Misrule: Book Two of the Malice Duology

Heather Walter

May 2022 · Malice Book 2 · Sold by Del Rey

About this ebook

Does true love break curses or begin them? The dark sorceress of “Sleeping Beauty” reclaims her story in this sequel to Malice.

“Fans of reimagined fairy tales and LGBTQ+ themes will be delighted with the conclusion of this fantasy duology.”—Booklist (starred review)

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?
 
Book Two of the Malice Duology

Ratings and reviews

I was excited to read book two of this duet and I liked it. The story offered plenty of twists and drama that had me firmly focused and invested. I can't say everything that happened here thrilled me, but I did think it stuck the landing as far as the ending went. I am posting an unbiased, unsolicited review.

Misrule is the second book in the Malice Duology, and the two books should be read in order. This is a very clever, compelling queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and it’s even better than I had anticipated. It’s beautifully written with vivid imagery. I was hooked from the very first page; I found the book difficult to put down as the story twisted and turned, hurtling toward an ending I couldn’t predict. The characterization is excellent. I could understand and sympathize with most of the characters. They are all flawed and make mistakes, but you can understand why they make the choices they do. I really liked our main character, Alyce/Nimara, despite my uneasiness with some of her choices. I loved Alyce’s kestrel, Callow, and her fae steed, Chaos. I cheered Princess Aurora in her determination to exercise her agency. I liked Regan and Torin and Neve and all of the other colorful characters in the Dark Court. I love that Heather Walter was able to create so many strong female characters and write about them in such a relatable way. I found the ending surprising and emotionally satisfying. I will be interested in anything else that Heather Walter writes. I highly recommend this book to fans of fairy tale retellings or Sapphic romantic fantasies. Note that the story includes violence, cruelty, magical curses, and mild swearing. I was provided an ARC from NetGalley, and I volunteered to review this book.

I've never fallen in love with a story so well written and I'm glad that Malice and Misrule were my first ♡

About the author

Heather Walter is a native Southerner who hates the heat. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she is a former English teacher and a current librarian. Perhaps it is because she’s surrounded by stories that she began writing them. At any given moment, you can find her plotting.