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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Keeper of the Lost Cities: Lodestar - Shannon Messenger - UPDATED REVIEW

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Lodestar by Shannon Messenger
Genre: MG/YA Fantasy

Image result for lodestar bookBlurb (on back of book): Sophie Foster is back in the Lost Cities—but the Lost Cities have changed. The threat of war hangs heavy over her glittering world. And the Neverseen are wreaking havoc wherever they can.
The lines between friend and enemy have also blurred, and Sophie is unsure exactly whom she can trust. But when she's warned that the people she loves most will be the next victims, she knows she has to act.
A mysterious symbol could be the key—if only she knew how to translate it. And each new clue reveals how far the dark schemes spread. The Black Swan aren't the only ones who have plans. The Neverseen have their own Initiative, and if Sophie doesn't stop it, they might finally have the ultimate means to control her.
In this heart-wrenching fifth book in the bestselling Keeper of the Lost Cities series, loyalties are pushed to the limit as the villains twist the game into something Sophie might not have the talent to win.

UPDATED REVIEW

MY OPINION: *****

This is my second time reading this book (the newest one just came out and I'm trying to reread the series to mentally prepare myself).

I've been reading this series since I was in fifth grade (I'm not in high school). Although this series is a mix of Middle Grade and Young Adult, it holds a lot of sentimentality and emotional memories. I mean, this used to be my life. I wrote fanfiction on this series, I was (and still am) a diehard Sophitz shipper, and I was in every KOTLC fandom ever.

Now, as an older person, I can appreciate the parts of the book that I never used to care about (i.e. the government system in this book) and draw connections to how Messenger created a world that was so different and yet so similar to our world as we know it now.

Can I just talk about the memories that rereading this book brought back?

Fitz was still as dreamy as ever. Biana was still as excitable and gorgeous as I remember her. I still held my normal love-hate relationship with Dex. I already had forgiven Keefe and was excited to see where he would go. Tam was my favorite twin and Linh was just as sweet as I remembered. I'm so excited to start the sixth and seventh books because those are the two that I never ended up getting around to after all this time.

I mean, KOTLC was the birth of my Goodreads. I started on GR confused and I found so many other KOTLC fandom accounts that I got my start here and for that I am so thankful. Without it, I would never have met so many awesome readers and gotten to love/hate so many amazing/not-so-amazing books.

This book really dealt with a lot. It really got into how the government system was completely falling apart (similar to many governments today) and how the leaders of an entire world were struggling to keep up their appearances and good reputations. It shows how the world was corrupt and how the people really had no say in anything that the Councillors did. I loved how it was an accurate representation of the trials and tribulations that comes with being either a leader of a country/nation/society or a citizen.

NOOOOO POOR MR FORKLE

Sophitz Forever (I mean, if you want to find my old stuff, you can still find my Sophitz Forever story on my FanFiction.net account ---@malaynamonkey2004--- or my Wattpad account (which has the updated version)---@malaynaturally---so go ahead and find that)

Aww and Sandor and Grizel are so cute

I'm so excited to read the next books and I would recommend this series to people looking for a lighthearted/dramatic fantasy series.

Main Character: Sophie
Sidekick(s): Fitz, Dex, Biana, Tam, Linh, Keefe, Grady, Mr. Forkle, etc
Villain(s): Corrupt government, Fintan, Brant, Ruy, Alvar, Neverseen, etc
Fantasy Elements: This book was based on fanatic elements.

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