Heather WalterCritiques

I had a good time reading this and I’m looking forward to reading what comes next.....because I’m GOING to need to know what happens next.


Seriously though, read this. It’s different and fun and it slaps.

Malice is everything I wanted in a Sleeping Beauty retelling.

It's from the villain's point of view; the culture and society give you that fairytale vibe while also being new and interesting; the magic system is layered with rules and history and lies/misunderstandings at every turn; the princess doesn't fall for the prince. It's FANTASTIC!

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

I’ve been struggling to find the words to write this review because to be quite frank, Malice blew me away. There are some books that are amazing, and then there are some books that sing a song that echoes in your heart. Malice is one of those for me. I connected very strongly with the character of Malice and her circumstances on a personal level and revelled in her transformation.

The world Heather Walter has created is rich, vibrant, inherently flawed and incredible. This is a book about a villain and her story, and yet it’s so much more than that. The fantasy world that Malice is a part of has such unique races that I was craving more information with every page. I liked the way that this knowledge was imparted to the reader from two very different sources as well, making us question the validity of the information at every step.

That’s one of the core themes of this novel; truth and especially the truth of history. The old adage that history is written by the victor is in play here, although it’s not quite as simple as that. What happens when the victor’s story gets manipulated and usurped? Their power diluted over time until they don’t really have it anymore? That’s the situation that Princess Aurora finds herself in and she’s most definitely not a sleeping beauty. There is nothing passive or damsel like about Aurora and she’s incredible. She’s the type of strong female character that we need to see more of in YA.

Unfortunately, both Malice and Aurora are playing a game with only half the cards and this is a world where power reigns, and while they have the power of truth and good on their side that isn’t enough. This is a book about a villain, not a hero and Walter delivers that in full colour and heart-wrenching emotion. Even as I read the final scenes of the book a part of me was begging for it not to happen, and I realised that we’re pre-conditioned to fight against the villain. The problem is that things aren’t that black and white, and Malice is a book of greys upon greys. Very few characters in this book are not grey (I can count two, and one of them I suspect is probably quite grey, we just don’t know anything about her – yet) and even when you think you’ve worked one out, Walter is there with a scene that changes your entire perspective.

Malice isn’t all sour and dour though; it’s fun, flirty and beautiful too. It’s filled with Sleeping Beauty, Disney and fairytale easter eggs as well. This is a fantasy novel that is a treat to read. It's a book for people who like something different, who like characters who don’t fit into those nice neat little boxes. It’s a book about an underdog who finds someone who understands them and wants them for who they are, not who they want them to become. There’s female friendship and romance, a unique magic system, intrigue and so much more. It’s definitely a must-read for fans of fairytales!


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I absolutely loved reading Malice, which is a dark twisty retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I really liked Alyce the Dark Grace, she might have been a little naive but she was a great character and even though she was the villain, was she really? I think she was misunderstood and took on that role because that was expected of her, there were many villains, worse than her in this story, ones that I really didn’t expect so maybe I was a little naive while reading it but they did shock me.
The Royal family women have a curse upon them; they will die on their twenty-first birthday if they have not found true love. How hard can it be to find true love? Princess Aurora is the last heir, if she doesn’t find her true love that’s the end of the line as everyone knew it.
Alyce and Princess Aurora bump into each other and their friendship grows from that moment on, a forbidden friendship that blooms into more. But there was so much more to this story than just their relationship.
Now I would say the story was loosely based on the fairytale, there were similarities, Briar being the kingdom and the spinning wheel being mentioned but it was so much better in every way that the fairytale.
Heather Walter wrote something remarkable here, it was fast-paced and written beautifully, and capturing so much detail I felt I was in Briar too, standing alongside Alyce. I cannot praise it enough, it was fantastic.

An impressive sequel, equally as original and beautiful as the first book. Very well written and cleverly spun, this is a whole new book in its own right, so much has changed in the last century since the events in Malice.

Her view of the world was making me feel just as cynical and suspicious, the gears in my head turning, reading into every exchange and doubting every character, wondering which one will betray her next. Trying to figure out what will happen.
The whole book was interesting and twisty, constantly trying to figure out who is good or bad and whether Alyce is a villain after all.

I love Aurora and massively missed her for a lot of this book, though there were lots of new characters I grew to love during this book too. All of the imps, goblins, Chaos and Callow, even Derek, they’re all written fantastically.

I just love the strength of Alyce and Auroras relationship, how they still have imperfections, disagreements, take space away from each other, yet always are there for each other when it comes down to it. There’s no pretending it’s an easy perfect relationship at all, but there’s also no blame or toxicity.
They love each other enough to break curses, enough to step back and let each other do what they need to to be happy.

——————————————————————

"Sometimes I think we could compare our wounds for the next century and still discover fresh ones."
A shudder runs through me. That's exactly what I'd thought
about the war--how we don't heal because we like to bleed.

A twist on Sleeping Beauty when the story is told from the life of Alice, the Dark Grace. To see the way she was treated and how they feared her but used her for powers. I could not wait to get to the end then to get part 2.

A twist on Sleeping Beauty when the story is told from the life of Alice, the Dark Grace. As this is book 2 and I was excited to read it. I was disappointed on how it dragged to get to the good parts of the story. It was a slow start but got better as it went on.

A complex follow up to Malice. If you're looking for that fairytale ending, you might not like the journey there and that might not be what you call it either. This book challenged me emotionally more than I wanted, but that's not a bad thing.½

A terrific sapphic reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty tale. I loved the worldbuilding, the character work, and the romance. I found the ending both cathartic and heartbreaking. I really hope the sequel gives these two a happy ending.

Retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Started off okay, but sputtered for me by the end. Interesting worldbuilding, so-so writing. Does get points for making the key relationship queer. Book is the first in a duology; not sure if I will read the second.

3.5 Stars

I love fairy-tale reimagining's and this sapphic retelling had some wonderful elements. However, I would love to have seen a lot more magic. There was a lot of thinking and chatting and not enough spell casting and cursing in my opinion. The romance was lovely and Alice and Aurora were engaging characters. However, as the desire for revenge developed and a general sense of the injustice Alice had faced increased, her voice took on a more angry whinging tone which got a little grating as it felt really forced. 'I am angry witch woman hear me cackle' type stuff. It reminded me a bit of Adelina in The Young Elites whose character started becoming quite unlikeable. Still, this was an enjoyable listen and I look forward to the sequel because that ending people!


CW: Magical system is based on blood letting.

Strong follow-up to a very enjoyable debut. While its predecessor was filled with the excitement of a budding romance, Misrule tackels the fallout when that romance is betrayed. Trust, revenge, forgiveness - our main characters are on a thorny path, and I appreciated the way the author kept them true to themselves the whole time. Will definitely read more by this author!

3.75
I enjoyed the story and the twist on sleeping beauty.
I also thought the sapphic romance was great
But the writing was a little lacklustre - I almost DNFd it

This took me far too long to get through. It was such a good book but I sadly read it while going through a bad reading slump. Also, this wasn't what I expected this book was going to be like. Even though the ending was not how I thought or hoped it would end, I thought it was perfect. I will say if anything happened to Callow I was going to burn this book. I will also say the main's characters frustrated me to no end I still love them though. Neve and Torin were my favorite characters I love them. I also really liked the Imps so much. But overall I really enjoyed this story and it will live with me for a long time.½

Slow starter, but by the end I was hooked enough that I put the second on hold.

A show of hands, who else instant click after reading that incredible blurb? I was immediately intrigued by the premise and though I expected this to be a bit darker since we are approaching the story from the 'villains' point of view, I was overall pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this.

Starting from the world-building―unexpected―, the unique and refreshing concept, noteworthy dynamic between the Dark Grace Alyce and Princess Aurora, and the writing style that brought to life the 'villains' thoughts and real feelings―what a debut! Despite my raves, there are a few notable plot holes that I wish the author flesh out which unfortunately I can’t bring them to light since they'll spoil the story, endless amount of miscommunication between the main characters that was continuous throughout the read that could of been cut or shorten, and lastly, the very very predictable plot twist towards the end. Ugh. I wish I could get into it but once again: spoilers!

Nonetheless, this queer retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" was magical and even with its rough edges, well worth the read.

A fantastic and wonderfully gray sequel to Malice. The character development, world-building, and writing style are top notch. Everything in Misrule is in shades of gray. No character is all good or all bad, making for a morally complex world and story. Misrule is just as compelling and beautifully-written as Malice. This conclusion to the Duology does not disappoint and has a happy ending.

Malice was the story of Alyce being pushed to her breaking point and embracing the role of the villain everyone expected she would become in a fit of anger and hopelessness. Misrule is the story of Alyce finding her way back from such a dark place of anger, fear, and pain. It’s a tale of learning how to build something better and find peace. Alyce learns how to heal and be more than a villain or a victim. This is a story of Alyce and Aurora finding a way to build a better society for everyone. This journey is messy and emotional and real.

STYLE AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:

Walter used vivid imagery, metaphor, simile, and personification to make Alyce’s emotions almost tangible and layer the reader’s view of Alyce’s world with Alyce’s emotional perspective. How Alyce feels is shown (not told) in virtually every description in this book. This makes it so natural and easy to relate to Alyce and understand her point of view. Even when Alyce did things that were clearly wrong, I understood her justifications and perspective enough to sympathize and understand her actions. Even when I couldn’t approve of them at all. After all, she had her reasons. This made for really great character development.

Fantastic character development, first person narration, and a beautiful and emotive writing style made a lot of things work that really shouldn’t have. It should have felt false for someone as empathetic, naive, and loving as the Alyce we saw in the beginning of Malice to do things as dark and evil as she did. But it didn’t. It should have felt false for her to change her ways and become a force for good after having done such malicious things. But it didn’t. I really shouldn’t have been rooting for Alyce when she had embraced her darker side, but I kind of did. Alyce’s journey from victim to villain to a redeemed and healing survivor dedicated to helping others felt totally real and compelling.

PREMISE:

Misrule is set 500 years after the events of Malice. I usually don’t like big time jumps, but it totally worked for this story. It enriched the story with fresh material that lent the story additional moral complexity and opportunities for character development. You dive right into a different social and political landscape and meet a whole new set of interesting, compelling, three-dimensional characters. You get to know Alyce and Aurora much better by seeing them interact with a completely different cast of characters and a greatly changed world. And by seeing how these interactions changed them.

While Aurora was in a cursed slumber, Alyce destroyed a kingdom and built a new one. In many ways, she became as bad as those she hated. As those who abused, oppressed, and used her. Those who denied her freedom. She built a sanctuary for those like her that were persecuted everywhere else. But it was also a place where different groups were oppressed. Oppressed in much the same way she and others with magical abilities were once oppressed and denied freedom. To some, she became a savior. To others, she became the monster everyone feared she would become.

When Aurora awakened, Alyce was forced to confront the dark reality of the society she built and the type of person she had become. Alyce and the other protagonists had to learn to let go of revenge. Learn to build a place where everyone is free instead of simply changing which group of people gets to be free. A place where anyone can thrive. They learn to build a society where oppression is not tolerated, instead of switching which group is oppressed.

THE RELATIONSHIPS:

Alyce and Aurora’s relationship was refreshingly honest and real. They didn’t let each other off the hook for their mistakes. And they both made some big ones. They really cared for each other and didn’t let each other be blind to their mistakes because then they’d have kept repeating them. They cared for each other even when they were on opposite sides. They helped each other learn how to learn to do better and be better. Alyce and Aurora challenged each other to be better, as all good friends or romantic partners should. This kept me rooting for those two.

By the end of the story, all our main characters had grown and changed for the better. The best friends and romantic partners in the story were those that helped each other become better. Plenty of time and development was given to other relationships, not just the romance between Alyce and Aurora. This was much more realistic and interesting than a story where the primary romantic pairing eclipses all the other relationships.

THE ENDING:

The ending was perfect. It suited Alyce and her journey perfectly. She found a happy ending that could include, but wasn’t dependent on, being in a romantic relationship with Aurora. She found a way to heal and gained an independent peace and purpose that wouldn’t fall apart if she didn’t end up with Aurora. It’s always nice to see a happily ever after that isn’t centered around a codependent romantic relationship. Alyce and Aurora’s independent happiness and self-sufficiency only made it more meaningful when they ended up together. I love to see characters that are together because they want to be, not because they desperately think they need to be in order to be happy.

I received a free e-copy via NetGalley. I am writing this review completely voluntarily and honestly.

Review coming soon

I really wanted to like this book, but it focused way too much on the bitchy women Alyce lives with, and not enough on her magic and her relationship with Aurora.½

The way that I just ate up this book. I was just consumed by the story and the characters. This book was just a breath of fresh air like I can't even explain. I haven't read a book like this in a second and it was nice to dive back into this. I can't wait to read more of this story.

One Sentence Summary: A century has passed since the events of the first book and Alyce now rules the Dark Court, but, as they decimate the Fae Courts, Aurora is unexpectedly awoken and an old prophecy comes to the forefront.

Overall
Misrule is the second in the Malice duology based on Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Where the first book, Malice, felt like it was constrained by the movie, Misrule felt like the story was given a chance to breathe and become its own thing. I liked how it focused on the world building and how deeply ingrained prejudices affect the world, but it was tempered by my annoyance with Alyce. After ruling for a century, I expected her to have harder edges and to be more mature and jaded than Aurora, someone more evil and closer to the movie’s Maleficent. I very often found myself on Alyce’s side, though, so it was really a great deal of fun to get this Sleeping Beauty story from her eyes.

Extended Thoughts
A century has passed since Aurora pricked her finger on the spindle and fell into an enchanted sleep, as told in Malice, the first book in this duology inspired by Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Now Alyce calls herself Nimara after an ancient Vila and leads the Dark Court. The creatures of the blighted Malterre have come streaming into Briar now that the humans have fallen in order to create a home where they feel welcome.

As the Dark Court swelled, they sought revenge on the Fae for having sought to destroy them in the first place, decimating Fae court after Fae court until only the Fae King’s court remains. Unexpectedly, a human washes up on Briar’s shores and the young man chooses to serve Nimara, but there are other forces out there and he inadvertently wakes Aurora, surprising the Dark Court and upending plans even as Alyce tries to win Aurora all over again while fighting the Fae.

Where the first book felt like it was constrained by the events of the movie, Misrule felt like it allowed the story to breathe and become its own thing. This was a much more fun read and I loved the depth given to the world building. There’s history and geography and details on how the Dark Court and the Fae courts function. I loved feeling like I was thrown into the world. I also really liked how the romance was woven into the fantasy story. While it was always there, I felt more like I was reading a fantasy novel than a romance. The one thing that grated on me was Alyce, but everything else was a lot of fun to read.

Misrule really opened up the world for me. While it was focused on Briar and the Dark Court, the rest of the world was always right on the fringes. The human world is out there across the sea, slowly suffering now that Briar has collapsed and there is no trade. The Fae courts are falling to the Dark Court and the High King doesn’t appear to be interested in invading the Dark Court in vengeance, making it easy for the creatures of the Dark Court to wreck their havoc. But I enjoyed the Dark Court the most. Not only is it the part we get to know best, but it’s populated by some really fun and interesting creatures and they have some fascinating events and ways of doing things. I loved that it was led by a council and, while not everyone got along well, they really tried for the sake of the Dark Court and for providing a home for all the creatures who have been persecuted and abused by the Fae and humans. Even though it’s the Dark Court and they did some terrible things for themselves, I really felt there was a lot of heart and love, and a firm resolve to protect their home.

As wonderful as the world was, Alyce was a huge problem for me. For someone so powerful who had lived and ruled for a century, she felt far too young. I would have expected someone that old who has ordered so much death and destruction to be more jaded and hardened, but she felt like a young adult, like she hadn’t actually aged beyond where she had been in the first book even though a hundred years had passed. I wanted more maturity and a harder edge to her. Instead, once Aurora was back on the scene, she felt like a lovesick puppy who could only see Aurora and nothing of the home she had crafted that would actually love and accept her exactly as she was. It was annoying and frustrating. I preferred her before Aurora woke up because she actually felt more like the ruler of the Dark Court. I can see how she had to evolve past that in order for the ending to occur, but I just hated that entire middle part where she was so wrapped around Aurora’s finger when Aurora went back and forth on how she saw Alyce.

The romance was not at all what I was expecting. I liked that it ended up feeling natural and Alyce and Aurora just didn’t fall into each other. There was a lot of shuffling between them, a lot of stepping forward and back and a ton of missteps. But I hated how it just seemed to consume Alyce. Aurora came off as this calm and collected young woman with a great deal of poise. She was absolutely a princess. In contrast, Alyce felt like a bumbling lovesick powerful being who couldn’t see anything past Aurora. Even her intense hate for Derek, the human who washed up on Briar’s shores who won some of Aurora’s friendship, grew annoying and it bothered me how it felt like the story was trying to set up a love triangle or force Alyce to hate someone who wasn’t as bad as she made him out to be, making it feel annoyingly petty. But the push and pull between Alyce and Aurora felt real and cautious. It also didn’t end the way I thought it would, which was a nice touch.

Misrule is full of manipulations, secrets, and hidden history. Since it’s told from Alyce’s POV, there is a lot unknown to the reader, so it was fun to watch it all unfold, to watch their mess become more and more tangled. So much of it did feel unnecessary since Alyce could have just grown up a lot, but I still did enjoy the messes they got themselves into. Really, though, this is the story of two groups who have seemed to have been at odds with each other practically since the beginning of time. There’s so much prejudice entrenched in them, but there’s this glimmer of hope. Alyce’s development often felt like it was pulling teeth, but I liked how it led up to the ending, which felt appropriately epic. It was great to see how it all came together and the effect it would have on the larger world.

I enjoyed all the secrets and getting to know so many fun and interesting characters. The story really felt like it came into its own, breathing new life into an old story and just letting the world and story explode. I liked how the events followed and especially enjoyed how what happened in Misrule followed from Malice and the world’s own history. Despite the things that bothered me, there was still a lot to endear me to the story and characters. They each really tried in their own ways, and they each had their own plots and manipulations. Watching them all collide was fun, but might have been a lot more fun if we hadn’t been constrained to just Alyce’s POV. Overall, Misrule was a lot more enjoyable than Malice, but I wished for a more mature main character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

One Sentence Summary: A retelling of Disney's Sleeping Beauty, but from the black fairy's perspective.

For most of my life I was something of a fairy tale purist, digging for original versions of the Disney movies I spent my childhood watching. But, as a mom, I've become nostalgic for my childhood and more flexible, so fairy tale retellings have been catching my eye. There was so much I liked about Malice from the switched perspective, the reinterpretation of a Disney classic, the love story of two women who shouldn't fall in love. I also really enjoy a good villain origin story, so I'm thrilled to have had the chance to read this one.

The Plot: A Twist on a Disney Classic

We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty, a beautiful princess cursed to sleep for a hundred years before being awoken by true love's kiss. But we don't really know the story behind the wicked fairy who cursed the princess. Malice artfully and fascinatingly presents her backstory and a whole world to go with it.

Alyce is neither human nor fae and definitely not a Grace, a human child blessed by the fae with magic blood. But she was raised by a former Grace, so peddles her dark magic alongside her sister Graces' magic of wisdom, beauty, and charm. Ugly compared to the Graces, she's avoided unless someone desperately needs what only she can offer. But Alyce longs for more, for better.

Aurora is the last remaining crown princess. Doomed to die on her twenty-first birthday if her true love doesn't kiss her beforehand, she seeks out Alyce's dark magic in the hopes it'll help her break the curse. But something blossoms between the unwanted Dark Grace and the beautiful and entirely unexpected princess.

The story, though, can only go one way.

I loved Malice because it took a familiar story and twisted it and gave the villain her own story. But I also wish it had given itself permission to further push the bounds of the Disney story, to take it in the direction I kept thinking the story was going to take. Instead, it adheres fairly closely to the familiar Disney story, sometimes almost feeling like it was forcing the story into boundaries it kept fighting against. At the same time, it threw wrenches into the Disney story, taking a stab at something new and different to distinguish itself. But, for a story that stuck so closely to the Disney version, it only made me scratch my head a little.

But it was a delightful and magical read. Walter reimagined the world in a really interesting way, brought in wars and strong female leaders reaching far back into history. The world building unfolded so incredibly well that I was just sucked in and the pages flew by. I was caught up in the utterly superficial world Alyce is forced to live in, and couldn't help but feel angry on her behalf. I adored her story because she tried so hard, but the world was bent on making her the villain.

At the same time, the pacing was uneven, especially after the first half. I felt a little bogged down, realizing I had only been so sucked in because I found the world fascinating. There were plot points that were thinly veiled plot points, that felt almost pointless but, for whatever reason, were important to Alyce to experience. Fortunately, it picked up near the end and I loved, loved, loved reading how Alyce fully embraced becoming the villain. She was glorious.

I'm not a big fan of romance in books, so haven't read too many queer romance stories, but the ones I did read never really satisfied me. This one did. The romance was more front and center and I loved Alyce and Aurora's dance. They were incredible and lovely together and I just wanted them to be happy. I do wish the romance had been a bit stronger, but, overall, it was a wonderful one that really helped shape Alyce.

The Characters: A Villainess in the Making

Briar is, largely, painted to be a very superficial society, especially if you're wealthy and not a commoner. So, of course, I expected a slew of superficial characters in Malice. They didn't disappoint. But there are also so many surprisingly complex and interesting characters. They went deeper than the skin and helped peel back the pretty layers of Briar.

The Graces are girls who were blessed at birth to have golden blood and colorful hair. By their natures, they should be superficial, doling out elixirs for beauty, charm, wit, wisdom, artistic abilities, and more. Their job is to make the wealthy beautiful and be beautiful themselves. But many of the ones the reader gets to know are deeper than that. They have their own worries and fears. Many of them don't go beyond the superficial, but we get to know Alyce's sisters: Laurel, Rose, and Marigold. There's more to them, or, at least, to some of the Graces, so it was fun to get to know them.

Alyce herself is a fascinating creature. Not human and not fae, she's something else entirely. It makes her look strange and ugly in the superficial society, and it twists her. But there are also glimmers of gold in her heart, a desperate need to want to do and be good. She struggles against the vileness of her blood, of her dark nature that she can't shake off no matter how she tries. I loved her story, of her descent into villainy, because it didn't have to be that way. She was just a young woman making the best of her situation and wanting happiness just like anyone else.

I loved everything about Aurora. For someone with such incredible superficial prettiness, she was anything but superficial. Kind, caring, witty, smart, and desperate, she was complex, strong willed, and stubborn. I loved how she subverted the noble society, how she tried to make her own way.

The Setting: A Continent of Strained Relations

Malice introduces the world of Briar, a gifted home to the humans by the fae who merely tolerate them because of an old promise. Throughout the book, we get the history, from the first queen to the current crown princess. It was fascinating to see the descent of these women who had started out with such a strong matriarch.

The whole world was quite interesting. Divided into three lands, it houses the fae, the humans in Briar, and long wiped out dark creatures in an inhospitable land. Honestly, they each seemed a little simplistic, but I liked the varying approaches to their entangled histories, to the subtleties of their individual societies that are slowly revealed. There's also a greater world beyond this land, one from which princes come to try to break the curse, but we only get little inklings of what they were like.

The magic, though, was fascinating. The fae and the Graces and the dark creatures all had their own forms of magic that were used in different ways. In Malice, the Grace magic, in particular, is really explored. I loved that it was housed in the Grace's own blood, and that the cost was high. It helped heighten the fear of every Grace, and twisted more than one.

Overall: A Delightful Retelling of Sleeping Beauty

Malice presents a very reasonable alternate story to the Disney version. I just wish it had broken out of the boundaries of that story to take a life of its own. Then again, it probably wouldn't really be a retelling. As a retelling, it was, actually, quite delightful. I loved getting Alyce's villain origin story. Her romance with Aurora was sweet, and her life a complete mess. The world bent her no matter how hard she tried to fight it, and it really gave her no option. There were some elements that baffled me a little as I tried to fit it into the idea of this being a retelling, so I both enjoyed it as a retelling, but also felt it could have been so much more if it had liberated itself from that confine.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love retelling of fairy tales, and Sleeping Beauty has always been my favorite, so when I saw Malice and Misrule by Heather Walter, I knew I would be reading them… especially since the “bad guy” is always so much more interesting than the princess. And Walter did not disappoint in either of the books.

In Malice we get to know Alyce before she becomes the evil flying creature. We see how she is mistreated and the various roles the people play in her belittlement. We also get beautiful descriptions of clothing and the palace. And love… although is it true enough to last through… well book two, Misrule.

While I really enjoyed Malice, I found myself liking Misrule even more… probably because the “monsters” get to shine in this one, along with the most goth palace that I would want to take a tour of… nope, no desire to live in a castle since they are way too cold!

Misrule takes place 100 years after the first book and we get to see how Alyce has come into her own. Of course there is an epic battle, along with some smaller ones, shifting alliances, people who are not what they seem, and love… and all the twists and turns that come with love; romantic, friendship, and family.

If you enjoy remakes of fairy tales, fantasy series, or are looking for some strong GLBTQA characters, you need to get your little claws on Malice and Misrule.

This was an absolutely thrilling book. The ending left me speechless and craving for more. Can't wait for the second book.

This took me a hot minute to get into the book. At the beginning, it felt a bit too exposition-y and I nearly bailed but I am soooo glad that I didn’t because instead I devoured it in nearly one sitting. And now I need book two, pronto.

This had everything I ever wanted. I love the world the author created out of the old Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and I adoooore the way she’s crafted this story’s versions of both Maleficent and Aurora here. Goddamn that ending—sequel when?