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gen_wolfhailstorm's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
October's pick for Amy McCaw's YA Book Club 2023.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
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