Book Two of the Malice Duology

Misrule

Did they break the curse, or begin one? Sleeping Beauty's dark sorceress reclaims her story in this sequel to Malice

Heather Walter is the award-winning author of THE CRIMSON CROWN and the MALICE duology. She holds degrees in both English and library science.

Book One of the Malice Duology

Malice

Malice is the dark and wicked heart of a fairytale carved into a book. This story is beautiful, vicious magic

A beautifully imaginative and feminist retelling of a fairytale so often swept into the dark. Walter's debut was engrossing from page one, with a vivid cast of characters, thrilling romance and a world so vivid it will wrap thorns around your dreams.

Roshani Chokshi, author of The Guilded Wolves

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

The story grows deliciously darker at every turn . . . Fairy tale lovers of all ages will be thrilled

Heather Walter writes about magic-and with magic. Her retelling of Sleeping Beauty remains true to the beloved classic, yet every page is completely new and unexpected.

Richelle Mead, author of the Vampire Academy series

Enchanting - and enchanted . . .  a book to savor

Louisa Morgan, author of The Secret History of Witches

Bewitching characters. Fascinating story. An up-all-night read. Why are you not reading this book RIGHT NOW?

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

A spellbinding debut ... for all the queer girls and women who've been told to keep their gifts hidden and for those yearning to defy gravity.

Viciously satisfying. Malice takes Sleeping Beauty and turns everything on its head, cutting right to the core of this bejewelled world. Heather Walter has given us a villain to adore.

Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights

__________________________________________________________ 
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. 
 
Book Two of the Malice Duology is available to preorder now!

The Witch Queen

'An alluring, vengeful origin story that brings tremendous dimension to the classic fairy tale' 
CHLOE GONG, NO. 1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF IMMORTAL LONGINGS 
 
__________THE WICKED QUEEN'S STORY DID NOT END WITH A HAPPILY EVER AFTER. 
AND SHE WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.With the king bound to her magic mirror and his daughter, the rightful heir, hidden away in the countryside, Queen Ayleth has the kingdom entirely at her command. 
 
Despite her ultimate power, Ayleth finds herself consumed: With fears that the witches from her former coven will return to depose her. With the dread that someone at the palace will discover her secret. With her own deepening dark magic. 
 
And with thoughts of her lost love, Jacquetta—the witch whose betrayal still haunts Ayleth as stubbornly as the lingering scent of juniper. 
 
But Ayleth’s carefully-built world begins to unravel when Princess Blodwyn returns from exile in the company of Margaret, the king's scheming sister, and reveals a plan of her own: To invoke Braxos Trials, a contest of bravery, wisdom, and justice that will allow Blodwyn to retake the throne. Ayleth suddenly discovers herself in danger of losing the crown she sacrificed everything to win—and she will do anything to retain control. 
 
And Ayleth isn't the only one struggling with her altered position. Blodwyn’s homecoming soon proves more difficult than she imagined. Embroiled in Ayleth’s viperous court, Blodwyn is surrounded by enemies and plagued by rumors of a long-buried curse come to life. As family secrets resurface, the princess isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Especially when she may be falling for one of her rivals in the trials. 
 
As the battle for the realm intensifies, both Ayleth and Blodwyn find themselves fighting not only for the throne, but for the truth of their own souls. Soon, they must each decide: What price are they willing to pay to wear the crown? 
 
Pay the price of blood and snow: Snow White’s wicked queen rises to her destiny in the second book of a queer, witchy duology from the author of Malice.

FULL COPY TO COME 
 
The wicked queen from Snow White rises to her destiny in this second book in a darkly romantic fairy tale retelling duology from the author of Malice. 
 
The sequel to The Crimson Crown, in which Ayleth, once a talentless witch cast out by her coven, has embraced her dark destiny and vows revenge on all who have wronged her; Jacquetta battles her loyalty between her coven and her heart; and Blodwyn seeks to unravel a mystery at the heart of her family.

Pay the price of blood and snow: Snow White’s wicked queen rises to her destiny in the second book of a queer, witchy duology from the author of Malice. 
 
The wicked queen's story did not end with a happily ever after. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. 
 
With the king bound to her magic mirror and his daughter, the rightful heir, hidden away in the countryside, Queen Ayleth has the kingdom entirely at her command. 
 
Despite her ultimate power, Ayleth finds herself consumed: With fears that the witches from her former coven will return to depose her. With the dread that someone at the palace will discover her secret. With her own deepening dark magic. 
 
And with thoughts of her lost love, Jacquetta—the witch whose betrayal still haunts Ayleth as stubbornly as the lingering scent of juniper. 
 
But Ayleth’s carefully-built world begins to unravel when Princess Blodwyn returns from exile in the company of Margaret, the king's scheming sister, and reveals a plan of her own: To invoke Braxos Trials, a contest of bravery, wisdom, and justice that will allow Blodwyn to retake the throne. Ayleth suddenly discovers herself in danger of losing the crown she sacrificed everything to win—and she will do anything to retain control. 
 
And Ayleth isn't the only one struggling with her altered position. Blodwyn’s homecoming soon proves more difficult than she imagined. Embroiled in Ayleth’s viperous court, Blodwyn is surrounded by enemies and plagued by rumors of a long-buried curse come to life. As family secrets resurface, the princess isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Especially when she may be falling for one of her rivals in the trials. 
 
As the battle for the realm intensifies, both Ayleth and Blodwyn find themselves fighting not only for the throne, but for the truth of their own souls. Soon, they must each decide: What price are they willing to pay to wear the crown? 
 
'An alluring, vengeful origin story that brings tremendous dimension to the classic fairy tale' Chloe Gong, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Longings

Heather Walter

Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.

Tasha Suri, World Fantasy Award-winning author of The Jasmine Throne

It’s always a pleasure to read a villain origin story that makes you go ‘Good for her,’ and Heather Walter pulls this off masterfully in The Crimson Crown. This is a lush, dark, riveting tale about all the things that can lie in a woman’s heart - power, rage, grief, vengeance - and it is spun in such haunting prose that it kept me on the edge of my seat all throughout. Simply gorgeous.

Thea Guanzon, USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings 
tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.

Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Longings

Walter's deeply rooted point of view never falters and is supported by intricate worldbuilding 
and a history of family, love, and betrayal - and the prices paid for each.

Sara A. Mueller, author of The Bone Orchard

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the most wicked of them all? Snow White’s dark queen tells her side of the story in this queer, witchy reimagining of the classic fairy tale from the author of Malice. 
 
Legends tell of a witch who became a queen – the heartless villain in the story of Snow White. But now the wicked queen is stepping out of Snow White’s shadow to become the heroine of her own legend. 
 
Her “once upon a time” began when she was just Ayleth, a young witch living in the forest with her coven, practicing their magic in secret and hiding from the White King’s brutal war against witchcraft. 
 
Ayleth, however, faces a war of her own. Her magical gifts have yet to reveal themselves, and as the threat of the Royal Huntsmen intensifies, she fears she will never become the witch her coven needs. 
 
To prove herself, she sets out on a perilous quest that sends her to the White Palace, a decadent world of drama and deceit. There, she encounters an unlikely figure from her past, Jacquetta – the witch who once held Ayleth’s heart – but then betrayed her. 
 
As events at the palace escalate, Ayleth finds herself caught in the web of the White King, whose dark charisma is as dangerous as the sinister force that seems to be haunting the palace. With the threat of discovery looming, Ayleth and Jacquetta must set aside the wounds of their past and work together to survive. 
 
But to do this, Ayleth must find the strength to transform into someone she never imagined she could be. 
 
A powerful witch, the very wickedest of them all.

Heather Walter

Praise for The Crimson Crown

**Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.**

It’s always a pleasure to read a villain origin story that makes you go ‘Good for her,’ and Heather Walter pulls this off masterfully in The Crimson Crown. This is a lush, dark, riveting tale about all the ...

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings
tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.

**Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.**

It’s always a pleasure to read a villain origin story that makes you go ‘Good for her,’ and Heather Walter pulls this off masterfully in The Crimson Crown. This is a lush, dark, riveting tale about all the ...

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings
tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.

**Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.**

It’s always a pleasure to read a villain origin story that makes you go ‘Good for her,’ and Heather Walter pulls this off masterfully in The Crimson Crown. This is a lush, dark, riveting tale about all the ...

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings
tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.

Books by Heather Walter

Series by Heather Walter

Malice Duology Series

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Praise for The Crimson Crown

Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.

It’s always a pleasure to read a villain origin story that makes you go ‘Good for her,’ and Heather Walter pulls this off masterfully in The Crimson Crown. This is a lush, dark, riveting tale about all the ...

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.

Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.

It’s always a pleasure to read a villain origin story that makes you go ‘Good for her,’ and Heather Walter pulls this off masterfully in The Crimson Crown. This is a lush, dark, riveting tale about all the ...

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.

Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.

It’s always a pleasure to read a villain origin story that makes you go ‘Good for her,’ and Heather Walter pulls this off masterfully in The Crimson Crown. This is a lush, dark, riveting tale about all the ...

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.

Books by Heather Walter

Series by Heather Walter

Malice Duology Series

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter

**Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.**

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings
tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.

**Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.**

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings
tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.

**Beautiful and gloriously poisonous, The Crimson Crown will enthral you.**

An alluring, vengeful origin story as you’ve never seen before. The Crimson Crown brings
tremendous dimension to a classic fairytale, ushering in the darkness you’ve always craved.