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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Imagine Me - Taherah Mafi

Amazon.com: Imagine Me (Shatter Me) (9780062676429): Mafi, Tahereh ...Imagine Me by Taherah Mafi
Genre: YA Dystopian

Blurb (on back of book): The explosive finale to the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shatter Me series.
Juliette Ferrars.
Ella Sommers.
Which is the truth and which is the lie?
Now that Ella knows who Juliette is and what she was created for, things have only become more complicated. As she struggles to understand the past that haunts her and looks to a future more uncertain than ever, the lines between right and wrong—between Ella and Juliette—blur. And with old enemies looming, her destiny may not be her own to control.
The day of reckoning for the Reestablishment is coming. But she may not get to choose what side she fights on.

MY OPINION: **

I am so disappointed in this book. I had incredibly high expectations and it didn't even meet them halfway. I'm actually really sad about it because I was so ready for an amazing, explosive, shocking, incredible finale to this series.

I started out not enjoying this series but over the next couple of books, it got better. However, this finale ruined any potential this series had for getting a single five-star book.

Any character development we got for Juliette/Ella throughout the series was wiped away in this finale. Disappeared, destroyed, shattered. I never really liked Juliette, but in the middle books, I felt that she truly started to reach her potential and become the strong, powerful, determined woman that she is. However, in this book, everything was changed and I felt like she was reverted back to book-one-Juliette, which is not a compliment. I understand that she was "brainwashed" and wasn't her usual self but it was such an awful portrayal of the amazing girl we have come to know. Also, her attraction to Anderson, her boyfriend's FATHER and a 40-year old man, was uncomfortable and quite disgusting. I understand that it is because she was under his brainwash and he was her superior but calling him attractive to his face and being forced to refer to him as Master made me gag.

Everything was so rushed in this book, leaving us with multiple plot holes and flimsy explanations for things. Half of Juliette's sections were diary entries and long-winded monologues and were unessential to the plot. Kenji's sections were more interesting but felt random since I was expecting Warner's perspective in this book rather than Kenji's. I would have liked to have seen more plot and a more dramatic finale rather than the rambling, boring, confusing book we got.

Adam's entire storyline throughout the series was weak. He started out as a main character but gradually faded and disappeared into the background. His decisions in this book were questionable and quite aggravating, especially since nobody referred to it by the end of the book and instead treated him like normal. Also, what happened to James? I adore that child and we barely got anything from him except for one chapter or so. I would have liked to have seen more from these characters since they were built up so much in the previous books.

I adore Juliette and Warner but their relationship felt so strained throughout this book. Poor Warner lost her to the brainwashing stint and he was broken and ruined throughout the majority of the book. I love my poor Aaron and I wanted better for him. The epilogue was skimpy and didn't even go into detail about the culmination of the relationship. I wanted to see them end up together for real with a wedding and all that jazz. We spent six books following their relationship and barely got anything in this one and I'm so annoyed.

KENJI AND NAZEERA. WHERE WAS THEIR HAPPY ENDING? We got NOTHING. I needed more than them apparently being together.

WHY DIDN'T WE GET MORE ABOUT AARON AND JAMES'S REUNION? I was expecting an emotional, adorable scene between the two them and James finally realizing that they were brothers. Instead, we barely got anything and it was told from KENJI's point of view. He had NOTHING to do with ANYTHING.

Anderson didn't even give me villain vibes. He honestly seemed pretty weak. His only reason for being alive was because he could heal himself. Otherwise, he would have been dead a long time ago.

I can't be the only one who didn't like Emmaline. Also why was she literally an amphibian????

I'm so disappointed. I'm honestly going to pretend I never read this book and make up my own imaginary ending complete with a cute Ella/Aaron wedding and a Kenji/Nazeera wedding. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a dramatic, unique dystopian series.

Main Character: Juliette, Kenji
Sidekick(s): Aaron, Adam, James, Nazeera, Emmaline etc
Villain(s): Anderson, Evie, Max, etc
Dystopian Elements: This book was set in a futuristic world.

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