Scan barcode
A review by sapphicreadsbychloe
Malice by Heather Walter
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-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
3.75
Malice is a dark new adult fantasy book about finding one's place in society. It is a sleeping beauty retelling, with also some themes from Cinderella.
We follow Alyce. She lives in a human world where each year, about a dozen gifted children are born: the Graces. She is one of them, except for the fact that her gift is different... She is the Dark Grace. The queendom she lives in is cursed: every decedent of the crown will die at the age of 21 if they haven't kissed their true love. Aurora is the last crown princess, and she just turned 20.
---
First, I must say I am NOT a fan of fantasy. I find it very difficult to dive into complex world-buildings, and even though this world wasn't as complex as others, you must know that there are several realms, races and names to remember. If this doesn't scare you, then you can jump into it!
This book is also about true love. How you find it, how it can shift with time, how everything isn't always perfect... That was an interesting and realistic point of view, that I actually appreciated a lot. The slow burn romance was well-executed. I found it cute, believable, and I wanted to fight for them.
Alyce, Alyce, Alyce... This character blew my mind, and not exactly in the best way. So right, she is tortured and morally-gray, which is good I think, but how frustrating was she ! I really liked the character of Aurora however, who was sweet and so full of hopes. What happened with other characters actually was slightly predictable and I thought this was a tiny bit disappointing.
The ending (and by that I mean the last hundred pages) seriously confused me. The pace was SO intense in comparison to the rest of the novel, it was chaos. Maybe it is because I'm not used to fantasy, but this was too much for me. I also did not like the ending. I found it very frustrating, like all the work done over time was all for nothing. I would like to read the second book for a (hopefully) better ending.
Finally, this book talked about politics, and I really liked its views on it. It was really hopeful about change, and provided believable and plausible ideas to make things better. It resonnated well with our world and challenged my thinking. This was really good.
3.75 stars.
We follow Alyce. She lives in a human world where each year, about a dozen gifted children are born: the Graces. She is one of them, except for the fact that her gift is different... She is the Dark Grace. The queendom she lives in is cursed: every decedent of the crown will die at the age of 21 if they haven't kissed their true love. Aurora is the last crown princess, and she just turned 20.
---
First, I must say I am NOT a fan of fantasy. I find it very difficult to dive into complex world-buildings, and even though this world wasn't as complex as others, you must know that there are several realms, races and names to remember. If this doesn't scare you, then you can jump into it!
This book is also about true love. How you find it, how it can shift with time, how everything isn't always perfect... That was an interesting and realistic point of view, that I actually appreciated a lot. The slow burn romance was well-executed. I found it cute, believable, and I wanted to fight for them.
Alyce, Alyce, Alyce... This character blew my mind, and not exactly in the best way. So right, she is tortured and morally-gray, which is good I think, but how frustrating was she ! I really liked the character of Aurora however, who was sweet and so full of hopes. What happened with other characters actually was slightly predictable and I thought this was a tiny bit disappointing.
The ending (and by that I mean the last hundred pages) seriously confused me. The pace was SO intense in comparison to the rest of the novel, it was chaos. Maybe it is because I'm not used to fantasy, but this was too much for me. I also did not like the ending. I found it very frustrating, like all the work done over time was all for nothing. I would like to read the second book for a (hopefully) better ending.
Finally, this book talked about politics, and I really liked its views on it. It was really hopeful about change, and provided believable and plausible ideas to make things better. It resonnated well with our world and challenged my thinking. This was really good.
3.75 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Torture and War