A review by josb
Malice by Heather Walter

dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rounding up because I was not sure where the book would end as part of a duology, and was pleasantly surprised.

It took a while for the story to get going which was a shame because Sleeping Beauty reimagined with a witch/Aurora pairing is a special interest. I prefer my fantasy books to show me history instead of tell. For about the first 50% the main character relates to you her history and knowledge of the land, kingdom, and societal structures. The lore is interesting but I find this method incredibly dry. It was even more frustrating when the main character realized some parts of history were incorrect or misleading.

After the 50% mark, the story started to pick up and it was quite interesting to watch your main character's arc. The romance was quite sweet and reasonably paced. And again, that ending was perfect for this story.

If you like villian/negative character arcs you might enjoy this. The beginning is a bit of a slow read but there was lots of charm, angst, and pining that you'd expect from a wlw fantasy romance. 
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