I firstly I thank the publisher and NetGalley for accepting my request for a eARC. I did try to read and review this one before it's publication date of April 13. Apologises to all, I wanted more to slow down and savor it's bitter sweetness. Or sweet bitterness.

Malice is the beginning for the Dark Grace Alyce, in her Lair underneath Lavender House, where her golden eyed and golden blooded Grace "sisters", Rose, Marigold and Laurel under the care of Mistress Lavender whom have been blessed by the "good" court of Fae, the Etherians. They have hair in as many shades as flowers and gifts that come from their spilled blood, be it blessings of knowledge, beauty, pleasure of otherwise in elixers. The gifts have a cost, the Grace blood Fades and becomes silver with their hair. The 'Grace Laws' controls how the gifts are given (always) and paid for in "exchange" for care after Fading (laughable) as some glorified symbol of status.

Once there was a war and the dark Fae of Malterre, called Vila, lost so badly to the forces of Etherians and humans combined that they've all but been forgotten. What remains is myths and dusty books. When Alyce is found orphaned, green blooded and "ugly" she's found to be partly Vila, tested and tortured by Etherian Lord Ambassador Endlewild. She's given up to the Grace Houses when he is done, but he has left his mark and scar upon her.

Yet the Vila left their curse upon the royal family of Queen Leythana of Briar, her heirs must be kissed by their true love by their twenty first birthday, or die, and the Queen can only have daughters to wear the Briar crown, once dipped in the golden blood of the High King of the Fae, Oryn when they swore to the queens that they would have Briar for a kingdom of they would protect Etheria.

It is Princess Aurora's twentieth birthday masquerade ball and by oversight or foresight, the Dark Grace has been formally invited and Alyce, surprising everyone and herself, intends to go.

Along the way she uncovers more of who she is and what the power in her hemlock green blood can do by the help of Kal, a Vila tied by shadow to a ancient castle, and Princess Aurora herself, determined to be Queen and live unlike elder her sisters Cordelia and Seraphina - a Queen in truth, a warrior not like her mother Mariel who's husband Tarkin of Paladay who had, like husbands before him, been given royal power by marriage. The current queen is all but powerless. It is that powerlessness that Aurora rebels against.

As Alyce and Aurora struggle to find a way to break the curse, Tarkin takes a interest in Alyce offering her gold and power in exchange for cursed objects by which he intends to go to war with Etheria - a sinister plot that entangled Alyce further into Briar's fate when all she wants is to escape by the Carthegean sea and explore realms like the queendom Tyrna, or Cardon islands (where once came Corinne who kissed a princess Eva, and they going themselves from the Crimson Cliffs of Briar rather than be parted, a warning to all royal Briar heirs that although other women in their realm may love women, they must not, for how would future Queens be born?).

Aurora makes a deal with her parents, that Prince Elias of Ryna who's star chart matches Aurora's will be her last forced kiss, but to Alyce she promises that after this, she will not marry or kiss any more men.

Only Alyce.

A unexpected long game trap catches them both up and sends Alyce into a spiral of death and destruction from which she might not be free of as Aurora will not wake ...

Although the ending is dark, I am glad for the sequel. I don't think a redemption arc is needed, I would rather Alyce and Aurora get what the realms owe them and make the world theirs. I can't help but think of Sleeping Beauty and how Pandora, gifted things by the gods, is so often seen as a sinister "Eve" (you may enjoy a listen from Natalie Haynes Stands Up For The Classics : Pandora
).

I have been a fan of Maleficent and other queer takes from Disney villains, but recent reads come to mind too like The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman and Snow White Learns Witchcraft: Stories and Poems by Theodora Goss. Maleficent movies with Angelina Jolie, or the Once Upon A Time TV show were also treats (it's also a take Disney take, pairing Maleficent with Hades for Mal from Disney Descendants films).

Sapphic Sleeping Beauty where the princess and the sorceress fall for each other? Yes, please. There was such a vivid history that I felt like I would find it on a map. Some people find such detailed world building tough to get through. Personally, I love it! Around 150 pages I felt really confident in the world and was ready for the story to really take off and boy did it! I thought the romance was a bit underwhelming at first and I wanted to feel more connected to Aurora. but that is my only small criticism. I am sure we will get more in book 2!

As someone who enjoys reading fairytale retellings, I have lately started to feel like they have started to feel repetitive. Malice took all of those tired tropes and turned them on their heads, weaving my favorite retelling that I've read in a while.

Alyce is the Dark Grace. Unlike the golden, beautiful fae Graces who have the ability to bless their patrons with beauty and health, Alyce can bottle poisons and misfortune. She is looked down upon as vile, but still relied upon to provide maladies to those who can pay. Aurora is the last living princess in a line cursed to die on each princess's 21st birthday unless they can find true love's kiss.

This book gives you all the slow burn Sapphic love, dark and villainous backstory, and twists that I promise you won't see coming. I absolutely loved Alyce's character, and found the magic system to be unique and fascinating. I read this one in ebook format and didn't realize how big it was because I flew through it. It's a 500 page tome with detailed world building and stage setting in the beginning that transitions into fast paced unputdownable action.

The building tension and enjoyment of this story was incredible. In the beginning I was interested, but not blown away, by the 75% mark I had pretty much settled on a 4 star rating, and by the time I finished I was upset I didn't have the sequel in my hands immediately because I needed more. I will absolutely be picking up the next in this duology.

Five Stars- Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings and also a huge fan of Maleficent anything really - so I couldn't wait to dive into this one. This was noted to be a dark retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" and it was, with some feels of Cinderella as well.

The Graces are blessed with fae magic in their blood, which allows them to wield magic along certain lines - beauty, wisdom, voice, etc. Alyce aka Malyce is the Dark Grace and her magic is quite a bit different, which leads to her being shunned and reviled throughout the kingdom. When Alyce meets Aurora, the cursed princess, she is surprised to find that Aurora is not scared of her. Alyce is torn between believing that someone wants to be her friend and wondering if there is some other reason for Aurora's attention.

Is Alyce the villian everyone has always told her she is? Is Aurora truly as thoughtful as she seems? Alyce sets out to uncover the truth of her origins and the magic that runs through her blood - but at what cost? I look forward to finding out the answers to some of these questions in the next book.

I truly loved the LGBTQ+ representations in this story - we've all become accustomed to the tales where "Prince Charming" saves the day so this was a nice change.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this one in exchange for my honest opinions.

Malice is a retelling of the classic sleeping beauty tale, only this time it's from the villain's perspective. Alyce is a dark fairy, scorned for her talents unless they are needed by villagers seeking her dark magic potions. She grows up hating everything about her world especially the rulers of the kingdom until she meets Princess Aurora. In Aurora she sees someone who will listen to all beings and actually rule for the good not for the profit. Best of all Aurora seems to like Alice as much as Alyce likes Aurora. The catch is that Alice must work quickly to break the sleeping spell placed on all the royals before time runs out. This is the first of the Malice duology. Fans of Marissa Meyers and Victoria Aveyard will love this book.

I'm somewhere between a 3 and a 4 on this. I was really enjoying this a lot until the end, which has given me some qualms. This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the pov of the witch, Alyce. And in another twist, Alyce is the true love of the Princess Aurora. As is often the case, what we believe to be something isn't always that thing, and the author does a good job getting that across. Alyce isn't evil, even if she is perceived as such by those around her. She's been seriously mistreated and by the end, she's had enough. *Really* had enough. I can understand her rage, and how it comes out, but I am bothered by it also. So much of the book is focused on Alyce fighting against those characterizations, and then suddenly she fulfills them. The world building was good, the writing was good. I was kept interested in this book right up until the last 4 or 5 chapters, which to me take the story sideways. I read a review that talks about the mean-girl aspect, and I have to agree, after a while, that gets old. Also, the ending with Lauren, it didn't seem a fair or just ending, it felt a bit harsh to me.

Still, there's a lot about this book that is good, and I think many will want to read the next book, to get to the ending. I think I do, but I can't help but wonder how disappointing Aurora will prove to be to Alyce, and how disappointing Alyce will be to Aurora.

"Maleficient" by way of Sarah J. Maas, "Malice" by Heather Walter is the gay, fae fairytale retelling of the romance of Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora with the villain of the story.

In this adult fantasy, "Malice" does what most books with a villain POV like this get so wrong; instead of portraying the villain as just some misunderstood character who was really good all along, Walter crafts a woman who is complicated and makes decisions readers will hate her for while also being relatable. And, instead of being just a whiff of the original story as many retellings are, this novel goes for the gold and gives so many nods to those who came before.

The cherry on top, the slow burn forbidden romance mixed with a slight friends-to-lovers trope creates a relationship readers will most certainly root for, especially as it was built nicely and believably over the course of the novel. But it admittedly could have had a bit more steam and overall scenes between the two lovers. However, this is an easily forgiven ‘fault’ when traded for more room to let the story grow not just as a romance but as a fantasy that will be great for bah-humbug-to-love readers as well.

Although the writing was sometimes a little obvious and explanation-heavy where I would have liked more atmosphere and prose, these choices likewise end up paying off as the story leans into its surprisingly political and dramatic plot, giving it a more intricate and multi-layered edge that builds into a rollercoaster of an ending, albeit a slightly rushed one.

The last few chapters are a sprinkling of predictability amongst an onslaught of shocking twists and turns, leaning far deeper into the dark side than I could have hoped for in a way that was oh so fitting. Leaving plenty of room for a sequel (which seems to be a confirmed likelihood with the updated Goodreads title) I can’t wait to see where and how far the story goes and read more from this author, who will surely become a fan favorite soon enough.

I rated "Malice" 4.5 out of 5. Fans of Maas should pick this up yesterday.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this one was okay.
I loved that the romance was Sapphic and a little bit slow burn.
I just didn't connect with the writing style and found myself getting a little bored in several places.
I also think the story was unique. The author did a really good job of building their own world with enough of the original tale that you could tell it was a retelling.

All in all it was an okay read with reread potential!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC!

I love fairy tales and I love origin stories so needless to say I was excited about this book! The great thing about fairy tales is they can go in so many directions while still using the same story we are all familiar with. I also have to admit that I love a good villain. I'm always fascinated to know how an evil character ended up that way.

In Malice, we follow Alyce who is half-Vila, a species that is hated and feared by humans and the magical Etherian Fae. Alyce is called the Dark Grace in contrast to ever other Grace. The Graces are humans blessed with Etherian magic who can use the light magic in their blood to help the people of Briar whether they need to be healed from an illness, want more wisdom, or simply want to look more beautiful. Alyce, on the other hand, has dark Vila magic in her blood and can only make elixirs that harm people and the citizens of Briar are happy to use her gifts.

Alyce is sick of being treated like a horrific monster. She is tired of making ugliness elixirs for her patrons. She wants to be free from her life of service and free from Briar where she is reviled by nearly every one. More than anything, Alyce wants to leave Briar and see the rest of the world but Graces are forbidden from leaving Briar. This doesn't stop Alyce from dreaming or trying to create a plan for her escape.

Unexpectedly, Alyce discovers there is more to her power than she thought while, at the same time, she begins growing an unexpected friendship with Princess Aurora. Alyce cannot fathom why Aurora would want to be her friend but she is grateful for the kindness and interest the princess shows in her. Together they try to find a way to break the curse Aurora is under; a curse that killed both of her sisters when they were unable to kiss their true love before their 21st birthday.

Aurora vows to create a new Briar when she a queen. A Briar where Graces are not forced to serve with no control over their own fate. Even as Alyce doubts the world can change, she believes fully in Aurora and her vision and quickly finds her feelings for the princess growing, which will only lead to trouble.

Alyce is such a sympathetic character. At some point, everyone has felt some version of the helplessness and hopelessness that plagues her. Her desires are ones we've all felt or share: to be loved (or at least not reviled), to be free, to be in control of her own life. She feels guilty about her magic and it's ability to only do harm. She wishes to hold the light magic of the Graces, magic that would make her life easier even though she would still be forced to serve.

Aurora is bold and passionate. She cares deeply about Briar and all of its people. She is nothing like the passive Sleeping Beauty so many of us have grown up with. Determined to take her fate into her own hands, Aurora does all she can to try and break her curse without having to kiss an endless litany of men, none of whom she is interested in.

For me, this book revitalized a fairytale that I was never a big fan of. There is little excitement in a princess who sleeps until she is woken by the kiss of a handsome prince. Similar to the way the movie Maleficent brought life to this story by giving new perspective, Malice does the same. Only this is more than a book written from the other side. Heather Walter has created a new world for Alyce and Aurora to inhabit with it's own peoples and customs. It was a world I found interesting with clear rules for its magic (which is always important).

Light spoiler ahead:

I also love queer reimagining's of fairytales. As a kid, who didn't know or understand her feelings and identities, it would have made such a difference to read stories, especially fairytales which I loved and were always so traditional, with queer characters. It makes me so happy to see this kind of representation.

In this retelling of Sleeping Beauty, the wicked witch is not the one responsible for the curse placed upon the Princess Aurora. The wicked witch is, in fact, the one who breaks it.

Background: the small yet wealthy kingdom of Briar, owing to an alliance with a nearby fairy kingdom, must always be ruled by a woman of the founding queen’s line. Owing to a long-ago war between Briar, their fairy allies, and a now-defeated dark fairy kingdom, there is a curse upon the Briar royal line: if they don’t receive love’s first kiss by their 21st birthday, they die. As thanks for their help in that war, some girls (known as Graces) in Briar are born with a portion of fairy magic, able to (temporarily) bestow beauty and grace upon the citizens of Briar.

Whether or not this alliance has been good for Briar is … debatable. The Queens have gradually ceded more and more power to their husbands, and are figureheads at this point. The gifts of the Graces have led to a court that is entirely vain and superficial, obsessed with physical beauty. The wealth that comes from their alliance with the fairies has led to Briar’s ruling classes becoming decadent, while the poor live in squalor. The Graces themselves live in gilded slavery, required by law to sell their talents to anyone who wishes to buy them (with the crown taking a hefty cut).

Our protagonist is Alyce, a so-called “Dark Grace” with powers that derive from the defeated dark fairy kingdom and are a dark mirror of the Graces’ usual powers. She is tolerated to exist (barely) because as obsessed with making themselves beautiful as they are, the court of Briar is equally interested in seeing their rivals get a bad case of acne before the ball as they are in their own appearances. Like all the Graces, she gets no say in how she is used. Unlike the normal Graces, she doesn’t get any of the social benefits that come with it.

Two things happen that put Alyce’s life on a distinctly different trajectory. One is that she sneaks her way into one of the royal balls and meets Aurora. Aurora, who resents being regularly sexually assaulted. (Every single suitor gets to kiss her on the chance he (always he) will be the one to break the curse. Every. Single. One.) She resents the fact that even if the curse IS broken, the rando who breaks it will get all the power and she’ll be a figurehead. In short, she and Alyce have each finally met someone who hates the status quo as much as they themselves do.

The other thing that happens is Alyce meets an imprisoned fairy. He can’t (or won’t) say much about himself or the reasons for his imprisonment, but he tells Alyce that she doesn’t begin to understand what her power can really do … and he’s willing to teach her.

This was an engrossing book, and a difficult one. Alyce is certainly the protagonist, and while I fully empathize with her, I can’t *like* her. She has a distinct cruel streak, and is simultaneously certain of her own status as a monster and resentful of not being properly appreciated. But she comes by it honestly - she’s been treated as a monster since she was a baby and (after much debate) allowed to live. Aurora is a wonderful character, and about the only one in this book I unreservedly like, and her having to go through everything she is put through in the name of breaking the curse is rather horrible to read. The author doesn’t shy away *at all* from the fact that getting kissed whether she wants to or not is sexual assault, and Aurora’s misery and sheer *exhaustion* comes through very well.

The pacing is a little slow, at first, but that picks up as the story goes. It ends in a way that I did *not* expect. It was an excellent ending, but holy hell do I not want to have to wait for the sequel.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021 and it did not disappoint. I love fairy tale retellings (Maleficent in particular) and this sounded like such an intriguing, dark twist of the Sleeping Beauty story. Alyce is considered an evil sorceress due to her Vila heritage and green blood, referred to as the "Dark Grace" in a kingdom filled with Graces of beauty, wisdom, and other prettier, nicer talents. While Alyce's elixirs can cause warts, clumsiness, and even sleeping curses, the Graces' potions (created with their gold blood) can enhance beauty and otherwise improve the lives of Briar's paying citizens and royalty. Alyce is an outcast in society and considers her heritage a burden that makes her a target in a prejudiced world until she finally learns more about where she came from and what she's capable of.

I would consider this new adult fantasy since the main characters are around 18-20 years old and the worldbuilding is a little more complex than what I'm used to with YA fantasy. I admit I was confused in the beginning and had to start taking notes to keep track of the different magical lands, its inhabitants and magical creatures, what their unique powers were, and how they were laid out. I'm really hoping the sequel will include a map because that would've been extremely helpful. I also would've liked more descriptions of the settings to help picture it, but that's a personal preference. I thought the character building was really strong and I found it really easy to become invested in Alyce and how her character grows throughout the novel. It had a plethora of strong female characters and a believable romance. Parts of the plot and twists were predictable but I was so curious about what was going to happen to Alyce and making sense of the political/geographical collusion that the pages flew by. I'm looking forward to seeing how the series concludes in the next book.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this early!

I really liked this book. I was completely sucked into it. I mean, the beginning was a bit difficult to get into. It was just a lot of worldbuilding. But once we got introduced to Aurora this book gets going and I got really invested and hooked. The middle was honestly a five star read for me. I just thought that this world, especially the magic system, was so interesting. I really liked how this just felt like a fairytale world. There are a couple of plot points going on and I really like how they all mix. I adore the romance. It's just very slow burn and I loved it. However, then the last quarter or so happened. It felt a bit messy and hard to follow and I'm not sure I'm fully happy with everything that did happen. So even though I really enjoyed this book I have been debating if I should continue with the series as that ending was just not it. Anyway, I have decided to continue because I'm hopeful the sequel will be really good, as most of this book was amazing.

Malice is a new spin on the fairytale Sleeping Beauty. Author Heather Walter creates an engaging fantasy in which magic becomes a commodity and those who have it (called "Graces") are captive to a vain and petty aristocracy. Enter Alyce, who is believed to be the last of her kind. She's a Vila, a "dark grace," whose magic can be used only for ill intent. This is the backdrop for an unexpected love story between Alyce and the kingdom's cursed princess Aurora. Only true love's kiss can break her spell. But she's running out of time and has kissed lots of princes. No one seems able to break the spell. No one, that is, until Alyce. Can we expect a happily ever after? When all forces in the kingdom of Briar seek to tear them apart, Alyce strikes back. It's the makings of a book in which a sequel is certainly needed.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3/5 stars

Malice attempts to execute on an interesting concept and falls slightly short of the mark.

I know so many people liked this one, but it wasn't for me. Which is strange, because I'm normally all in for a good retelling. I didn't love it or hate it, and it looks like this review will probably just be my way of saying "it was fine" over and over in semi-interesting ways.

For all Malice attempted to be, it didn't shock me like I know it did for other readers. In fact, I predicted every major plot point. That lead to a pretty boring read, seeing as I'd already guessed the grand reveal.

Many people have cooed over the romance between Alyce and Aurora, but it was insta-love-y and underdeveloped in my eyes. They immediately had chemistry, which is not a bad thing. But then things started happening with no relationship development or even character interaction. I wish we'd been able to see their relationship form instead of jumping from zero to sixty in a millisecond.

One more thing along the lines of insta-love and quickly-developed relationships: Alyce had this whole thing when she was training to use her powers that seemed completely bogus. She went from not knowing her powers at all to nearly mastering them. Again, like the relationships, why do we have to miss the middle? The beginning and end are fine, but we're missing out on all the hard parts.

The problems I brought up in the first two paragraphs may be partially attributed to the clunky writing. It matches the tone of the book well enough, but it often felt stilted and awkward. This is only the author's debut novel, so I hope that she can improve with time and confidence.

All in all, this was a pretty mediocre read. It's doubtful that I'd read the second book. That said, take my words with a grain of salt! Many people have loved this novel.

This was an interesting story. I love a good Sleeping Beauty retelling. My main issue was with how often Alice said how greasy and dirty she was all the time and that she likely smelled bad. We expect that a princess would brush that away and fall for her anyway? It's not like Alice didn't have access to bathing, I guess she just...didn't? It was also pretty easy to figure out what the guy in the tower was up to.

This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the "villian" but is she really a villian? This book gives a new perspective on a story we are all familiar with but adds depth to the character we all thought was the bad guy. It is solidly YA, angsty and sappy and makes the story LGBTQ in a way that doesn't feel forced.

I really enjoyed this book! It wasn't as dark as I thought it would be to start, but once things took a turn, it was exactly what I wanted it to be. I cannot wait for book two!

This book was absolutely stunning and as a debut novel I can hardly contain my excitement for this author’s career. Heather Walter truly wrote such a perfect book about a villain. It was about love and loss and I need the sequel SO badly. I didn’t even realize this was a duology and then I got to the end and went WHAT? This book is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but with a dark twist. It is told from the enchantress’ POV and the way the author crafted Alyce was so clever and careful. I felt for her the whole way and it was hard not to root for her even as she made mistakes. The uniqueness of the world and the magic was also so fascinating. I was totally enthralled by the way blood was used by some of the characters to create magic potions. Also, I always adore reading queer fantasy so that is a huge plus and the romance was just *chef’s kiss*.

Okay, now let me tell you about the twists and turns. Actually, no I won’t because it would spoil it!! But the plot was always going in the unexpected direction and the foreshadowing was some of the best I’ve ever experienced. I absolutely loved this novel and I can’t wait to read the sequel when it comes out next year. In the meantime, go preorder before it comes out next Tuesday so you can get your fairytale retelling fix!! Thank you so much to the publisher for the ARC copy!

*This review was posted on my bookstagram account @mayahlwrites on April 5th 2021*

Malice from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine

All right, so I am a sucker for fairytale retellings. They have been my absolute favorite sub genre of fantasy since I was about 13 years old. One of the things that the past few years has gotten me really excited about is the increasing diversity that has begun to have a chance at fueling these types of stories — once upon a time, Malice would never have found a publisher. Oh, maybe a sympathetic villain story might have found a place, but to have her fall in love with the princess? Never. Voices that once were silent are finally getting to step onto the scene, and the entire literary landscape is all the better for—an infusion of creativity and new ideas is revitalizing genres that were betting forced to stagnate in them name of tradition, at the expense of diversity.

So we get a (mostly) sympathetic villain in love with a princess who dreams of reforming her kingdom. The story dives deep into some really tangled up morality and it gets <i>DARK</i> in places (Narcisse’s trial left me emotionally scarred)

One of the absolute best things about this book is the way that it does an excellent deep dive into the nature of magic; if you like intricate world building, holy crap are the Grace laws fascinating and Alyce’s magic even more so. The elite are more or less addicted to the benefits they gain from exploiting the Graces, whose blood magic can create beauty and magical enhancements. Alyce is different—her magic is not quite the same as that of the Graces, stemming from her Vila heritage (historically reviled dark magic users) rather than a light magic gift bestowed by the fae. She is based and tormented for this, forced to work in a Grace house and abide by the Grace laws even when no one treats her with any kindness. Many of the Graces suffer under this system too, though the majority have learned to exploit what averages their position can give them in turn, desperately clinging to what power and wealth they can hold on to before their magic inevitably fades. And the Graces are not the only ones who suffer under this system; one scene that struck me deeply was a short interaction between Aurora and Alyce:

<blockquote>“You’re beautiful, Alyce.” I stiffen. “No. Nothing like you.” She smiles softly. Sadly, almost. “Me? I have no idea what I look like.” “What do you mean?” The palace has no shortage of mirrors. “The moment I was born, the Graces were summoned. Every inch of my body is planned. The length of my legs. The width of my hips. My hair color. I think I was born with black hair, actually. I know my mother was.” She examines the tip of a curl. “So what you see isn’t much better than a trick. Turning a regular child into a beautiful princess with a few drops of magic.” </blockquote>

This was easily one of my favorite reads this year, and the only thing that keeps me from giving it five stars is the fact that

(mild vague spoiler alert)

I realized around the 80% mark that we were going to end on a cliffhanger. There was too much story and a vanishing number of pages left to tell it in. And then I get to the dramatic ending and lo and behold: a wild cliffhanger appears. It was well done! But just sort of structurally this is a style choice I really don’t care for in novels. Cliffhangers rarely ever make good on their promised pay off, but we do end in a perfect place to continue the story, which I definitely do look forward to reading!

You know the story. Princess Aurora is cursed by the evil witch, falls into a deep slumber only to be awoken by the prince’s true love kiss. Yeah, that’s not this book. In this book, the princesses are cursed to die unless kissed by their true love, all the way down the line, and of course those in Briar are distraught, but not enough to do anything about the curse, other than hosts parties and balls and invite every man with a title from all over the world to kiss the princess. Also, those with a bit of magic, the Graces, conjure up potions to keep the wealthy of Briar young, beautiful, and smart, and then they have Alice, the “dark” grace. People visit her for potions for their enemies. Abandoned by her mother, tortured by Briar’s magical emissary and despised by her fellow Graces, Alice hates Briar and everyone in it. That is, until she meets Princess Aurora and builds a friendship for the first time ever. As their friendship turns to something more, they believe they might break the curse, but things like that don’t happen. Princesses don’t fall in love with villains. Villains aren’t heroes. They don’t break curses.

I devoured this book. I started reading the print version and was enjoying it so much, I spent my Libro.fm credit on the audio version so I could switch back and forth when I wasn’t able to sit down and read without distraction. It’s not without flaws, the worldbuilding is a tad rushed and unfolds more of a historical retelling than story, but that bit is always difficult to pull off, and to be honest, I don’t want a tome of 1,000 pages just to understand Briar’s history, so I was cool with the abridged version.

Anytime you say queer and retelling, you can count me in, and this book did not disappoint. The slow burn friends to lovers romance was my jam, and I love a good story where the villain isn’t really a villain but is complex and layered and not really a stereotypical hero, either. Walter nailed that in Alice’s character. Like any good fairy tale, it goes batshit at the end, and I was left wondering how they were going to wrap it all up in such a short amount of time. Turns out, it’s a duology, something that I’m both thrilled at angry at. Thrilled because I wasn’t ready to leave these characters behind and angry because I have to wait for another book, haha!

If you want to dive in and wait for the second book probably forever (jk but that’s what it’ll feel like), this one is out in the world with its beautiful cover now.