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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
The story was okay, but the writing style was hard to get through for me. It felt like the descriptions and the dialogues both were just info dumps.
Overall, I found this to be boring. Alyce gives us nothing, just mopes around sad that she's not pretty, that people don't like her, that her magic is inherently bad, etc. I found her to be quite pathetic overall and it was exhausting to read the story through her eyes.
I also felt that this book had a hard time shaking it's childlike roots (with Disney, not the true OG story). The conflicts felt juvenile and insignificant. The romance was quite sweet, though, and I enjoyed reading those aspects.
That ending though?! WILD. The last chapter is the best part of this book. Alyce perfectly spiraled into her corruption arc. I wish we had gotten seeds of it earlier rather than all at the end. I feel similarly towards this book as I do to Heartless by Marissa Meyer- boring up until the very end when their MC finally cracks and goes fully buckwild.
I also felt that this book had a hard time shaking it's childlike roots (with Disney, not the true OG story). The conflicts felt juvenile and insignificant. The romance was quite sweet, though, and I enjoyed reading those aspects.
That ending though?! WILD. The last chapter is the best part of this book. Alyce perfectly spiraled into her corruption arc. I wish we had gotten seeds of it earlier rather than all at the end. I feel similarly towards this book as I do to Heartless by Marissa Meyer- boring up until the very end when their MC finally cracks and goes fully buckwild.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5 stars.
The writing was a little jumpy but I’m still loving the descent into darkness. This is more plot driven than character driven as all the characters are two dimensional to me!
The writing was a little jumpy but I’m still loving the descent into darkness. This is more plot driven than character driven as all the characters are two dimensional to me!
This was such a great retelling! The blurred lines between good and evil alone were absolutely perfect add that to the discussion of capitalism and this book was so close to perfect. There were so many great things about this story I can't name them all. I just wanted to say that I adored this book!
slow-paced
I really enjoy a fairy tale retelling, and Malice tackles one of my favorites – Sleeping Beauty. (And a times it felt like a smidge of Cinderella thrown in for good measure.) Malice started a little slow for me, (necessary to introduce the reader to the kingdom of Briar and the Grace system) but once I got into it, Alyce’s story turned into a page turner.
Alyce is known as the Dark Grace – she is not a true Grace, but part Vila and gifted with a darker magic than the traditional Grace’s gifts of things like beauty and wisdom. Ms. Walter turns the Sleeping Beauty tale on it’s head, telling the story from Alyce’s perspective. She’s not the villain that everyone thinks – she’s lonely, isolated, and used by people throughout the kingdom for her “evil” gifts – and it turns out Alyce doesn’t understand her true powers.
This was a fun tale to read, and it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Looking forward to finishing up Alyce’s story in the sequel!
Alyce is known as the Dark Grace – she is not a true Grace, but part Vila and gifted with a darker magic than the traditional Grace’s gifts of things like beauty and wisdom. Ms. Walter turns the Sleeping Beauty tale on it’s head, telling the story from Alyce’s perspective. She’s not the villain that everyone thinks – she’s lonely, isolated, and used by people throughout the kingdom for her “evil” gifts – and it turns out Alyce doesn’t understand her true powers.
This was a fun tale to read, and it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Looking forward to finishing up Alyce’s story in the sequel!
A re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. Alyce is known as "the Dark Grace" of Briar - sought out for her dark potions, but hated and abhorred by all. Aurora is the princess of the realm, cursed to die if she does not find her true love. When Alyce and Aurora meet, there is an immediate connection that begins to grow into something more .... what if the princess's true love is the Dark Grace. Will this fairy tale re-telling have a happily ever after?
This book takes a very unique take on the story of Sleeping Beauty and the creation of Maleficent. The author has build a fantastic world in Briar with interesting characters and a totally new take on the story of Aurora's true love. (3 stars)
NETGALLEY BOOK – I RECEIVED A COMPLIMENTARY ADVANCED READER COPY OF THIS BOOK THROUGH NETGALLEY. OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS REVIEW ARE COMPLETELY MY OWN.)
This book takes a very unique take on the story of Sleeping Beauty and the creation of Maleficent. The author has build a fantastic world in Briar with interesting characters and a totally new take on the story of Aurora's true love. (3 stars)
NETGALLEY BOOK – I RECEIVED A COMPLIMENTARY ADVANCED READER COPY OF THIS BOOK THROUGH NETGALLEY. OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS REVIEW ARE COMPLETELY MY OWN.)