#Malice Duology

[sapphic-book-tournament]

Part 1 of Round 1 starts tomorrow. I hope everyone is excited as I am. It's a bit much but I wanted to include all the recommendations that I got to make everyone happy.

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Malice Duology

Author: Heather Walter

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 2021

Genres: fiction, fantasy, LGBT+, romance, retelling

Blurb: Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die - a curse that could only be broken by true love's kiss. You've heard this before, haven't you? The handsome prince, the happily-ever-after - utter nonsense. No one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses, not the way they care about their jewels, elaborate parties, and charm-granting elixirs. Alyce thought she didn't care, either...until she met her. Princess Aurora, the last heir to Briar's throne. Kind, gracious, the future queen her realm needs. One who isn't bothered that she is the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in her veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay her to bottle hexes and then brand her a monster. Aurora says Alyce should be proud of her gifts, that she cares for her, even though it was a power like Alyce's that was responsible for her curse...but with less than a year until that curse will kill the princess, any future Alyce might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating, and Aurora can't stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. Alyce wants to help her. If her power began her curse, perhaps it's what can lift it. Perhaps, together, they could forge a new world. Nonsense again, because we all know how this story ends, right? Aurora is the beautiful princess, and Alyce is the villain.

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fantasy Books Bracket: Round 1

Book summaries below:

Mooncakes, written by Suzanne Walker, illustrated by Wendy Xu

A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft. Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers' bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town. One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home. Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery. Graphic novel, fantasy, young adult, romance, cozy fantasy, contemporary setting

Malice duology (Malice, Misrule) by Heather Walter

Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss. You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after. Utter nonsense. Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either. Until I met her. Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. 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. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse. But 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. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world. Nonsense again. Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I— I am the villain. Fantasy, retelling, romance, fairytale

[les4lesbookrecs]

Misrule by Heather Walter

Book 2 in the Malice Duology

"The Dark Grace is dead.

Feared and despised for the sinister power in her veins, Alyce wreaks her revenge on the kingdom that made her an outcast. Once a realm of decadence and beauty, Briar is now wholly Alyce’s wicked domain. And no one will escape the consequences of her wrath. Not even the one person who holds her heart.

Princess Aurora saw through Alyce’s thorny facade, earning a love that promised the dawn of a new age. But it is a love that came with a heavy price: Aurora now sleeps under a curse that even Alyce’s vast power cannot seem to break. And the dream of the world they would have built together is nothing but ash.

Alyce vows to do anything to wake the woman she loves, even if it means turning into the monster Briar believes her to be. But could Aurora love the villain Alyce has become?

Or is true love only for fairy tales?"

Goodreads Dymocks Amazon WorldCat

i LOVE this series 💖💖💖💖 it was actually what inspired this blog!!!!! if you read any book i post about here i hope its this one x

[moon-axolotl]

Hi I’m back with another playlist!!! This one is inspired by the Malice Duology by Heather Walter which I just binge read and just WOW…I will never stop recommending these books!!!! Seriously GO READ THEM.

imagine this playlist as the soundtrack for a live action adaption because I’m dying for one and it would be absolutely epic!!! A lot of it is from AURORA’s new album “What happened to the heart?” which reminded me so much of Alyce’s and Aurora’s relationship throughout both books.

If you want to scream about Malice with me or have any suggestions about songs to add let me know >:)

[pleasedontmakemechooseanusername]

So, I've not yet finished misrule, and Aurora is my spirit animal, but

Listen. Listen. Listen to me.

Regan.

Someone else?

I don't care if she turns bad honestly, if Alyce doesn't get her I will.

[shebeafancyflapjack]

So I just finished reading this book...

And its sequel Misrule...And I have thoughts. Well, feels, actually.

I've gotten back into reading over the latter half of this year and particularly have been reading / listening to a load of sapphic books. They've ranged from "meh" to "that was kinda cool." This was the first series that actually gave me the same feels as a TV or movie usually does. It had me by the throat and I just loved how morally grey EVERYBODY was.

The plot is essentially "combine Wicked with Maleficent but make it gay and a lot darker than both". There is a lot of manipulation and liar revealed plot lines, to the point it almost became a little annoying, until I just kinda accepted the mindset of "this is a game of thronesy story where everyone is a lying asshole." - but I still loved them. It really took me on a journey with the main couple where I was shipping them and then not sure if I did, I kinda started shipping something else and then went back to shipping Alyce x Aurora while being aware how toxic they were- and because its all through Alyce's pov, it does really well making you go through those emotions with her while also wanting to punch her half the time for the dumb useless lesbian choices she makes. There is one character I kinda felt could've had a better ending, it was almost like the author didn't know how to end her story and this love triangle so just...got rid of her, but it doesn't feel out of place, just felt like she deserved more.

Was it perfectly written? Not....always. I mean you could make a drinking game at the amount of time Alyce curses "dragons teeth" and end up with cirrhosis. But I feel like this is my ACOTAR, which I also read this year and spent the whole time thinking "I want this but sapphic". It is gay fae x humanoid action romance tragedy everything and I had a lot of fun, and at the end I was listening to the final chapter while walking my dog and trying not to cry in public. The ending was so satisfying, to the point that the epilogue almost felt unnecessary- but it was still a sweet and hopeful note to end on.

Just hoping that Netflix picks this one up to adapt, there are so many epic moments I'd love to see on screen.

[princessw0lf]

I'm 60 pages away from finishing Misrule and I'm going feral. I feel like this isn't gonna end well. I'm scared.

[mehworld]

Or you know, the Malice and Misrule books.

[sapphic-book-tournament]

I think I'm gonna give it like a week so people have time to let me know what they want to see in the tournament before we start. Comment here or on my previous post to let me know anything you want to see. I'm so excited! Make sure to comment books even if they're tagged to make sure they make it.

[les4lesbookrecs]

Malice by Heather Walter

A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale.

"Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.

Until I met her.

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. 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. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.

But 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. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.

Nonsense again.

Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—

I am the villain."

Goodreads Dymocks Amazon WorldCat

[good-books-to-read]

Going to add some more

Heartless by Marisa Meyer

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Once & future by Cori McCarthy and Amy rose Captetta

Wolf for a spell by Karah Sutton

Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder

Malice by Heather Walters

Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer

Of beast and beauty by Stacey Jay

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

I have more but they are more mythological and history inspired than fairytales

Fairy Tale Retelling Book Recommendations

A favorite genre of mine. Here are the books I recommend in this category or that people have recommended to me. If you have any recommendations of ones I've missed, let me know! Always looking for more book recs.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

The Wrath and Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Stolen Enchantress by Amber Argyle

Curse of the Wolf King by Tessonja Odette

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A Craig

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C Dao

[queereads-bracket]

Hiya! Love this as a thing, thanks for making it! I was wondering whether you had a complete list of submitted books anywhere, or if you'd be willing to make one? I would love to be able to add them all to my TBR and scrolling through the polls takes a bit of a while 😅 Thank you!

yes absolutely! helping people find fun new things to read is my Secret Nefarious True Purpose of this blog 😈

Below is a full list of all 68 entries to the Queer Fantasy Books bracket:

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley The Captive Prince series by C. S. Pacat Squad, written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, illustrated by Lisa Sterle Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas The Tamir Triad series by Lynn Flewelling The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu by Meng Xi Shi The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson Princess Princess Ever After by K. O’Neill The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater The Elemental Logic series by Laurie J. Marks The Last Binding trilogy by Freya Marske The Witch Boy series by Molly Knox Ostertag Nimona by ND Stevenson The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez The Seraphina Duology (Seraphina, Shadow Scale) by Rachel Hartman The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw The Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard Crier's War duology (Crier's War, Iron Heart) by Nina Varela The Burning Kingdoms series by Tasha Suri The Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan Crimson Sails series (Hunt on Dark Waters, Blood on the Tide) by Katee Robert House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland The Machineries of Empire series by Yoon Ha Lee The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach (The Endsong series) Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust The Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee The Last Hours series by Cassandra Clare Salt Slow by Julia Armfield Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag The Masquerade Series by Seth Dickinson Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky Monstrous Regiment (Discworld) by Terry Pratchett The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie Six of Crows duology (Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom) by Leigh Bardugo Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender (Infinity Alchemist series) Mooncakes, written by Suzanne Walker, illustrated by Wendy Xu Malice duology (Malice, Misrule) by Heather Walter The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow Snapdragon by Kat Leyh The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare The Knight and the Necromancer series by A.H. Lee When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill The Left-Handed Booksellers of London series by Garth Nix The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern Taproot: A Story About a Gardener and a Ghost by Keezy Young The Radiant Emperor series by Shelley Parker-Chan Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare The Marble Queen, written by Anna Kopp, illustrated by Gabrielle Kari Saint Juniper's Folly by Alex Crespo The Cursed Heart by Derin Edala One Stormy Day in New Providence by E. Jade Lomax and K. Sundberg Godfell: The Complete Series by Christopher Sebela, Ben Hennessy (Illustrator)

[pleasedontmakemechooseanusername]

I still feel offended by the fact that Alyce never went to see Regan train and so we never saw that.

Alyce, you robbed us of too much.

[the-9th-genderfluid]

Ok so like a year ago, I read malice and havoc, a duology by chris wooding. And omg i want to cry there is no fandom for it. I have looked at tumblr, I saw like 7 Post that are actually about it, and all of those were small lil do you remember this book? Things. Ao3 had 6 fics, 5 of which are cross overs and the other one is 500 words. I want this book to be more popular, it was so good and its a innovative concept. Please god make this book super popular out of nowhere.

[sapphicbookclub]

Malice Duology by Heather Walter 

(Malice, Misrule)

Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss. You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either. Until I met her.

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. 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. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.

But 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. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.

Nonsense again. Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I— I am the villain.

Genres: fairytale, fantasy, romance

Get the books from The Book Depository here! (1, 2)