You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
paperheartsink 's review for:
Malice
by Heather Walter
Malice is a Sleeping Beauty retelling from the villains POV. Alyce is a Dark Grace who earns her living using her green blood to create curses/hexes for her customers. She is seen as a monster by the other Graces and is held at arms length by everyone. But then Alyce meets Princess Aurora who isn’t phased by her Vila bloodline.
I enjoyed the world building and I loved Alyce’s pet kestrel. I didn’t warm to Alyce at the very start but as the story went on, Alyce had to put up with a lot from the other graces (which at times was really frustrating) and I found myself rooting for her. I liked the spin the author put on the fairytale aspect with everyone at court being quite vicious and the ‘villain’ actually being a nicer person (although she’s certainly not what I’d call nice.) There were some darker elements to the story which I really loved. One of the side characters was actually my favourite.
Princess Aurora I also liked, she was a breath of fresh air and a good contrast to Alyce. There was an immediate connection between the two of them. The romance was slow burn which is definitely to my tastes and I’m glad it didn’t overshadow Alyce’s story. She had a satisfying arc from start to finish! Overall a really enjoyable darker fairytale retelling.
Rating more like 4.5
Many thanks to DelRey for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the world building and I loved Alyce’s pet kestrel. I didn’t warm to Alyce at the very start but as the story went on, Alyce had to put up with a lot from the other graces (which at times was really frustrating) and I found myself rooting for her. I liked the spin the author put on the fairytale aspect with everyone at court being quite vicious and the ‘villain’ actually being a nicer person (although she’s certainly not what I’d call nice.) There were some darker elements to the story which I really loved. One of the side characters was actually my favourite.
Princess Aurora I also liked, she was a breath of fresh air and a good contrast to Alyce. There was an immediate connection between the two of them. The romance was slow burn which is definitely to my tastes and I’m glad it didn’t overshadow Alyce’s story. She had a satisfying arc from start to finish! Overall a really enjoyable darker fairytale retelling.
Rating more like 4.5
Many thanks to DelRey for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.