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nancyboy's review against another edition
1.0
The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favourite book of all time and I thought this was going to be a lesbian or sapphic Dorian Gray, I was so excited to read however, it is not.
In some shallow ways its Dorian Gray, the picture that changes everything, more that the plot gets wilder and wilder, though, Dorian Gray reads more like an Ancient Greek tragedy, this doesnt.
Veronica is meant to be Basil Hallward.
Mick is Dorian Gray.
Nico is Lord Henry.
However, in many ways they are not and I dont think it was meant to be. Veronica, like Basil, is an artist, in this case a photographer. Mick is a hot sexy blonde, like Dorian. Did you know Dorain has actually has blonde hair and blue eyes but I always imagine him with Greek features, very dark curly hair and brown eyes, as you know Oscar Wilde won't shut up about the gay Ancient Greeks. But I digress, our last character Nico is very much like Lord Henry but is a spoiler so,
Firstly, Veronica and Mick have no chemistry, they are meant to be falling in love but I don't get why they are even friends, I guess because they are sapphic? They have nothing else in common. Wendy Heard never builds their relationship enough for me to care, dont get me wrong I love girl kissers but why are they together other than because the plot deems it so.
In a way you live and die by your characters and I couldn't really care less about any of them. I love sapphics, I am a lesbian after all, so its not hard to me to get attached to every sapphic character in existence. But I didn't really know these characters. I felt the author had a check list of events that had to happen and thus they didn't really feel organic. Who is Veronica? Who is Mick? And for that matter who is Nico? They didn't feel three dimensional, they felt like a mind map with many edges missing.
I know I shouldn't compare it to Dorian Gray but those characters are deeply complex. I think about them everyday. That book is about the queer existence and everything that goes with it. I relate so deeply to Basil and even Dorian at times, I see myself in their actions, sometimes not literally but why and the reason why they do it.
None of this is in this book, well it didn't have to be, but I'm confused about why it was written. I want to know what the author thought this book was about, what was the point. Because Dorian Gray does have a point. Though others might disagree and I'm specially talking about the uncensored edition of Dorian Gray. The tragedy of Dorian Gray all is not that Basil and Dorian were gay, or Dorian "wanted" eternal youth but because Dorian was a repressed homo for his whole goddamn life and never made a goddamn decision for himself, he just let society and others dictate it for him. Dorian never stopped and asked the question what did he want out of life.
This book isn't about any of that and it doesn't have to be but why was it written? What did Wendy Heard have to say? I suspect she did have something point but I didn't get the meaning of any of it.
This book is more of a thriller than a romance, that's fine, but I must admit I don't read many thrillers. This book really wasn't for me.
In some shallow ways its Dorian Gray, the picture that changes everything, more that the plot gets wilder and wilder, though, Dorian Gray reads more like an Ancient Greek tragedy, this doesnt.
Veronica is meant to be Basil Hallward.
Mick is Dorian Gray.
Nico is Lord Henry.
However, in many ways they are not and I dont think it was meant to be. Veronica, like Basil, is an artist, in this case a photographer. Mick is a hot sexy blonde, like Dorian. Did you know Dorain has actually has blonde hair and blue eyes but I always imagine him with Greek features, very dark curly hair and brown eyes, as you know Oscar Wilde won't shut up about the gay Ancient Greeks. But I digress, our last character Nico is very much like Lord Henry but is a spoiler so,
Spoiler
Nico, like Lord Henry, is the devil, though, I would call Lord Henry the gay devil, unsure about Nico's sexualityFirstly, Veronica and Mick have no chemistry, they are meant to be falling in love but I don't get why they are even friends, I guess because they are sapphic? They have nothing else in common. Wendy Heard never builds their relationship enough for me to care, dont get me wrong I love girl kissers but why are they together other than because the plot deems it so.
In a way you live and die by your characters and I couldn't really care less about any of them. I love sapphics, I am a lesbian after all, so its not hard to me to get attached to every sapphic character in existence. But I didn't really know these characters. I felt the author had a check list of events that had to happen and thus they didn't really feel organic. Who is Veronica? Who is Mick? And for that matter who is Nico? They didn't feel three dimensional, they felt like a mind map with many edges missing.
I know I shouldn't compare it to Dorian Gray but those characters are deeply complex. I think about them everyday. That book is about the queer existence and everything that goes with it. I relate so deeply to Basil and even Dorian at times, I see myself in their actions, sometimes not literally but why and the reason why they do it.
None of this is in this book, well it didn't have to be, but I'm confused about why it was written. I want to know what the author thought this book was about, what was the point. Because Dorian Gray does have a point. Though others might disagree and I'm specially talking about the uncensored edition of Dorian Gray. The tragedy of Dorian Gray all is not that Basil and Dorian were gay, or Dorian "wanted" eternal youth but because Dorian was a repressed homo for his whole goddamn life and never made a goddamn decision for himself, he just let society and others dictate it for him. Dorian never stopped and asked the question what did he want out of life.
This book isn't about any of that and it doesn't have to be but why was it written? What did Wendy Heard have to say? I suspect she did have something point but I didn't get the meaning of any of it.
This book is more of a thriller than a romance, that's fine, but I must admit I don't read many thrillers. This book really wasn't for me.
nancyboy56's review against another edition
1.0
The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favourite book of all time and I thought this was going to be a lesbian or sapphic Dorian Gray, I was so excited to read however, it is not.
In some shallow ways its Dorian Gray, the picture that changes everything, more that the plot gets wilder and wilder, though, Dorian Gray reads more like an Ancient Greek tragedy, this doesnt.
Veronica is meant to be Basil Hallward.
Mick is Dorian Gray.
Nico is Lord Henry.
However, in many ways they are not and I dont think it was meant to be. Veronica, like Basil, is an artist, in this case a photographer. Mick is a hot sexy blonde, like Dorian. Did you know Dorain has actually has blonde hair and blue eyes but I always imagine him with Greek features, very dark curly hair and brown eyes, as you know Oscar Wilde won't shut up about the gay Ancient Greeks. But I digress, our last character Nico is very much like Lord Henry but is a spoiler so,
Firstly, Veronica and Mick have no chemistry, they are meant to be falling in love but I don't get why they are even friends, I guess because they are sapphic? They have nothing else in common. Wendy Heard never builds their relationship enough for me to care, dont get me wrong I love girl kissers but why are they together other than because the plot deems it so.
In a way you live and die by your characters and I couldn't really care less about any of them. I love sapphics, I am a lesbian after all, so its not hard to me to get attached to every sapphic character in existence. But I didn't really know these characters. I felt the author had a check list of events that had to happen and thus they didn't really feel organic. Who is Veronica? Who is Mick? And for that matter who is Nico? They didn't feel three dimensional, they felt like a mind map with many edges missing.
I know I shouldn't compare it to Dorian Gray but those characters are deeply complex. I think about them everyday. That book is about the queer existence and everything that goes with it. I relate so deeply to Basil and even Dorian at times, I see myself in their actions, sometimes not literally but why and the reason why they do it.
None of this is in this book, well it didn't have to be, but I'm confused about why it was written. I want to know what the author thought this book was about, what was the point. Because Dorian Gray does have a point. Though others might disagree and I'm specially talking about the uncensored edition of Dorian Gray. The tragedy of Dorian Gray all is not that Basil and Dorian were gay, or Dorian "wanted" eternal youth but because Dorian was a repressed homo for his whole goddamn life and never made a goddamn decision for himself, he just let society and others dictate it for him. Dorian never stopped and asked the question what did he want out of life.
This book isn't about any of that and it doesn't have to be but why was it written? What did Wendy Heard have to say? I suspect she did have something point but I didn't get the meaning of any of it.
This book is more of a thriller than a romance, that's fine, but I must admit I don't read many thrillers. This book really wasn't for me.
In some shallow ways its Dorian Gray, the picture that changes everything, more that the plot gets wilder and wilder, though, Dorian Gray reads more like an Ancient Greek tragedy, this doesnt.
Veronica is meant to be Basil Hallward.
Mick is Dorian Gray.
Nico is Lord Henry.
However, in many ways they are not and I dont think it was meant to be. Veronica, like Basil, is an artist, in this case a photographer. Mick is a hot sexy blonde, like Dorian. Did you know Dorain has actually has blonde hair and blue eyes but I always imagine him with Greek features, very dark curly hair and brown eyes, as you know Oscar Wilde won't shut up about the gay Ancient Greeks. But I digress, our last character Nico is very much like Lord Henry but is a spoiler so,
Spoiler
Nico, like Lord Henry, is the devil, though, I would call Lord Henry the gay devil, unsure about Nico's sexualityFirstly, Veronica and Mick have no chemistry, they are meant to be falling in love but I don't get why they are even friends, I guess because they are sapphic? They have nothing else in common. Wendy Heard never builds their relationship enough for me to care, dont get me wrong I love girl kissers but why are they together other than because the plot deems it so.
In a way you live and die by your characters and I couldn't really care less about any of them. I love sapphics, I am a lesbian after all, so its not hard to me to get attached to every sapphic character in existence. But I didn't really know these characters. I felt the author had a check list of events that had to happen and thus they didn't really feel organic. Who is Veronica? Who is Mick? And for that matter who is Nico? They didn't feel three dimensional, they felt like a mind map with many edges missing.
I know I shouldn't compare it to Dorian Gray but those characters are deeply complex. I think about them everyday. That book is about the queer existence and everything that goes with it. I relate so deeply to Basil and even Dorian at times, I see myself in their actions, sometimes not literally but why and the reason why they do it.
None of this is in this book, well it didn't have to be, but I'm confused about why it was written. I want to know what the author thought this book was about, what was the point. Because Dorian Gray does have a point. Though others might disagree and I'm specially talking about the uncensored edition of Dorian Gray. The tragedy of Dorian Gray all is not that Basil and Dorian were gay, or Dorian "wanted" eternal youth but because Dorian was a repressed homo for his whole goddamn life and never made a goddamn decision for himself, he just let society and others dictate it for him. Dorian never stopped and asked the question what did he want out of life.
This book isn't about any of that and it doesn't have to be but why was it written? What did Wendy Heard have to say? I suspect she did have something point but I didn't get the meaning of any of it.
This book is more of a thriller than a romance, that's fine, but I must admit I don't read many thrillers. This book really wasn't for me.
nicole_cries_alot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Holy shit?? That escalated so quickly, and got so off the rails, I was wrapped up for the last third of the book. These characters are complex and toxic and it adds so many more layers to the story. I loved this one
laneygregg's review against another edition
3.0
probably more like 3.5 stars.
kinda wish the last 15 or so pages just didn't exist though. this had far too many loose threads and i still had lots of unanswered questions at the end, and those pages only added to that.
kinda wish the last 15 or so pages just didn't exist though. this had far too many loose threads and i still had lots of unanswered questions at the end, and those pages only added to that.
sundriedangel's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed it, twists and turns and all. Sometimes the characters inner dialogue took me out a little and Mik saying “wow I never considered that my mom could be a drug addict, I guess I don’t know her very well” was a little….like come on. But overall I raced to the end so I could find out what happened. Wish there was a little more on who tf Nico was, I thought maybe he’d be related to Mic or the politician but I respect a book that leaves some mystery
bmwilson38's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Blood, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Body horror, and Murder
elecowq's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
miariinfinityreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
thebonekingdom's review against another edition
3.0
Give me a vile and wicked character and you have my heart. I live for disturbing and unsettling plots featuring characters with twisted minds.
The horror in this book takes quite a long time to appear. The first half is more focused on setting up the bases to the plot and some romantic drama between the two MCs with some ominous hints here and there on what's going to happen to them in their near future.
It is the part I least enjoyed as it mainly portrays the blossoming of the relationship between Mick and Veronica while I waited for the horror to settle in. However I did not dislike it and still found some parts to be enjoyable. Still, the biggest issue I had with this book also happened in this part as their relationship features some unhealthy behaviours coming from Veronica.
I do not think her behaviour was the real flaw in this story as it was not portrayed as normal whether it is thanks to the narration or other characters' reactions towards it, however I do think the main flaw lies in the way the author handled the development of their relationship afterwards. If she made Veronica that way, It would have made more sense for both to part ways or have a real redemption for their behaviours and not just some messed up arguments with half-assed apologies and easy forgiveness because of the love they feel for one another, unintentionally giving the message that someone's wrong doings can be swept under the rug that easily.
I wouldn't say their relationship is the epitome of toxicity so it didn't necessarily ruin the whole experience for me. Plus the story is not only/mainly focused on romance, in which case it could have been a bigger problem.
Despite that, when the first murder occurred I got immediately thrilled. The Villain was obvious since the very beginning but seeing them in action made it way better.
I'm a firm believer that horror stories must either end with everyone's death or with an open ending where the victims think they're safe but never truly are and on this part the book entirely satisfied me.
I obviously talk about the flaws I find in books in more depth, but I still enjoyed this story!
The horror in this book takes quite a long time to appear. The first half is more focused on setting up the bases to the plot and some romantic drama between the two MCs with some ominous hints here and there on what's going to happen to them in their near future.
It is the part I least enjoyed as it mainly portrays the blossoming of the relationship between Mick and Veronica while I waited for the horror to settle in. However I did not dislike it and still found some parts to be enjoyable. Still, the biggest issue I had with this book also happened in this part as their relationship features some unhealthy behaviours coming from Veronica.
I do not think her behaviour was the real flaw in this story as it was not portrayed as normal whether it is thanks to the narration or other characters' reactions towards it, however I do think the main flaw lies in the way the author handled the development of their relationship afterwards. If she made Veronica that way, It would have made more sense for both to part ways or have a real redemption for their behaviours and not just some messed up arguments with half-assed apologies and easy forgiveness because of the love they feel for one another, unintentionally giving the message that someone's wrong doings can be swept under the rug that easily.
I wouldn't say their relationship is the epitome of toxicity so it didn't necessarily ruin the whole experience for me. Plus the story is not only/mainly focused on romance, in which case it could have been a bigger problem.
Despite that, when the first murder occurred I got immediately thrilled. The Villain was obvious since the very beginning but seeing them in action made it way better.
I'm a firm believer that horror stories must either end with everyone's death or with an open ending where the victims think they're safe but never truly are and on this part the book entirely satisfied me.
I obviously talk about the flaws I find in books in more depth, but I still enjoyed this story!
ivannna_u's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25