Malice by Heather Walter is an amazing fantasy book that has everything. It has fantasy, suspense, mystery, action, romance, and kept me enchanted from start to finish. It is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, however this first book is truly centred around the occasions paving the way to a Princess sleeping for a 100 years.
The start of this book was certainly slow, and I got myself not liking the writing. This may be on the grounds that there was such a lot of dense background information and history tossed in for the set up. It seemed like it might have been normally presented better instead of verging on info dumping. I will say this unquestionably improved all through the novel. The story truly began to develop, and chapters picked up the pace. It took me a couple of chapters to understand Walter’s writing and structure, but everything soon became alright. I liked the way the writer balanced all these things. despite the slow beginning, Walter still exhibits a superb writing style in her novel.
I truly liked how Malice was a totally new interpretation of the original story of Sleeping Beauty. Walter has nods to the original however makes something interesting and unique. In addition to that liked the darker, angsty vibes this book had. I was really sold when I heard it also had a complex antagonist, morally dark characters, and a stubborn princess. I don’t think I have read numerous Books from the villain’s point of view, so this was a cool experience. We get to see Alyce’s inside battle about this. It is a to and fro between what her identity is, who she wants to be, and who others consider her to be. You can feel for her and understand that a few things are in the center rather than to exclusively good versus evil.
I immediately loved Aurora’s character as well. It is pretty interesting that she has a bigger role in this narrative compared to the original fairy tale. I loved how Aurora’s life and role as a princess opened up conversations about family, agency, duty, etc. She is a kind of person who did not just go with the flow and accept what was happening to her. She was stubborn, dedicated, incredibly smart and genuinely wanted to rule and do good for the people in Briar.
Along with Alyce and Aurora, I think about the characters were very much developed. They all had interesting personalities, and I additionally liked how Walter explained their inspirations and inner battles. It was intriguing to see the different Graces and magic as well. Certain reveals at the end of the story were a little predictable but not in a bad way. Malice by Heather Walter was a wonderful read. He made an exceptionally exciting story that pulls readers in. There are ton of things I adored about Malice. I actually can’t wait for the 2nd novel in the series.
Also Read: The Drowning Kind: By Jennifer McMahon
