I absolutely loved this book, it kept me enthralled and I was turning the page with either tears in my eyes, a smile on my face or with gasps. I loved the story of Alyce and Aurora and their natural relationship, the friendships that were devastating whrn broken, the enmity in the house that gave a sort of "Mean girls" vibe. It was a beautiful world building, even though I felt like the descriptive part was a little too much, I understood the need of the details, I appreciated that this part was split, bringing new information along the story. The ending broke me, the devastation and the hurt that Alyce felt, reminded me of my own dark places, I hope she will find answers and hope in the sequel which I am so very looking forward to.

Heather Walter has created a villain we can fall in love with in this glorious YA retelling of Sleeping Beauty. If you are a fan of characters in a morally gray area this is the book for you.

I received an ARC of Malice by Heather Walter from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

3.75 stars

Malice is the story of Alyce AKA Malice. She is a said to be dark grace, but finds power in learning she is part Vila. She is shunned and mistreated by the masses as well as those within her own grace house. One of the few kindness shown to Alyce is given by Princess Aurora herself. We know from the start that this is a dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty and I was her for the premise and it did not disappoint. The queerness doesn't defend itself on every page, which was a nice change. There is some pushback against Aurora's parents for their bigotry, but that is also some of the archaic thinking Aurora wants to live long enough to change. She believes Alyce is her chance to break a long ago curse on her family that will ultimately cost Aurora her life.

Alyce's anger and resentment for all that she has endured as the dark grace feeds into the decisions she makes. A betrayal will threaten Alyce's will, her love, and all the things she never realized she wanted until she met Aurora.

The positives of this book are the world building and magic system. They are dark and gritty showing how even the most "noble" and "clean" can be the darkest, dirtiest part of the world they build with their money, glamor, and power. I love a morally gray character, but Alyce is morally gray light, which is probably one of my only criticisms. I would have liked to see this story go a little darker. The character's are well fleshed out, even some of the side character, which foreshadowed their later importance. Malice followed some of the key points of the original Sleeping Beauty story, while weaving its own queer love story, full of betrayal, revenge, heartache, and one hurt and pissed off Vila.

The cons of the story go back to the morally gray light characterization of Alyce. I would have liked to see her develop more of the darker side of her powers. There were also a few plot holes, that if pointed out would be spoilers, but I could overlook them for the greater story being told. Was it predictable? Yes. While that might be a con for some, it's a retelling so some predictability is a given.

Malice is worth the read if you love a grim fairytale and are a fan of star crossed lovers.

I love fairy tale retelling having sleeping beauty being told like this was refreshing. Instead of Alyce being a beautiful and agreeable character she is a grease ball who hold grudges and can be petty which I don't blame her with how she is treated because she is the last Vila who are considered the enemy. She is going through a lot.
For a living she has to use her magic to curse people even though she despises it but is literally not allowed to say no. The world building was unloaded on us but i rather have more than less. Hilde was one of the few genuine characters like Aurora who was who she was and didn't care what other people thought. Alyce could be a little to naive and trusting but I could get past it. Alyce's and Aurora had chemistry and had a lot of cute fluff but it was insta lovey. A lot of book 2 was set up and i look forward to reading it.

Malice is a creative, beautiful, sapphic retelling of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, that begs the question: what if the villain of this story was the love interest? We know from the original fairy tale that Maleficent curses Aurora as revenge for her love, Aurora's father, betraying her. It doesn't happen quite like that in this book: our "villain" Alyce is a Vila, a magical race that wields dark magic. She's one of the only Vila in the land, and also the most powerful. Nicknamed Malice by discriminatory light magic wielders, she has been determined as the villain of this land since birth, just for what she is. But when she meets Aurora, sparks fly.

I loved the writing style of this novel. It was beautifully, and perfectly fit the tone of a fairy tale in a land far away. The world building is thorough and fleshed out, the tone is darkly mystical, and the descriptions are beautiful to read. This book is definitely on the higher quality side of Young Adult fantasy.

The romance between Alyce and Aurora is sizzling. The chemistry they have is literally everything. Together, they're the sweetest couple you'll ever read; a sharp contrast to their fated to be enemies circumstances. While their romance takes a while to kick up, once it does you'll fall in love with them. I also didn't mind how slowburn it was, given they spent a while becoming friends and growing a working relationship before diving into the awaited romance.

The ending was a bit messy and disappointing, but this will likely be resolved when the next book comes out, so I'm not worried.

Overall, I strongly recommend this book. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, sweet, tragic and joyfully perfect. And the audiobook narrator is amazing as well!

OK now.... OK NOW! You... like... EXCUSE ME MRS HEATHER CAN I HAVE MY HEART BACK!

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD! I completely enjoyed it. I think everyone and their damn mom, dad, sister cousin, and anyone within a 1 million radius should read this damn book. TODAY!

I really enjoy a fairy tale retelling, and Malice tackles one of my favorites – Sleeping Beauty. (And a times it felt like a smidge of Cinderella thrown in for good measure.) Malice started a little slow for me, (necessary to introduce the reader to the kingdom of Briar and the Grace system) but once I got into it, Alyce’s story turned into a page turner.

Alyce is known as the Dark Grace – she is not a true Grace, but part Vila and gifted with a darker magic than the traditional Grace’s gifts of things like beauty and wisdom. Ms. Walter turns the Sleeping Beauty tale on it’s head, telling the story from Alyce’s perspective. She’s not the villain that everyone thinks – she’s lonely, isolated, and used by people throughout the kingdom for her “evil” gifts – and it turns out Alyce doesn’t understand her true powers.

This was a fun tale to read, and it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Looking forward to finishing up Alyce’s story in the sequel!

Malice is absolutely magical.

These characters leap off the page. Without giving away too much, author Heather Walter is an expert at telling this tale, giving this retelling a fresh feeling.I am constantly enthralled with a read that provides the reader a look into unique worldbuilding. and mythos.

I am in no mood to spoil this read but it was fabulous!

Malice is THE dark fairytale retelling you have been waiting for! It's the story of Sleeping Beauty with a giant twist. The story is told from the villain, Alyce's perspective and she is in love with Aurora. Can Alyce find a way to save Aurora that doesn't involve a prince? She only has a year left to lift the curse that was created by a power like her own. Can she do it? Or will the story end like we all already know? I was floored by how excellent Malice is. If you're looking for a dark, page-turning fairytale retelling, this is definitely one not to be missed! Be sure to check out Malice today.

This was a spectacularly dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Heather Walter was not afraid to push the boundaries and I loved that.

Alyce is part Vila, the evil race who cursed the Queens of Briar. They would always have daughters who would only live to the age of 21. Well, unless they find their true love and kiss them. Aurora is a Briar princess and 20 years old. She's on her last year of life, her older sisters have both died without finding their true loves and the future of the kingdom is on her.

Alyce was found as a child and after much torture, they decided she could live out her life as a Dark Grace. The Graces provide potions to the people of the kingdom in exchange for money. But their lives aren't as glamourous as they may seem. Their magic has to run out eventually and that's when they're just tossed to the side. Alyce, being a Dark Grace (or the only Dark Grace) is feared by many. She's ridiculed and treated as an outsider. She is not one of them and several want everyone to know that.

This story is dark and starts well. Then the pacing slows down a bit then it picks back up around 60% and I couldn't put it down. I recommend this book for adults who like YA or mature teens. It's more New Adult with teen angst. There is profanity and a closed-door sex scene.

I loved this one much more than I expected to!
It was so captivating and well put together.
I need more.

This book was a great retelling of sleeping beauty with a twist. The characters were lovable and relatable. I'm definitely interested in reading the next.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review

I love a good retelling and this was no exception! A gorgeous world and fascinating characters, definitely a must read! The writing and world building were incredible, I really loved to romance which was a lovely slow burn friends to lovers and I can’t wait to read the next one!

I wanted to love this so badly but I feel like this millennial nostalgia re-dux has been run into the ground. While sometimes it felt relaxing that things repeated themselves, mostly I felt irritated. It easily could’ve been a novella without losing any of the energy. As is the trap of revivals and retelling, everything felt overly familiar in a way that made it difficult to keep my attention, even as some twists happened towards the end I was never surprised. Maybe it just wasn’t for me! I’m sure teenage me would’ve loved it and that is the intended audience.

Such an interesting twist to a fairytale that has been told over and over again. I definitely enjoyed this telling the most! Also, very fantastic representation! Cannot wait for more!

Five big whopping stars for surprising the hell out of me. I try not to get my hopes up when I'm reading a fairy tale retelling. Same when I'm reading anything gay. So many times they do the opposite of what they promise and don't deliver a complete (or believable) twist or romance.

Malice is first and foremost a high fantasy story with solid worldbuilding and unique-to-them characters. This is all I ask for when I read, well, any book. If you can nail this, you will get at least 3 stars every time. What made this special was the subtlety of both the romance and the Sleeping Beauty wink, winks.

The world was just familiar enough to make complete sense while giving you so much more than a girl who falls asleep instead of dying. There is a new lore here. The politics and magic system in this book were well-thought out and interesting! While every shock didn't come as a total surprise (retelling), I was still nail-biting trying to figure out what might happen.

I can't say how relieved I am to find out there's another book coming. I'd revisit this world anytime. Ain't no rest for the wicked.

4.5 stars rounded up because I really liked it

I'm not usually too into retellings unless they're made queer/diverse so when I heard this had a sapphic romance I was immediately interested even though I don't know much about the original story (I mean I've seen some versions of Sleeping Beauty but it's not a story I cared about particularly much).

I don't really want to say much about the story other than it's a descend into villainy (which is always sexy) and it's sapphic. I mean, do you really need to know more?? Okay okay, it's also not YA like I thought (the main character and love interest are 20) and it's also not a standalone like I thought (which I hoped it would be, so I wouldn't be left with that cliffhanger).
[why did I have so many false expectations about this book??? it's because I never read blurbs, that's why]

The book wasn't only about the romance, it's actually probably 1:1 plot:romance which I found was a good mix. I will say even if this is not YA a lot of the tropes it followed are typical of YA and if you've read enough YA fantasy you will typically guess where most plot arcs are going, but I didn't find that to be annoying here, it was more like something to hold on to, if that makes sense.

So overall I really want to recommend this because it will appeal to both readers who are into YA and to readers more used to (usually adult) morally grey fantasy, and of course to readers looking for a sapphic romance in a fantasy setting.

I LOVE a good twisted fairytale, but Malice took it a step further and completely flipped the script. Awesome storytelling and dark notes make this one a must read. Will be purchasing this title and the following volume in the duology for the library's YA collection.

Malice gives the Wicked treatment to Sleeping Beauty in an imaginative retelling about the “Dark Grace.” Alyce begins the book desperately wanting to fit in and be accepted by the Graces, who mockingly call her Malyce, and doubting herself and her magic. However, by the end of the book, Alyce fully embraces her powers and goes full dark side.

The story is slow burning, but it explores so many complex areas of Alyce’s life: her forbidden romance with a cursed princess; her tense relationship with the Graces who bully her; her fear and loathing for the fae lord who experimented on her as a child; her struggles to understand and control her magic; her desire to be free; her major trust issues because she constantly feels used and rejected for her dark powers.

This book kept me guessing; like Alyce, I never knew who to trust. I absolutely loved the character development in this book, and I can’t wait for the sequel.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was another book that did not live up to the hype for me. I felt bored while reading. The story had so much promise but it went on far too long with no sense or urgency. I wanted to love but it left me wanting so much. The characters felt flat, the pacing was so slow and both of those combined left me wanting to DNF. I pushed through and that was a mistake on my part.