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!

This is a story of true love. But there is no happy ending. We all have good and bad lurking beneath the surface. Sometimes the world is so loud we can’t help but be what it tells us we are. Alyce is reviled by all. Because of the color of her blood, the veins that run green. When she falls in love with Aurora, she will stop at nothing to keep that love alive. If you enjoy fairytale retellings, this book is a must.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and here is my honest opinion:
I give this story a 4.5! I’m a sucker for Disney retellings that give a better understanding of how the villain started off, so I was so excited to read this book. It definitely didn’t disappoint because it was exciting and refreshingly different. Only reason I didn’t feel this was quite a 5 star book was because I just felt like there could of been more. Don’t get me wrong, I loved reading this book and I would love to read more if there will be more but I just was expecting more.
This is my opinion and I hope it helps you decide to read this book!

In the delightful tradition of "Wicked" and the flipped fairy tales of Margaret Atwood, Heather Walter's debut novel is "Malice." A spin on "Sleeping Beauty," "Malice" is full of imagination and intrigue. As with "The Hunger Games," there are districts dividing the poor and the wealthy. Districts have Graces assigned to them (enslaved, really) whose blood has special powers. Only one House for Graces, Lavender House, has a Dark Grace: Alyce, who is the equivalent of the bad fairy, or if you're talking Disney, Maleficent. Alyce's blood can curse people, and her skills are in hot demand, because once the Graces have given you an advantage with their blood potions (sexiness, beauty, wisdom) the only thing left to do is to disadvantage your rivals with foul curses. That's where green-blooded Alyce comes in. She can make your enemies break out in warts or hives, or make their hair fall out.

Walter tosses in a Cinderella angle at the beginning, in which Alyce doesn't get to go to the ball because she's not beautiful enough and the other Graces in the house mostly dislike her. She manages to go only because it's a costume ball. Then she meets a mysterious stranger in a ruined castle, who starts to tell her the true history of her kind, the inconvenient history that was not written by the winners.

There is indeed a Princess Aurora in the Kingdom of Briar, and a magic spindle that enchants Aurora with sleep, but the relationship of Aurora and Alyce couldn't be much more surprising, and it turns out that blood potions are not where Alyce's true power lies.

I was not as immersed in Alyce as I like to be with a first-person narrator, and I felt that Aurora was rather flat (personally I wanted her to be super naughty and bratty). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book up until the last few chapters, in which a very predictable plot twist finally occurred and then it seemed as though the author was rushing, losing control over the pace, and adding too many different kinds of powers to Alyce. The ending was so abrupt that surely there must be a sequel coming. It didn't feel like an ending at all.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I fell in love with the cover and just had to find out more about the book. When I found out it was a fairytale retelling, I was excited. I love those.

The way it was written made it easy for me to get into the world the author had created. I loved the way the author chose to write the characters.

All in all I was pleased.

This book is beautiful. The darkness, the longing, the slow build of romance, all of it.

This is a f/f sleeping beauty retelling and it’s magical to it’s core. I’m a sucker for retellings but this took me completely by surprise. The writing style makes everything so atmospheric and I immediately fell in love with the world and characters. I love the addition of magic/magical beings with the history of the story, it made it feel so much more original and made the story unpredictable in the best of ways.

I’m so happy I came across this on NetGalley and was approved for an arc, this has been one of my favorite reads of the year and I’m going to be pushing it on everyone once it’s released.

Immediately, have to applaud the fact that this book is inclusive, exactly the kind of fairytale of which we need more.
Imagine if Loki retold Sleeping Beauty: A little verbose, but creative, clever, full of surprises and danger. Fans of Holly Black will gobble this book up, and thirst for more.

This is a soft three stars for a book I desperately tried to love.

“Malice” follows Alyce a Dark Grace as she has the power to create curses from the green in her blood but is an outcast amongst those who are blessed with veins of gold. When her path crosses that of the Princess Aurora she finds herself digging deeper into what makes a villain and trying to undo the curse that threatens the kingdom’s most beautiful heir.

I am a huge fan of fairy tale retellings especially those that give us the point of view of the villain but this book left a lot to be desired. The fist 40% was like a slow march through molasses as I tried to keep my interest focused on a story that I was never able to connect with. It’s clear what the author had in mind pulling a bit from different resources including some Cinderella, Wicked and of course Sleeping Beauty but it favored that of the live action version meaning that all plot points designed to be a “twist” were nothing more than a retelling itself which ruined any chance of a good climax.

Where I wish the story would have focused was on the curse and the legacy of the queens themselves as I felt like we were given bits and pieces when convenient for a villain but never enough to really explore that dynamic of the first curse and why the dynamic between Alyce and Aurora was so important other than the obvious.

There is a set up for a sequel which I’m almost certain we’ll get at some point and maybe that will smooth out some of the rough edges here as I do think there is something to enjoy with a f/f enemies to lovers like dynamic but alas we shall see.

I feel like I kept waiting for this story to take off but unfortunately like the famous spindle I was quick to sleep, though I do appreciate the authors note featuring her good natured humor at the end.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**