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lucianagrimm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The world of Dorian and its chilling beauty was so beautiful and also terrifying. The mystery and plot were gripping with every passing scene with a truly unpredictable ending.
I had a lot of mixed feelings about each of the characters, each of them complicated in their own ways, but Penny felt close. I have been Penny, and in some ways I still am. The formerly gifted burnt out theatre kid who is constantly terrified of what everyone else thinks, who spent years wasted on shrinking and hiding. (And who is also a shy hopeless lesbian).
I connected with her, the struggle, the battle that can be so invisible even when cameras followed her everywhere. The distance from her mother, and the ache of a childhood that disappeared too quickly, seriously this book had me feeling everything.
Thank you for her ending. I needed that. And I’m sure there’s a lot of others that need it too.
Finally, the role of portraits and mirrors was so cleverly crafted. The unexplored liminal space of what lurks behind the painted eyes that follow you around the room or the slightly dark reflection that flickers in the corner of your eye is so captivating.
I would love an origins of Dorian, the creation of the creature of beauty that the university grounds were built on.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Eating disorder, and Death
Minor: Animal death and Suicide
styxx's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Animal death, Alcohol, Body shaming, Death, Grief, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Minor: Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Murder, Drug use, and Sexual content
book0logy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Murder, Death, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Suicide, Grief, and Toxic friendship
sinnybuns's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Murder, Body horror, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Eating disorder, and Body shaming
britt_zonnebloempit's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The only really likeable character in this was Catalina which made it hard for me to really care about what happened to the others, unfortunately. I did like the idea of the story, but Penny and Davina are so horribly superficial and flat throughout most of the book.... I would definitely have given a higher rating had these two been more interesting! Maisie is just a flat out bitch too.... I understand why they were all portrayed like this, though!
The plot itself was really good and I loved reading it, still!
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Addiction, and Vomit
ironsandwine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I’m not sure the epilogue did it for me and the threads of plot weren’t totally followed through either. That being said I was compelled to keep going and enjoyed a lot of the DRAMA.
Gossip Girly Dorian Gray
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Mental illness and Self harm
astralbooks's review
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Minor: Suicide, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
gen_wolfhailstorm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Would you sell your soul for beauty, youth and fame... for a chance to make your hard-to-please mother finally see you and say she's proud? Would you care for the cost of such a deal, for the consequences or would you take the opportunity by any means, yelling a reckless 'damn to the risks'?
This is exactly what Penny Paxton does, in this richly gothic, YA retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray, set against the back drop of an elite drama school.
The details of this tale honored the original classic so beautifully, paying homage to the themes of beauty and esteem, classism and power, whilst entirely dripping its on unique seduction of temptation and desire to excell in this highly acclaimed acting school that all the greats studied at.
Penny is pushed reluctantly into this world via her high profile, famous mother, but beneath the attraction of riches and fame, something darker and rotten lingers beneath the halls of the Dorian Drama School.
I loved this book so much so that due to my gumption to savour every morsel of its decedant writing, I completely ran over Amy McCaw's YA Book Club time, but I will definitely watch the recorded live discussion soon.
The story telling was rich and alluring, the characters intriguing and multifaceted and the pressures of the school were just all too real.
There were very nuanced parts of this that truly reminded me of Coraline, and those chapters were incredibly fascinating because that's truly when the uniqueness of the plot shined even more, detaching itself from the classic and becoming more of itself. I loved this exploration of the power of the paintings because that is something I was constantly curious about when reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. The fleshing out of the history of the school in relation to the success of the students connected with the portraits was such a rich display of creativity and storytelling, which leads me to want to consume everything this author writes.
The conversations also explored sexuality, disordered eating, depression and addiction, to name but a few and they were all handled to raw and real. These themes weren't tip tooed around, but the way they were woven into these characters lives was so well done and felt genuine.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this wholeheartedly deserves all the stars. I loved this book.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Slavery, and Toxic friendship
zmai's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Eating disorder, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug abuse
neencohen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book touched on so many themes that made the characters (and this reader) raw and unravelled.
The mystery of the story was pieced together so well that I found I became suspicious of just about every character and that tension pulled me through this book so quickly, it was deliciously dark.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Mental illness, Eating disorder, and Death