Book 43 Malice

 

Malice by Heather Walter fulfilled the category “A Sapphic Book” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. Sapphic means a love story between two women. The novel is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty where the princess falls in love with the evil sorceress.

As per usual, I read more than one title for the category. The first book Love & Other Natural Disasters was a YA romance about a young woman who gets an internship at a museum with someone she used to date. Nozomi enlists another girl to “fake” date to make another girl jealous. There are a series of fake dates and weird feelings. In the end, we get a happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, the cute story was not enough. Nozomi made many bad choices. I had a hard time sympathizing with her because she was mean to the fake girlfriend. I won’t say it was an abusive relationship, but I didn’t care for it. Yes, she was a teen full of angst, but some behaviors are not okay. So, I read something else.

Malice hit all the buttons. I love a retold fairy tale. I wrote several myself (which you’ll never see because they’re buried on my computer). The system of magic is unique. Some people have special abilities when they’re born, thanks to an old truce with the fae. We all know how straightforward they are… Is this a gift, a blessing, or a curse?

There’s another type of magic, and our heroine, Alyce, has it. She is called the Dark Grace as her ability curses rather than heals like the other magic users. Alyce is alone and isolated because of her power. But the town won’t get rid of her because she’s useful. She has no friends, no understanding of her magic, and no one to turn to.

Enter Princess Aurora. The two of them meet, and sparks fly. But our heroine can’t be with the princess. The town is tolerant of same-sex couples, but the princess must produce an heir to continue the Royal line.

The story contained many big concepts. The conflict starts because two women are in a romantic relationship. People are still wonky about that, which is annoying. The heroine is an outsider because she was born different. We have a differently-abled character who is abused because of her powers. Alyce is alienated and alone because no one is like her in the entire town. That speaks to the racism and diversity issues ongoing in our nation. Getting these two women together is almost impossible in a society that restricts its leaders. And a little spoiler—her father might be conspiring against the princess. We have family issues, gender issues, body issues, racial issues, and more.

We have all these wonderful things, and dammit, it’s duology. I can’t get the second book yet! Malice was a good choice as these women have a lot to overcome to be together. The fact that Aurora doesn’t care that our heroin is different and not beautiful makes it a fantastic, fun story. and I love watching the build to see our heroin finally realize that someone actually likes her for herself.

I give Malice by Heather Walter Five Ancient Books full of Secrets.