#heather walter

[sapphic-book-tournament]

#nona the ninth #harrow the ninth #gideon the ninth #gideon the 9th #Gideon the locked tomb #the locked tomb #harrow the 9th #harrow the locked tomb #alyce and aurora #malice #misrule #nona the 9th #Nona the locked tomb #heather walter #tamsyn muir #sapphic book tournament #sapphic #sapphic books #lesbian #lesbian books #lesbian romance #lesbian romance novels #fantasy #malice duology #Lgbt #gay #lgbt books #lgbt fiction #lgbtq #lgbtq books

[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

#malice #misrule #heather walter #the one page after the prologue in book 2: 100 years later #me. reading a sapphic evil sleeping beauty retelling: *surprised pikachu* #anyway. I’m back with alyce (now named nimara) and Aurora I’ll let you know how it goes

[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]

My GoodReads: [X]

#vavuskapakage #Vavuskabooks #Maleficent #Malice #heather walter #fantasy books #lgbtq representation #lgbtq fiction #lgbtq fantasy #sleeping beauty #fairy tale adaptation #lgbtq+ representation #lgbtq+ books #lgbtq books #sapphic novels #sapphic fantasy #sapphic books #Malice by Heather Walter #young adult fantasy #ya fiction #young adult #malora #maleficent

[melanielocke]

Book recommendations: retellings part 1

I love a good retelling. So much so that I had to split the retelling section in two, possibly three parts or there'd be too many books to fit into a picture properly. I love getting creative with old and familiar stories, while other books retell stories I wasn't that familiar with at all.

I'm starting with Six Crimson Cranes and the Dragon's Promise

The first book is an East Asian inspired retelling of the swan princess, I'm not sure if the second book is a retelling of anything. If you don't know the swan princess, the basic premise is that the evil stepmother sorceress turns the princess' brothers into swans and she has to find a way to undo the curse.

The series follows Shiori, the princess and youngest child of the emperor. In Kiata, magic is locked away and forbidden, but Shiori was born with magic and had to keep is hidden away. At the day of her betrothal ceremony, she loses control and catches the attention of her stepmother Raikama, who uses her own dark magic to turn her brothers into cranes and curses Shiori so that when she speaks one of her brothers will die. Voiceless and alone, she has to find her brothers and undo the curse.

These books really feel and read like a fairytale, and while I am not super familiar with the swan princess I like how elements of the fairytale are woven into the book. Pun intended, because weaving a net is a big part in both the book and the original fairytale. My favorite part is Raikama, the stepmother, and villain of the first book. She's a very complex character and I loved learning more about her and why she cursed Shiori and her brothers.

The editions I have of this book are absolutely gorgeous, and I believe they're the UK edition hardcovers. I'm not sure if people in North America will be able to find these editions, and the US edition has a different cover.

Next up is the Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

This is a retelling of a Korean fairytale that I'm not familiar with, and the story itself reads like a fairtale very similar to Six Crimson Cranes. I'd say if you like this one, you'll like Six Crimson Cranes and vice versa.

Mina comes from a land plagued by deadly storms and the people believe the sea god, who was once their protector, has turned against them. Every year they choose a girl who is thrown into the sea in the hope that she turns out to be the sea god's true bride and will appease him. This year, Mina's brother's girlfriend is chosen to be the sacrifice and her brother goes after her to save her, which could result in his death. So Mina jumps into the sea instead, sacrificing herself. She finds herself in the spirit world, the world of gods, a place where a mortal like her can't survive long. There, she finds out the sea god is sleeping, and the storms won't end until he wakes. But not everyone wants the sea god to wake up, and they will do anything to stop Mina.

I think one of the best aspects of this book is the slowly developed dislike to romance with Mina's love interest, who is not the obvious choice here, and I love the mystery behind what happened to the sea god and the eventual explanation.

Like with Six Crimson Cranes, the edition shown on the picture is a UK edition with a different cover from the US one.

So this is Ever After counts as a retelling of King Arthur, but it is really more of a rom com in a medieval fantasy setting.

The story takes place after the main quest where Alek pulls a magic sword from a stone (which did not come pre sharpened) with which he beheaded the evil sorcerer king (rather clumsily).

To make sure another evil ruler doesn't take over while they go rescue the princess, Alek temporarily assumes the crown at his mage best friend Matt's advice. Only it turns out the princess is already dead and Alek is stuck as king now.

Worse, there is no way to undo his coronation and if he doesn't get married before his next birthday he'll fade away. Alek doesn't want to marry just anyone, and since he has a little time left, he decides to test potential romantic connections to all this quest companions with Matt's help using common romance tropes he finds in the dead princess' diary. But it turns out love might have been right in front of him all along.

This book is hilarious and pokes fun at lots of common rom com tropes as well as fantasy tropes. The land is called "the land of Ere in the realm of Chickpea". Alek and Matt are both so clueless about each other's feelings, it is funny but at times also frustrating, and they try the most ridiculous things to see if they can pair him up with one of their other companions. If you dislike miscommunication or main characters being dumbasses, you probably won't like this book. There's a fun secondary cast, and their companions all fit pretty much into classic dnd classes such as the rogue, the bard etc

Also by this author: In Deeper Waters, a little mermaid retelling that I'll cover in retelling part 2

Last but certainly not least is Malice by Heather Walter

Now, for most of the books I rewrite the summary in my own words with what I think are the most important things to mention, but the official synopsis of the first book is so brilliant and I could never outdo that, so the next part is copy pasted from Goodreads.

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. 

This in an adult fantasy duology, and retelling of Sleeping Beauty told from the perspective of a character based on Maleficent. Alyce is not the one who cast the curse on Aurora, but she does have similar powers to the original vila who placed the curse. The way the curse works is all women descended from the original queen of Briar are cursed and will die without their true love's kiss. Cursed women also only have daughters. To make sure this doesn't spread to too many descendants, only the Queen is allowed to have children and other female relatives are not. Some survive the curse by kissing the right person on time, some die. Aurora's mother survived, but true love's kiss doesn't guarantee a good partner or relationship. Aurora's two older sisters both died, and Aurora doesn't have long left. Because of this, she's forced to kiss random men pretty much every day.

The fairies from the original fairytale are graces here, women blessed with minor magical powers to enhance beauty, intelligence, creativity and such, but they are bound by strict laws telling them they have to use their power for the people, they cannot move to a different country, etc. Alyce is the dark grace, her powers don't really work the same but she makes elixers to, but to harm people, at the request of rich people. I found it really interesting how the culture built around graces lead to people being extremely vain and superficial. Alyce was an easy to root for villain, and I love her dynamic with Aurora, especially how it develops in book 2, which I won't say too much about yet because spoilers.

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @bottomdelioncourt @ikissedsmithparker

#six crimson cranes #the dragon's promise #elizabeth lim #malice #misrule #heather walter #the girl who fell beneath the sea #axie oh #so this is ever after #f.t. lukens #retellings #book recommendations

[desdasiwrites]

– Heather Walter, Malice

#book quote of the day #heather walter #malice #the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one #fairy tale retelling #slow burn romance #fae #morally grey main character #dystopian #dark fairytale #sapphic #fantasy #sleeping beauty #sleeping beauty retelling #book recommendations #book quotes #booklr

[layaart]

alyce & aurora 

#malice #heather walter #stickers on my store! #2022 fanart

[muggertime]

Alyce and Aurora, from Malice by Heather Walter.

#malice #alyce #aurora #heather walter #my art

[aroaessidhe]

oops! got another secondhand book

#swapped for a bunch of books I needed to unhaul #i was definitely only planning on getting a copy of this if I could find this cover (the uk cover is what's in stores here) and it was free #so yea i'll take it #malice #heather walter #laya talks #gained a dangerous amount of new books in the last couple months (like 11) but at least I'm getting rid of more.....

[backlogbooks]

JOMP BPC | Day 2 | Currently Reading

Going to start Misrule today! excited and scared for the second (and last? i think?) book in this series

#jompbpc #justonemorepage #malice #misrule #heather walter #library books #mary emma's posts

[lost-daisie]

♡Book haul?? ♡

#malice book #criers war #wild and wicked things #into the drowning deep #heather walter #nina varela #francesca may #mira grant #sapphic books #readers #love reading #reading lovers #books #lgbt books #book haul #i just bought it #:) <3

[sapphic-book-tournament]

#sapphic book tournament #sapphic books #lesbian #lesbian books #sapphic #lgbt #lgbt books #lgbt characters #sapphic fiction #lesbian romance #she’s too pretty to burn #the priory of the orange tree #malice book #i kissed shara wheeler #one last stop #casey mcquiston #criers war #alyce and aurora #heather walter #we set the dark on fire #we unleash the merciless storm #proper English #hani and ishu's guide to fake dating #henna wars #sweet and bitter magic #the traitor baru cormorant #the lost tomb #the masquerade series #the iron widow #cool for the summer

[earlymayflower]

Malice, Heather Walter.

Detail of Lovers by a Fountain, Modesto Faustini.

Robert Brault.

#malice duology #heather walter

[bookwyrminspiration]

well. that just happened I guess

#malice #heather walter #(more spoilers in the tags) #called it with laurel :) #that brief breaking her out of prison thing threw me off but I was still suspicious because no one else made sense #the specifics of Kal’s thing threw me way off #I was a little confused by him in the beginning like…this random guy in a tower just so happens to have known her mother personally? #but I brushed it off as welp gotta have the mentor figure somewhere #his evil arc was like huh. okay sure I guess we can do that #anyway #aurora bbg ur gonna have a lot to wake up to #whenever you do that #that was. definitely a book

[kiwichapstickss]

“But then a single tear tracks down her cheek. It might as well be an ocean. I will drown in it.”

- Malice | Heather Walter

#quotes #illustration #art #book quotes #painting #heather walter #malice

[melanielocke]

My favorite books of 2022

Unfortunately, no picture for this post, and I won't talk a lot about each book so it becomes readable. If you want to know more about a certain book or talk about it, send me an ask! Since I read 110 books this year, this list will only feature books that were also published in 2022 and the list will be in order of me reading them because there are simply too many to play favorites.

The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea - Axie Oh

Misrule - Heather Walter

A Cruel and Fated Light - Ashley Shuttleworth

So This is Ever After - F.T. Lukens

This Wicked Fate - Kalynn Bayron

Sofi and the Bone Song - Adrienne Tooley

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance - Foz Meadows

The Oleander Sword - Tasha Suri

A Taste of Gold and Iron - Alexandra Rowland

The Sunbearer Trials - Aiden Thomas

A Restless Truth - Freya Marske

Ocean's Echo - Everina Maxwell

Lord of Silver Ashes - Kellen Graves

Fire Becomes Her - Rosiee Thor

Silver in the Mist - Emily Victoria

#the girl who fell beneath the sea #axie oh #misrule #heather walter #a cruel and fated light #ashley shuttleworth #so this is ever after #f.t. lukens #this wicked fate #kalynn bayron #sofi and the bone song #Adrienne tooley #a strange and stubborn endurance #foz meadows #the oleander sword #tasha suri #a taste of gold and iron #alexandra rowland #the sunbearer trials #aiden thomas #a restless truth #freya marske #ocean's echo #everina maxwell #lord of silver ashes #kellen graves #fire becomes her #rosiee thor #silver in the mist #emily victoria

[stardustandrockets]

Do you prefer the hero or the villain?

If you've been around my account for a decent amount of time, you'll know I have a soft spot for a well written villain. They're not always as monstrous as they seem.

I haven't read Malice by Heather Walter, but after reading the synopsis, I'm definitely adding it to my tbr. Sleeping Beauty retellings are maybe my second favorite next to Cinderella. Which is what the February collectible magnet is inspired by. This super cute art of Aurora and Alyce was done, as always, by @jamielynnlano.

#malice #misrule #heather walter #sleeping beauty #fairy tale retelling #rainbow crate #rainbow crate book box #rcfeb23 #duality #good vs evil #lgbtq reads #lgbtqia #queer book recs #read with pride #read queer all year #read more sapphic books #stardustandrockets #backlog from march #march 29