Malice: A Novel (Malice, #1)

by Heather Walter

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

• ISBN10: 1984818651
• ISBN13: 9781984818652
• Publish Date: 13 April 2021
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Del Rey Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 480
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781984818652

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Are you looking for a dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty? (Well, the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty, that is. The original is pretty dark on its own). If so, then look no further! Malice, written by Heather Walter, is the book for you.

The story starts, as all fairy tales do, with a 'Once upon a time...' The rest of the story refuses to follow that tradition. Once upon a time, there was a witch, and she cursed the royal line. Every princess was doomed to die, but for the most part, people didn't care. It was just the way things were.

For her whole life, Alyce didn't care either. She's never had any reason to care about the royalty, or really anybody else. That is until she met Aurora. Aurora changed the way she saw the world. She treated Alyce with kindness when everyone else treated her with fear and disgust.

Now Alyce is racing against time, desperately seeking to find a cure to save Aurora. She stands a better chance than most, since it was a similar magic that created the curse in the first place.

“New patrons are always so grateful when I offer suggestions. I think it makes them feel less the villain.”

First, can I just say that I love novels written from the perspective of the 'villain?' Especially when their perspective forces us to look at them through a different light. That is only part of the reason why I enjoyed Malice so much, but it certainly didn't hurt.

Malice is, at the start, a bit of a slow-burning read. It takes a while to really understand and appreciate what Alyce is trying to tell us. It takes even longer before Aurora comes onto the scene. But once everything falls into place...that is where the story really starts picking up.

The best part of this novel is that it subverts so many different classic fairytale elements. Since I'm pretty sick of those themes, it was such a delight to see! And I know I'm not the only one out there that will feel that way.

“Dragon's teeth, she's even worse than the others. And I once had a man tell me his own rose garden smelled too nice and was attracting bees.”

The whole concept of Graces/Dark Graces was really fascinating. It helped to explain the motivations of many different characters – not just the main ones. It's actually a concept I wouldn't mind seeing explored in further detail.

Malice is the first installment of what will be a two-part series. I have no idea what is going to happen next, but I can tell you that I'm looking forward to finding out!

Thanks to Del Ray and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks