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sav_22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Xenophobia, Ableism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, Drug use, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Bullying, Drug abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Violence, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Colonisation, Torture, Medical content, and Outing
ninamanon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
What a great original take on the fairytale! I loved the world building and the magic system. Especially the first half of the book was thrilling and I couldn’t put it down.
The writing was a bit too obvious and over explaining to my taste, sometimes. Some things would’ve worked better if they were left for the reader to figure out and conclude.
The main twist could be spotted from a mile away. Maybe that was intentional! But it didn’t really work for me.
I also didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between the main couple. It felt a little forced. There was barely any buildup.
The writing was a bit too obvious and over explaining to my taste, sometimes. Some things would’ve worked better if they were left for the reader to figure out and conclude.
The main twist could be spotted from a mile away. Maybe that was intentional! But it didn’t really work for me.
I also didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between the main couple. It felt a little forced. There was barely any buildup.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Blood, Bullying, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Addiction, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Torture, War, Alcohol, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Slavery
lunar_song's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Review coming soon
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Death, Racism, Child abuse, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Lesbophobia and Sexism
zaqlovesbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Review for malice
(P.S. I usually suggest reading the book first before reviews but in this case I really can’t do that. But keep in mind if you get this book and you wind up not liking it. That’s fine cause we all have different tastes in books)
First, I would like to say that I was shocked to be accepted a Netgalley Arc for this book. So thank you for that surprise! Secondly, I’m going to try to put no spoilers in here at all.
CW:(if there’s more please reference at other reviews to be sure.) blood, violence, mention of suicide, mentions of past traumatic events,bleeding of person, descriptive kissing scenes( it’s mostly mine but I wouldn’t let that stop me from enjoying this.), descriptive sensual scenes (same as the last one )
Now this retelling is very different and I like that. Like we’re dealing with faes, shifters, blood magic and more that right there is amazing. Also it’s a queerlit who doesn’t want more of those. Anyway , there’s no maleficent ( I mean not in the way we expect ) but there’s an Aurora. Heck at times it seems like a bunch more along the line of certain other princesses retellings with the MC.
Let’s start off with the writing for a debut novel of this author. I am truly loving it . It’s so poetic and enchanting. It has really hooked me in very well. I’m really surprised that I really was invited to read this.
The main character is actually a vila , ( ‘ a type of fae with green blood like that right there caught my eyes. Also I believe she is the last.) named ‘ Alyce.’ One interesting character and no one can tell me otherwise. Who’s not really accepted in the world of the Graces cause of her being a vila. Like they’re so rude and the mistreatment is like Cinderella level.( you’ll get it once you read it) But she’s still so strong willed in her own way and her personality is just amazing.
Then there’s Aurora, who’s the most realistic princess I have ever seen. Like just she’s much more spunky and overall a joy. She’s cursed just in the original sleeping beauty. On her 21st birthday if she’s not kissed by her true love , she will sadly perish like her other sisters Let me mention we’re not dealing with 15/16 year old Aurora. Which is amazing in itself.
Now onto topics mentioned in the plot. ( I swear still spoiler free) like racism,l( or something like that) with alyce and her being a vila. Especially as we learn the true history of the war.( which I hope stays in the finish copy) it shows how much years of misinformation (especially in print)can twist a entire group of people judgment. Even how people suffer differently even if someones life seems perfect. I think that’s an important one and it’s highly talked about here.
Overall I just really loved this book. Holy shxt that twist at the end dang , I really didn’t notice it but events of the past led to this . That just blew my mind. I can’t get over it. But the ending is nether good or bad just gray if you get what I mean
I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves retellings that aren’t like copycats, fantasy , interesting magic systems, the apparent slow burn romance( which I didn’t care for), lgbt + books, dark fantasy, faes, and so much more.
(P.S. I usually suggest reading the book first before reviews but in this case I really can’t do that. But keep in mind if you get this book and you wind up not liking it. That’s fine cause we all have different tastes in books)
First, I would like to say that I was shocked to be accepted a Netgalley Arc for this book. So thank you for that surprise! Secondly, I’m going to try to put no spoilers in here at all.
CW:(if there’s more please reference at other reviews to be sure.) blood, violence, mention of suicide, mentions of past traumatic events,bleeding of person, descriptive kissing scenes( it’s mostly mine but I wouldn’t let that stop me from enjoying this.), descriptive sensual scenes (same as the last one )
Now this retelling is very different and I like that. Like we’re dealing with faes, shifters, blood magic and more that right there is amazing. Also it’s a queerlit who doesn’t want more of those. Anyway , there’s no maleficent ( I mean not in the way we expect ) but there’s an Aurora. Heck at times it seems like a bunch more along the line of certain other princesses retellings with the MC.
Let’s start off with the writing for a debut novel of this author. I am truly loving it . It’s so poetic and enchanting. It has really hooked me in very well. I’m really surprised that I really was invited to read this.
The main character is actually a vila , ( ‘ a type of fae with green blood like that right there caught my eyes. Also I believe she is the last.) named ‘ Alyce.’ One interesting character and no one can tell me otherwise. Who’s not really accepted in the world of the Graces cause of her being a vila. Like they’re so rude and the mistreatment is like Cinderella level.( you’ll get it once you read it) But she’s still so strong willed in her own way and her personality is just amazing.
Then there’s Aurora, who’s the most realistic princess I have ever seen. Like just she’s much more spunky and overall a joy. She’s cursed just in the original sleeping beauty. On her 21st birthday if she’s not kissed by her true love , she will sadly perish like her other sisters Let me mention we’re not dealing with 15/16 year old Aurora. Which is amazing in itself.
Now onto topics mentioned in the plot. ( I swear still spoiler free) like racism,l( or something like that) with alyce and her being a vila. Especially as we learn the true history of the war.( which I hope stays in the finish copy) it shows how much years of misinformation (especially in print)can twist a entire group of people judgment. Even how people suffer differently even if someones life seems perfect. I think that’s an important one and it’s highly talked about here.
Overall I just really loved this book. Holy shxt that twist at the end dang , I really didn’t notice it but events of the past led to this . That just blew my mind. I can’t get over it. But the ending is nether good or bad just gray if you get what I mean
I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves retellings that aren’t like copycats, fantasy , interesting magic systems, the apparent slow burn romance( which I didn’t care for), lgbt + books, dark fantasy, faes, and so much more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Suicide
ednam0dewannabe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Violence, Torture, Sexism, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: War, Toxic relationship, Torture, Slavery, and Drug use
2ndbooktotheright's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings: blood, racism, bullying, child abuse, murder, torture, homophobia, medical trauma, kidnapping (adult), drug use, death of a parent
Rating: 4/5 stars
Malice is marketed as a reimagining of the classic European fairy tale, “Sleeping Beauty.” But this time the princess falls in love with the evil fairy. As a truly American child of the 90s, this pitch had me picturing a flawless young woman telling her three well meaning caretakers she’s “off to pick some berries” when, instead she’s running off to tryst with a horned woman that dresses like Morticia. Thankfully, I wasn’t exactly right. This story is so much more than that.
This story follows Alyce, the “evil fairy.” She is a descendant of the Vila, a dark branch of the fae of Heather Walter’s world. In Briar, this is not OK. There are centuries old prejudices that Alyce must deal with on a daily basis. Throughout her life she is shunned, manipulated, and abused by nearly everyone around her, until she meets Princess Aurora. Aurora doesn’t fear Alyce, or the dark power she wields. Together Alyce and Aurora work toward breaking the curse that has doomed the princesses of the realm to die on their 21st birthday for centuries. As the weeks progress, so does their relationship. Then, as you would expect, the shit hits the fan sometime during the 11th hour.
Heather Walters tells this tale beautifully. Her characters are real and imperfect and fully flashed out. Her world is well-built with a rich history, distinct cultures, interesting magic systems, and realistic, if a little over simplified, politics. I loved learning about the people and history of this realm as well as experiencing the evolution of the relationships Alyce has with different characters. I also loved the fact that the ending was not what I was expecting.
The only real issue I had with this book was that it felt too long. It seemed like Walters spent too much time reinforcing the personalities of several of her characters and the “otherness” of Alyce. Several times throughout the novel I felt like I wanted to say to her “I get it. [Insert character name here] is a bullying asshole. Can we move on?” It also felt like there were some scenes that, while they added depth to certain characters, it wasn’t strictly necessary, and could’ve been left out. While I loved the fleshed-out nature of her characters, I don’t think it’s required that I feel some kind of sympathy for every antagonist, at least every female antagonist.
My other nitpick is one I have with many books. I find it odd that books tend to focus, almost exclusively on one gender. In this case, there were hardly any men, even as side characters. Briar is a matriarchy, and all the magic in Briar was held by women, but there had to be more than four men there. Right? I mean, human reproduction requires it. I just don’t understand why an imaginary world can’t have an equal number of complicated and powerful men and women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Racism, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Torture
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