Scan barcode
lermonysnickers's review against another edition
Mere words are not enough to express my contempt for this book. I rather fail out of my entire degree than be forced to read a single page more of it. It utterly fails to capture the vibes of Dorian Gray or a single other character.
magyklyxdelish's review
4.0
First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
TW: graphic sex, drug use, murder
This was a brilliant and graphic modern retelling of the Dorian Gray story we all know. Where Oscar Wilde held back and edited himself, Rick went for it and for the most part it totally hit the mark for me.
I love how this version told the story from multiple viewpoints and gave us a glimpse into the thoughts and perspectives of the secondary characters. This is a format that I love in books when done right. It's very easy to get wrong if you have too many people telling the story but I think Rick really nailed it here. I didn't feel like it switched too much and I didn't feel like there were too many people, considering for the most part it was only 3 people the majority of the time.
One thing that's more of a personal preference in the stories I read is that I usually avoid erotica books, it's not typically my thing. However I feel like in this book it was done well. Especially when it showed Gary revel and descend into debauchery.
The only complaint I really have with this book is that towards the end it got a bit verbose. Perhaps this is because I knew where the story was going but it felt drawn out for me when the rest of the book had a steady pace.
That's really the only negative thing I can say about this book. Rick has done a very good job with this retelling and this is a book I would be proud to add to my collection and recommend to anyone who can stomach the graphic content.
TW: graphic sex, drug use, murder
This was a brilliant and graphic modern retelling of the Dorian Gray story we all know. Where Oscar Wilde held back and edited himself, Rick went for it and for the most part it totally hit the mark for me.
I love how this version told the story from multiple viewpoints and gave us a glimpse into the thoughts and perspectives of the secondary characters. This is a format that I love in books when done right. It's very easy to get wrong if you have too many people telling the story but I think Rick really nailed it here. I didn't feel like it switched too much and I didn't feel like there were too many people, considering for the most part it was only 3 people the majority of the time.
One thing that's more of a personal preference in the stories I read is that I usually avoid erotica books, it's not typically my thing. However I feel like in this book it was done well. Especially when it showed Gary revel and descend into debauchery.
The only complaint I really have with this book is that towards the end it got a bit verbose. Perhaps this is because I knew where the story was going but it felt drawn out for me when the rest of the book had a steady pace.
That's really the only negative thing I can say about this book. Rick has done a very good job with this retelling and this is a book I would be proud to add to my collection and recommend to anyone who can stomach the graphic content.
alandd's review
2.0
Aunque entretenida, este novela no reimagina mucho la historia de Dorian Gray. Es básicamente la misma historia, con una drag queen que no evoluciona en toda la novela, en un escenario ligeramente futurista. Estaba esperando cambios, una versión más explícita, más contenido LGBT, pues la novela original fue muy escandalosa para su tiempo, pero hoy es muy ligera, y aquí pasó lo mismo, además de que Gary (Dorian) es más heterosexual que LGBT+. Se enfoca más en las drogas que en cualquier otra cosa, pero sin desarrollar mucho el tema más allá de "Las drogas son malas" y "solo está explorando".
Although entertaining, this novel doesn't reimagine much the Dorian Gray story. It's basically the same story, with a drag queen that doesn't evolve throughout the novel, in a slightly futuristic setting. I was waiting for changes, a more explicit version, more LGBT+ content, because the original novel was very scandalous for its time, but today it's very light, and the same thing happened here, in addition to Gary (Dorian) being more heterosexual than LGBT+. It focuses more on drugs than anything else, but without elaborating on the topic beyond "Drugs are bad" and "he's just exploring."
Although entertaining, this novel doesn't reimagine much the Dorian Gray story. It's basically the same story, with a drag queen that doesn't evolve throughout the novel, in a slightly futuristic setting. I was waiting for changes, a more explicit version, more LGBT+ content, because the original novel was very scandalous for its time, but today it's very light, and the same thing happened here, in addition to Gary (Dorian) being more heterosexual than LGBT+. It focuses more on drugs than anything else, but without elaborating on the topic beyond "Drugs are bad" and "he's just exploring."
ellelainey's review against another edition
4.0
Book – A Face Without A Heart
Author – Rick R. Reed
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – 200
Cover – Gorgeous!
POV – 1st person, multi-POV
Would I read it again – Yes.
Genre – LGBT, Horror, Paranormal
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
Warning: contains references to suicide, MM sex, cheating and rape. Contains 1st person accounts of MF sex, drug use, suicidal thoughts and murder.
Disclosure: I haven't read the original The Picture of Dorian Gray,
and I didn't read it before reading this to allow the story to speak for itself.
~
This was an interesting read. Dark, but not in the worst ways. I've definitely read darker and more psychologically twisted books, but this one did its job and became a very intriguing read from very early on.
Now, this isn't a book you “love” or even “like”. It's an experience. What happens between page 1 and The End is not something you're going to forget, but it's also not something fluffy and happy. You won't close this book thinking “well, I really enjoyed it”, because they're nothing enjoyable about it. But there is plenty to appreciate and respect; lots to think about and take your interest.
~
POV
The POV is a tricky thing, when working with 1st person, but I can see what Reed did here and I can understand why. Not only does the 1st person allow for a much closer connection between the reader and our protagonists, but it allows us to see the thoughts, feelings and experiences first hand.
The best thing that Reed did when writing this was to label each chapter with the POV that would follow, so instead of a title chapter you have Gary, Henrietta, Liam and so forth, to label which 1st person POV you're going to be reading. This was soo helpful.
At the same time, however, we need multi-POV to show us the things that our MC can't see. Such is the case for how we first meet Gary, our MC, as that needs to be told through Liam's POV. Gary and Henrietta's friendship can be explored with both, as can Liam and Henrietta's friendship, but it's really those in between moments that require Henrietta's POV, because she's a lot more cynical that the others. Her POV gives us a sort of mediator between Liam's hopeful everything-will-work-out, hard-work attitude and the slow progression from Gary's innocent-and-idealistic personality to nothing-matters-but-myself attitude later on. Also, without Henrietta, we wouldn't get that last so-important chapter which is utterly crucial to the story.
There are two more additions of POV that I do have to acknowledge. Now, when I first read them, I wasn't so sure. But, after reading the entire book, it makes so much sense to include them. Zoe and her brother Davio actually have a small but crucial role in the story. I won't explain why, for those who haven't read this yet, but their actions and decisions, made within their POV are really important to Gary's future and the concept of “A Face Without A Heart.”
Now, the only downfall of the 1st person POV is that it usually works best in past tense, but as if someone is telling the story of what happened to them. That's fine. I can't stand 1st person, present tense for some reason. But there are some minor slips where this falls into present tense (example: “He's joined the Army.”)
~
CHARACTERS
When it comes to the characters of this story, I was in a bit of a tailspin for most of the book.
Gary is our protagonist and main character; the one that we follow throughout the entire story. He begins all light and fluffy – the innocent idealist who believes in love and the soul and goodness. He's a kind, gentle person who has never been loved so is a little more naïve than others his age. Which is what gets him into trouble, because he's flattered by Liam's wish to make a hologram of him and sits for the artist. However, it's really Henrietta's dark view on life that changes him the most. One conversation with her and his innocent naïvety are not only challenged but somehow twisted. Combined with the physical display of his perfect, he allows her words to go to his head, makes a deal he doesn't believe in and heads on a downward spiral that never ends.
Liam is the one that starts it all. He's the one who sees the shining beauty in Gary and wants to mark that perfection for all time in a hologram. However, despite being as much of an idealist as Gary, he's also a realist in many ways. Liam believes in love and the soul, spirit and God, but he's also aware of the darker side of the world, making art from misery and holograms of serial killers. For me, Liam is the balance and the only saviour Gary ever had.
Henrietta is the bane of my – and Gary's – existence. To be quite honest, I never liked her. Not a little. Right from the start, her brash, abrasive attitude and remarks made my teeth itch. I actually noted the following on Henrietta and feel that there's little that needs to be added after that:
I can't help but feel that if Gary had never met Henrietta, none of this would have happened. She's the one getting him into all of this sex, clubbing and drugs. I get that free will has a lot to do with it, but he wasn't concerned about everlasting beauty until Henrietta planted the thought in his head and helped it take root. She's a soul sucking leech who enjoys corrupting others and destroying whatever hint of happiness they have. A real bitch and the worst friend a person could have. Ironically, she's what Gary later becomes, except that he's cursed to live it to a much larger degree than she can manage.
When Gary first entered the story, he was this adorable fluff-ball of innocence and morality that was exactly what Liam needed to pick him up and pull him out of his overworked life. Liam was a little bit stuffy, but was also the only one who ever had his head screwed on straight and made sense. He's the only one who ever came across as a fully-formed human being with compassion, realistic expectations and desires and a hard working attitude. Compared to the narcissistic and vapid Henrietta, Liam was the normal one of the three. That never changed for me, except to like him more. As Gary grew in the wake of the curse and became more like Henrietta, more angry and violent and uncaring, the part of me which had loved him began to pity him. Not because he was hard-done-by, but because his life could have been so different if he hadn't allowed Henrietta's bad influence and vanity make him question everything his life had ever been built on. If Liam had been allowed to mount an intervention before the Zoe incident, his life would have been so different. Instead, Henrietta got her claws into him and nothing was ever the same for him again.
~
PLOT
Now, though this is an MM book, it's not technically an MM book. In which I mean that our MC, Gary, is not gay. Or LGBT. He's straight as they come until the drugs take effect and then he'll toy with anyone who is willing, as long as they're pretty. Henrietta is a drag queen who does have MM sex, and Liam is very gay, but they are really the only prominent LGBT characters in the story.
However, this is not an MM romance by any stretch of the imagination. This is a literary story, general fiction, that just happens to have two strong LGBT characters. And I love that. I love that this didn't try to make Liam gay even though he never started out that way. I love that we didn't just end up with a gay re-telling of The Picture of Dorian Gray.
When it comes to the execution, this was a brilliantly plotted and executed piece of writing. Not only were the characters explored to a realistic expectation without dragging with too many details or covering unimportant events, but it showed us the most soul-forming and -destroying aspects of Gary's life without offering a biased towards his new unrealistic world view. Again, Liam's POV and his overall characterisation was so well written as to offer a counter-view and a balance that we could all see Gary desperately needed but which went ignored, because he just wasn't exciting enough to be the bosom buddy that Henrietta was.
There are a few odd, old fashioned phrasing, such as: “I laughed, but his words chilled me. It seemed he was speaking them seriously.” However, they were few and far between and didn't really hamper the reading of the story.
When I first saw the book being offered for review, I read the blurb which included this review:
“a book that is brutally honest with its reader and doesn't flinch in the areas where Wilde had to look away.... A rarity: a really well-done update that's as good as its source material.”
Now, having not read the original yet, I won't comment on that aspect. But I do have to admit that I've actually read more brutal books than this. It's quite tame compared to some dark reads. But I won't deny that it's brilliantly done, that it's brutally honest and doesn't shy away from showing the worst of the worst – such as Gary doing drugs and committing rape (in a no-explicit way that spares its readers somewhat) during 1st person accounts.
But, at the same time, I feel like it did shy away from making us hate Gary too deeply. There was a strong emphasis on inspiring pity in the second half of the book, with an added essence of Gary inspiring to change his fate and fix his life. He mentioned so many times that he regretted his choices that it really made me believe that he hated the way his life had spiraled. Yet, it felt like an inability to accept responsibility, because he thought the 'curse' was doing this to him and not a realisation that he'd allowed the curse to get to his head and make him ignorant of the cost of his fortune.
In the end, I docked a mark for the fact that it didn't go further. I expected a lot of darkness and really there was only a lot of young-corruption that ended badly, with heartlessness and one real act of violent brutality, when I'd expected more. I think the story could have managed to go further with it, without suffering. But I ended the book feeling relieved for Gary and glad that he's gotten his wish.
Liam, for me, was the ray of sunshine. I absolutely loved that he was one the who gave Gary his big epiphany. Not through lecturing or any of the rest of it, but through the love he offered Gary so freely, without ever expecting anything in return. Though he wasn't in the book nearly enough for my liking – and, again, I believe more could have been made of his part – he was the single most important character of the story and finally got that recognition from Gary in the end.
Last of all, I really want to mention this one quote → “I have stolen a life so that my own might continue. There is something vampiric in that, isn't there?” Now, although it isn't mentioned in the book, I have to applaud this little tidbit offered in the Prologue, because it is so true. Not for the 'vampire' of Dracula, but because back in the day of The Picture of Dorian Gray, vampire was a word used to describe a serial killer, referencing their need for blood. It was utter genius of Reed to include this play on the theme right here and not spell out just how appropriate it could have been.
~
OVERALL
A really good read that took the reader to some dark places, but could have gone further. The characters were relatable and likable in different ways, as well as often being as repellent as they were intriguing. The plot was brilliantly written and expertly crafted, rolling together characterisation, world building and the original tale into something modern and believable.
~
Favourite Quote
“It seemed as if Gary and I, the both of us, were on a collision course with disaster. I didn't know where it would end.”
Author – Rick R. Reed
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – 200
Cover – Gorgeous!
POV – 1st person, multi-POV
Would I read it again – Yes.
Genre – LGBT, Horror, Paranormal
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
Warning: contains references to suicide, MM sex, cheating and rape. Contains 1st person accounts of MF sex, drug use, suicidal thoughts and murder.
Disclosure: I haven't read the original The Picture of Dorian Gray,
and I didn't read it before reading this to allow the story to speak for itself.
~
This was an interesting read. Dark, but not in the worst ways. I've definitely read darker and more psychologically twisted books, but this one did its job and became a very intriguing read from very early on.
Now, this isn't a book you “love” or even “like”. It's an experience. What happens between page 1 and The End is not something you're going to forget, but it's also not something fluffy and happy. You won't close this book thinking “well, I really enjoyed it”, because they're nothing enjoyable about it. But there is plenty to appreciate and respect; lots to think about and take your interest.
~
POV
The POV is a tricky thing, when working with 1st person, but I can see what Reed did here and I can understand why. Not only does the 1st person allow for a much closer connection between the reader and our protagonists, but it allows us to see the thoughts, feelings and experiences first hand.
The best thing that Reed did when writing this was to label each chapter with the POV that would follow, so instead of a title chapter you have Gary, Henrietta, Liam and so forth, to label which 1st person POV you're going to be reading. This was soo helpful.
At the same time, however, we need multi-POV to show us the things that our MC can't see. Such is the case for how we first meet Gary, our MC, as that needs to be told through Liam's POV. Gary and Henrietta's friendship can be explored with both, as can Liam and Henrietta's friendship, but it's really those in between moments that require Henrietta's POV, because she's a lot more cynical that the others. Her POV gives us a sort of mediator between Liam's hopeful everything-will-work-out, hard-work attitude and the slow progression from Gary's innocent-and-idealistic personality to nothing-matters-but-myself attitude later on. Also, without Henrietta, we wouldn't get that last so-important chapter which is utterly crucial to the story.
There are two more additions of POV that I do have to acknowledge. Now, when I first read them, I wasn't so sure. But, after reading the entire book, it makes so much sense to include them. Zoe and her brother Davio actually have a small but crucial role in the story. I won't explain why, for those who haven't read this yet, but their actions and decisions, made within their POV are really important to Gary's future and the concept of “A Face Without A Heart.”
Now, the only downfall of the 1st person POV is that it usually works best in past tense, but as if someone is telling the story of what happened to them. That's fine. I can't stand 1st person, present tense for some reason. But there are some minor slips where this falls into present tense (example: “He's joined the Army.”)
~
CHARACTERS
When it comes to the characters of this story, I was in a bit of a tailspin for most of the book.
Gary is our protagonist and main character; the one that we follow throughout the entire story. He begins all light and fluffy – the innocent idealist who believes in love and the soul and goodness. He's a kind, gentle person who has never been loved so is a little more naïve than others his age. Which is what gets him into trouble, because he's flattered by Liam's wish to make a hologram of him and sits for the artist. However, it's really Henrietta's dark view on life that changes him the most. One conversation with her and his innocent naïvety are not only challenged but somehow twisted. Combined with the physical display of his perfect, he allows her words to go to his head, makes a deal he doesn't believe in and heads on a downward spiral that never ends.
Liam is the one that starts it all. He's the one who sees the shining beauty in Gary and wants to mark that perfection for all time in a hologram. However, despite being as much of an idealist as Gary, he's also a realist in many ways. Liam believes in love and the soul, spirit and God, but he's also aware of the darker side of the world, making art from misery and holograms of serial killers. For me, Liam is the balance and the only saviour Gary ever had.
Henrietta is the bane of my – and Gary's – existence. To be quite honest, I never liked her. Not a little. Right from the start, her brash, abrasive attitude and remarks made my teeth itch. I actually noted the following on Henrietta and feel that there's little that needs to be added after that:
I can't help but feel that if Gary had never met Henrietta, none of this would have happened. She's the one getting him into all of this sex, clubbing and drugs. I get that free will has a lot to do with it, but he wasn't concerned about everlasting beauty until Henrietta planted the thought in his head and helped it take root. She's a soul sucking leech who enjoys corrupting others and destroying whatever hint of happiness they have. A real bitch and the worst friend a person could have. Ironically, she's what Gary later becomes, except that he's cursed to live it to a much larger degree than she can manage.
When Gary first entered the story, he was this adorable fluff-ball of innocence and morality that was exactly what Liam needed to pick him up and pull him out of his overworked life. Liam was a little bit stuffy, but was also the only one who ever had his head screwed on straight and made sense. He's the only one who ever came across as a fully-formed human being with compassion, realistic expectations and desires and a hard working attitude. Compared to the narcissistic and vapid Henrietta, Liam was the normal one of the three. That never changed for me, except to like him more. As Gary grew in the wake of the curse and became more like Henrietta, more angry and violent and uncaring, the part of me which had loved him began to pity him. Not because he was hard-done-by, but because his life could have been so different if he hadn't allowed Henrietta's bad influence and vanity make him question everything his life had ever been built on. If Liam had been allowed to mount an intervention before the Zoe incident, his life would have been so different. Instead, Henrietta got her claws into him and nothing was ever the same for him again.
~
PLOT
Now, though this is an MM book, it's not technically an MM book. In which I mean that our MC, Gary, is not gay. Or LGBT. He's straight as they come until the drugs take effect and then he'll toy with anyone who is willing, as long as they're pretty. Henrietta is a drag queen who does have MM sex, and Liam is very gay, but they are really the only prominent LGBT characters in the story.
However, this is not an MM romance by any stretch of the imagination. This is a literary story, general fiction, that just happens to have two strong LGBT characters. And I love that. I love that this didn't try to make Liam gay even though he never started out that way. I love that we didn't just end up with a gay re-telling of The Picture of Dorian Gray.
When it comes to the execution, this was a brilliantly plotted and executed piece of writing. Not only were the characters explored to a realistic expectation without dragging with too many details or covering unimportant events, but it showed us the most soul-forming and -destroying aspects of Gary's life without offering a biased towards his new unrealistic world view. Again, Liam's POV and his overall characterisation was so well written as to offer a counter-view and a balance that we could all see Gary desperately needed but which went ignored, because he just wasn't exciting enough to be the bosom buddy that Henrietta was.
There are a few odd, old fashioned phrasing, such as: “I laughed, but his words chilled me. It seemed he was speaking them seriously.” However, they were few and far between and didn't really hamper the reading of the story.
When I first saw the book being offered for review, I read the blurb which included this review:
“a book that is brutally honest with its reader and doesn't flinch in the areas where Wilde had to look away.... A rarity: a really well-done update that's as good as its source material.”
Now, having not read the original yet, I won't comment on that aspect. But I do have to admit that I've actually read more brutal books than this. It's quite tame compared to some dark reads. But I won't deny that it's brilliantly done, that it's brutally honest and doesn't shy away from showing the worst of the worst – such as Gary doing drugs and committing rape (in a no-explicit way that spares its readers somewhat) during 1st person accounts.
But, at the same time, I feel like it did shy away from making us hate Gary too deeply. There was a strong emphasis on inspiring pity in the second half of the book, with an added essence of Gary inspiring to change his fate and fix his life. He mentioned so many times that he regretted his choices that it really made me believe that he hated the way his life had spiraled. Yet, it felt like an inability to accept responsibility, because he thought the 'curse' was doing this to him and not a realisation that he'd allowed the curse to get to his head and make him ignorant of the cost of his fortune.
In the end, I docked a mark for the fact that it didn't go further. I expected a lot of darkness and really there was only a lot of young-corruption that ended badly, with heartlessness and one real act of violent brutality, when I'd expected more. I think the story could have managed to go further with it, without suffering. But I ended the book feeling relieved for Gary and glad that he's gotten his wish.
Liam, for me, was the ray of sunshine. I absolutely loved that he was one the who gave Gary his big epiphany. Not through lecturing or any of the rest of it, but through the love he offered Gary so freely, without ever expecting anything in return. Though he wasn't in the book nearly enough for my liking – and, again, I believe more could have been made of his part – he was the single most important character of the story and finally got that recognition from Gary in the end.
Last of all, I really want to mention this one quote → “I have stolen a life so that my own might continue. There is something vampiric in that, isn't there?” Now, although it isn't mentioned in the book, I have to applaud this little tidbit offered in the Prologue, because it is so true. Not for the 'vampire' of Dracula, but because back in the day of The Picture of Dorian Gray, vampire was a word used to describe a serial killer, referencing their need for blood. It was utter genius of Reed to include this play on the theme right here and not spell out just how appropriate it could have been.
~
OVERALL
A really good read that took the reader to some dark places, but could have gone further. The characters were relatable and likable in different ways, as well as often being as repellent as they were intriguing. The plot was brilliantly written and expertly crafted, rolling together characterisation, world building and the original tale into something modern and believable.
~
Favourite Quote
“It seemed as if Gary and I, the both of us, were on a collision course with disaster. I didn't know where it would end.”
jana_lotte's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
wordsareweapons's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Ninestar Press for providing a copy for review.
This was so different from what I was expecting. I really liked the characters. Gary had a crazy character arc, Liam was interesting, and Henrietta was a riot. This book starts with a punch to the gut, and a slight mystery. There is quite a bit of insta-lust going on. Gary is basically walking perfection. He just seems to naturally draw attraction. Liam is a photographer, with a penchant for younger men. Henrietta is a brash, fairly cynical drag queen who keeps the other two in check as best she can. There was a lot more LGBTQ rep than I was expecting and I loved it! It was also a pretty heavy and dark story. For a retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray, this was not expected. It deals really well with what happens if you sell your soul for youth and beauty. It also deals with AIDS and the heavy party scene. There is A LOT of partying happening. The second half of the book was definitely darker than the first. The second watches Gary's descent into turmoil while he realizes that he's not aging and life had essentially lost meaning. I just really enjoyed this one.
This was so different from what I was expecting. I really liked the characters. Gary had a crazy character arc, Liam was interesting, and Henrietta was a riot. This book starts with a punch to the gut, and a slight mystery. There is quite a bit of insta-lust going on. Gary is basically walking perfection. He just seems to naturally draw attraction. Liam is a photographer, with a penchant for younger men. Henrietta is a brash, fairly cynical drag queen who keeps the other two in check as best she can. There was a lot more LGBTQ rep than I was expecting and I loved it! It was also a pretty heavy and dark story. For a retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray, this was not expected. It deals really well with what happens if you sell your soul for youth and beauty. It also deals with AIDS and the heavy party scene. There is A LOT of partying happening. The second half of the book was definitely darker than the first. The second watches Gary's descent into turmoil while he realizes that he's not aging and life had essentially lost meaning. I just really enjoyed this one.
aline_reads's review against another edition
4.0
A Face Without a Heart is a fantastic take on all of the amazing themes from Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray. The great thinks discussed in Wilde's novel like the human soul, but more importantly, the sins that corrupt a human being are brought to light in this modern version. We discuss in the modern day society what is a sin in a society that is supposed to be more advanced and less judgemental than it was in the Victorian era. The book also covers the topic of corruption of innocence and to the human soul. With characters in the LGBT community that would have been a scandal in Oscar Wilde's days. A great way to bring back a classic and really immersed the vital parts of it into a phenomenal discussion into today's world.
Trigger Warnings: Use of drugs, suicide and alcoholism (which if you have read The Picture of Dorian Gray are a given)
Trigger Warnings: Use of drugs, suicide and alcoholism (which if you have read The Picture of Dorian Gray are a given)
gerardine's review against another edition
4.0
In a face without a heart, Liam is an artist who is fascinated by bizarre things and one day he creates a three-dimensional hologram of Gary a young man whose beauty mesmerizes those who see him. For those who do not know the original story, the painting, or in this case the hologram will continue to age while Dorian or in this case Gary remains eternally young. The painting represents the soul of Gary and in the novel, we see the dilemma that the protagonist faces when taking a side between good and evil.
I honestly always liked the portrait of Dorian Gray and I loved the way the author represented this classic book.
TW for almost everything: violence, murder, rape, drug abuse, suicide, graphic sex
4 stars to me
thanks to NetGalley and Ninestar Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly always liked the portrait of Dorian Gray and I loved the way the author represented this classic book.
TW for almost everything: violence, murder, rape, drug abuse, suicide, graphic sex
4 stars to me
thanks to NetGalley and Ninestar Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
curiosityboughtthebook's review against another edition
3.0
I've always been fascinated by Oscar Wilde's story about Dorian Gray. I think it is an absolute must read for those that enjoy classics. So, when I saw that A Face Without a Heart is labeled as a modern day retelling of it, I knew I had to read it.
The book follows Gary Adrion (very clever), who is basically a 21 year old trust fund kid. He has been extremely spoiled with material things his entire life, yet he lacked any emotional guidance. After being spotted by Liam; who is not a painter, but rather makes holograms of people; he agrees to model for him. If you are familiar with The Picture of Dorian Gray, you can probably guess where this story is headed.
Let me say this is a interesting and well done book. Each character in the story gets their own chapters, and they are all told from their point of view. I think the characters are all well done, if not very likeable. I don't think I connected with a single person in this book. They all have their own problems, and mostly don't know how to handle them.
A Face without a Heart is definitely a dark and gritty read. The sex scenes are told as a matter of fact and in explicit detail. It isn't for the faint of heart. Suicide and drugs also play a big role in it. Just as a fair warning to potential readers.
3 out of 5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ninestar Press for the review copy.
The book follows Gary Adrion (very clever), who is basically a 21 year old trust fund kid. He has been extremely spoiled with material things his entire life, yet he lacked any emotional guidance. After being spotted by Liam; who is not a painter, but rather makes holograms of people; he agrees to model for him. If you are familiar with The Picture of Dorian Gray, you can probably guess where this story is headed.
Let me say this is a interesting and well done book. Each character in the story gets their own chapters, and they are all told from their point of view. I think the characters are all well done, if not very likeable. I don't think I connected with a single person in this book. They all have their own problems, and mostly don't know how to handle them.
A Face without a Heart is definitely a dark and gritty read. The sex scenes are told as a matter of fact and in explicit detail. It isn't for the faint of heart. Suicide and drugs also play a big role in it. Just as a fair warning to potential readers.
3 out of 5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ninestar Press for the review copy.
the_novel_approach's review against another edition
4.0
One of the classics of Victorian literature, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Grey, is a novel (Wilde’s only novel) whose themes have stood the test of time, and is one of my favorite stories to see reinterpreted for a contemporary audience. The preface of the book, added after the story’s original publication was widely criticized as immoral by the puritanical society of the time, contains one of the author’s now most famous quotes: “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” This, of course, was also the novel that was used against Wilde in court, due to its homosexual overtones, in the “gross indecency” trial that sent him to prison for two years.
But, before I get too carried away with my love of all things Oscar Wilde, the reason I was excited to read A Face without a Heart, apart from my being a fan of its author, was to see how Rick R. Reed would put his own signature on the story. In its fourth publication, first released in 2000, Reed’s interpretation of hedonism, and the aesthetic, and the relationship between an idealized youth and beauty gives Gary Adrion’s story a chilling and modern twist on the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for.” Art and morality commingle with the Faustian-esque bargain Gary makes in trading his soul for eternal youth, and we readers watch as that trade sends him spiraling into a decade-plus long hell. Gary is frozen in time, twenty-one in perpetuity, and goes on to immerse himself in a life of debauchery and self-indulgence, maintaining his surface beauty while the art that captured that beauty, initially, begins to rot as he immerses himself in a wasteland of empty sex, alcohol, and hardcore drugs.
Where Wilde’s “Dorian Grey” was written in a florid prose that fit the narrative and Wilde’s own style, Reed’s novel is written for his contemporary audience and showcases his own style equally well. Told from multiple points of view, which the author accomplishes with great success, the narrative voice from one chapter to the next reads seamlessly, each character’s voice distinct. Gary has his own “devil and angel” sitting on his shoulders and whispering in his ears—Henrietta, a sassy and cynical drag queen, is our Lord Henry Watton; while Liam is the novel’s Basil Hallward—it’s his art through which we see the reflection of the artist and his love for his subject.
The catalyst for Gary’s downfall, or, maybe I should say the victim of Gary’s scorn which spurs his downfall, is modernized for this novel as well. Zoe D’Angelo is the story’s Sibyl Vane. An exotic dancer rather than an actress, Zoe pays a steep price for Gary’s admiration just as Sibyl did Dorian’s. I also like the unexpected undercurrent Reed gives to Davio D’Angelo’s relationship with his sister. There’s an overall chilling sort of savagery to this novel, both violent and psychological, which allows readers to appreciate it on its own merits rather than as a simple rehashing of Wilde’s story. Trust me, you may recognize the bare bones of this novel’s inspiration, but Reed fleshes his version out and gives readers a few surprises before it all comes full circle.
As is its inspiration, A Face without a Heart is, at the end, a redemption story which is laced with Reed’s particular brand of horror. There are some truly gruesome scenes in this book that added a biting edge to what is otherwise a cautionary tale, and it is, as one would expect from this author, well written.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
But, before I get too carried away with my love of all things Oscar Wilde, the reason I was excited to read A Face without a Heart, apart from my being a fan of its author, was to see how Rick R. Reed would put his own signature on the story. In its fourth publication, first released in 2000, Reed’s interpretation of hedonism, and the aesthetic, and the relationship between an idealized youth and beauty gives Gary Adrion’s story a chilling and modern twist on the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for.” Art and morality commingle with the Faustian-esque bargain Gary makes in trading his soul for eternal youth, and we readers watch as that trade sends him spiraling into a decade-plus long hell. Gary is frozen in time, twenty-one in perpetuity, and goes on to immerse himself in a life of debauchery and self-indulgence, maintaining his surface beauty while the art that captured that beauty, initially, begins to rot as he immerses himself in a wasteland of empty sex, alcohol, and hardcore drugs.
Where Wilde’s “Dorian Grey” was written in a florid prose that fit the narrative and Wilde’s own style, Reed’s novel is written for his contemporary audience and showcases his own style equally well. Told from multiple points of view, which the author accomplishes with great success, the narrative voice from one chapter to the next reads seamlessly, each character’s voice distinct. Gary has his own “devil and angel” sitting on his shoulders and whispering in his ears—Henrietta, a sassy and cynical drag queen, is our Lord Henry Watton; while Liam is the novel’s Basil Hallward—it’s his art through which we see the reflection of the artist and his love for his subject.
The catalyst for Gary’s downfall, or, maybe I should say the victim of Gary’s scorn which spurs his downfall, is modernized for this novel as well. Zoe D’Angelo is the story’s Sibyl Vane. An exotic dancer rather than an actress, Zoe pays a steep price for Gary’s admiration just as Sibyl did Dorian’s. I also like the unexpected undercurrent Reed gives to Davio D’Angelo’s relationship with his sister. There’s an overall chilling sort of savagery to this novel, both violent and psychological, which allows readers to appreciate it on its own merits rather than as a simple rehashing of Wilde’s story. Trust me, you may recognize the bare bones of this novel’s inspiration, but Reed fleshes his version out and gives readers a few surprises before it all comes full circle.
As is its inspiration, A Face without a Heart is, at the end, a redemption story which is laced with Reed’s particular brand of horror. There are some truly gruesome scenes in this book that added a biting edge to what is otherwise a cautionary tale, and it is, as one would expect from this author, well written.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews