But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale. Plus, the author confirmed there will be a sequel! Summary:Ī princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress.

Overall, I would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for a sapphic slow burn romance, a fairy tale retelling for adults, or anyone looking for a great fantasy read.

I don’t think it was preachy and was a welcome addition to this familiar tale that is well known for its lack of consent discussions. I think it was handled well in the story and the role kissing played in the story made me uncomfortable at times because of the lack of consent in most cases. I also liked (but did not enjoy) the conversation about consent when kissing is involved. Things I did enjoy included the sapphic elements that the author wove into this retelling and giving Aurora, the princess, more depth as a character. It just made me very unhappy when the betrayal was explored because it didn’t feel important enough to be part of the climax. Having read an advanced copy, there is a possibility that this was cleaned up before publication, so I won’t be listing any examples/quotes. The second though was a bit more because of the writing I think as this secondary character didn’t feel especially important until the end with what felt like last minute sprinkling through the earlier story to lead up a bit better. The first because it was so incredibly obvious, but it is believable that our MC wouldn’t pick up on all the huge signs so this was absolutely a personal pet peeve. There were two betrayals toward the climax of this book that I just didn’t like. There were two things that didn’t work for me personally (minor spoilers ahead). You can feel all the emotional and moral struggle that Alyce tries to deal with throughout the novel with no support from those who should. Throw in a fascinating magic structure, political intrigue, and secret love and you have the ingredients for a fabulous story, which I think the author absolutely delivered on. I have always liked Maleficent, or the dark fairy, way more than Sleeping Beauty in this staple princess fairy tale, so I was intrigued to see how Heather Walter would showcase Alyce’s otherness. I am incredibly glad that I was able to read this book! First because my focus for any kind of print (physical or digital) reading has been sparse the last couple of months, and secondly because it was such a delight to read.

This book sounded absolutely amazing from the description, so I requested an arc from the publisher and received an earc in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication: April 13th 2021 by Del Rey

Malice heather walter characters