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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Entwined with You - Sylvia Day

Entwined with You by Sylvia Day
Genre: NA Realistic Fiction

Blurb (on back of book): From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in him that I needed. Something I couldn't resist. I saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside--so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat.
No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I'd been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become.
Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession..

MY OPINION: ***

I'm not going to come out and say this book was awful. I actually quite liked it. However, after the previous book, I was expecting a lot from it and it just felt like it fell flat. 

This was more of a filler book than anything. There weren't really any major plot points established and it focused more on the relationship between Eva and Gideon and their new way of navigating through their issues. It was also full of a lot of explicit scenes and nothing else really and there wasn't any real point to it, in my opinion. 

I loved how Eva started to become more independent and stood up to Gideon's unnecessary overprotectiveness. Both Gideon and Eva's mother are too controlling and I hated how she didn't have control over her own life and instead was always being watched and listened. I understand that Nathan was a danger to her life, but considering the fact that he's gone, they shouldn't have to worry so much about it anymore. Eva also needed to have more time to get over the shock of Nathan's death (not a spoiler since it happened in the previous book), and fully register what had happened and what Gideon did. It was barely touched upon, in my opinion. 

This book is a prime example of rich white privilege. Gideon gets away scot-free from the police for his crime, despite the police knowing it was him who did it. The detective chooses to let the case go cold, and Gideon gets to stay free. Yes, I understand that his deed was actually good for Eva and for the police, since Nathan was a rapist and apparently a human trafficker (which I needed way more elaboration on), but I think that he should have at least gotten some ramifications for legit killing a man. However, I wonder how it would be different if it wasn't a rapist he had killed and instead an innocent man. Would he still go free?

Gideon annoyed me throughout the book. He's so possessive and overprotective and there's nothing attractive about that. Eva is not a thing; she is a human being. I hated how he kept claiming she was his and treated her like an object. I understand that that's his way of showing he's in love but it was fairly toxic and not something to be romanticized. Eva does the same thing back to him but she's less extreme, considering the fact she doesn't send multiple people to follow Gideon around all day and know every single thing he does all day. 

The whole Brett thing was annoying and sort of confusing as to why he was even there. I feel like he was put in as a potential conflict to the love story and another love interest for Eva but he ended up just being there. Eva admits she's attracted to him but nothing else comes from it. He could have been deleted from the whole book and nothing would have been changed. However, I sense he'll play a more important role in the upcoming books, so we shall see.

The whole idea of Corinne and her character was also annoying. She has a literal husband and she's still hung up over Gideon. She also felt like she was just there to be another conflict with Eva and Gideon's relationship. This also goes for that annoying reporter, who I hope is gone by the next books though I have no real hope of that. 

Poor Cary. I hope he figures out his life and gets it together because I ship him with Trey. 

I can't wait to read the next books and see how this all ends. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a dramatic romance series. Warning: very graphic. 

Main Character: Eva
Sidekick(s): Gideon, Cary, Megumi, etc
Villain(s): Nathan, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: All of this could happen in real life.  

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