Moon Fox
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.
Lorena Dinger
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.