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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Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Genre: YA Fantasy

Image result for red queenBlurb (on back of book): This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power. Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime. But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.

*This blurb was taken from www.goodreads.com. I intend to update this blurb as soon as possible, if there are any changes to be made.

MY OPINION: *****

This was a really well-written story that I think most fantasy readers will enjoy.

Mare is this girl who finds that she is not as ordinary as she thinks she is. I think of Mare as a determined girl who feels like she isn't living up to her family's expectations. She is a strong person who doesn't believe in herself until the end. I think that one of her worst fears is not knowing who she is. I read this book in a book club, and one of our prompts was to find Mare's dragons, or fears.

She is scared about losing herself. She wants to know exactly what she is, and when she discovers that she has a special power (Electrokinesis), she tries her best to figure out exactly what happened.

This book was slightly predictable, because I called the ending. My book club members didn't, though, so I don't really know what to say. Just look for the clues and make inferences and your predictions will normally come true.

SPOILER ALERT

I definitely knew that Maven was going to betray Mare, and that Cal was going to end up as the good guy. I think that that was actually really obvious for almost everyone. 

I gasped when Cal was forced to kill the king. I mean, that is his father! I literally hate Elara! How could anyone be so mean, despite any revenge that they feel that they need to do to someone? She killed her husband!

Lastly, I also called that Shade was going to be alive. I was just like, they would never have put in that detail unless he was still going to be alive at the end. I mean, if they hadn't said anything, Shade would literally be a forgotten minor character in the background. But since they added that detail that he died, I was like, there is no other reason that they would add that unless he was going to be alive and become a much more major character.

I plan to start the second book, possibly after Thanksgiving. BTW Happy Thanksgiving!

I felt like the ending was so confusing. I mean, everything started happening at once, and I had no idea who was the good guy or who was the bad guy for about 10 pages.

I think that the author did a great job of creating suspense and excitement in her books.

I really don't like Cal, for various reasons. One of them is that I don't like his personality. He seems rude and cold. I also don't like his feel for fighting. I mean, I know he is a prince, but I hate his determination to kill. It seems un-princey to me for some reason.

Maven is definitely not my favorite character by far. He was king of annoying and he didn't really make sense until the ending. But I think that he was a really beautifully drawn character who seemed realistic.

Lastly, I feel so bad for Kilorn. I think that Kilorn might be my favorite character. He obviously feels something for Mare, but she brushes him off for a prince. I feel like she is either going to end up with him or with Cal. I see her with Cal, but I feel like something bad is going to happen.

Also, is anyone predicting the return of Evangeline??? She never actually died!!! Do you think that she will redeem herself? PLEASE COMMENT! (To comment, please click on the "No comments" button below the post, and it will lead you to a separate page to comment on. You have to do this on the actual website, sadly. Just saying, because a lot of people have asked me how to comment.)

I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers, and YA readers.

Main Character: Mare Barrow/Mareena Titanos
Sidekick(s): Cal, Kilorn, Farley, Will, etc
Villain(s): Maven, Elara, Evangeline, Ptolemus, etc
Fantasy Elements: Unreal characters, unreal settings, unreal abilities.

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