She's flawed, like many of us, and her insecurities make her even more relatable. I found the magic particularly intriguing, where the graces are controlled and must draw blood to use their magic.Īlyce is a brilliant protagonist. I love that she's retained the essence of Sleeping Beauty while also drastically changing the characters and the world itself into something much more compelling. The world that Heather has created is fascinating, particularly the fey, new creatures called vila, and the graces. I enjoyed the Maleficent film adaptation and the mother/daughter true love spin, but it really intrigued me to see what Heather Walter has created in Malice, giving us a new villain, a feminist princess, and an f/f romance.

I hate how two-dimensional Aurora is I hate that a kiss from a practical stranger wakes her from her curse and equals true love. I guess I should also mention that Sleeping Beauty is one of my least favourite Disney fairytales (I haven't read the original). In a Q&A with the author, Heather revealed that Malice is actually the first book in a duology (double YAY, because that ending is something else! 😱) I thought it was a standalone book, it's not.It's not, and it contains mature scenes (YAY! 😅) I should start by saying that I made a couple of assumptions before reading this book: It's not every day that you get a queer, feminist Sleeping Beauty re-telling from the villain's perspective! And I-ĭo you see now why I was so excited to read this?!

Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.īecause we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.īut with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating-and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince.

A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss. Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die.

Heather walter malice