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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White Hot Kiss - Jennifer L Armentrout

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L Armentrout
Genre: YA Fantasy

Blurb (on back of book): One kiss could be the last 
Image result for white hot kissSeventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses. 
Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever. 
Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul. 
But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

MY OPINION: *****

I could not stop reading this book. I honestly legitimately loved everything about this book. It was so beautifully written and had such compelling characters that I couldn't help but love. I need the rest of the series as soon as physically possible.

Before reading this book, I previously read The Problem With Forever, a contemporary from Armentrout. I definitely loved that book but hadn't previously read any of her fantasy novels.

I have to admit: I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy. I used to be but I have recently become way more interested in contemporaries. However, this one felt like two in one and I loved it for it.

This book was about demons and gargoyles called Wardens, which was uniquely interesting. Our protagonist, Layla, is half and half which makes her different. However, the Wardens took her in and she has been taught to ignore her demon side. However, when she meets a demon named Astaroth (aka ROTH), he brings out that side of her and teaches her not to hide herself.

Layla is in love with this boy named Zayne who is kind of like her adopted brother and who she believes only sees her as a sister, though Roth claims differently upon seeing him. Zayne was SO sweet but I found him to be more of a friend than a romantic interest and although I know it was supposed to be a "love triangle" between Layla, Roth, and Zayne, I kind of just cut Zayne out of that whole thing (if you guys didn't know, I'm Team Roth--DUH).

Roth was kind of walking cliche, with his tattoos (which are MUCH cooler than normal tattoos) and ability to say something humorous or an innuendo at all times of the day. However, I loved him for his obvious affection for Layla, despite being a "demon" or whatever. Roth was impossibly gorgeous (of course!) with sculpted muscles and "sexy hair" and whatnot. However, I think it was really his personality that got me; the fact that he was so comfortable with who he was and the fact that he was willing to give up his LIFE for Layla says a lot.

Roth's tattoos deserve a paragraph for themselves. He has a snake tattoo named BAMBI that can come to life and helps to defend both him and Layla in times of need (this idea is just so cool). He also has three kitten tattoos with named that I don't remember but are also as ironic as Bambi.

Roth did come off as a bit creepy and maybe a bit pervish in the beginning but since this is a YOUNG ADULT fantasy romance story, Layla decides to trust him and believes him about things that she really shouldn't believe about, considering she's never heard about these things from her own FAMILY.

Anyways, because of who Layla is, she can't kiss anyone with a soul because she will inadvertently suck that person's soul out. She has insane cravings but manages to fight it off with sugar. When she takes a soul, she ends up feeling sick like when you try to withdraw from a drug. However, because Roth is a DEMON WITH NO SOUL she is free to KISS HIM as MUCH AS SHE WANTS. You can guess what happens from there.

There were a lot of plot twists in here that I wasn't expecting but it was the ending that really threw me off (and almost had me crying). ROTH HAD BETTER COME BACK I SWEAR TO GOD I LOVE THAT BOY

The writing in this book was so BEAUTIFUL and I could easily see EVERY DETAIL, something that I really appreciated. I found myself constantly getting lost in this book and I would love to read more.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a good fantasy romance.

Main Character: Layla
Sidekick(s): Roth, Zayne, Sam, Stacey, etc
Villain(s): Demon who is trying to raise Lilith, etc
Fantasy Elements: This was all purely a fantasy world with fanatic characters.

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