Alone and reviled, Alyce questions whether her power is a curse or blessing, wondering if she will be hated by everyone she meets. Because of her differences, Alyce is ostracized, even as they need her magical skills. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.īecause we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. Malice is a book that revolves around deconstructing this villianess narrative.

If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.īut 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. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. 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. At any given moment, you can find her plotting. Perhaps it is because she’s surrounded by stories that she began writing them. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she is a former English teacher and a current librarian. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. Heather Walter is a native Southerner who hates the heat. Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses.

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss. Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale. Thanks to the team at Del Rey for the gorgeous album art!Ī princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. A princess isnt supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. Curious about what MALICE sounds like? Here’s a playlist I curated over on Spotify.

Malice by Heather Walter