#alyce and aurora

[sapphic-book-tournament]

[bookwyrminspiration]

i somehow have the audacity to be surprised when the sleeping beauty inspired story, a story where a major part is the 100 year sleep, has a 100 year time skip

[cows-have-friends]

God forbid women do ANYTHING*

*set fire to your girlfriend’s kingdom because of a problem you caused

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Book names + authors under the cut

Zhou ZiShu/Wen KeXing- Tian Ye Ke (Faraway Wanderers) by Priest

Alyce/Aurora- Malice by Heather Walker

Shadi/Zoya- The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

Ambrose Cusk/Kodiak Celius- The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

[fallenight]

i recently read malice by heather walter and for the whole book i kept thinking "this would all be much shorter if alyce realized she can just murder everyone who treated her like a monster and be done with it" and then i got to the end of the book LMAO...good for her!!!

[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.

[wosoimagines]

Guys, I’ve very much have loved reading Malice and Misrule by Heather Walter. If you guys have recommendations that are similar I would love to hear them.

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket: Round 1

Book summaries below:

The Deep by Rivers Solomon (with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes)

Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.

Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.

Fantasy, Afrofuturism, folklore, novella, adult

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, series, adult

[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)

[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.

[bookwyrminspiration]

everything’s moving too fast tarkin extra evil arc this true love lesbian marriage that can we please back up to the part where aurora said she doesn’t know what she truly looks like because from the moment she was born the graces altered and curated her—from the length of her legs to the width of her hips—with their elixirs and every time it starts to wear off she’s forced to keep taking the elixirs because when she refuses to drink them they slip them to her. I feel like that needs another moment that’s horrifying she’s never known her own appearance she guessed her hair color and then we just? moved on???

[vavuska]

It's like Maleficent, but they are lesbians 💖

The princess isn't supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of Sleeping Beauty, true love is more complicated than a simple fairy tale. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Holly Black.

'Malice is the dark and wicked heart of a fairytale carved into a book. This story is beautiful, vicious magic.'

Tasha Suri, author of Empire of Sand

'A truly original and clever retelling of a classic that had me racing to the end - you'll never look at Sleeping Beauty the same again.'

S.A. Chakraborty, author of City of Brass

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.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar cares what happens to our princess. I thought I didn't care, either. Until I met her.

Princess Aurora, last heir to the throne, 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. But with less than a year before the curse kills her, any future I might imagine for us is quickly disappearing - and she can't stand to kiss yet another idiotic prince. But maybe I can help her. If my power began the curse, it might be the one to lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.

But we all know how this story ends. Aurora is the beautiful princess.

And I am the villain.

Credits: @kimocchika

You can find her original post here: [X]

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[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

[starrytief]

Malice (read through thoughts)

I want to try to write my thoughts about the books I'm reading down both to be more intentional about my reading but also because I feel like it.

That being said, I'm already 19 chapters into the book so these thoughts are going to be a bit sparse and not so well-organised. I'll try to be consistent with the upcoming reading sessions.

I have never read a fairy tale retelling before, so I did not quite know what to expect. The only version of Sleeping Beauty I am familiar with is Disney's animated movie, so I am not sure how the original fairy tale goes -- that being said I was pleasantly surprised with the world and the lore around it and how the characters breathe life into it. Some aspects feel exaggerated in a way (light vs dark, good vs evil, the way most of the Graces in Lavender House read like the evil stepsisters from Cinderella), but I find they work nicely for a setting like this and it maintains some of the fairy tale spirit in a sense.

I really like the characters. Alyce is an interesting point of view, and I enjoy a broody and kinda vindictive character. I love how her discovering her origins and the way all of it affects her are central to the story and conflict, as well as the fact that this knowledge is such a huge drive to her actions. I had no idea how Aurora was going to be like, but again it was a happy surprise. She is the perfect counterpart to Alyce, and I enjoy her determined but mischievous personality. I love that both of them are so driven, and although right now they seem to be on the same page while striving for their goals, I do wonder if or when their respective goals are going to clash. There's already the aspect of Alyce possibly trying to break the curse herself, although as she knows that might not end well. Not to mention Aurora's mother and her father. Of course there is the chemistry between Alyce and Aurora too, so I am honestly looking forward to the drama (Alyce shapeshifting into Aurora when thinking of beauty? That was so gay). I also enjoy the interactions between Alyce and the other Graces, especially Rose. Rose does come across as cartoonishly evil at first, but she seems to be the vehicle through which we are shown the struggles of being a Grace and the toxicity that comes with it. Laurel on the other hand is a treasure (I hope these don't turn out to be last famous words).

I think one of my favourite aspects of the book are how the world's history and current society are interwoven in the story. I think it's great when the consequences of history still have an impact on the current story and the characters, be it as a device to cover the truth (such as the biased history Alyce had been fed before) or as a way to create obstacles (like the policies around the Briar heir's partner). Things like that, this feeling of action and reaction between world and characters are what makes a story truly effective, and I think the book has been quite good at it thus far.

I am now Concerned(tm) about Alyce and what the King is going to ask of her. I wonder if she's going to share that with Aurora, or if this spiral of secrecy is going to be another source of conflict. I am very excited to keep reading in general though, and see where this first book is going to end.

[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 >:)