Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Misrule

I really really wanted to love this book a lot more than I did. Malice was absolutely phenomenal but this sequel fell a little short.

It took me a few chapters to get into the book but I really did enjoy reading it. However, once Aurora woke up it kind of went downhill. Aurora spends her whole time showing that her allyship for the magical creatures from the first book was pretty much all performative. She really can't let go of what Alyce has done (which fair), but keeps putting her through this on again off again things which is just very toxic for everyone involved. Honestly I just stopped liking her and I was rooting for them to completely end their relationship.

Additionally I feel like there were a lot of loose threads that tied up too quickly and in a rather unsatisfying manner.

However it was the last couple of chapters that really frustrated me.

Regan died?! Why?? It felt like it was just to avoid dealing which the romance between her and Alyce.

And then there was Aurora getting all the power to unite the kingdoms. I don't think she deserved that at all. And I can't think of anyone worse for the job after the way she acts throughout the book.

Honestly I'm glad Alyce and Aurora don't end up together but I wish it had been a clean break, none of this maybe we'll get back together in 100 years because you are my true love stuff.

Overall I think this book had so much potential. I really do enjoy the author's writing and her characters. I could 100% have read a whole book on Alyce, the dark court and their war. I'd even enjoy Derek being there.

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scifi_rat's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

Plot: 3.5 ★
Prose: 4 ★
Pace: 3 ★
Concept/Execution: 4 ★/3★
Characters: 3.5 ★
Worldbuilding: 3.5 ★
Ending: 3.5 ★

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yofrere's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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? Yes

2.75

Check out my review of Malice!

Compared to the first book , Misrule felt rather slow. While the world building was a bit more fleshed out, it seemed like a time sucker after the 500 page prequel. It was interesting but directionless for most of the book. I understood Aurora even less in this book which was, in a way, more relatable

considering she had to reimagine her life when she woke up after 100 years to find out that the person she was in love with murdered her entire family and destroyed everything she’d ever known save for a bedroom and the skeleton of her childhood home

.

I wasn’t overly interested in Alyce’s story. I was actually hoping that the second book would be from someone else’s point of view. But she was a familiar narrator and it was nice to see some insight from her unique perspective. The court politics confused me along with several plot points that weren’t really explained. They just sort of were. It may seem unfair to compare this book to Malice but after the scandal and intrigue of the first book, Misrule’s paced out counterbalance was a bit boring.

The supporting cast was actually pretty fun and definitely more likable than the Graces in the first book. The found family trope was a little unexpected but endearing?

The “love triangle” was also unexpected and a bit boring.

I wish Neve had more time in the spotlight. I did not like Regan really at all.

The ending was ultimately satisfying but I wouldn’t recommend this series for everyone. An unusual twist on a classic story.

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frantically's review against another edition

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2.0

I was really disappointed by this; it seems Walter can't put together a reasonable plot without a fairytale as base. Aurora & Alyce lose all sympathetic traits they once had, their forceful fluffy moments can only exist because of all the hurt they bring upon other people. Alyce is a horrible ruler who only cares for her own interests and it's a wonder the court survived this long with her as its mistress. Also, two

100 years time skips

?? Really?

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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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The first one wasn't really my thing, and I think I don't like "will they get back together" plots where their original romance was brief and one person truly became awful in the meantime.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

Well, the library *finally* got this second book in the duology! I mean, it's not their fault it took so long - there's been tons of issues with our supplier - but I was thrilled to get my hands on it because I have been eagerly awaiting this conclusion after loving the dark turn the ending took in the first book.

At the end of Malice, we are left with the visual of Alyce having shifted into a dragon and essentially destroying all of Briar after one too many betrayals...and of course, Aurora is in her cursed sleep situation. Misrule pretty quickly jumps the reader 100 years forwards in time...Aurora is still asleep, but Alyce has rebranded herself as Nimara and is now the leader of the Dark Court, having waged a decades-long war against the Fae for revenge, and to free and bring together all the "ugly" creatures (shifters, demons, imps, goblins, etc.) in one place, one home, again. Other than Aurora still being asleep, things are pretty much perfect for Nimara. However, when a human, Derek, washes up on the Dark Court's shores, and Aurora is finally awoken, Nimara/Alyce will have to figure out how to keep the home she made for her outcast brethren, win Aurora back (she may or may not have overly embraced the "monster" side of herself while Aurora was asleep), and contend with quite a bit of back-stabbing and secret plots and ulterior motives...plus her own insecurities that just won't seem to let her go. Oh, and there's the powerful vila, Mortania, whose spirit is still very alive and strong within her.

This story was nonstop from start to finish. And I mean that in the "there are battles and death" way, of course, but also in the "constant scheming and secrets-coming-out" way too. There were so many twists, small and large, throughout that I have to admit, a few times I did get a bit lost in them. I actually want to start here, to get my few criticisms out of the way early, because for the most part I had a truly great time reading this. I know I mentioned in the first book how some of the background info about the realms and history of Briar and Malterre and the Fae, etc. all seemed a bit confusing and underdeveloped. And I know I didn't do myself any favors by picking up this second book so long after the first and without a reread, but I have to be honest and say that I didn't get it all as cleared up as I would have liked. There was definitely some clarity, but after a while I ended up stopping trying to figure it all out and to just go with the vibes and flow of the story. That was the right call, and made the reading experience more fun, but definitely I would have loved a little cleaner, clearer world-building. With that, and possibly this didn't help my world-building confusion, there were (as I said) many twists and allegiance switches (both real and fake) that I found myself a bit turned around a few times. Plus, in general, I did feel like many of the characters other than Alyce were fairly surface/type-cast. In particular, there was one new character, Regan, who I mostly enjoyed reading because, to be honest, I couldn't get a bead on her...and when her finale arrived, I liked the way it went, and why, but the writing of it al it unfolded throughout the second half of the novel felt a bit forced on it's way there. It was a weird feel and I really wanted to like it, objectively I did, but subjectively it just felt a little off the whole time.

One last note here, that is related in my head. Alyce spent her whole life being mistreated and lied to and manipulated...and yet continues to not be able to spot it or be suspicious of it where she should be. Now, I know there was some interesting commentary here on one's inner voice and insecurities and how strong they are, but still, after so much duplicity, you'd think she'd be at least marginally more suspicious of everyone, and not just a random few. It seemed very inconsistent, who she chose to believe and who she chose to alienate, and how hard she dug into those, even after myriad experiences to (or being straight up told) the contrary. Minus Aurora, of course, because, ahhhh the blinding power of love (and everlasting hope of belonging), but at least Alyce recognized what she was doing, in that case.

Otherwise, even though this second book felt almost like a different style altogether, as compared to the first, I was really into it. I loved that once Walter went dark and intense, she kept it there. There is really no coming back from certain decisions and I appreciated that she didn't try. Plus, the dark and creepy Maleficent vibes (the "uglier" sides of magic and magical creatures) were awesome - brought to life so well and I had some amazing visuals in my mind. Walter made this novel, this second half of Alyce's story, something altogether new. To that end, the 100 year jumps that were made really fit the story. I do think, after so much hurt, that much time is necessary to assuage feelings and realities, before people are prepared to even think about alternative options/paths. And there were some really wonderful messages in there, on that point, about cycles of jealousy, hate, love, power, and fear and how they can all get tangled up and mimic each other - and what it takes to end that type of cycle. Speaking of the end, though the review isn't over yet, this seems like a place to point out that I loved the ending. I mean sure it had the sorta cheesy fantasy "fixing the world threatening issue" plot finale, which was solid, but also, the way Alyce and Aurora's story ended was....perfect. Nothing else would have felt right or been believable for me, and it gave the exact right combination of sweet and longing and matched the cyclical storytelling style with the time parallels to how the beginning.

Let me say more things I liked, because this review started tough, but there was so much I was into! While the overarching retelling remains Sleeping Beauty, of course, I loved the continued shades of other fairy tales and nursery rhymes sprinkled in, as in the first one (Little Mermaid, for one, and Beauty and the Beast again). I thought the disaster that was Aurora waking up was so great, because really, how could it be anything else (even in the original?!) after having been asleep for that long and everything you know falling to ruin? Finally, and a real highlight, was the high quality fantasy-style exploration of how loving an idea/ideal always falls short of reality. And even better, an unpacking of how claiming to love someone and want to change the world when you have the power, but having trouble with the reverse when the power balance is overturned, gave some profound insight on privilege and the comfort of those visually similar to you. There's great meditation on what it is that makes a monster, and how it’s easier to love a "monster" when the power lies with you, versus the other way around. Walter really dived into the conversation about whether those power/privilege barriers are to large to overcome with a single interpersonal connection, and if not, how do you move past that cycle of the previous ~millenia~ of being at odds and power shifting and revenge and what it actually takes to make things right/better.

Although there were some developmental holes and/or a lack of continuation in the quality and depth of the development from the first book (in the world and character aspects), I felt like this was still a spectacular conclusion to the plot and to Alyce and Aurora's story in particular. I had so much fun reading this book. It has that nostalgic fantasy feel to it, mixing the magical/fanciful with metaphors/messages about life, but all of it is "overpowered" by the adventure of the story and the journey the plot takes you on. I felt fully immersed in the world of Briar and the Dark Court throughout both books and that quality escapism was exactly what I wanted/needed. If you are looking for a fantasy escape in your life, let me really recommend this duology!

“It has always interested me the ways in which a tale will change based on who is telling it.”

“Tragedy teaches us things about ourselves and about others. […] Sometimes we do not like what we see. But we have to look anyway. We have to know.”

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maiahhtratchh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I really did quite love this book! My only qualm being that I felt Mortania could have been used more effectively (maybe this is just me wishing it were a trilogy). The ending of Malice with her got me so pumped up and then she was just kind of an afterthought more so throughout this (I thought). Still loved the book! It got me all anxious not knowing what was gunna happen. So many times I had to stop myself from jumping to the end. But THE END. It was very good. Those are my favourite types of endings

the ones where it kind of leaves things up to interpretation and leaves it bittersweet. They love one another and they want each other to be happy but they are not sure if it’s with each other. It’s very realistic, especially after everything that happened at the end of Malice. It’s the 100 years later (TWICE) that messed me up because that’s so much time apart for them I almost started to cry

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