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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Good Girl, Bad Blood - Holly Jackson

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
Genre: YA Mystery

Blurb (on back of book): Pip is not a detective anymore.
With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.
But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.
The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?

MY OPINION: ***

Eh.

I was expecting more from this one. I really enjoyed the first one, to my pleasant surprise, and I had heard that the series only gets better. However, after struggling to get through this one, I seem to have taken the less popular opinion.

I feel like this one was more of a filler book than anything. It felt as if the first book could have been a stand-alone but the author really wanted to push it further than necessary. I am not complaining because for the most part, I really enjoyed this series (I have since finished them all but am late on writing reviews), but it also wasn't giving the same energy all the way through (you'll see in my third book review).

This one was very unrealistic to me. The entire premise is brand-new for the most part, which was fun. I was glad that it wasn't some "I found something new out about the first case and it's time to revisit it" type of scenario. That first case was, for the most part, pretty much closed (though some remarkable connections are found that makes it a little relevant without being monotonous). However, I just wasn't feeling the same energy from this one. 

Pip's friend's brother is missing. This is a grown man with some running-away tendencies so the police are unwilling to look into it. However, of course, our eighteen-year-old detective is here to save the day! Eh. I just wasn't really feeling it. It felt like a very random and very different plot. 

The ending was very unrealistic. I couldn't handle it. The first book at least kind of made sense and was at least a bit believable. This one, I was just laughing because ain't no way is this real. All of the plot twists were so outlandish and the fact that she ends up solving not one but two cases was just too much for me. 

I also don't like Pip. I'm sorry but I don't. She aggravated me as a character. She was constantly saying she wasn't going to do anything about the case and then she went headfirst into it, which was understandable. However, after she ultimately decides to help out and play detective round 2, she literally spends half the book trying to justify herself. "This is the real me. That old version of myself wasn't real." Like, I understand character development and finding yourself but at some point, she just got annoying. It felt like her entire character from the beginning of the first book was gone. I think that in terms of character development, you should definitely show some growth but that doesn't mean change the entire character and delete her entire original personality.

Ravi is adorable, as usual. I definitely saw the romance sub-plot way more in this one compared to the first one that everyone seems to hype up. I love Ravi and Pip and I think they're a cute couple. Ravi was giving more of side-character vibes compared to the first book, which is understandable but sad because he's my favorite. 

Ant and Lauren also did full 360's and I was like wtf. Why are we just changing every single character in a brand new person? Anyways, screw them. We never liked them anyway. 

Shorter review because I am so behind on everything but I would ultimately say this was a let-down for me in terms of my personal expectations for the trajectory of this series. However, as a whole, it was fun and enjoyable. I would recommend continuing the series if you started it!

Main Character: Pip
Sidekick(s): Ravi, Connor, etc
Villain(s): Murder, mystery, death, etc
Mystery Elements: This book is a murder mystery. 

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