scijessreads

Villain origin stories can either be incredibly one-note, or dive deep into the multitude of events that eventually lead to a breaking point, and a fall to the darkness. Her Dark Enchantments is in the latter category. A deeply sorrowful tale of how a woman with magic, Myravelle, seeks to save her mother from an evil king. In the process, she must reach for the pain of others to fuel her magic. And in this, she unwittingly finds love and a canyon of heartbreak.

So much of this story is spent with Byzarien and Myravelle, and how they each are struggling with who they are, and who they wish they could be. Myravelle is ostracized and yet used her powers to help those that would condemn her (by coercion and not by choice). Byzarien is deeply hurt due to loss, blaming it on the fairies that Myravelle is descended from. They are forced together, and each learns more than they bargained for in the process of their tempestuous beginnings and the evolution of their relationship.

What makes this retelling of how the “Mistress of All Evil” came to be haunting Briar Rose (AKA: Sleeping Beauty) so profound is that it does not hide the devastation that leads Myravelle to eventually fall into who she is destined to become. It lets us see that villains are often made, and not born. It shows that who people are and who they are perceived to be is all about perspective and a good propaganda campaign. And it shows us that love is often the only thing that tethers us to our humanity.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.