Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Malice by Heather Walter! I'm SO EXCITED to share my review of this book with you! I haven't stopped thinking about it since I put it down and I really, really can't wait for it to release on April 13th! Less than two weeks to go! Huge thanks to DelRayUK and Rachel Kennedy for the ARC copy of this book and for allowing me to be part of the tour. Keep reading to check out the synopsis (queer sleeping beauty, villain POV), my review (5 STARS!!) and don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour! Rating: 5 STARS!! Genre: F/F Fantasy, Fairytale Re-telling, Romance Series/Standalone: Malice #1 How I got this book: Paperback ARC via DelRayUK 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 it was a power like mine that 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. There are also SIGNED hardback copies of Malice available to pre-order now from Forbidden Planet! Do you see now why I was so excited to read this?!
It's not every day that you get a queer, feminist Sleeping Beauty re-telling from the villain's perspective! I should start by saying that I made a couple of assumptions before reading this book:
I guess I should also mention that Sleeping Beauty is one of my least favourite Disney fairytales (I haven't read the original). 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 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. The world that Heather has created is fascinating, particularly the fey, new creatures called vila, and the graces. 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. I found the magic particularly intriguing, where the graces are controlled and must draw blood to use their magic. Alyce is a brilliant protagonist. She's flawed, like many of us, and her insecurities make her even more relatable. She has a moral conscious, be it somewhat grey from the treatment she's endured at the hands of those afraid of her and cruel to her, and while ridiculed for her physical appearance and feared because of her unusual blood, she maintains an essence of goodness and a willingness to trust in others. Seeing Alyce develop and grow as a character was easily the best and most compelling part of this book. Aurora at first seems in complete contrast to Alyce. Born into privilege as a princess and naturally beautiful, but just as trapped by circumstance and those around her. I also love how the author has breathed new life into the curse aspect of this dark fairytale, giving it new meaning and a darker, more tragic history. As Alyce and Aurora discover more about themselves, and each other, dark secrets lead to fresh revelations in shocking twists and turns similar (in that they took me by surprise and kept me guessing) to those in Holly Black's Folk of the Air series. I loved the relationship build-up between Alyce and Aurora. It's almost a slow burn in that it takes time for the two to become close as they go warily (on Alyce's part) from strangers to friends to lovers, facing challenges along the way. The one sex scene was really refreshing in its honesty and is beautifully written. As well as the two main characters, the side characters in this novel are well developed and feature heavily in the plot which is fast-paced and gripping, I honestly couldn't put it down and read the whole thing in a couple of sittings. The ending completely blew me away. I'd gone in expecting a happy ending, and I'm so glad that the author took things in a different direction. It showed Alyce's growth as a character perfectly and left me feeling completely awed and in love with her. She's just incredibly badass. I cannot wait for the next book and to, hopefully, see more villainy and epic action from Alyce, who has quickly become one of my favourite characters of all time. If you love the kinds of shocking twists found in books by Holly Black and Jay Kristoff, paired with feminist, sapphic heroes and villains, you'll devour Malice by Heather Walter. It's easily the best book I've read so far this year! Also, if you enjoy bookish podcasts, you can catch my review of Malice by Heather Walter on Episode 7 of the Turn The Page podcast. Comments are closed.
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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