Every exquisite thing

by Laura Steven

A feminist YA horror-thriller-romance retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray by the TikTok sensation and author of The Society for Soulless Girls… Penny Paxton is the daughter of an icon. Her supermodel mother has legions of adoring fans around the world, and Penny is ready to begin her journey to international adoration, starting with joining the elite Dorian Drama School. When Penny’s new mentor offers her an opportunity she cannot refuse, to have a portrait painted by a mysterious artist who can grant immortal beauty to all his subjects, Penny happily follows in the footsteps of Dorian’s most glittering alumni, knowing that stardom is sure to soon be hers. But when her trusted mentor is found murdered, Penny realises she’s made a terrible mistake – a sinister someone is using the uncanny portraits to kill off the subjects one by one. As more perfectly beautiful students start to fall, Penny knows her time is running out . . . A seductive and searing exploration of beauty, identity, and what the pursuit of perfection can truly cost.

Genres: Lesbian, Dark Academia, Fantasy, Horror, Queer, LGBT, Young Adult

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2023

About the author

LAURA "L.K." STEVEN is a #1 New York Times, Indie & USA Today bestselling author from the northernmost town in England. She has published several books for young adults, such as the instant bestseller Our Infinite Fates, while the forthcoming Silvercloak trilogy, written as L.K. Steven, will mark her adult fantasy debut. When she’s not writing, you can find her trail running, reading chunky fantasy novels, baking cookies, playing old men at chess, or ignoring her husband and son to perfect her Stardew Valley farm. You can find her on Instagram (@laurasteven) and TikTok (@authorlaurasteven).

Reviews

[Kai Spellmeier]

Typical case of I’m a sl*t for a gorgeous cover, alluring sprayed edges and, most importantly, gay stuff

[Lyra (Cardan's tail's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

—🖼 4 stars 🖼—

“I was so perfect before the world told me otherwise”

————about the book————

Age: YA
Genres: Dark Academia, Gothic Fiction
Writing: 9/10
Quotes: 9/10
World building: n/a
Characters: 8/10
Romance: 7/10
My rating: 8/10

trigger warnings: Depression, Alcoholism, Violence, Animal Death, Eating Disorders, Anorexia, Death, Injury Detail, Murder, Panic Attacks, etc.

———my thoughts———

Having not read The Portrait Of Dorian Gray, I was initially worried I wouldn’t understand the basis of this story.
But while I definitely would have found more parallels and similarities between them—i don’t think you need to read the book that inspired it to enjoy it(as it often is with retellings)
The real aspect of Dorian Gray comes from the portraits. Have your portrait painted and be preserved exactly as you are.
As can be expected though...it comes with a catch.
Every Exquisite Thing dove immediately into beauty, control, and how much you’d give up for perfection.
Yes, there’s a mystery, thriller part to it too, but if I’m being honest, the characters were far more fascinating than any of the plot lines.
The main character, Penny, is desperate to make her mother finally notice her, to make everyone notice her for herself.
For while she may be an icon’s daughter, she never feels like she’s enough.
The way the author describes her feelings is beautiful, and how she slips in quotes that have never felt truer to me?
It’s impressive.
From how the phone-filled life of nowadays means there is always at least one bad photo of you out there, to how your parents can shape who you are by their actions, to how disordered eating can often be a form of control...every point felt right, but also like everyone knew it—they just hadn’t figured out how to put it into words yet.
I don’t know exactly what to call this book—contemporary, paranormal, dark academia—because nothing quite fits.
All I know is that it’s a love letter to all the teenage girls who feel wrong. All the women who worry about not being enough. Everyone who has obsessed and fixated on their appearance, and every person who has wondered what could make them more.

————quotes————

“Girls don’t want beauty. Girls want power and sometimes beauty is the closest substitute”

“It was the great paradox of my existence – I wanted to be loved, but I also wanted to be left alone. A dichotomy I could never quite reconcile.”

“Wasn’t that what everyone wanted, at the heart of themselves? To be adored?”

“I think I was just born hungry.”

“Being beautiful is so important to me and I don’t know why that is. I don’t know why I would value it over my life.”

“If there are 3 wolves inside of us, all of mine are encyclopaedias”

“By tying our worth to our beauty and our beauty to our youth, they ensure even the most powerful women will one day lose that status”

“Something so ordinary can be something so beautiful, if you look at it the right way.”

“The thing we truly wanted wasn’t actually beauty. It was whatever we believed beauty could buy us.”

“We were bright and young and brilliant, alive with glittering promise, and yet we went to such extreme lengths to keep ourselves small. No matter the cost.”

———random extra thoughts———

Finishing November on a good note 😋

Thanks for reading! ❤️

[౨ৎ]

dorian gray retellings 🫶🫶

[Celestina1210 · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’étais très impatiente de commencer ce livre, une adaptation féministe du roman le portrait de Dorian Grey, sur le papier ce livre était parfait pour moi.
Seulement voilà, j’ai été un peu déçue. Je n’ai pas trouvé la trame vraiment très intéressante et le personnage principal me laissait un peu froide voir m’agacer un peu. Le personnage de Dorian Grey est lui aussi détestable mais il y a Lord Henry, ce personnage cynique. Ici j’ai bien compris la thématique du regard de la société sur le corps des femmes mais j’ai mons aimé le style littéraire.

[Kobe · Rating 4 out of 5]

As The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of my favourite books, and YA horror is one of my favourite genres, I definitely went into this book with very high expectations and I still managed to be absolutely blown away by it. I adored the themes of beauty and control, and especially how it managed to be a unique story that speaks to modern day issues while still taking inspiration from the classic. An incredibly layered narrative with characters who struggle in the search for identity.

Raw and unflinching, and everything I could've possibly hoped for in a sapphic feminist retelling of Dorian Gray. A new favourite for sure! 4.5 stars.

thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for a digital review copy!

[★Sophia★ (Frieder's Version) · Rating 2 out of 5]

she did Basil so fucking dirty 💀 I mean sleeping with a woman? He would never

[that girl who reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was immediately sold based on the sapphic x enemies to lovers x dorian gray x we were villains x the black swan concept. And yes, I could definitely see these influences throughout. It started off strong, I really liked the themes surrounding beauty, identity, family expectation and elite student rivalry. The dark academia campus setting drew me in and the whodunnit mystery intrigued me enough to read this in one sitting.

But I'm really sorry to say that it didn't meet my expectations despite really wanting to love this. In my opinion the writing was a little clumsy in places. Certain metaphors felt out of place and certain plot points felt overly and conveniently patched up to avoid plot holes. I thought the choice of prologue was odd and personally would have preferred it without this as in a way it spoiled certain things to come. I wasn't sold on the magical elements, especially as the story unravelled. I would have liked more explanation and background about how this all came together. Without this, I just found the whole thing a little bizarre and far-fetched. The ending still left certain mysteries unresolved which was a bit disappointing but I appreciate perhaps it was intentionally left open ended.

I was pleased to see trigger warnings, especially for the eating disorder parts as definitely needed in this case. I also appreciated the author's note on this at the start. Whilst I'm all for representing EDs in literature, I felt the ED message got a little lost amongst some of the other themes and I would have liked to have liked more focus on representing this in a way that could perhaps help those who share the character's struggles. Don't get me wrong, there was some of this, but I personally would have liked a bit more.

Justice for Davina!! I really liked her as a character and wanted to see more of her explored and more of a character arc. I personally found her ending just really disappointing and she deserved so much better. However I'm certain that Penny's story will resonate with many and her arc was important. If I'm honest I didn't feel overly drawn to any of the other characters in the same way which was a shame.

Clearly inspiration was taken from The Picture of Dorian Gray and certain characters' names are referred to. This confused me as I couldn't help but relate this book to Oscar Wilde's but I think I would have preferred it if it had been either kept entirely separate or remained more consistent with the source material as this lay somewhere in between. Perhaps not so much an issue for other readers as, yes, it is its own story and you can enjoy both in different ways.

Overall, did I enjoy it? Yes, it was an intriguing concept and an important message to take away from it. However for me personally there were just too many elements that niggled me which prevented me rating this higher. But each to our own and I'm sure others will love this!

[Sandra Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Every Exquisite Thing" is a smart, biting, and emotionally charged dark academia novel that digs deep into ambition, obsession, and the messy desire to be seen. Laura Steven delivers a story that is sharp-edged but surprisingly vulnerable, balancing satire and sincerity in a way that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

The protagonist is both flawed and fascinating. The author does an excellent job exploring the pressures of performance, the hunger for validation, and the toxicity that can grow in elite academic environments. The relationships, especially the intense and tangled ones, feel raw and real, full of longing, insecurity, and power shifts.

The pacing moves quickly, with plenty of tension threaded through the story. Laura Steven’s writing is crisp and confident, laced with humour that cuts through the darker themes without undermining them. The atmosphere is immersive, and the emotional beats land with impact.

Overall, "Every Exquisite Thing" is bold, addictive, and brimming with emotional complexity.

[Juli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impressive, strong beginning promised a great story - that unfortunately disappointed me greatly about halfway through.
The characters didn't really stick with me, at some point they started to feel like plot devices instead of people. I started to get the feeling the incredibly interesting topics wouldn't be scratched deeper than the surface. And they weren't. Some ends felt very loose, conclusions seemed to jump out of nowhere without prior suspense. Nothing too unexpected, just kind of weird vibes at the end, missed hints, forgotten loose ends, everything ended kind of unsatisfying and unbelievable. Which I'm super bummed about, because the premise of this book and the starting chapters seemed so promising.

[Alyson Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ for this sapphic retelling of Dorian Gray that, after reading, should be pitched as based upon the original, not a retelling?

Penny is our MFC, the offspring of a supermodel mother set in an acting school where, when given the offer of a portrait painting, gains more than she expected.

The idea of this book really hooked me in, and I read this wanting to know the outcome, but somehow not giving it my full attention. I think this is due to not feeling attached to the characters? I couldn't seem to identify with them?

I did really like the fact that the triggers in this book were dealt with in what I thought was a respectful manner.

[Rowena · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Girls don't want beauty. Girls want power. And sometimes beauty is the closest substitute."

There are books in life that just draw you in and will stick with you forever, not just because of the characters, but because of the lessons you learn from them. Laura Steven's newest book Every Exquisite Thing is one such book worth every single star I've rated it.

A sapphic reimagining of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray with a dusting of Darren Aronofsky's 2010 hit Black Swan, Every Exquisite Thing follows the story of Penny Paxton, who attends the infamous Dorian Drama Academy where she meets rival Davina Burns after both auditioning for the role of Lady Macbeth. Penny desperately wants the lead to impress her actress mother, and does something so cutthroat it lands her in the lap of Orlagh Camran who offers Penny the chance to combat her Hunger without ever having to worry about her looks again.

Penny is like an onion, she has layers to her that not even she remembers until in the liminal world - which felt like an acid trip. She wants so desperately at the beginning to succeed, that Penny sees the lead of Lady Macbeth as being the be-all-and-end-all. It's not, and this is something that she learns. This is only partial to the driving force in Penny making the decision to have her portrait painted. When she discovers her hair is falling out she wants to preserve it. Along with the fact that she sees the painting as a way of combating her eating disorder. It's a shallow decision ultimately, but Penny needs to make this choice in order for her to learn. Without it, Penny would have continued to struggle with her body image.

"Bodies are just bodies, but they're also not. Bodies are sex and power and identity."

Identity is a heavy theme throughout Every Exquisite Thing. It's something that Penny is yearning for in the shadow and expectations of her mother, it's her reasoning in controlling her body weight, and ultimately the decisions that she makes. Catalina is Penny's counterweight: curvaceous and seemingly comfortable with her body, Penny learns from Catalina that she too struggled with eating until she was diagnosed with type one diabetes. And then you have Davina, who as a ballerina is perhaps even more skin and bone than Penny. Body image is something that has become so pivotal over the years through social media and western ideals. Teenagers are taught that you have to look a certain way in order to get anyway, but Laura Steven works to reverse this, it reminds us of body positivity and to be confident in who you are as a person because there's more to us than the way we look. It's a book that I wish I could have read when I was fifteen or sixteen, characters to show me that the bullies were wrong.

There are so many layers to this book. It's full of twists and turns, and I just wanted to keep peeling back the layers until I had devoured everything. Honestly, the opportunity to be on the street team for Laura is amazing, and to have been able to read this and review it before release is humbling. It's an important book that everyone should read and celebrate.

[wiktoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

are you even a girl if you're not traumatised by your mother? :/// i liked the book and even though it did have several major plot holes, it was fairly enjoyable.

i dont think i found any of the characters likable. if i were to pick my favourite i'd say swan #1, because all of the actual characters were absolutely insufferable, but i guess that was the point.

in all honesty, i don't think it should be labelled as a "retelling" of "the picture of dorian gray," but rather as something that was inspired by it, bcs ma boi dorian, up until the very end, *did not* regret his decision. ma boi would have *NEVAH* been found sulking over his own decision that fast, come on.

also, i never thought i'd ever read the words "flop era" and "you slayed" in a book inspired by a victorian classic. im not going to lie, it had me gagging.

overall, i do think it was an interesting take on childhood trauma and dealing with body image, that part was done, in my opinion, painfully well. story-wise it did lack some development, but as i said, it was enjoyable.

[eerika (taylor's version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

it seems like laura steven is me from the 6th grade because everyone was annoying, nothing made sense, and the ending was so sloppy and reminded me of the way i used to end my stories. i always had strong premises but no idea about the ending or the middle. YOU CAN'T WRITE A MYSTERY BOOK AND THEN HAVE ONE OF THE THE MYSTERIES JUST DISCARDED AND BE LIKE "I GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW". like wtf?

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a necessary take on Dorian Gray; the themes within it demand a female perspective on the concept, and the way this book was really about beauty standards and eating disorders was very powerfully done. A certain line really impacted me and I definitely feel the message of this one strongly.

It is definitely not a retelling but more a modern continuation of the story that takes a lot of liberties. I wasn't completely in love with the direction it went with the fantastical elements, so this isn't quite as strong as The Society For Soulless Girls for me, but I did find it just as compulsively readable and enjoyable. I really am liking this author.

[Bouchra Bouz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Franchement ? Masterpiece !

L’autrice maîtrise les sujets à merveilles. Dans ce roman dark academia on y explore l’obsession de la beauté et de l’apparence physique, l’art, on y parle de santé mentale, de relations toxiques, de parentalités, de relations humaines.

Je trouve que c’est un peu un mélange de Rouge de Mona Awad avec la Neuvième maison, mais version saphique et Young adult.

Je déplore juste une scène de smut (léger) qui aurait pu être évitée car elle n’apporte rien. Je n’en dis pas plus vous comprendrez.
J’aime beaucoup ce livre c’est bien écrit et c’est assez poignant.

Rdv sur Instagram @bouchra_bouz pour une revue plus complète (bientôt)

[tswiftlover (cami) · Rating 3 out of 5]

”behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” (oscar wilde)

3.75 stars!!!!
dorian gray retelling????? count me in bc i LOVED the picture of dorian gray🤞🤞 i really liked the concept of this book so much and i enjoyed what the author did w an already well loved story!

for me, it was more so the writing/plot that had gripped me from the start!! the initial plot twist about 30% in was absolutely insane and i was in shock for a good 5 mins at least!!!! the aesthetics were so well written, and i feel like the author’s writing got so much better from the society for soulless girls to this book!

conceptually, it’s even a good explanation for what possibly could’ve happened to dorian in the original stories as well!

penny was such an interesting character, and i think her ed was written in such a tasteful way!!! even her arc too. i find many times authors just do things and won’t take the risk to actually make an arc come full circle, but this book does that!!! she really embraces herself by the end :)

now romance/davina😭 i feel like this should NOT be marketed as a rivals to lovers LMAO. i walked into this book expecting that, and i mean yes there is one scene where something happens, but besides that — it’s really nothing and their romance doesn’t have too much depth. in fact penny has another romance which confused me for pretty much majority of the book bc i thought i was supposed to be rooting for her and davina?? but by the 3/4 mark i felt like rooting for penny & davina was just toxic so i couldn’t bring myself to anymore. and honestly justice for davina bc we hardly got her, and i wanted to know more about who she was!!!

and the ending!!! i think it just happened a bit too quickly for my taste, and the reveal of the father LMFAOO?? spoiler warning ish?????? i think if u read the original story it kinda made no sense to me in terms of his character, bc we all know damn well he’d never have kids, but in relation to the plot of this story it made sense i guess.

regardless, i really liked this book!!! i think it holds a really valuable message, and the general plot is super good. very very gripping. i just had a couple issues that ended up falling flat for me? STILL. VERY GOOD.

[t · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. did the author actually try and fix the plot holes or just say ‘i guess we’ll never know’, hoping for the best

[sanne ♥ (sann_reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Kayleigh | Welsh Book Fairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Every Exquisite Thing
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Laura Steven
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: YA feminist thriller/dark academia
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 14th September 2023
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 20th August 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★★★ ¼

”‘Girls don’t want beauty. Girls want power. And sometimes beauty is the closest substitute.’”

Every Exquisite Thing is a hard hitting, powerful, and utterly immersive sapphic and feminist retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray. You don’t need to read The Picture of Dorian Gray to be completely reeled in to the murky waters of this reimagining, however, I do recommend you to heed the trigger warnings at the beginning of this book (disordered eating and thinking, violence, disfigurement, animal death, and parental addiction to name a few).

The premise of Dorian Gray is an artist paints a picture of Dorian, a handsome and charismatic gentleman, however the more nefarious and cruel Dorian’s physical actions become, the more his portrait distorts into a grotesque imagery of himself. It’s a simple and clever idea and the way Laura Steven utilised this in Every Exquisite Thing is authentic to her own ideals and yet congruent to the original.

The author deftly explores the topic of female beauty in this book. Mainly, it’s expectations, its limitations, and how the beauty competition called life women seem to be embroiled in line the pockets of rich men. To do this, our main character suffers from disordered eating and alopecia alongside her existential dread and her angst due to a floundering sense of identity so it was a bit difficult to read in parts, simply due to Penny’s strong emotionally evocative turmoils.

”‘It is neither normal nor natural to be so aware of our every unfortunate angle, our every perceived flaw. And it is neither normal nor natural for us to be so frequently immortalised. It carries with it a certain anxiety.’”

There was a lot of darkness in this book. Murder, rivalries, mental health conditions, dysfunctional family dynamics, blackmail, and bullying, to name a few. Yet there was also lightness, budding friendships, some humour, satisfying character redemptions, tender emotions, and maternal concern. This allowed the characters to be three dimensional: flawed yet fundamentally good. Catalina in particular held my heart and soul in the palm of her Dungeons & Dragons loving hand.

The setting was an elite drama institution, coined Dorian Drama School, which seemed glamorous and gothic, and screamed dark academia. Whilst the building is described as an ”old red-brick building with gleaming chequerboard floors, mahogany bookshelves with gilded sliding ladders, and the aphrodisiac scent of old paper and ink”, at its very core was a strange and almost imperceptible sentience that smelled of rot and decay, promising immortality in exchange for souls and consequently, sanity.

“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic”–Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

—Kayleigh🤍

♡Booksta
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[chelsea reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

my love for laura steven knows no bounds. i will read anything this woman writes, and i'll read it with love and dedication.

as a little glimpse into my enjoyment of this book, i read it in one sitting! i genuinely couldn't put it down. i was captivated and enthralled by what was going on. i also proceeded to watch the dorian gray movie right afterwards (as someone who has never read or watched anything relating to dorian gray, it was quite the experience). i hope to read the original book at some stage too.

every exquisite thing is a sapphic feminist retelling of dorian gray, set in a modern world. there's a lot of heavy stuff in the book, so checking out a list of trigger warnings is a good idea.

the creativity that steven brought to this book is unmatched. while it's a retelling/reimagining of dorian gray, there's so much originality and subtle twists to really distinguish it as its own work. the mystery and thriller aspect of every exquisite thing was hands down so good. i was constantly turning the page to learn more.

this book has become my whole personality.

[Quill&Queer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly, I hated Society For Soulless Girls so much that I didn't think I would be reading this book at all, but apparently my goblin brain saw the Waterstones sprayed edges, ordered the book, and then promptly forgot, so you can imagine my surprise when I opened the package.

I'm glad I decided to give this book a chance, because it was so, so good. A solid mash up of I Feed Her To The Beast and A Lesson In Vengeance, this is a Dorian Grey retelling from a modern day, female perspective, with toxic rivalries and a sapphic romance.

This story is almost entirely completed at the end, bringing the intensity of the story to a satisfying, brutal conclusion, but I did feel there was just a smidge of room for a future sequel, which I'll be very much holding out hope for.

[liv ❁]

sapphic dorian gray retelling?? i’m so in

[Mae · Rating 2 out of 5]

well. that end reveal was absolute garbage

[Dominika · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 75%

I'm not saying it's bad, but I really don't care

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Thanks to NetGalley and the author Laura Steven for providing me with an ARC copy of Every Exquisite Thing]

Every Exquisite Thing is a feminist dark academia retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray spiced up with horror, thriller, and mystery elements. We follow the story of Penny, a young woman who has just entered Dorian Drama School. Her goal is to become a famous actress and prove to her mother - who is also a notorious actress - that she's worth her love and attention.

Dorian Drama School takes in only the best thespian talents and Davina is one of them: she's known to bring men to tears during her audition without even uttering a word. As Penny navigates classes and rehearsals, Davina becomes her rival and Penny resorts to having her portrait painted by a mysterious painter who is known for preserving the beauty of the subjects he portrays. But where is the catch? Who has killed Penny's mentor? And why are the subjects of the mysterious painter dying one after the other?

The rivalry between Davina and Penny is well-developed and most importantly enjoyable: it is not based on some childish quarrel but driven by a deep hunger for success. The side characters are complementary to the story, and I have to admit I immediately grew fond of Catalina, one of Penny's flat mates.
The pacing is perfect as the story progresses without being rushed or watered down. The prologue is entriguing and captivates the reader from page one.

Main characters and side characters' psychology are carefully depicted. Penny isn't the usual spoiled girl: she's both fragile and tough, has been through events that broke her and deeply changed her, has a very complicated relationship with her mother, and most importantly with her own body which she strictly controls. Davina is the other side of the coin: if Penny managed to grow up and maintain a somewhat positive and cheerful attitude, Davina has learned to hide her feelings behind a thick armor and a scornful and sarcastic demeanor.

The idea of a Dorian Gray retelling is carried out beautifully: the readers find themselves in a drama school, where talent, beauty, and ambition are key factors to success. Beauty as a universal value, as a currency, and beauty as a means to reach fame are at the core of the criticism against beauty standards imposed by Western society. As one of my favorite quotes says: "Girls don't want beauty. Girls want power. And sometimes beauty is the closest substitute."

The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of my all time favorite books, so my expectations were very high when I started reading Evey Exquisite Thing. I have to say that I was completely satisfied by my reading experience: this is one of the few books that took me from 30% to 70% in one sitting. I was completely hooked and couldn't stop turning pages!
The feminist and societal topics are well inserted in the story and I really appreciated reading reflections about how girls and women are impacted by imposed beauty norms.

!!! - Some very delicate topics are discussed in Every Exquisite Thing, so be sure to check the trigger warnings before diving into the story - !!!

[Linnea · Rating 4 out of 5]

tää piti mut otteessaan koko kirjan ajan. dorian grayn muotokuvan uudelleenkerronta anto loistavat lähtökohdat. lopun juonenkäänteet ja selitykset taipu omasta mielestä aavistuksen liian paranormaalin puolelle eikä niistä kaikki tuntunu järkeviltä selityksiltä ja oisin ehkä toivonut jotain vähän erilaista ja sen takii tää ei saa multa viittä tähtee.

tää kirja käsitteli ja kritisoi mun mielest loistavasti kauneutta, kauneusihanteita ja niihin liittyvää valtaa. pennyn syömishäiriötyyppiset ajatukset olivat välillä kamalaa luettavaa, mutta samalla niiden yhdistyminen kauneuden ikuistamiseen maalauksen kautta oli konseptina voimakas ja onnistunut.

tää kirja oli oikeestaan just sitä mitä täl hetkel kaipasin eli vetävä tarina, dramaattisia juonenkäänteitä, wlw-hahmoi, trilleri viboja ja murhia joille ei tunnu olevan mitään järkevää selitystä.

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a sapphic retelling of A Picture of Dorian Gray that DELIVERED. The first half meandered but I'm glad I pushed through because the second half (and especially the last 25%) was such a thriller rush. There were some plot points that were left unanswered, but I feel like it can be chalked up as part of the mystery and intrigue of the overall story, so I don't mind at all.

[Manoek (manoeksbooknook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come :)

[mika ⭑.ᐟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)

[Kirsten Moody · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5