauty tale is fresh, imaginative, and bewitching. I’m very glad this is a duology because I’m not ready to say goodbye to Alyce and Aurora. Particularly after that ending!

The book was a decent read; I thought the setting, the characters, and the prose were great. It was a great first introductory novel, Malice by Heather Walter is a genre that I do not read too often. But you root for the villain, and it is a lot of fun with the 'sleeping beauty' narrative.

🏹 4. 5 stars (possible spoilers)

Heather Walter's debut book, Malice, is definitely one of the best I've read this year. It's a strong start to a duology and provides a fresh perspective/retelling of sleeping beauty, a fairy tale I never really found myself interested in.

♡ pros:
- 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄/𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎, ​which plays a huge role in Alyce's motivation, is extremely strong and well written. The way it was delivered to the reader wasn't info dump esc, but rather, slowly being introduced, which made it more digestible and easier to understand the main characters' motives. It was also extremely intricate, without being too convoluted. Definitely one of the best ones I've read in a YA fantasy.
- the plot and worldbuilding were captivating as well, especially when it came to certain plot twists. some of them were obvious, as it is a sleeping beauty retelling, but the delivery was still strong enough for that fact to be overlooked, and in all honesty, I forgot it was a retelling (sometimes it bothers me if its too obvious). The worldbuilding goes hand in hand with my opinions on the magic system, all the fantastical elements were just perfection.
- the villains, above all else, were the best part of this book. Sometimes, in retellings, the antagonist isn't really "evil," and it mostly feels like they're just placeholders to further the hero's journey. However, that wasn't the case here at all. I genuinely hated the king, and the plot twist villain was absolutely heartbreaking, especially after everything the main character was going through. The villains having actual motives and reasons behind what they were doing, beyond just being "bad," made the story feel more well-rounded and enticing.

ⓧ cons
- it ended like that, and book two isn't in my hands. if the publishers want my firstborn in exchange for an arc, ill sign the papers.

4.5 stars.

Wait...am I rooting for the villain?

A clever and fun retelling/inversion of Sleeping Beauty. There was a fantastic mixture of the old with the new and some incredibly creative twists. There were a few things that I did not see coming and I nearly had to applaud when I came to them. I was just so enthralled. I'm not sure I've read many books where I've cheered for bad things happening. This book may have warped me a little, but I had oh so much fun reading it.

The writing was smooth and character centered, creating a cast that was very full-bodied and believable. I loved Alyce and found her to be the perfect antihero/villain. Princess Aurora is smart and strong and skilled, a perfect alternative to the classic helpless fairytale princess. The blending of good and evil in Alyce and the blend of gentle and determined in Aurora were incredibly well done and really made for captivating characters. And the plot? Loved it. Evil graces, devilish subplots, several layers of betrayal, an animal companion, and a semi-secret romance. Lots of good fun to be had.

I have fallen in love with this world and it's budding darkness. I cannot WAIT for the sequel.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. *

Princess Aurora is toss it to being kissed by suitors deem appropriate for her. A kiss of true love will break the curse on her. The curse is to be kissed by a true love by the time she turns 21 years old or she will die. She hates being forced to be kissed by these men. Her two older sisters died due to the curse. (There was a war between the light Fae and humans.) At the end of the war the light Fae gave the women “graces” in that they could make potions with a drop of their golden blood into the potion to successfully create beauty, cure illness, and so forth. Not everyone could be a “grace.” The queen was cursed by the light Fae that if they were not kissed by a true love, they would die. Alyce is a half breed with green blood. She is part Vila — a full blooded Vila is a figure of dark evil magic. This race has been eradicated. Alyce is known as the dark Grace as she makes potions for those angry with their spouse and more. Alyce has be called names and treated badly by the other graces who live in the house. She is given the darkest ruin of a room to live in. When Alyce meets the princess, she is surprised how the princess is not afraid of her. Why?

This novel is long. I found myself enchanted with those who were graces in the story. Seeing how Alyce grows and learns about her power was fascinating. The interactions with the royal family was quite interesting. Alyce understands what the King has planned unknown to the queen. I found the adventure and actions of Alyce and Princess Aurora quite real. It’s a well written novel with an ending that makes me inpatient to wait for the second book. I want to know the things that weren’t given little or no information in this first volume. It’s a wonderful novel to read. It took me completely away from what was happening in the real world.

DNF. Unfortunately, this YA fantasy just wasn't for me; I think it's geared towards the younger end of the YA audience, and I had a hard time gaining interest in the main character or the plot. I normally love fairy tale retellings, but this one didn't quite work for me. I think there are a lot of younger YA readers who would likely enjoy it more than I did.

A Sleeping Beauty retelling, Malice takes readers to a new realm and reinvents the fairy tale with a compelling narrative and beautiful LGBTQ romance.

Great Storytelling
Malice stands apart from typical retellings, foremost with the world-building. Walter gives the story an engaging foundation, establishing three different races. There is the Fae, the humans, and the Vila, which is what Alyce is.

Alyce is called the Dark Grace, half-human and half-Vila, the dark counterpart of Fae. After the war that eradicated the Vila, the Fae gifted their human allies with magic, giving human girls what they call their Grace, turning their blood gold, and allowing them to provide the kingdom with magic and enhancements.

Nevertheless, of course, Alyce is taunted and ignored by her kingdom for being half Vila. They have no problem using her magic in private, but in public, the kingdom shuns her.

Walter does a great job of drawing illusions between the original fairy tale. However, Walter gives her story more history to built up the characterization, depth, and tension. Learning more and more about the Vila gives the story more dimension, luring in the reader.

Amazing Characterization & Development
Honestly, I loved the characterization above everything else. Malice is a character-driven story that follows Alyce and her relationship with Princess Aurora.

Walter does an incredible job of first establishing the friendship between these two incredibly. Aurora does not see Alyce as a monster, simply as another Grace used by her kingdom. Instead, Aurora seeks to break the curse without true love’s kiss so that she can lead her kingdom into a brighter future.

By building up the friendship between the characters, Walter is building up the characterization of these characters. Aurora is not a damsel in distress. She is an intelligent and formidable princess, rebellious while also being considerate. As for Alyce, she is not the monster everyone wants her to be. Alyce is just a woman who wants to be treated fairly and respected instead of scorned for her green blood.

There is an incredible amount of depth to these characters, even the minor ones, that make them relatable and complex. Furthermore, to see the relationship blossom between Alyce and Aurora is fantastic. It is true love and makes the reader eager to see them fight for their true love, rights, and kingdom.

Final Thoughts
Malice is incredible. Everything Walter has done with this novel, from the world-building and history, to the complexities and depth of the characters, will make this novel stand apart.

Look at this gorgeous cover. Look. At. It!

This is not your typical fairytale of good versus evil; there are lots of gray areas here. Although sometimes predictable and tropey, I could not put this down. Mean girls, awful men, a princess, and of course, the Graces, including our star, the Dark Grace. Despite a couple plot holes, this is a captivating debut. I can't wait to see book 2.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Almost DNF'd this at first because the beginning was just too twee and clumsy, but it rapidly spun out of control and got even darker than I'd hoped. I didn't realize this was a duology, so a lot of my confusion and disgruntledness about too many plotlines and not enough resolution will hopefully get wrapped up in the next book. Really unique worldbuilding and morally grey wlw, 5 stars!

I would recommend this to fans of YA fantasy and LGBTQ stories. Lots of attention to the world-building and I liked the f/f romance and both of their characters.

Aurora the princess is under a spell that she will die if she doesn't kiss her true love by the age of 21. Both of her sisters have died and she is the last hope to continue the crown. However, her family parades prince after prince to kiss her and it does not break the curse. Aurora meets Alyce who is does dark magic and befriends her. Alyce attempts to help Aurora break the curse and uncovers even more problems. First book of a duology.

Since I love Sleeping Beauty and the book Kissing the Witch with its queerly reimagined fairy tales, I knew I had to read Malice, and I loved it!
Malice tells the story of Alice, who lives in a house for graces, young women who have magic in their blood and prepare blends to make the nobility more beautiful for a living. But Alice's blood is green, she lives in pretty much the dungeon, and her elixirs actually make people uglier, so people only come to her for negative things and she is bullied and set up for failure by the other graces.
Alice's existence has major Sin Eater vibes, as no one really pays attention to her unless they need her, and she does her work mostly in secret. However, everything changes after Alice meets Princess Aurora and feels like someone finally sees her for who she is, and she starts to understand her own power. But could someone really love the dark grace, or is Alice just a green, mutant pawn in the larger plans of the kingdom?
I am excited for the next book!

Malice is a stunningly gorgeous retelling of Sleeping Beauty, one that turns the original fairytale on its head. I loved this book. I thought that Walter's writing was absolutely gorgeous and I was entranced by this story from the moment I picked up this book. Alyce is an amazing main character, one who is not all evil or all good, but somewhere in between, but not quite morally grey either. I was cheering for her the whole time as she began to claim her power and her identity with no remorse. I love the righteous and passionate fury that threads throughout this novel as Alyce grapples with her place in Briar and with Aurora. She's a imperfect antihero who you can't help but love. And this worldbuilding is just so perfect and refined. In a market saturated with the fae, Walter has managed to bring about a brand new iteration on them with the Graces and Etheria. Honestly, this book gripped me more than I thought it would, which is a fantastic surprise. And that ending was just amazing. Lush, dark and absolutely enchanting, Malice is a new adult fairytale for our modern time, one where one woman must embrace what makes her different in order to survive in a world that seeks to destroy her for her power. If you're looking for a powerful and inventive retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Malice is it!

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. Once I started this book I could not put it down. It is a world that was so well put together that I almost believe that if I looked hard enough I could find it. I do have to say the book did start a little slow passed. It did pick up and move at a bit of an intense pace after that. I like the characters Aurora and Alyce. I am not going to tell the ending but it was a bit much and I am wondering who it will all get wrapped up in book two since that will be the last one. I did want to see what else I can find by this author I love the writing style and pictures I saw in my mind while reading.

For peeps who love: Slytherin girls, character focused books, F/F romance/rep + lots of inner dialogue.

I am <i>still</i> making googly eyes at this book.

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I just...was so surprised by the nuance and thought put into the backstory of Malificent. I felt her pain and struggle; kind of reminded me a little bit of El from The Scholomance; my two Slytherin girls about to kick ass and take names. I think I love this type of character, the one everybody immediately classifies as being evil, I mean they may have an attitude problem (being rude, sassy, giving peeps the evil eye), but they are most often than not a better person than their peers.

To top it all off, it is an F/F retelling, and the relationship between the princess and Alice is *chef's kiss* It is complicated, nuanced, layered... a love story they definitely have to fight outside forces for, but also their own prejudices. But it is not all about them, it is all about Alice, the way she is treated by the peers who love to use her power but don't accept her. Her "sisters" in the house she grew up, lots of them shallow, but some of them might surprise you. She also gets to discover a lot more about her powers through a mentor from the dark side.

I did really like being inside Alice's head, the book is 470 pages and I loved the entire thing... the only thing that put me off a bit was the ending because it honestly felt a bit rushed and like it needed another go ahead. I am glad to know it has a sequel, because I AM SO GETTING IT.

This book was dark, twisty and fascinating. I loved Walter's take on such a well known fairytale, and the fact that it was still able to surprise me.

Once upon a time, an evil fairy cursed a princess to die. The only way to break the curse is with true love's kiss.

This is marketed as a Sleeping Beauty re-telling and it is to the core, but the beginning feels like it is in someway also a Cinderella retelling. Alyce very much feels like a Cinderella archetype in the beginning. Though this fades completely by about half-way through the book.

The best way I can think to pitch this book is Maleficent but instead of only being a short triste with motives. This book explicitly makes them clear. While also depicting a gorgeous world and vast magic system.

This book is viscous from beginning to end. This book is Gay and it SLAPS so hard you will have a concussion.

I was so stoked about this book and I wasn’t completely let down but I just feel like the end was too much. Especially too much to tie up neatly into a second book without really giving time to each issue. I rooted for the main girl until she destroyed her whole future like literally not a hint of hope for a better way forward. I get why and everything but I just can’t imaging how this can have even a slightly happy ending. Im still going to re-read it and wait impatiently for the sequel.

Malice is a game changer in the world of fairy tale retellings. Not only in its beautiful and touching LGBT+ representation, but also in its bold take on the classic “Sleeping Beauty” villain. Alyce’s transformation from her downtrodden, “Cinderella”-esque beginnings to full-fledged yet still misunderstood villain, all in the name of true love, was more gripping than I’ve experienced in a novel in a long time. The romance was mesmerizing, and the plot kept me guessing every step of the way. The magic system was also vivid and unique. Overall, I loved this book, and I can’t wait to read the author’s next work!