Malice by Heather Walter
Synopsis
"Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.
You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.
Utter nonsense.
Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.
Until I met her.
Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.
But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.
Nonsense again.
Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—
I am the villain."
My Thoughts
I think it's obvious by now I love a good queer retelling. And Malice did not disappoint! I think what made this one so good was the shades of grey of the MC. Alice wasn't totally innocent throughout this book, but I still felt for her and the position she was put in and I thought her character was done tremendously well. It was also really fun seeing the familiar elements from the known Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and how they appeared throughout this one.
This story wasn't exactly what I expected, but that ended up being a really good thing! I definitely loved and recommend this one!
Genre: lgbtqia+, fantasy, retelling
Representation: queer MC, sapphic relationship
Content Warnings: Blood, Death of a sibling (past), Homophobia, Murder, Non-consensual kissing, Self harm (to draw blood for magic), Bullying, Torture, Fantasy violence, Sex scene, Murder