#alyce x aurora

[cows-have-friends]

God forbid women do ANYTHING*

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

[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!!!

[sapphic-book-tournament]

The Priory of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon-

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Malice 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.

[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

[roseofithaca]

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.

[acoldwintersread]

Malice by Heather Walter

5/5 stars

Amidst the massive influx of fairytale retellings, it’s hard to find ones that stand out, especially if it seems like every other book is inspired by the same fairytale. (*cough* beauty & the beast..)

I love fairytales and I do love a good retelling, but I’ve gotten a bit bored with them and I keep my expectations low for said reasons. However, I was completely blown away with Malice! A sapphic retelling of Sleeping Beauty? With a descent into villainy? Sign me the hell up!!

Malice is the story of Alyce, known throughout the kingdom of Briar as “The Dark Grace”, and her story of self discovery, love, and her struggle with who she truly is and what people have been telling her she is her whole life.

An orphan and half Vila (the dark fae who cursed the royal bloodline), Alyce has been an outcast her whole life. While the Grace’s blood can create beautiful enchantments, Alyce’s own causes the opposite. Tired of being the outcast, she goes to the birthday celebration for Princess Aurora, where her whole life changes.

I loved this story so much, and even though I could tell what some of the twists were going to be, the ending did surprise me. It left me fuming in the middle of the night with no one to vent to! 😅 I’m still not over it, and I am eagerly awaiting April and the release of Misrule!

[itskaradanversbitch]

“Alyce.” I will split apart at my name on those lips.

- Misrule (Part 2 of the Malice series)

[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

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[alexsfictionaddiction]

Alex Recommends: April Books

I have been so incredibly busy this month and I'm only just getting a chance to sit down to write this. I have been getting a lot of work recently and a lot of it is taking up a lot of time and mental energy. However, I have also been in a great reading mood, so I've read a lot too!

The Women's Prize shortlist was announced last week and I've been slowly making my way through the longlist. This has been such great fun and I'm delighted that I still actually have three of the shortlist to read. Two of my recommendations this month come from the longlist and one of them made the shortlist, so I can certainly say that it's a fantastic selection this year. Check it out here if you haven't been following the announcements. 

I don't know whether it's because I've been working so much or because I've had a few disappointments this month but my mental health hasn't been great. I've had a few nights recently where I've just cried and been overwhelmed with hopelessness when I think about the future. Mark has been amazing at keeping me grounded through it all and it's certainly not my personal or romantic life that I'm worried about. 

Recently, I've been harboring some serious desires to get back into publishing but it's even harder than it has ever been now. It often feels like the hard work that I've been putting in for years just doesn't really count for much anymore and there are few things that are more disappointing than that realisation. I guess it's that age-old adage that when one area of ​​your life is finally sorted, another area will start to fall apart or be severely lacking. 

Anyway, that was a rather lengthy, not particularly uplifting intro, so I think it's about time I gave you some reading recommendations! Hope you're all keeping well. -Love, Alex x

FICTION: Because Of You by Dawn French.

As the new millennium rings in, two families are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their babies in a London hospital. One mother goes home with a healthy baby girl while the other suffers the ultimate tragedy. 17 years later, Minnie is about to become a mother, which forces a terrible secret from years ago to surface with devastating results. This heartbreaking novel explores motherhood and the idea of ​​what family really is. As it's written by the wonderfully funny Dawn French, there is some comedy in there too but it's mostly a book about love in its many guises and the power of forgiveness. Don't go into it expecting a laugh a minute just because of who the author is. You'll be sobbing your heart out!

LITERARY FICTION: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.

Gifty is a neuroscience student at Stanford University, studying reward-seeking behaviour in mice. Her brother Nana died of a heroin overdose years before and now her suicidal mother has moved in with her and struggles to get out of bed. Gifty is desperate to make sense of the relentless suffering that has haunted her young life and while her research is helping, it's the faith of her childhood and her Ghanaian culture that she finds herself leaning towards. This beautifully written book is a heart-wrenching story of family, identity and a desperate search for answers to life's big questions. With themes of everlasting love and agonising grief, this stunning novel is incredibly powerful and thought-provoking.

MIDDLE-GRADE: The Unbelievable Biscuit Factory by James Harris.

In Haddie's hometown of Normalton, there is a biscuit factory that definitely isn't a front for a top secret science lab. The orange fluffy monsters that have started appearing out of thin air certainly aren't there and there is definitely nothing weird going on in Normalton. Haddie and her friends absolutely do not have to save the world armed with nothing but an electric guitar. This hilarious madcap adventure is nothing short of completely bizarre. As well as a celebration of imperfection and friendship, The Unbelievable Biscuit Factory is a horrifically accurate depiction of how humans choose to ignore the rapidly imploding reality around us. Completely ridiculous but fantastic fun!

FANTASY: Malice by Heather Walter.

Alyce is half Vila, which means that she is a much-feared, very powerful being in the kingdom of Briar. To keep her under control, she is dubbed the Dark Grace and allowed to use her blood magic to create elixirs for those who wish to do dark deeds. When the cursed Princess Aurora seems to take an interest in Alyce, suspicions arise. But Alyce may be about to unravel the secrets of her past and her truth will come to light. This clever amalgamation of fairytales has elements of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty. The romance between Alyce and Aurora is very slow burning with a very satisfying culmination. There is a dark, sultry essence to the whole book which ultimately champions outcasts and threatens revenge on their oppressors. I haven't been in the mood to read fantasy for a while but I devoured this one!

THRILLER: Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone.

During their isolated, traumatic childhood in an ominous Gothic Edinburgh house, twins El and Cat created a dark imaginary world called Mirrorland where they'd have adventures with pirates, witches and clowns. As adults, the twins have drifted apart. Cat is living as a struggling writer in LA while El married Ross, the boy who lived next door to their childhood home, where El and Ross still live. But now El has gone missing and Cat is called back to Scotland to confront the past and follow the clues as to where El could have gone. Mirrorland is definitely one of the darkest, most twisted thrillers I've read in a long time. I really wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't, which added to the mindfuckery of it. It's an intense exploration of the uniqueness of twinship where the twists just keep coming. Ice-cold and very clever, I have a feeling that this book will have a good year!

[driluth]

title: of sea and starlight

pairing: alyce/aurora

rating: t

word count: 4.2k

summary: For nearly a century, Aurora waits. (Contains spoilers for Misrule.)