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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Malice did a lot of things right. As a reader, Walter drew me into Alyce's plight and I wanted to see her win the day. The twists and turns keep the plot moving swiftly right up to the climactic ending that will leaving you begging for the sequel to come out sooner.
At times I felt Alyce and Aurora acted younger than their 20 years of age, but I think that gives them room to grow. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get more of Hilde; maybe we will get more of her in the next book.
At times I felt Alyce and Aurora acted younger than their 20 years of age, but I think that gives them room to grow. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get more of Hilde; maybe we will get more of her in the next book.
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This starts with the basic Sleeping Beauty formula--a curse that can only be broken by true love's kiss, a beautiful girl, and powerful magic--and turns it on its head, adding dark, queer, complex elements to give depth to the story.
Of course, it's not a totally faithful retelling, which is for the better; instead we get a more fleshed-out origin story for Alyce (aka, Disney's Maleficent) that paints her as a well-intentioned, misunderstood Dark Grace who uses her magic to create potions that cause unfortunate effects (think hair falling out, skills being sapped, etc.) to its victims. When she meets Aurora is when the story starts to take off at a fast clip.
There are some plotholes that I take issue with (I won't share them here, as it would give away too much of the plot), but otherwise I was completely engaged throughout the story. I hope there's a sequel!
This starts with the basic Sleeping Beauty formula--a curse that can only be broken by true love's kiss, a beautiful girl, and powerful magic--and turns it on its head, adding dark, queer, complex elements to give depth to the story.
Of course, it's not a totally faithful retelling, which is for the better; instead we get a more fleshed-out origin story for Alyce (aka, Disney's Maleficent) that paints her as a well-intentioned, misunderstood Dark Grace who uses her magic to create potions that cause unfortunate effects (think hair falling out, skills being sapped, etc.) to its victims. When she meets Aurora is when the story starts to take off at a fast clip.
There are some plotholes that I take issue with (I won't share them here, as it would give away too much of the plot), but otherwise I was completely engaged throughout the story. I hope there's a sequel!
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t know if I want to cry or cheer at that ending!!!
This was the maleficent retelling I have ALWAYS wanted. Fantastic!!
This was the maleficent retelling I have ALWAYS wanted. Fantastic!!
I do love a good retelling of a fairy tale and there don't seem to be too many out there about Sleeping Beauty.
The blurb of this book sounded right up my alley and I was thrilled when my request was filled by Netgalley.
Unfortunately, I really struggled with it for the first half but my god that ending is worth hanging on for.
There were bits in the book that could have easily have been edited down and I had the feeling that the author knew exactly how she wanted the book to end but she just wasn't sure how to get there - and for me some of the book was rather messy, in a sense.
Despite all of my complaints, I look forward to reading more by Heather Walter and feel that she is definitely going to be someone to watch with interest.
The blurb of this book sounded right up my alley and I was thrilled when my request was filled by Netgalley.
Unfortunately, I really struggled with it for the first half but my god that ending is worth hanging on for.
There were bits in the book that could have easily have been edited down and I had the feeling that the author knew exactly how she wanted the book to end but she just wasn't sure how to get there - and for me some of the book was rather messy, in a sense.
Despite all of my complaints, I look forward to reading more by Heather Walter and feel that she is definitely going to be someone to watch with interest.
Rage!! Lesbians!! Evil (?) lesbian!!
This was not the most well written book I’ve ever read but it was fun and that’s great too
This was not the most well written book I’ve ever read but it was fun and that’s great too
This book surprised me. I was pleasantly surprised with the twists and turns the story took. The plot of the book sounded interesting but I was not prepared for this book. I am excited to read the second book when it comes out because this story definitely left me wanting more.
3.5 ⭐️ enjoyable - the romance was beautiful and what actually kept me reading. However, the writing style was not for me - I found the book to be very slow-paced and the plot very predictable.