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A review by helliecreed
Malice by Heather Walter
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Seem to have a strange relationship with these types of novels lately. First 48%-52% of the book I was becoming increasingly frustrated with its pacing and lack of plot or motive. The world itself kept me interested to continue and splashes of character moments, however its' prose is very simplistic. Nothing wrong with basic prose but it in my case when the slow start is half the book I began to skip paragraphs.
There are chunks in this novel when I would forget these characters weren't high school age. They read sometimes younger than they are. This gets better as it progresses thankfully, but maybe I have forgotten how derpy we are in our early twenties (cries in older millennial)lol
The plot is nothing new. Everything you think will happen will happen or if you feel suspicious of anyone, don't worry, you are correct in your assumption! The characters take a while to develop especially any form of relationship with one another. In retrospect, I like how we see their nuances and even what that means for Alyce. The moment I hit the midway point I read it all in a single sitting. Became hooked. There were stakes and emotional attachments for me to care. The world and characters fleshed out. All this was set up during the first half but finally stakes were raised and the concept of gilded cages bloomed. I was so scared this was quickly going to be another 3 star read for me. I just started the year y'all! lol. The moment I was feelingduring the second half I was here. I surprised myself and man was I happy I allowed to enjoy the story.
There are chunks in this novel when I would forget these characters weren't high school age. They read sometimes younger than they are. This gets better as it progresses thankfully, but maybe I have forgotten how derpy we are in our early twenties (cries in older millennial)lol
The plot is nothing new. Everything you think will happen will happen or if you feel suspicious of anyone, don't worry, you are correct in your assumption! The characters take a while to develop especially any form of relationship with one another. In retrospect, I like how we see their nuances and even what that means for Alyce. The moment I hit the midway point I read it all in a single sitting. Became hooked. There were stakes and emotional attachments for me to care. The world and characters fleshed out. All this was set up during the first half but finally stakes were raised and the concept of gilded cages bloomed. I was so scared this was quickly going to be another 3 star read for me. I just started the year y'all! lol. The moment I was feelingduring the second half I was here. I surprised myself and man was I happy I allowed to enjoy the story.