Reviews with content warning for Murder - Malice

I genuinely can’t put my finger on it, but something about the writing feels very much like a book for teens. My best guess is the first-person POV, but i don’t think that’s all of it. I was mostly pushing through this book because I was curious, but the last third of it I actually enjoyed. Somehow, the story came alive and kept me interested. I still can’t say I loved it or anything, but I will read the next one.

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yofrere's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Highly anticipated read that did alright. A sapphic, corruption arc fairytale retelling with intermediate world building? Whoa. Pick a struggle. I didn’t realize immediately that this was part of a duology so keep that in mind if you’re thinking about reading. The pacing was… weird? And some plot points only felt relevant in the second book.

But I was rooting for Alyce on the edge of my seat. I wanted her to get everything she wanted though I don’t know how I felt about what she did to go after it. The climax felt steep, for better or for worse. I immediately started reading the sequel because I had to know what could possibly follow that weird cliffhanger for an entire book.

Vengeful and mysterious and a little convoluted.

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f18's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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frantically's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This turned so unexpectedly dark in the last third and I loved it so much! The retelling aspect worked so well — the ending relies on the original fairytale but in a way I didn't expect at all. I'm a bit unsure about how Alyce acted in the last chapters, it is all in line with her characters, I guess I'm just not as used to actual villains being the main character 😅 Interested to read the next one!

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hallowreads's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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thenovelmaura's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I was excited to read this book for our #ViolentQueensBookClub because I love fairy tale retellings and this one promised a sapphic spin along with a villain origin story. Amazing concept but the execution was lacking, with flat characters and a huge letdown of an ending. I enjoy seeing a good character spiral into an evil one (see Marie Lu's "Young Elites" trilogy), whether they're motivated by a desire for revenge or are simply misunderstood. But Alyce was depicted as a goodhearted character until she randomly snapped at the end

and started murdering dozens of people???

.

I did enjoy Alyce and Briar's relationship and how organic it felt. However, a few heartfelt moments between the two of them wasn't enough to make up for everything else.

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kshertz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

It’s a slow burn. Not much until more than Halfway through because of the world building. The twist was predictable and not enough smut to get me to read the second book. But it was fascinating and a good, interesting concept.

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kathrynhoss's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love a villain origin story. Love to see plot points from the original fairy tale clicking into place, in new and unexpected ways. Love that it's gay and that homophobia doesn't really exist in this world, though heteronormativity does and Alyce deals with a lot of othering as the Dark Grace. And of course the brilliant world building of the Grace system, the magic and political intrigue. This is MY kind of book.

The only thing I don't love is Alyce's inner voice. She's a bit insufferable, always jumping to conclusions and spouting off overly dramatic one-liners. But I'm already reading the next book because

what in the Daenerys Targaryen was that ending?? How was she ok with killing Laurel and a bunch of random servants? Was she possessed?

I need to know what happens next.

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