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I like the imagine Heather Walter watching Maleficent and then saying, “F**k this, I’ll write it as it should have been—a villain-driven sapphic tale where the characters are awesomely flawed.” Then, she went and wrote Malice.
Trigger warnings—bullying, harassment, stalking, child abuse, violence, gore
Hated for her green Vila blood, Alyce—nicked named Malyce—lives among the graces, magical beings with golden blood who bestow blessings on the elite. Long ago, the graces were gifted to the Briar line as part of an alliance with the fae. Rather than use the power for good, the elite focused on increasing their wealth, beauty, and pleasure. Alyce, a Vila, cannot bestow such gifts; instead, she gives the elite curses to lash out at their enemies and rivals.
Alyce longs to use her magic for good, to cure people of ailments and help them die with little pain. She doesn’t think this is possible until she meets Aurora, the successor to the throne who’s under a Vila curse that will send her into a death-like sleep on her 21st birthday. After meeting the captivating princess, Alyce begins to believe she can break the curse and save the her. Of course, feelings develop, and complications arise.
If you’re looking for a book where the “villain” lead is actually a villain, this book will scratch that itch nicely. Alyce has a lot of redeeming characteristics, but she’s drawn into lie after lie and makes several selfish decisions that lead her down the path of ruin. I was pleasantly surprised by how far the author went with this storyline. Several books tout a female villain as the lead but only deliver some watered-down clumsy girl who maybe swears a little and has strong opinions on stuff. You know, basically a normal person. Heather Walter does not back away from the premise, and I’m so glad she didn’t.
I’d almost give this a five for the ending alone, but the middle dragged for me, especially the back and forth between Rose and Alyce. At a certain point, I was like, “I got it. These people are awful.” There were also two plot twists that didn’t work for me.
I hesitate to say what I wanted more of because I don’t want to include spoilers, but the author did a lot of interesting world building that I loved and she did change the tale of Sleeping Beauty enough where she truly made it her own.
Overall, I was really quite pleased with this book. I’ll certainly read the next in the series!
I've decided to to really give star ratings on the blog. Instead, have a reaction from one of my pets. This book gets a kitty smile.
