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A review by aliyyah
Malice by Heather Walter
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Unfortunately, I did not love this one.
Malice is a sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty that follows Alyce, a Dark Grace who is abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in her veins.
I adored the concept of this book. Any sapphic retelling is something that is right up my alley but I couldn't help finding the execution poor. The plot was lacking, in my opinion. Every 'twist' was predictable. It also took a while for things to really pick up and I was basically bored for a large part of the story.
I hate to say it but Alyce sort of annoyed me a little in the beginning. I think she's supposed to be twenty but she reads like sixteen. I was able to sympathise with her though, because of the treatment she received from practically everyone for her entire life. So if she was a little naive, I gave it a pass. I liked Aurora, but she felt very two dimensional. In fact, every character fell flat in my opinion. Rose and Marigold were nothing but evil stepsisters. The king felt like a fucking Disney villain for god's sake.
I suppose one of the only saving graces of this book was the relationship between Alyce and Aurora. I thought they were really cute together and I wish we had gotten to see some more of their development before the big kiss.
I enjoyed the writing. It was easy to get through and I was able to finish this book quickly. I thought the world was very cool as well.
Regrettably, Malice on a whole just fell flat. I think I expected something a little darker and then what I got was just another YA novel, which is not the book's fault.I loved the ending though, because honestly I spent the entire book wishing Alyce would just lose her shit and destroy everything. Give me all the morally grey and evil women! That is the only reason this novel is not a flat two star read for me.
I don't think this book was bad by any means, I just think that it wasn't for me. It felt like the type of story I've outgrown. If this seems like something you would vibe with, I still highly recommend that you check it out! Maybe you'll end up loving it.
Malice is a sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty that follows Alyce, a Dark Grace who is abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in her veins.
I adored the concept of this book. Any sapphic retelling is something that is right up my alley but I couldn't help finding the execution poor. The plot was lacking, in my opinion. Every 'twist' was predictable. It also took a while for things to really pick up and I was basically bored for a large part of the story.
I hate to say it but Alyce sort of annoyed me a little in the beginning. I think she's supposed to be twenty but she reads like sixteen. I was able to sympathise with her though, because of the treatment she received from practically everyone for her entire life. So if she was a little naive, I gave it a pass. I liked Aurora, but she felt very two dimensional. In fact, every character fell flat in my opinion. Rose and Marigold were nothing but evil stepsisters. The king felt like a fucking Disney villain for god's sake.
I suppose one of the only saving graces of this book was the relationship between Alyce and Aurora. I thought they were really cute together and I wish we had gotten to see some more of their development before the big kiss.
I enjoyed the writing. It was easy to get through and I was able to finish this book quickly. I thought the world was very cool as well.
Regrettably, Malice on a whole just fell flat. I think I expected something a little darker and then what I got was just another YA novel, which is not the book's fault.
I don't think this book was bad by any means, I just think that it wasn't for me. It felt like the type of story I've outgrown. If this seems like something you would vibe with, I still highly recommend that you check it out! Maybe you'll end up loving it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, and Sexism