One interesting note for queer readers is that this world is accepting of same-sex couples for the most part, except that the royal family requires M/F couples for heirs. This isn’t something that personally appeals to me as a reader, mostly because I have a terrible memory. We learn about the area’s history, its political machinations, and the magic system. I liked them as friends, but I didn’t feel that heat that I expect from a slowburn romance.Īs I mentioned, this is a fantasy novel that spends its time worldbuilding. There is a slowburn romance here, and we do get quite a bit of time building their friendship–which is why I was surprised when the eventual romance fell flat for me. Instead, it feels like her actions aren’t really hers, which gives them less weight and makes the transformation less interesting or surprising. I would either have liked to see that happen earlier in the book and see her grapple with that and slowly succumb to it, or I would like to her snap because of her own experiences–which would be a believable character arc. (Major spoiler:) I was surprised–and a little disappointed–when Alyce got… inhabited? by the spirit of an evil Vila, and that’s what spurs her to villainy. (It’s hard to review this book without alluding to the ending!) I would have liked more time to deal with some of those elements, especially the one that affected Alyce the most on a personal level. Having a slow pace works if the story is meant to be slice of life and atmospheric–and a lot of this space is used to establish the worldbuilding–but it felt awkward to suddenly crash into the action, especially when some of it changed the tone of the story.

Unfortunately, I don’t feel like those two parts really meshed well together. I see other Goodreads reviews that were unhappy with where the story went, but I think it was inevitable when you consider the source material. The last chunk of the book is explosive, moving the story forward at a sprint. The first 80% of the book moved quite slowly–it’s essentially a training montage of Alyce discovering her true powers and building them, as well as starting a friendship with Aurora. This is an adult fantasy book, but the characters are in their late teens/early twenties, so it would appeal to YA readers as a crossover book as well.Īlthough I was intrigued by the premise, and I think this will appeal to a lot of readers, it didn’t quite land with me. This is a premise that I know a lot of Lesbrary readers will be excited about! It’s a duology, and this volume is mostly setting about Alyce’s journey to becoming the character we’re used to from the original story.

Malice is an F/F retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” with a Malificent/Aurora romance, and Malificent (“Alyce,” in this case) as the main character.

Malice heather walter book 3