Reviews with content warning for Torture - Malice

Rounding up because I was not sure where the book would end as part of a duology, and was pleasantly surprised.

It took a while for the story to get going which was a shame because Sleeping Beauty reimagined with a witch/Aurora pairing is a special interest. I prefer my fantasy books to show me history instead of tell. For about the first 50% the main character relates to you her history and knowledge of the land, kingdom, and societal structures. The lore is interesting but I find this method incredibly dry. It was even more frustrating when the main character realized some parts of history were incorrect or misleading.

After the 50% mark, the story started to pick up and it was quite interesting to watch your main character's arc. The romance was quite sweet and reasonably paced. And again, that ending was perfect for this story.

If you like villian/negative character arcs you might enjoy this. The beginning is a bit of a slow read but there was lots of charm, angst, and pining that you'd expect from a wlw fantasy romance.

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librarianlayla's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad 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

A reimagining of the story between Maleficent and Aurora that really leaves the reader questioning who to trust.

Alyce is a really interesting character, I did wish a little more from Aurora and their interactions. A lot seemed glazed over - as to why it didn't quite reach its full 5 star potential.

But I really enjoyed Alyce's story, the journey she takes and how her character devolves. Looking forward to reading the sequel in the future.

Fans of twisted fairytale retellings that focus on the 'villain' and their lives, sapphic romances and dark betrayals will enjoy this book!

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charley34's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? No

5.0

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anni_swanilda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

3.0

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apersonfromflorida's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.5

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lovelylittleladd's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.75

AAAAAAAHHHH this was magnificent. I love this new take on a classic tale.

The transformation of Alyce is CHILLING. The adaptation of her character alone had me never wanting to put this book down. Each twist and turn left me surprised. I loved seeing the dark turn of her character and how unfortunate circumstances throughout life can affect one’s character. It’s nice to see this tale retold from a morally grey standpoint, rather than pure good or evil—it gives the whole story a much more humanistic approach. And that ending? WOW.

THAT’S the “evil” villain I’ve known for years, and here I am actually cheering for her now.

I LOVED this sapphic take on the classic tale. The way Alyce describes her feelings for Aurora makes my heart burst; it’s how I feel when I’ve fallen head-over-heels for a woman.

My heart fluttered when Aurora and Alyce finally connected. I enjoyed that sort of representation in this novel.

Also, can we talk about the ANGST?!

My heart absolutely BREAKS for both of them and the doom of their relationship. Poor Aurora can’t catch a break with all of these curses and Alyce only digs herself a deeper hole when trying to fix her wrongs. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see play out. But, it pulls at my heartstrings in the best way. I live for the angst!

I’m excited to see how it plays out in the sequel. This was a delightful read, even when being absolutely heartbreaking.

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victoriousbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

Through out this book I was thinking it was enjoyable but nothing adventurous. I couldn't understand the hype and love around this book. It felt like another misunderstood character trope which, don't get me wrong, is good but I couldn't see it being beloved worthy. Then the ending happened and now I understand. It may not be a 5 star read but I can see where the love is coming from.

The second half of the book really let's the villains slowly shine. There are some great moments where it puts there "I'm the villain" scenes front and centre, and honestly I was kind of there for it. Sometimes villains just need to be villains as not to take away from the other characters.

I recommend reading this if you are a fairytale retelling fan. It doesn't follow it all the plot beats, but there are some good easter eggs.

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