Malice

Malice by Heather Walter
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My rating - 2/5
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I have to mention that I found this book through BookTok (Book TikTok), which is notorious for recommending disappointing romance books. Still, I came in with expectations far too high and was let down.

Not liking the book was my personal preference and does not reflect the author in any way. I was also never a big fan of fantasy, so I only blame myself for this rating. Throughout reading "Malice," I only accumulated respect and admiration towards Heather Walter. Writing a novel at this length is not easy, especially for a debut. As a writer, I adored engaging with Walter's work. However, as a reader, there are several aspects of the book that I have to comment on.

Alyce and Aurora's chemistry was not very apparent to me. The first time they met was after Alyce was publicly humiliated by her peers, even vandalizing Aurora's garden amidst an emotional breakdown. Although I do believe Aurora is truly a good person at heart and would never tolerate her guests making fun of another, she was unbelievably affectionate to Alyce (who I'm sure she's only heard negative things about from her parents and friends). Any person raised under the teachings of anti-Vila propaganda would not respect one, no matter how kind they are. If your only sources of influence are books and parenting about how Vilas are a danger to you and your family, consoling a Vila after she displays an act of aggression would be inappropriate and in some cases, scary. Although we as readers know that Alyce would never harm anyone, it is impossible for Aurora to feel the same way due to the way she was raised.

Additionally, Alyce falling for Aurora was understandable, but not vice versa. As I mentioned earlier, Aurora being kind to Alyce was already unlikely. However, it happened once, revealing Aurora's amiable, yet foolish personality. This makes it natural for Alyce to want to be around Aurora, since she doesn't receive affection and acceptance from anyone else. However, there is no reason or incentive for Aurora to feel the same way about Alyce. Alyce and her peers constantly mention her scaly skin and hideous face, while Aurora is known to be the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. It is improbable that Aurora finds Alyce physically attractive, especially because of the praise she was showered with since birth about her own appearance, which contrasts Alyce's so much. It could be argued that Alyce's personality was great enough to win over Aurora's love, but Alyce does not do anything remarkable, other than (view spoiler)[team up with Aurora's father to curse innocent townsfolk for his own benefit. (hide spoiler)] Even after learning this, Aurora insists to stay by her side, when in reality, knowing everything on top of your pre-existing knowledge about Vilas cursing your existence would crush your perception of Alyce.

Secondly, the phrase "dragon's teeth" was cute to begin with, but ended up distracting me from the plot. I completely understand that it's used as a curse word, but it is mentioned so many times in the book that at some point, I found it repetitive.

(view spoiler)[Kal being a villain (hide spoiler)] was very predictable to me. (view spoiler)[His intentions were never clear. He helped Alyce gain her Shifter abilities for no cost. I did think that this was because after years of being chained in the tower, he had nothing better to do. But then I thought to myself, what would these powers come in handy for? They did nothing but have Alyce deviate from or harm the kingdom. Also, he had no proof of being in any way related to her mother apart from a story Alyce instantly believes. Either Alyce is too gullible, or Kal had but malicious intentions. (hide spoiler)]

My next comment I do believe was intentional on behalf of the author. Yet, I do find it anti-climactic. Alyce is called a monster, a beast, and a mongrel for the better half of the novel. She constantly disproves this notion with her personality. We know that she is not a villain, despite being called one. And no matter how much harm she's caused, it was never deliberate. However, near the very end of the novel, (view spoiler)[Alyce gives in to the years of torment and decides to become the villain she was mocked for. This was very cool to me initially, but also very out of place. It was all too sudden. Her reasons for turning to villainy were clear. She felt betrayed by Kal and the king and sought to flee the kingdom with Aurora. Though, her attitude and demeanor completely differed from the Alyce we read about for the past 410 pages. She was not fleeing for herself and Aurora, rather to bring harm to the kingdom and avenge her Vila-heritage. It was her unbecoming of herself, (hide spoiler)] which must have appealed to a large magnitude of readers, but not so much for those remaining.

Lastly, I felt as if the entire story, even before the plot twists, was unrealistic. I can think of one example on the spot. Alyce learns to shift and control the weather in seconds. This was odd to me since she's spent her entire life not knowing she had those powers. Then again, (view spoiler)[this could indicate that Kal knew what she was capable of and was using her for his own good. (hide spoiler)]

I added a star midway through this review because I realized how much this book has captivated my interest. This is on the longer end of all the Goodreads reviews I've written, and I do appreciate that about this novel.

In the end, I did enjoy the book enough to finish it through. But I felt that there was so much more potential for Alyce's character, as well as the direction the plot headed towards the end.

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