Malice
- Downloads：2528
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-19 09:51:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Heather Walter
- ISBN：1984818678
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress。 But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty，” true love is more than a simple fairy tale。
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。
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。
Reviews
Mae Crowe
，
Yeah， I really need the next one。 Damn， that ending。。。It's no secret that I like downward spirals， but Malice。。。 That's not quite what it was， I don't think。 Alyce is thrust into violence and villainy between blinks， thrust into the role by the immediate rage fueled by tragedy。 She spends much of the story trying to prove that she's a good person， even though literally everyone but Aurora refuses to see her as anything but a monster。 She wants that acceptance， that permission to exist so despera Yeah， I really need the next one。 Damn， that ending。。。It's no secret that I like downward spirals， but Malice。。。 That's not quite what it was， I don't think。 Alyce is thrust into violence and villainy between blinks， thrust into the role by the immediate rage fueled by tragedy。 She spends much of the story trying to prove that she's a good person， even though literally everyone but Aurora refuses to see her as anything but a monster。 She wants that acceptance， that permission to exist so desperately， which is why it hurts to see her pushed too far。 There's nothing gradual or calculated or even intentional about her descent。 Instead， everyone and everything she has ever endured decides to push against her harder and more painfully for a single moment， and it breaks her。 There's really no other word for it。 There's no satisfaction in seeing Alyce snap and give into her own power and seek out revenge， because she never wanted that。 She didn't want to hurt people， she didn't want to dominate。 She's not like Zhu or Victor Vale， who preserve their ruthlessness as valued parts of themselves。 She doesn't want to be what she's become， but no one's letting her be anything else。I don't know， there's just something immensely satisfying about the hopelessness and tragedy that drenches the pages of this book。 Everyone is using Alyce， everyone is against her， and even Aurora doesn't understand what she's going through。 In the scheme of things， it's hard to see her as anything but a victim， and you cry out for her loss of self。 Looking forward to seeing where the sequel takes us。 。。。more
han
，
This book was so much fun to read from start to finish。 I found myself not wanting to it end I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel and to see where Alyce will take us！
Mary Elizabeth
，
A Retelling that Breaks ConventionsThis Sleeping Beauty retelling hits its stride in the closing chapters， reflecting some of the original。 But， the entirety of the book is so much more。 Alyce is a tragic figure that pulls on your emotions， and as the story develops， there are happenings that you won't see coming，characters who flip who you think they are。 I was glad to see an excerpt from the next book which I definitely want to read。 A Retelling that Breaks ConventionsThis Sleeping Beauty retelling hits its stride in the closing chapters， reflecting some of the original。 But， the entirety of the book is so much more。 Alyce is a tragic figure that pulls on your emotions， and as the story develops， there are happenings that you won't see coming，characters who flip who you think they are。 I was glad to see an excerpt from the next book which I definitely want to read。 。。。more
Lena
，
4。5/5
Cassie
，
a morally gray sorceress who turns soft for a cute princess is enough to make a great book for me， but an engaging high fantasy with dark secrets， fae/magic， political intrigue and plot twists make it a total win for me。 All of my personal favorite tropes in this one。 I’m not a big fan of fantasy retellings， but I loved the way fairy tales were incorporated into this， it didn’t feel obvious or like I was being smacked over the head about it。 I’m surprised I haven’t heard more about this one onli a morally gray sorceress who turns soft for a cute princess is enough to make a great book for me， but an engaging high fantasy with dark secrets， fae/magic， political intrigue and plot twists make it a total win for me。 All of my personal favorite tropes in this one。 I’m not a big fan of fantasy retellings， but I loved the way fairy tales were incorporated into this， it didn’t feel obvious or like I was being smacked over the head about it。 I’m surprised I haven’t heard more about this one online。 Will be pre-ordering the sequel right away！ There is massive potential for the sequel 。。。more
Axie
，
DNF
Ally
，
I really love this book。 It made me forget that I was reading a retelling of Sleeping Beauty because of how the author shaped the world of Briar into its own thing。 The only thing that would remind me that this is a retelling is Aurora herself。Before finding this book on tiktok， I found a video of a kpop artist performing。 See image below。 The charisma and chemistry of the two performers made me want to read a book that had the same vibe as this video， and I found it through Malice， which did no I really love this book。 It made me forget that I was reading a retelling of Sleeping Beauty because of how the author shaped the world of Briar into its own thing。 The only thing that would remind me that this is a retelling is Aurora herself。Before finding this book on tiktok， I found a video of a kpop artist performing。 See image below。 The charisma and chemistry of the two performers made me want to read a book that had the same vibe as this video， and I found it through Malice， which did not disappoint。I recommend this book who loves wlw stories， strong female characters， and fantasy。 I can't wait to read the second book when it gets published 。。。more
Peach
，
sleeping Beauty but if aurora and the "bad" fairy fell in love？！？！？ this was so good and I can't WAIT for the sequel sleeping Beauty but if aurora and the "bad" fairy fell in love？！？！？ this was so good and I can't WAIT for the sequel 。。。more
Sydney
，
I absolutely LOVED this book。 It was my first fantasy book I’ve read and it did not disappoint！ It was very descriptive it felt very smooth to read！ So many twist and turns you will love it！
Maggie
，
It was really good， like a fairytale gone wrong。 I will admit， Alyce was a little bit annoyingly weak but homegirl MORE than made up for it in the end。 Like damn， what an ending。 The last about 2 chapters are just perfection。 It’s got a bit of a slow start and is a little slow at times， but the prose is beautiful and the descriptions of the palace and the Graces magics are incredible。 It has a very fairytale like quality and I’m excited for the next one。
a
，
Crying and shaking， I can’t believe I’m finally done with this。 Alyce and Aurora were so cute and the story itself was good but I found it so boring unfortunately and it put me in a huge reading slump。
Em
，
4。5 stars - this was pretty solid。 There was a LOT going on towards the end， but Heather Walter held it together pretty well。 I totally love Alyce and Aurora， soooo I’m scared of whatever is going to happen next。 :）
Courtney
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I loved this dark twist on the Sleeping Beauty tale！ To see a tortured girl grow into her true self and to tear down the establishment that had imprisoned her and other girls was fantastic。 To see a Kingdom that was only ever intended to be a Queendom crumble to the ground when the King tried to assert full dominance over Queen。 This book showed how powerful women can be and it was a beautiful gay love story that took hard situations but didn't let them tear the relationship apart。 It was great！ I loved this dark twist on the Sleeping Beauty tale！ To see a tortured girl grow into her true self and to tear down the establishment that had imprisoned her and other girls was fantastic。 To see a Kingdom that was only ever intended to be a Queendom crumble to the ground when the King tried to assert full dominance over Queen。 This book showed how powerful women can be and it was a beautiful gay love story that took hard situations but didn't let them tear the relationship apart。 It was great！ 。。。more
Courtney Ritchie
，
First half of this book was a bit of a slog for me， but I get that it was because Walter was setting up the world。Loved the second half however， it totally made up for it！！！ Such a clever， unique retelling of the origins of a classic vilain！
Farah
，
Give me the sequel now please！ aaaah I love this book！
Donne
，
I absolutely loved this book so much！ I enjoyed it from the beginning， but it just kept getting better and better。 I read the last 40% of this book without stopping。 I NEED book two right this second！ Why do I have to wait until May？ I was scolding myself for not reading this book until now but at least the wait will be a lot shorter now， so that's something。 Malice is truly a great retelling - there are many elements that are familiar but I was still caught by surprise by many of the events and I absolutely loved this book so much！ I enjoyed it from the beginning， but it just kept getting better and better。 I read the last 40% of this book without stopping。 I NEED book two right this second！ Why do I have to wait until May？ I was scolding myself for not reading this book until now but at least the wait will be a lot shorter now， so that's something。 Malice is truly a great retelling - there are many elements that are familiar but I was still caught by surprise by many of the events and twists and turns。 。。。more
Madelyn Webb
，
I finished this book a few days ago and I cannot stop thinking about it。 I loved Alyce and Aurora’s relationship。 I thought I would fall for the evil sorceress， but I actually found myself liking Aurora’s dialogue and personality more。 They’re both lovable characters and characters that are easy to sympathize for。 There were so many twists in this book and none of them I expected。 Heather Walter perfectly formed this book with a slow-burn， gut-wrenching， and GAY story。 Also that ending…whew！ I c I finished this book a few days ago and I cannot stop thinking about it。 I loved Alyce and Aurora’s relationship。 I thought I would fall for the evil sorceress， but I actually found myself liking Aurora’s dialogue and personality more。 They’re both lovable characters and characters that are easy to sympathize for。 There were so many twists in this book and none of them I expected。 Heather Walter perfectly formed this book with a slow-burn， gut-wrenching， and GAY story。 Also that ending…whew！ I cannot wait for Misrule！！ 。。。more
Rach
，
This queer retelling had me HOOKED since the first chapter。 I absolutely loved the main character and related to her inner dialogue。 I recommend this to anyone who’s tired of the same tropes in classic fairytales and ready for something different！
calypso
，
every story needs a sapphic retelling
Dened
，
this book took A TURN reaaaaal fast， loved it。
Grace Tencer
，
4。5 starsI loved this book！ First off， I thought the idea of the 'graces' was really cool and well done。 The whole concept reminded me of the belles， which was another book I loved。 I felt for Alice the whole book and loved seeing her accept her powers and fall in love with Aurora。 I also， of course， loved the sapphic relationship between Aurora and Alice。 That being said， I did feel like the relationship was a bit insta lovey and that the two girls didn't know each other all that well before Au 4。5 starsI loved this book！ First off， I thought the idea of the 'graces' was really cool and well done。 The whole concept reminded me of the belles， which was another book I loved。 I felt for Alice the whole book and loved seeing her accept her powers and fall in love with Aurora。 I also， of course， loved the sapphic relationship between Aurora and Alice。 That being said， I did feel like the relationship was a bit insta lovey and that the two girls didn't know each other all that well before Aurora was declaring it true love。 It was still pretty sweet though。 I have very mixed feelings on Alice。 I thought she made some dumbdecisions and her ideas on who was trying to hurt her were skewed。 Like， how did she think Aurora was the bad guy instead of Cal？ That being said， I greatly enjoyed her character arc into villainy at the end！ I didn’t fully see it coming which was awesome and she’ll make a great villain in the next book。 I’m Excited for Misrule。 。。。more
Mrs。rotty
，
4。5 Stars - but I round up。 This is Different than what I've been reading。 But I'm here for it。 First a Lesbian story line。 Here for it。 a Female power story line; here for it。 Paranormal elements; here for it。 There were points that felt over told and drawn out。 but over all I really liked this book。 It took elements from 'fairy tales' and twisted them into new things。 I don't want to ruin it but I enjoyed the little easter eggs and finding them and fitting them into where I *think* they went。 4。5 Stars - but I round up。 This is Different than what I've been reading。 But I'm here for it。 First a Lesbian story line。 Here for it。 a Female power story line; here for it。 Paranormal elements; here for it。 There were points that felt over told and drawn out。 but over all I really liked this book。 It took elements from 'fairy tales' and twisted them into new things。 I don't want to ruin it but I enjoyed the little easter eggs and finding them and fitting them into where I *think* they went。 I recommend this book if you're into paranormal/fairytale/YA。 Its a good read。 and if you're into female power。 Wait till the end！！ 。。。more
Belinda （TheBookBuddies）
，
Sapphic Sleeping Beauty？ Sure， I’ll give this a shot for my bf’s sake （he gifted it to me）。
Isabel
，
I would give this 3。5 stars - it’s well written and engaging， mostly。 Worth the read。
Nataly M
，
I believe this is going to be in the top 5 books that I have read this year！ This novel helped me discover that my favorite genre of book is sapphic fairytale retellings。 Malice is the sapphic retelling that everyone should want， should need， and should read。 The writing style is amazing， the characters each have their own flaws， and Alyce， the main character， is awesome。 There are multiple moments while reading the novel that I felt like bawling my eyes out and there were moments where I actual I believe this is going to be in the top 5 books that I have read this year！ This novel helped me discover that my favorite genre of book is sapphic fairytale retellings。 Malice is the sapphic retelling that everyone should want， should need， and should read。 The writing style is amazing， the characters each have their own flaws， and Alyce， the main character， is awesome。 There are multiple moments while reading the novel that I felt like bawling my eyes out and there were moments where I actually laughed out loud。 By the end of the novel， I wanted to know what happened afterward and because of that I will definitely be reading and purchasing the second book when it comes out。 I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading！ 。。。more
Hazi
，
That take no shit ending was fabulous l！
Meagan Schmidt
，
I would give this more a 2。5 stars。 It isn't a bad book， but I will say I felt fairly apathetic to it。 That is until the end。。。and by that I mean the last sentence！ That one hooked me and then it was done。 So now I do feel like I want to read the next one。 I would give this more a 2。5 stars。 It isn't a bad book， but I will say I felt fairly apathetic to it。 That is until the end。。。and by that I mean the last sentence！ That one hooked me and then it was done。 So now I do feel like I want to read the next one。 。。。more
sara
，
THE ENDING👩🍳😘
Carolyn
，
Sleeping Beauty， absolutely。 Maybe some Cinderella and a few others thrown in。 Unlike your classic fairy tale where one is either good or evil these main characters are both。 I love Alyce， the main “wicked” character， or is she？？？？ I found this fairy tale delightful and so hard to put down。 Can’t wait to read Misrule。
Gifter and gifty
，
Writing sucks you in isn't overly complicated world buliding。 Deserves all the booktok bookstagram hype。 Need to have both books on hand when reading。Includes Female female spice scene vengeful woman hidden power Writing sucks you in isn't overly complicated world buliding。 Deserves all the booktok bookstagram hype。 Need to have both books on hand when reading。Includes Female female spice scene vengeful woman hidden power 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Malice
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Malice&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Malice&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0