In this dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Walter breaks down the classic elements to create a drastically different story. Alyce is half Vila, a Fae race known for their cruelty and destructive magic. Alyce isn't thrilled that her powers can only bring destruction, but her life selling petty curses to petty nobles isn't particularly awful.
Until she meets Princess Aurora, the last heir to the Briar throne. Like every woman in the royal line, Aurora is cursed and will die if she doesn't find true love by her twenty-first birthday. Her older sisters have already fallen victim to the curse, and if Aurora doesn't break it the line will end and the kingdom will fall into turmoil. Her parents present her with suitor after suitor in desperation, but Aurora would rather break the curse on her own. And who better to help her than Alyce. If Vila magic is responsible for the curse, maybe a Vila like Alyce is just the one to break it.
I thought that the demand for fairytale retellings had already peaked, and the trend would fade soon, but it's still going strong. To me, Malice stood out from the crowd. This was a well written story, and it gave Princess Aurora a whole personality (which, to be honest, we don't get from a movie where she's asleep for half the runtime). Aurora was witty, determined, and refused to shy away from Alyce (who most citizens are absolutely terrified of). Alyce herself is an interesting character. She has a traumatic past, and is technically filling the role of the dark sorceress in the Sleeping Beauty story.
If you enjoy fairytale retellings, LGBTQ romance, or have a preference for dark fiction, you may want to give Heather Walter's Malice a try.