A review by 2ndbooktotheright
Malice by Heather Walter

adventurous dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
Content Warnings: blood, racism, bullying, child abuse, murder, torture, homophobia, medical trauma, kidnapping (adult), drug use, death of a parent 

Rating: 4/5 stars 

Malice is marketed as a reimagining of the classic European fairy tale, “Sleeping Beauty.” But this time the princess falls in love with the evil fairy. As a truly American child of the 90s, this pitch had me picturing a flawless young woman telling her three well meaning caretakers she’s “off to pick some berries” when, instead she’s running off to tryst with a horned woman that dresses like Morticia. Thankfully, I wasn’t exactly right. This story is so much more than that. 

This story follows Alyce, the “evil fairy.” She is a descendant of the Vila, a dark branch of the fae of Heather Walter’s world. In Briar, this is not OK. There are centuries old prejudices that Alyce must deal with on a daily basis. Throughout her life she is shunned, manipulated, and abused by nearly everyone around her, until she meets Princess Aurora. Aurora doesn’t fear Alyce, or the dark power she wields. Together Alyce and Aurora work toward breaking the curse that has doomed the princesses of the realm to die on their 21st birthday for centuries. As the weeks progress, so does their relationship. Then, as you would expect, the shit hits the fan sometime during the 11th hour. 

Heather Walters tells this tale beautifully. Her characters are real and imperfect and fully flashed out. Her world is well-built with a rich history, distinct cultures, interesting magic systems, and realistic, if a little over simplified, politics. I loved learning about the people and history of this realm as well as experiencing the evolution of the relationships Alyce has with different characters. I also loved the fact that the ending was not what I was expecting. 

The only real issue I had with this book was that it felt too long. It seemed like Walters spent too much time reinforcing the personalities of several of her characters and the “otherness” of Alyce. Several times throughout the novel I felt like I wanted to say to her “I get it. [Insert character name here] is a bullying asshole. Can we move on?” It also felt like there were some scenes that, while they added depth to certain characters, it wasn’t strictly necessary, and could’ve been left out. While I loved the fleshed-out nature of her characters, I don’t think it’s required that I feel some kind of sympathy for every antagonist, at least every female antagonist. 

My other nitpick is one I have with many books. I find it odd that books tend to focus, almost exclusively on one gender. In this case, there were hardly any men, even as side characters. Briar is a matriarchy, and all the magic in Briar was held by women, but there had to be more than four men there. Right? I mean, human reproduction requires it. I just don’t understand why an imaginary world can’t have an equal number of complicated and powerful men and women. 

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