Malice

By Heather Walter

Malice - Heather Walter
  • Release Date: 2021-04-13
  • Genre: Epic Fantasy
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 156 Ratings

Description

A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this “bewitching and fascinating” (Tamora Pierce) retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale.
 
“Walter’s spellbinding debut is for all the queer girls and women who’ve been told to keep their gifts hidden and for those yearning to defy gravity.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

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

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily ever after.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.

Until I met her.

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. 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. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though a power like mine was responsible for her curse.

But 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. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps together we could forge a new world.

Nonsense again. Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—

I am the villain.

Book One of the Malice Duology

Reviews

  • I love this book

    5
    By Ily45673
    This book was excellent. Well written and a page turner. I fell in love with the characters.
  • A MUST READ

    5
    By $raves
    Loved this book so much oh my. High recommended
  • Must read

    5
    By _morenaza
    Very good
  • Wow!! Put this on the top of your list!!

    5
    By katy perry rules
    Extremely well written re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty through the eyes of the Vila. I cannot wait for the second installment. I’m so glad there are stories like this available now for the queer community.
  • Yuh

    5
    By Thundersnow21
    Loved it. I would totally unread it to read it again
  • Beautifully dark fantasy

    5
    By JDawson001
    Malice is a beautifully dark novel about a young woman who has been hated and mistreated her entire life. She has been taught to revile her heritage and the magical green blood that runs through her veins, even though people pay well for elixirs made from that blood. Alyce, called Malyce or mongrel or monster or half-breed, wants nothing more than to escape Briar and be free. That is, until a fateful meeting with a young woman who does not fear Alice’s touch. The two share an instant connection and a shared desire to change Briar for the better. It’s a fragile dream, and so many things threaten to shatter it to pieces. Malice is filled with twists and turns, with moments of tender hope and tragic loss. It’s a rollercoaster of emotion that kept me reading two days straight. I couldn’t put it down. I cannot wait to read the sequel. I pre-ordered the audiobook version as soon as I finished reading the book, and listened to it as soon as it released. My 14-year-old daughter was just as spell-bound by the audiobook version as I was, proving that it’s just as enchanting for adult readers as young adults and teens. The LGBTQ+ representation is beautifully done. This is advertised as a “deliciously dark, queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty,” and while I agree with that description, it is so much more than just another retelling. It’s better to say that it’s based on the fairy tale, with so much depth and world-building that the reader barely notices any similarities.
  • Wow, wow, wow!

    5
    By The Little Copper Fox
    Walter creates a world you never want to leave. The amount of character development alone is astounding, but Walter adds in magic, love, and betrayal like no other! I’m so very glad I picked up this book. This was the representation I needed as a young adult, but never had. Thank you Ms. Walter. I will be watching and waiting for more!
  • Sapphic Sleeping Beauty

    5
    By conniptionns
    I haven’t finished a book in awhile. Not for lack of trying, it just hadn’t happened in 5 years. I’ve only just finished it in my first read through that ended up being done in the small hours of the morning, begging my eyes to scan the pages faster, only to have to circle back for comprehension. I wanted to swathe myself in the story. To know it so well I could write spin offs in my head for my own jollies the way I used to. 2 days of pushing my eyes past the limit of my glasses and I’m ordering a physical copy from my local indie bookstore and looking for a book club on it to read it together and discuss each nuanced piece at length. I don’t know if you will ever read this, but Heather Walter you’ve changed my life. You don’t know what sleeping beauty is to me, and you don’t know what this telling has given me but I owe you more than I could ever say.