Malice: Book One of the Malice Duology (Malice Duology Series, 1)

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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! But all that changes in one night, at one ball and involving the last Briar princess, cursed to die on her 21st birthday if she is not kissed by her true love. Alyce finds herself in an impossible situation, working for people she despises, wanting to escape, but also drawn to the princess of Briar, who needs her help to break the curse her Vila ancestors placed on her bloodline. Is there any way Alyce’s powers can be used for good, or have her detractors always been right—that all she can do is create darkness, suffering and evil? This is a clever and truly original retelling of a classic story which had some fans racing to the very end of the story, which is one that is sure to make you to never look at “Sleeping Beauty” the same way again. She’s turned this classic fairy tale inside out, revealing some hidden layers of emotion, history, and meaning. Alys has been raised in an environment where nobody can stand to be around her. Surrounded by the Graces - faeries who make elixirs that enhance the lives of their patrons - Alys just wants to be celebrated like her peers. However, she is The Dark Grace, incapable of bestowing anything but curses. This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but it also had the feel of other fairy tales as well and it also has a Maleficent vibe. A scene at the end also gave me a minor Game of Thrones vibe as well. Fans of retellings and fantasy will enjoy this book. I am not a big fantasy fan, but I do enjoy a good retelling. This is book one in the Malice Duology.

A terrifying part of my soul whispers that I can do far more than spoil a jug of cream. That I want to.” Author Heather Walter has been telling stories for as long as she can recall. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with both Information Science and English degrees, books are (and always will be) a definitive aspect of her life. trigger and content warnings: a lot of blood imagery (human blood, animal blood, getting blood for spells), kidnapping, talk of child abandonment, talk of child experimentation in the past, loss of a loved one, anxiety depiction, captivity, mention of slavery, drug use, brief mention of suicide, torture, gore, violence, murder, death. (also themes of homophobia and misogyny - always in a negative light) I also loved how natural the romance felt. That’s real representation - when LGBTQ+ relationships are shown as normal or simple, because that’s what they are. Well, that’s what they should be (they should probably be legalized first). The romance in this book surprised me. I fell in love with Aurora alongside Alyce in the first book, but in Misrule I wasn’t too sure about them together. Too much had changed and they seemed to have too much conflict in their way. I found myself not really even rooting for them at times. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised by the resolution of their arc. I thought it was a bold choice, but definitely the right one. It respects their individual growth as characters while remaining hopeful.My favourite element of Malice was the worldbuilding, I love a fairytale-esque story and I really fell in love with the elaborate setting and exploring both the glamorous and darker facets of it through the eyes of Alys. The magic system and history of the world was also more complex than I expected which I adored. Well, I’m giving 3.5 stars and I’m happily rounding them up to 4 original, breathtaking, well-developed, smart, new age fairy tale stars! Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. Through her meetings with him, Alyce begins to learn more about her history, potential and the world outside of Briar. Only one who thinks and care about the princess is Alyce: Dark Grace, who is powerful enough to end her life. But does she really want it? Only one year left for Prince Aurora to break the curse and survive! If Alyce helps her, they can change the future by forging a brand new world! But will she do it? Both her and princes are not so different: they are both caged in their own prisons and they need to find their ways to freedom.

malice isn’t a bad book, but some things about it just weren’t for me. i thought it was slow-paced and i wasn’t a big fan of alyce. however, i loved aurora and learning more about her and the politics of the world. this combination made misrule perfect for me because alyce has definitely changed a lot in this book and we get to see her in charge now - which i really enjoyed reading about. i also enjoyed learning about how the world has changed politically after briar was destroyed and aurora’s perspective on things. fans of morally grey characters will love this one because both alyce and aurora are grey in different areas. i liked all of the deception, betrayals, and political intrigue throughout and seeing all of the characters change, but in different directions. Nonsense again. Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I— Alyce slayed harder than a gay manin gucci on a catwalk. She's like that iconic mother gothel quote: "You want me to be the bad guy. Fine, now I'm the bad guy."

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A solid debut. I believe the next book will be even better than this one. Like Alyce, I believe that Heather Walter is just coming into her own. With every turn, this story grows deliciously darker, and fairy tales of all ages are sure to be thrilled with this one.

Alyce has reached her potential and become ruler over the kingdom that once ridiculed her. The Dark Grace known to the Briar Kingdom is dead and now Alyce lives as Nimara, ruler of the Dark Court. This dark love story is sprinkled with bits of joy and laughter. Alyce’s transformation into Nymara and subsequent reign, creates a safe haven for outcast creatures from all over. My absolute favorites are the Imps. They are delightful, playful, and all around mischievous. They brought a smile to my face throughout this story.

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I truly loved Alyce and the author’s different approach to the villanelle’s mind and her true feelings. In the regular fairytale universe there is strict line between good and evil: but the author shows that there are so many grey areas and evil we thought can have goodness and light in her/his heart just like the good ones have dark sides. Their choices define who they are, not their abilities or powers!

This book follows Alyce, “Malyce” as dubbed by the other Graces. Unlike them with their small amount of fae blood and their ability to do elixirs and enchantments, Alyce is half Vila: a monster seen by humans and fae alike. She is dubbed the “Dark Grace” or worse she is called “Mongrel”, “creature”, “monster” due to her heritage and ability only to create curses. When we meet Alyce is treated so badly and shunned by mostly everyone, it’s no wonder that all she wants to do is escape Briar. I am reviled and despised for the very reasons I’m sought out. A figure of dark, evil magic. A member of a race all but stamped out. A Vila.

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I’m better than this. More than the villain they’ve created. I close my eyes, consider tapping into the magic of the wood and stones and mortar of this house and bringing it all down around their ears.