I’m always here for a fairytale retelling so when I heard that MALICE was a sapphic SLEEPING BEAUTY retelling I had to request a proof copy. It definitely didn’t disappoint thanks to the fresh twists of the plot and beautiful characterisation supported by wonderfully detailed world-building and evocative prose.

Set within the Kingdom of Briar, bordering the Fae courts of Etheria, the story is told from the first-person point of view of Alyce, the Dark Grace. Alyce was abandoned as a baby and raised within Ivy House, reviled by almost everyone she meets thanks to her Vila heritage. Vilas are believed to be evil and a threat that was thought to have been stamped out by Briar and Etheria. The constant ostracism, cruel taunts and dehumanisation of Alyce leaves the reader asking how long someone can be treated as a monster before they become one?

Princess Aurora is cursed to die by her 21st birthday unless she kisses her true love. Disney used to make a lot of the princesses very bland but that’s definitely not the case here. Aurora is angry, determined and intelligent, and I loved her growing relationship with Alyce. The plot quickens in pace during the second half, building to a climax that changes everything and leaves the reader desperate for the sequel.

I’m a big fan of training sequences so I appreciated the sub-plot of a long-forgotten prisoner in an abandoned tower who promises to train Alyce in her Vila magic. There was a sense of inevitability about this character and his motivations but it was no less satisfying for that. MALICE is the Sleeping Beauty retelling we deserve, with a morally ambiguous main character who is sure to delight readers.

Malice is a beautiful book, with LGBT representation, a new twist on a classic tale of Sleeping Beauty and wonderful world building. What lets the book down slightly is the ending, for me at least. The book wonderfully sets up a charming romance between Malice and Aurora (who I found delightful) and an interesting array of side characters, as well as a sub story of inequality as well as what is right/wrong and the beauty of difference. However by the end of the book, this is all just set on fire, I’ve seen one compare this to the GoT ending and I have to agree, why bother creating so much to destroy it so quickly come the end? Why suggest themes and then not explore them? Because I enjoyed the book so much, the ending bothered me, but it’s hard to discuss without revealing spoilers.

Malice is an interesting character, not always good but you feel she is a good person and you wish the best for her, although she makes some awful decisions and even more cruel ones which can be frustrating, I would have loved to have known Aurora more though, she’s a character I don’t usually enjoy, finding her quite the victim ordinarily, while this version rejects this. Both women could so easily be victims in this story and yet they are not in how high they hold their heads.

Thank you NetGalley for the early review copy of this book.

What struck me about this book was the cover, it then drew me in to find a bit more and NetGalley thankfully gave me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

We all know how the fairytales go, there is the evil queen/witch who casts a spell onto the innocent princess snd we usually don't find out much more than that. This book brings a new side to the Sleeping Beauty story as it is dark and twisted. The world built in this book is fantastic and made me far more interested in the alternative to the classic fairytale.

The only downside to this book was how slow it seemed to be, however it relied on character development to truly understand the complexity of this slow burning romance. If you are a fan of dark fantasy and romance then this is the book for you!

Malice by Heather Walter
I give this book 4.5 stars

Once upon a time.........
there was a wicked fairy who cursed a line of princesses to die, it could only be broken by her true love's kiss.
Utter nonsense.
Princess Aurora. The last heir to the throne. The one who isn't bothered that I am the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins.
I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it's what can lift it.
Nonsense again.
Because we all know how this story ends, don't we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I-
I am the villain.

I was drawn to the the cover and the exciting premise of a dark reimagined Sleeping Beauty fairytale.
This imaginative fantasy had beautifully descriptive storytelling and fantastic characters to love and hate..A highly recommended magical, deeply twisted and enchanting read for 2021!
With thanks to Netgalley,Heather Walter and Random House UK,Cornerstone for my chance to read and review this book.

I received this as an ARC on NetGalley

Actual rate: 4.5

Good:
- REPRESENTATION! WLW! FANTASY!
- Relatable, not flat characters who leapt off the page and into my heart
- Slightly cliched plot was fully redeemed by the twisty thorny ending

Bad:
- a bit cliched through the first half
- action took a while to get started, a lot of setting up happens, which is interesting! but not fully engaging.
- ending felt like a lot happened in a short time, and was even a tiny bit unclear at points, or suddenly changing what was expected.

This was a magical, feisty, gay book from an ownvoices author which grabbed my little heart and ripped it to shreds in the best way. We had character development, moral greyness, and a twisty tale that gripped me by the end. The prose was perfectly descriptive while not being 'purple' and I felt like I learnt the characters quirks! My bad points for this book are not things which would stop me from reading again, but if you are looking for a slow burn romance focussed book, this is not for you. I also did not really think the sleeping beauty element came in until quite late on, but I love an LGBT+ fairy-tale, so this is redeemed.

This book made me wish there was more people like me in stories from the past.

CWs: child abuse, bullying themes, state punishment, cruelty by rulers/those with power to the point of death, abandonment

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, or ownvoices rep in a fantasy setting. Also, to anyone who loves a good morally grey villain!

Overall: 4.5/5 :)

Thoroughly enjoyed this although I admit the pace was a little slow initially. I love a fairy tale retelling and happily state this isn't the heterosexual Disney version that we all know. Honestly I do not care if diverse or not because I chose to read this out of curiosity hoping to be entertained. I was without a doubt and although had guessed something there was a whole lot here that was completely unpredictable and if honest I enjoyed it more because of that.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

A dark fairytale. A dark spin on sleeping beauty. The princess aurora befriends a powerful villa, alyce the dark grace, in the last year of her short life. All future queen's are cursed and must find true loves kiss before their 21st birthday or they will die. Aurora is the last heir.
Alyce is torn between Kal, a fellow vila who us helping her understand her true powers, and the Princess aurora. She is tired of being treated badly by everyone including the other graces. She isn't the same as them, their power is used to do good, where alyce it seems can only bring harm.
I was so disappointed when it ended. O need to know what happens next. Fingers crossed for a sequel.
I would definitely recommend
Thanks to netgalley and publishers for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Classic fairytale retellings are quite common if late, but Malice is definitely one of the best ones I’ve read. The plot, the story, the magic, the characters, I really enjoyed it all. To be honest, I’m left wanting more and would have happily kept reading if there was 400 more pages, so invested was I in the fates of the characters. This is a dark retelling, a cautionary tale, a love story, a story of pure malice. Loved it!

Malice is a unique and thrilling spin on a rather familiar fairytale. In this version, there was no prince riding in on a golden steed to save the princess. Instead, there was a beautiful girl more powerful than the kingdom could’ve imagined. While some parts may have felt familiar, this was definitely a story of its own making. It was breath of fresh air.

The connection between Princess Aurora and Alyce started off slowly as friendship—building into something much deeper. The angst between them was quite palpable at times. It kept me eagerly flipping the pages while also stifling my urge to yell at them to see what I saw was happening between them.

This is a different spin on a fairytale of sorts, and one that should be explored more thoroughly. I was so enraptured by the easy writing style and steady flow of the plot twists that just kept coming, that I didn’t realize I was at the end of the book until it was too late. I’m quite interested in seeing where this story will take us next.

Firstly I just want to say a massive thank you to Netgalley for giving me access to an E-book arc of this book. I also want to say thank you to the publisher Del Rey, for accepting me to have a copy. Finally thank you to the author, Heather Walter too. This is a non- spoiler review so let's begin!

I found Malice to be a really enjoyable retailing of Sleeping Beauty but in a more dark, twisted, fantasy way. I really loved the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ within the story from our main romance which is F/F to the world building within the story.

I found the character development was really good to be honest, as our main character does grow and develop throughout the story but not in the way that you expect which brings something really fresh to this type of retelling. I really loved the world building in this novel the way that Heather Walter weaves the sleeping beauty fairy tale into her story is really magical. The language was really lovely, I did find the pacing to be a bit inconsistent at times but it did not take away much from the story. I would 100% recommend this novel to anyone who loves dark fantasy, romance or the sleeping beauty story and if you don't read this you are missing out!

Also posted my review on Waterstones, Goodreads and Amazon (just waiting for approval)

I can't thank Netgalley enough for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a honest review. I'm into twisted fairytale retellings and Malice was really, really good. It is based on Sleeping Beauty with plenty of similarities and also lots of surprise. It explores what if Princess Aurora and Maleficent/Malice/Alyce were friends with the addition of Fae, Graces and interesting magic systems.
I love finding out villains' backgrounds especially when it turns out they're misunderstood and other characters are the real villains. Pretty much every character here had evil motivations and I was kept on my toes guessing who was good or bad. Although, I had strong suspicions about one character quite early on.
When Aurora and Alyce's relationship hits a pivotal point, other events seem to happen very quickly and I thought the ending was rather abrupt. But it does leave it open for a sequel (pretty please!)

Absolutely LOVED this book. Devoured it in one sitting and was left immediately wanting more. A must read for Fairytale fans, particularly those who like a dark edge. There’s room for a sequel but no explicit promise of one, so I can only hope it’s on the cards.

Malice takes Sleeping Beauty and reimagines it from the eyes of the “villain”. Alyce is different and an outcast, bullied, broken and used it a world that’s obsessed with the looks, vanity and glamour that can be anyone’s with a little light magic.

She grows up among the Grace’s - half-fae who are bound to spill their blood to grant beauty or wisdom or pleasure or music to the Nobel women who pay them. However, despite being called a “Dark Grace” Alyce is something else entirely.

Her green blood and strong, dark Vila powers means she’s branded as wicked, but in a twist she finds herself falling in love with a cursed princess.

Full of wonderful world building, the Gracelands and Briar reminded me of the Capitol in the Hunger Games with that same dedication to outlandish clothes, fashion, beauty etc. The book is similarly dark too as characters betray each other constantly as they pursue their own selfish ends.

Fans of Naomi Novak will adore, as will anyone who enjoyed the musical Wicked!

Absolutely glorious. I wholeheartedly recommend.

I really enjoyed this re-telling of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. It is the story of Alyce, or as she is nicknamed Malyce! She is a Vila, known as a Dark Grace. The Grace's are the fairy's if you like, and are admired, revered and people visit it them for the charms they make. Alyce doesn't make charms like wisdom, beauty, intellect, she makes curses such as warts, forgetfulness and other inconveniences.

The story is how the "wicked witch" in the tale of Sleeping Beauty comes into being. The author has taken Alyce and adapted her story giving this young woman a backstory. Alyce does not fit in, she is considered an abomination and is bullied and looked down upon. All she wants is to be like the other Grace's but her skin is dry, her hair lank, her blood green and is so different from the others. The Grace's make charms for money, it gives them a purpose and a way of making a living and people do come to see Alyce as well.

The story takes a route that sees a friendship form, it unlikely and also frowned upon. Alyce discovers more about her villa heritage and how she is different from the other Grace's. The author has then expanded on this difference in several ways and gradually bring Alyce up to the story we know concerning Princess Aurora becoming the Sleeping Beauty.

I found this to be a really enjoyable story and it did have a teen or young adult feel to it, and for me, this made it an easy book to read but one that did have a really captivating storyline. After finishing the story I did think that it felt right. There was a good amount of information, some history and also a general feel of Alyce being bullied and almost forced into becoming what she does.

While it is aimed at a teen or young adult market I really enjoyed escaping into this fantasy novel. It was interesting and I really enjoyed the route the author chose. One I would recommend if you are looking for a bit of escapism and also for returning to a childhood classic.

Sadly, this remaining of the story of sleeping beauty does not hit the mark. I really enjoyed the idea of the 'Graces' being an diluted mortal fae-gift that stands in for the wishes given to Aurora, and I was excited by the idea of what happens when Alyce was younger, what made her into the wicked witch, so to speak. And I was very excited about a queer love match between her and Aurora. However, it just fell flat. It just wasn't three dimensional enough - I found it hard to care about the back story of the vila, I thought the creepy guy in the tower was so obvious yet Alyce falls for it so easily... And it doesn't really gel for me that yet again, a queer relationship is doomed. Sadly, two stars from me.

Everyone loves a happy ending right?
When the Dark Grace first meets Princess Aurora she honestly thought she would hate her but no she was like no one else that she had ever met before.
Being a Dark Grace is not easy especially when the Kingdom is full of Grace's who's magic is for beauty and good were being a Dark Grace is well.....I'm sure you can picture the difference.
I love the way that Heather has almost rewritten the original Sleeping Beauty story with such wonderful female characters.

I found this so interesting to read!! Such a great and very different retelling to Sleeping Beauty that I've ever read.. loved the romance and friendships, i thought Alyce was written so well. All the little references to the original story were good as well. So Dark and twisted!!!

Some parts of the story were the kind of obvious that I was rooting for, others made me annoyed I hadn't worked it out.

I loved this story with Alyce being the villan who just wants a better life and the world of magic and graces where she will never get it playing by the rules.

There are some interesting characters and the story is captivating.

Villains aren’t born that way - they’re made that way. You push someone to the brink? What else do you expect to happen??

A fabulous take on a well loved fairytale - the modern retelling we never knew we needed but will now no longer be able to go without!

Alyce makes you think about all the other villains we read about and just how they’d have turned out if we’d not pushed and tortured

Sleeping Beauty was told in a way where it was meant to be a quick bedtime read but this - this has world building, character development and it draws you in. It makes you part of the castle, part of their sapphic relationship.

I thought this was such a compelling read. Malice, which is really a story about Malyce, who is really a retold version of Maleficent, falls into the sea of retellings on the market at the moment, but somehow manages to stay afloat. Alyce (whose name subsequently isn't actually Malyce - a nasty nickname attributed to her because of her unique, but undeniably abhorrent gifts) has an unusual talent. Alyce is outcast because of those gifts, which admittedly are creepy and destructive, and stumbles across Princess Aurora, who is also not what she seems.

I really enjoyed the way this novel was written - I couldn't put it down. I loved the interactions, which are sappy but not entirely predictable, between Alyce and Aurora, and how the relationship between characters seemed to grow at a genuine pace. I expected, given the outline of a girl outcast by society, for this to be a typical approach towards catty bullying, which would undoubtedly grind my gears. It does have elements of that, but it's such a small component and the writing just swept me away.

I did feel this ran out of steam a little towards the second half. Once everything was established and explored, the plot began to dry up a little. It does come back piecemeal, with action basically all the way through, but my enjoyment had for some reason reduced quite a bit by this point.

I'm loathe to use a word like "cool" because it feels decidedly "uncool" to admit it, but I thought this book was just so cool, and a really nice take on the story of Maleficent, who perhaps isn't so wicked after all (or at least not unless provoked!).

Alyce is an unusual choice for a ‘heroine’, being ugly, green and reviled by the rest of the characters at the beginning of the book. However, in this almost fairy tale like story, it works out well. A sort of cross between Cinderella and eventually Sleeping Beauty, this is a nice, dark reworking of them both. The main characters are women, with the few men being black hearted and conniving. The story is slow to start, but the pace towards the end picks up to breakneck speed for a totally unexpected ending - always a good thing. I’m not sure that I actually enjoyed it but it was worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.