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booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
MALICE is a well-crafted Sleeping Beauty retelling which features a protagonist struggling against monstrosity until it feels like her only path for survival. Alyce is fantastically self-centered in a way that is at once completely understandable and the makings of an excellent villain-protagonist. She's trapped in a brutal system which pretends to be a gilded cage for most but has always been pointedly cruel to her. The rivalry between her and Rose was well-developed, with a sense of history and several meaningful shifts when Rose drifts from being the main antagonist to merely an annoyance as Alyce's problems become so much bigger than what's happening in Lavender House.
The romance is fine, I guess, not my favorite but not terrible. It's not the core of the story and I don't think it's trying to be. As a retelling, this doesn't require any knowledge of the source material. While it's more than referential, it remixes and reframes the pieces until it's a new story which can stand on its own. I actually think it reads much better if you're not trying to see where it compares to the older story. I like how it dives into the Fae side of the story without moving the setting away from the kingdom, their lives are affected by the big deeds and magical pacts of hundreds of years prior but they just have to get through today, and the next day.
I was troubled by the way it uses references to the Pleasure Graces without actually clarifying what their role is. It felt like it was heavily implied that they're sex slaves (where slavery feels like too strong of a term for the other Graces even though they're just as trapped, but feels extremely appropriate if the Pleasure Graces have involuntary sex work as part of their Crown-mandated position). If all that's happening is their gift is used in potions that help other people have better sex then I wish the novel had taken the time to clarify that point. Instead, it uses a scene with someone pretending to be a Pleasure Grace, intimating that she's there to provide the kind of service to a new bride that has historically been associated with concubines and sex workers, and doesn't provide clarification. If the Pleasure Graces are sex slaves then that should have been the rallying cry, not the much weaker claims about wishing for the system to be "better" somehow. Basically there's just enough detail to be very uncomfortable and not enough for me to be sure that I'm incorrect about my guess. Ultimately it's a small part of the story and I'll keep an eye on how that aspect is handled (if at all) in the sequel.
Overall this is a solid retelling and a good novel which depicts the slow slide of a trapped young woman into the monster everyone already thought she was.
The romance is fine, I guess, not my favorite but not terrible. It's not the core of the story and I don't think it's trying to be. As a retelling, this doesn't require any knowledge of the source material. While it's more than referential, it remixes and reframes the pieces until it's a new story which can stand on its own. I actually think it reads much better if you're not trying to see where it compares to the older story. I like how it dives into the Fae side of the story without moving the setting away from the kingdom, their lives are affected by the big deeds and magical pacts of hundreds of years prior but they just have to get through today, and the next day.
I was troubled by the way it uses references to the Pleasure Graces without actually clarifying what their role is. It felt like it was heavily implied that they're sex slaves (where slavery feels like too strong of a term for the other Graces even though they're just as trapped, but feels extremely appropriate if the Pleasure Graces have involuntary sex work as part of their Crown-mandated position). If all that's happening is their gift is used in potions that help other people have better sex then I wish the novel had taken the time to clarify that point. Instead, it uses a scene with someone pretending to be a Pleasure Grace, intimating that she's there to provide the kind of service to a new bride that has historically been associated with concubines and sex workers, and doesn't provide clarification. If the Pleasure Graces are sex slaves then that should have been the rallying cry, not the much weaker claims about wishing for the system to be "better" somehow. Basically there's just enough detail to be very uncomfortable and not enough for me to be sure that I'm incorrect about my guess. Ultimately it's a small part of the story and I'll keep an eye on how that aspect is handled (if at all) in the sequel.
Overall this is a solid retelling and a good novel which depicts the slow slide of a trapped young woman into the monster everyone already thought she was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Murder, and Death
Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent
amabel_xo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Abandonment, Cursing, Toxic friendship, and Violence
sapphiclavi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
„history is written by victors“
incredible storyline, interesting protagonist, political intrigue, cool magical system, emotional rollercoaster, sapphic relationship
this book has absolutely everything i love it and am so excited to read the next book! the romance was a bit lacking for me but since it‘s not the main part of the plot anyway it didn’t take away the fun because the focus on alyce is absolutely enough
incredible storyline, interesting protagonist, political intrigue, cool magical system, emotional rollercoaster, sapphic relationship
this book has absolutely everything i love it and am so excited to read the next book! the romance was a bit lacking for me but since it‘s not the main part of the plot anyway it didn’t take away the fun because the focus on alyce is absolutely enough
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, and Cursing
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
caseythereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
📚 MALICE is a Sleeping Beauty retelling that folds in a complex magic system and high society world. I was drawn in immediately, needing to know more about how the Graces' powers worked and how in a matriarchy the women were still held back.
📚 I loved Alyce and Aurora's vibe together and how they encouraged each other to want more than their lot in life.
📚 Some stretches of the book are a bit exposition-heavy, but as I said, it is a pretty complex world. I would happily read more novels set in other corners of this story.
📚 One thing I did find jarring is that several men who are described as either bumbling or evil are also portrayed as fat, and in a clearly meant-to-be-gross way.
📚 I loved Alyce and Aurora's vibe together and how they encouraged each other to want more than their lot in life.
📚 Some stretches of the book are a bit exposition-heavy, but as I said, it is a pretty complex world. I would happily read more novels set in other corners of this story.
📚 One thing I did find jarring is that several men who are described as either bumbling or evil are also portrayed as fat, and in a clearly meant-to-be-gross way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Murder, Torture, and Violence
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