Malice

Chapter One

Age of the Rose, 996

The golden bell above my doorframe bobs twice.

I roll my shoulders against the needling ache that settles at the base of my neck whenever that damn thing sounds. After nearly a decade of hearing it, I ve come to despise the bell s shrill, tinny clang almost as much as the message it carries: A patron is coming. When it was first installed, my bell gleamed like those the Graces use in their parlors. But now, seeing as the servants conveniently forget to polish it, a mottled green tarnish clings to the thing like a scaly skin. Fitting, I think, that I should have the ugliest bell in Lavender House when I am by far the ugliest creature living inside it.

Alyce. My own name on my patron schedule glares up at me when I glance at the next appointment. Beneath it: The Dark Grace.

Grace, indeed. If I were truly a Grace, I d be receiving my patrons in a sunny parlor with silk-upholstered chairs and trays of spongy, cream-­frosted tea cakes. Instead, I m banished to a converted storage annex attached to Lavender House s kitchen. It s yet another reason Cook hates me. The space was once a larder and now Cook complains every chance she gets that there isn t enough storage space in the cellar. I catch her grumbling curses at me when she thinks I m out of earshot, as if this insufferable chamber is some kind of prize. There are no windows. A dank chill seeps through the rotting mortar, even in the summer heat. And the wretched hearth ­hastily added once I opened my practice ­clogs more often than not, filling my Lair with a perpetual smoky scent and smearing soot on every surface.

It s more a dragon s lair out of a story than a parlor in a Grace house. Rose dubbed it such soon after she arrived: the Lair, where the Dark Grace dwells. I hate the place so much that I didn t even fight her.

Callow ruffles as the bell jangles a second time, as annoyed as I am at the intrusion. I offer my kestrel a few meat trimmings

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. This is her first novel.

The villain takes center stage in Walter s superlative debut, a refreshing spin on Sleeping Beauty. . . . Fairy tale lovers of all ages will be thrilled. Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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 way again. S. A. Chakraborty, author of the bestselling Daevabad trilogy

Absolutely dazzling! Full of love, power, and betrayal, Malice is as compelling as a spell, as captivating as an enchantment, and as fascinating and delicious as a fairy-tale curse. I loved it! Sarah Beth Durst, award-winning author of the Queens of Renthia series

Malice is the dark and wicked heart of a fairy tale carved into a book. This story is beautiful, vicious magic. Tasha Suri, author of Empire of Sand

A beautifully imaginative and feminist retelling of a fairy tale so often swept into the dark . . . Walter s debut was engrossing from page one, with a striking cast of characters, thrilling romance, and a world so vivid it will wrap thorns around your dreams. Roshani Chokshi, author of The Gilded Wolves

I spent a lot of late nights getting lost in this world of sorcery, intrigue, and of course true love. I m sure I won t be the only one! Richelle Mead, internationally bestselling author of Vampire Academy

Lively characters, a tempting sapphic romance, and a richly built world make this a book to savor. Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches