Malice Duology
#4853.86 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Complete 2021–2022 Reading commitment Low Heather Walter Last reviewed 2026-08-25
Overview
A dark reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, told from the perspective of Alyce, a young woman marked as a villain by birth in a kingdom that has all but forgotten real magic. Over two books, the story follows her uneasy alliance, and eventually rivalry, with the sleeping princess she is meant to protect.
Fairy-tale retelling · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
The Malice Duology Heather Walter
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Malice | 2021 | core | 3.91 (34,553 ratings) |
 | Misrule | 2022 | core | 3.72 (12,050 ratings) |
A dark reimagining of Sleeping Beauty told from the perspective of a villainized dark grace; a complete two-book story.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Malice Duology? Malice Duology's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for Malice Duology? Publication order, starting with Malice. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Malice Duology finished? Complete (2021–2022).
- How much reading does Malice Duology take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books · ~432 pages).
- How is Malice Duology ranked? #485 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 46,603 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #485?
Ranked #485 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.86 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (46,603 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #484, The Echo Archives (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 2 books · Complete · 47k ratings · Ranks #485 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Malice (2021)
- Misrule (2022)
Awards (verified)
- No confirmed major juried award win found after a genuine search.
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- Hemlock & Silver Fairy-tale retelling / Dark fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.01
- The Adventures of Mary Darling Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 3.97
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.86 across 46,603 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Malice Duology admitted (Heather Walter) accepted 2026-08-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-25
Rule: Core Canon = both novels of the complete duology: Malice (2021) and Misrule (2022).