Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
New York : Del Rey, 2021.
Description
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 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..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member jillrhudy
Thank you Penguin Random House for sending me a free eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In the delightful tradition of "Wicked" and the flipped fairy tales of Margaret Atwood, Heather Walter's debut novel is "Malice." A spin on "Sleeping Beauty," "Malice" is full of imagination and
Walter tosses in a Cinderella angle at the beginning, in which Alyce doesn't get to go to the ball because she's not beautiful enough and the other Graces in the house mostly dislike her. She manages to go only because it's a costume ball. Then she meets a mysterious stranger in a ruined castle, who starts to tell her the true history of her kind, the inconvenient history that was not written by the winners.
There is indeed a Princess Aurora in the Kingdom of Briar, and a magic spindle that enchants Aurora with sleep, but the relationship of Aurora and Alyce couldn't be much more surprising, and it turns out that blood potions are not where Alyce's true power lies.
I was not as immersed in Alyce as I like to be with a first-person narrator, and I felt that Aurora was rather flat (personally I wanted her to be super naughty and bratty). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book up until the last few chapters, in which a very predictable plot twist finally occurred and then it seemed as though the author was rushing, losing control over the pace, and adding too many different kinds of powers to Alyce. The ending was so abrupt that surely there must be a sequel coming. It didn't feel like an ending at all.
In the delightful tradition of "Wicked" and the flipped fairy tales of Margaret Atwood, Heather Walter's debut novel is "Malice." A spin on "Sleeping Beauty," "Malice" is full of imagination and
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intrigue. As with "The Hunger Games," there are districts dividing the poor and the wealthy. Districts have Graces assigned to them (enslaved, really) whose blood has special powers. Only one House for Graces, Lavender House, has a Dark Grace: Alyce, who is the equivalent of the bad fairy, or if you're talking Disney, Maleficent. Alyce's blood can curse people, and her skills are in hot demand, because once the Graces have given you an advantage with their blood potions (sexiness, beauty, wisdom) the only thing left to do is to disadvantage your rivals with foul curses. That's where green-blooded Alyce comes in. She can make your enemies break out in warts or hives, or make their hair fall out.Walter tosses in a Cinderella angle at the beginning, in which Alyce doesn't get to go to the ball because she's not beautiful enough and the other Graces in the house mostly dislike her. She manages to go only because it's a costume ball. Then she meets a mysterious stranger in a ruined castle, who starts to tell her the true history of her kind, the inconvenient history that was not written by the winners.
There is indeed a Princess Aurora in the Kingdom of Briar, and a magic spindle that enchants Aurora with sleep, but the relationship of Aurora and Alyce couldn't be much more surprising, and it turns out that blood potions are not where Alyce's true power lies.
I was not as immersed in Alyce as I like to be with a first-person narrator, and I felt that Aurora was rather flat (personally I wanted her to be super naughty and bratty). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book up until the last few chapters, in which a very predictable plot twist finally occurred and then it seemed as though the author was rushing, losing control over the pace, and adding too many different kinds of powers to Alyce. The ending was so abrupt that surely there must be a sequel coming. It didn't feel like an ending at all.
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LibraryThing member astults
Some book reviews are really easy to complete. Perhaps it's the euphoria from finishing a book that's not like anything else you've read in a while. I found myself transported to a different time, a different place, and a different culture with this book. In the back of my mind, was a voice asking
The story has some bullying elements, but it also shows what can happen when women give up their power too easily. I was thoroughly captivated from beginning to end. Alyce is an "other" because she doesn't fit the mold of the other Graces in the land. The Graces use blood magic to create their temporary enchantments. Her blood is a different color and offers the opposite magic of theirs - instead of graceful dance moves, wonderous voices, and beautiful faces, her potions offer boils, itchy skin, clumsiness, and so on to be used against romantic competition. The magic that flows in the Graces blood only lasts for a limited amount of time. When the magic fades, they are placed into retirement and become matrons overseeing the care of Graces. Alyce's newfound friendship outside of the city walls reveals to her more uses for her magic.
Another twist is the expected heterosexual romance. There are rumors at least one princess found her true love with a woman but married a man because that was the expectation. The romance between Alyce and Aurora is a slow one, with some of the usual misunderstandings that come from miscommunications or withheld information to be found in romance novels.
This is a planned duology and I can't wait to read the sequel to find out if true love conquers all.
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if this was a retelling of Cinderella, or Wicked, and then I re-read the synopsis which was what enticed me into reading the book in the first place. It has elements of those tales plus Sleeping Beauty which is why I found it so successful. Walter did a great job at making this a truly unique story.The story has some bullying elements, but it also shows what can happen when women give up their power too easily. I was thoroughly captivated from beginning to end. Alyce is an "other" because she doesn't fit the mold of the other Graces in the land. The Graces use blood magic to create their temporary enchantments. Her blood is a different color and offers the opposite magic of theirs - instead of graceful dance moves, wonderous voices, and beautiful faces, her potions offer boils, itchy skin, clumsiness, and so on to be used against romantic competition. The magic that flows in the Graces blood only lasts for a limited amount of time. When the magic fades, they are placed into retirement and become matrons overseeing the care of Graces. Alyce's newfound friendship outside of the city walls reveals to her more uses for her magic.
Another twist is the expected heterosexual romance. There are rumors at least one princess found her true love with a woman but married a man because that was the expectation. The romance between Alyce and Aurora is a slow one, with some of the usual misunderstandings that come from miscommunications or withheld information to be found in romance novels.
This is a planned duology and I can't wait to read the sequel to find out if true love conquers all.
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LibraryThing member clrichm
I mean. So.
How the heck am I supposed to coherently review a book that veers HARD in the last couple of chapters, leaving my head spinning like this? I thought I’d gotten to understand this story! I thought I was on reasonably sure footing, and then it was like, “YOU DON’T KNOW ME,” and it
So, trying not to spoil anything (hah), I’ll go with: loved the world the author made. Loved the characters and how they all wound up being so much more nuanced than they seemed at the start. Loved that the queer relationships weren’t viewed as wrong, but simply politically inappropriate for certain folks with responsibilities. And those whiplash surprises were so stealthily approached that I suspected almost nothing about them. (Okay, I did think one point was a bit too good to be true and that did turn out to be the case, but it was the exception.)
Want the next book now, even if I have no idea what the author could do to “fix” things.
How the heck am I supposed to coherently review a book that veers HARD in the last couple of chapters, leaving my head spinning like this? I thought I’d gotten to understand this story! I thought I was on reasonably sure footing, and then it was like, “YOU DON’T KNOW ME,” and it
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threw me off a cliff.So, trying not to spoil anything (hah), I’ll go with: loved the world the author made. Loved the characters and how they all wound up being so much more nuanced than they seemed at the start. Loved that the queer relationships weren’t viewed as wrong, but simply politically inappropriate for certain folks with responsibilities. And those whiplash surprises were so stealthily approached that I suspected almost nothing about them. (Okay, I did think one point was a bit too good to be true and that did turn out to be the case, but it was the exception.)
Want the next book now, even if I have no idea what the author could do to “fix” things.
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LibraryThing member dcoward
I really wanted to like this book, but it focused way too much on the bitchy women Alyce lives with, and not enough on her magic and her relationship with Aurora.
LibraryThing member NeedMoreShelves
Slow starter, but by the end I was hooked enough that I put the second on hold.
LibraryThing member tornadox
Retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Started off okay, but sputtered for me by the end. Interesting worldbuilding, so-so writing. Does get points for making the key relationship queer. Book is the first in a duology; not sure if I will read the second.
LibraryThing member admiralfinnegan
A terrific sapphic reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty tale. I loved the worldbuilding, the character work, and the romance. I found the ending both cathartic and heartbreaking. I really hope the sequel gives these two a happy ending.
LibraryThing member Holly1204
A twist on Sleeping Beauty when the story is told from the life of Alice, the Dark Grace. To see the way she was treated and how they feared her but used her for powers. I could not wait to get to the end then to get part 2.
LibraryThing member spiritedstardust
3.75
I enjoyed the story and the twist on sleeping beauty.
I also thought the sapphic romance was great
But the writing was a little lacklustre - I almost DNFd it
I enjoyed the story and the twist on sleeping beauty.
I also thought the sapphic romance was great
But the writing was a little lacklustre - I almost DNFd it
LibraryThing member StressedRach
I absolutely loved reading Malice, which is a dark twisty retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I really liked Alyce the Dark Grace, she might have been a little naive but she was a great character and even though she was the villain, was she really? I think she was misunderstood and took on that role
The Royal family women have a curse upon them; they will die on their twenty-first birthday if they have not found true love. How hard can it be to find true love? Princess Aurora is the last heir, if she doesn’t find her true love that’s the end of the line as everyone knew it.
Alyce and Princess Aurora bump into each other and their friendship grows from that moment on, a forbidden friendship that blooms into more. But there was so much more to this story than just their relationship.
Now I would say the story was loosely based on the fairytale, there were similarities, Briar being the kingdom and the spinning wheel being mentioned but it was so much better in every way that the fairytale.
Heather Walter wrote something remarkable here, it was fast-paced and written beautifully, and capturing so much detail I felt I was in Briar too, standing alongside Alyce. I cannot praise it enough, it was fantastic.
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because that was expected of her, there were many villains, worse than her in this story, ones that I really didn’t expect so maybe I was a little naive while reading it but they did shock me.The Royal family women have a curse upon them; they will die on their twenty-first birthday if they have not found true love. How hard can it be to find true love? Princess Aurora is the last heir, if she doesn’t find her true love that’s the end of the line as everyone knew it.
Alyce and Princess Aurora bump into each other and their friendship grows from that moment on, a forbidden friendship that blooms into more. But there was so much more to this story than just their relationship.
Now I would say the story was loosely based on the fairytale, there were similarities, Briar being the kingdom and the spinning wheel being mentioned but it was so much better in every way that the fairytale.
Heather Walter wrote something remarkable here, it was fast-paced and written beautifully, and capturing so much detail I felt I was in Briar too, standing alongside Alyce. I cannot praise it enough, it was fantastic.
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Awards
Alex Award (2022)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — April 2021)
Language
Original publication date
2021
ISBN
9781984818652