The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m
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Learning to Swear in America - Katie Kennedy

Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
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Blurb (on back of book): Brimming with humor and one-of-a-kind characters, this end-of-the world novel will grab hold of Andrew Smith and Rainbow Rowell fans.
An asteroid is hurtling toward Earth. A big, bad one. Yuri, a physicist prodigy from Russia, has been called to NASA as they calculate a plan to avoid disaster. He knows how to stop the asteroid: his research in antimatter will probably win him a Nobel prize--if there's ever another Nobel prize awarded. But Yuri's 17, and having a hard time making older, stodgy physicists listen to him. Then he meets Dovie, who lives like a normal teenager, oblivious to the impending doom. Being with her, on the adventures she plans when he's not at NASA, Yuri catches a glimpse of what it means to save the world and save a life worth living.
Prepare to laugh, cry, cringe, and have your mind burst open with questions of the universe.

MY OPINION: ***

AHHHH I don't even know how I felt about this book.

There were times when I really LOVED it and then there were times where it fell flat. I finished this in a day over two-and-a-half hours and I really enjoyed it.

Yuri is a genius seventeen-year-old from Russia who is sent to NASA to stop an incoming asteroid that is threatening to demolish the earth with an antimatter formula that only he knows. I'm not the biggest science and math person compared to English or History but I enjoyed learning about the different things that take place when trying to save the world, though a lot of it didn't make sense.

I loved Yuri. His character was honestly adorably amusing and I related with a lot of things that he thought about. There were just times when he was confused in awkward social situations and he was unsure what to say and how to act in a different place and I definitely can relate to that. I'm not the most social person (Introverts UNITE!) and extremely awkward situations are awful when it comes to deciding what to say (I generally rely on a weird hum-mumble that is beyond weird but cannot be stopped).

Dovie was another unusual character that I also happened to love. She was such a refreshing, clean, pure girl who genuinely cared about things that the people around her didn't care about. I didn't fully love her relationship with Yuri but I suppose since the world was ending, so be it.

My favorite part was the gym scene because I could SO relate to that. Although Dovie's school was beyond awful (I mean, they killed hamsters if they got a math problem wrong!) and I'm genuinely sorry for her.

I was most disappointed with the ending. Everything happened quickly and some parts of it were confusing or were major letdowns and I would have appreciated more closure.

I LOVED LENNON. HE WAS HANDS-DOWN MY FAVORITE CHARACTER.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a unique, scientific-but-not-overly-boring book with refreshing and amusing characters.

Main Character: Yuri
Sidekick(s): Dovie, Lennon, etc
Villain(s): Asteroid, being misunderstood, taking risks, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: All of this could happen in real life

*Please excuse short review-- doing homework!*

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