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...
0

King of Pride - Ana Huang

King of Pride by Ana Huang
Genre: Romance

Blurb (on back of book): She's his opposite in every way...and the greatest temptation he's ever known.
Reserved, controlled, and proper to a fault, Kai Young has neither the time nor inclination for chaos—and Isabella, with her purple hair and inappropriate jokes, is chaos personified.
With a crucial CEO vote looming and a media empire at stake, the billionaire heir can’t afford the distraction she brings.
Isabella is everything he shouldn’t want, but with every look and every touch, he’s tempted to break all his rules…and claim her as his own.
***
Bold, impulsive, and full of life, Isabella Valencia has never met a party she doesn’t like or a man she couldn’t charm...except for Kai Young.
It shouldn’t matter. He’s not her type—the man translates classics into Latin for fun, and his membership at the exclusive club where she bartends means he’s strictly off limits.
But she can’t deny that, beneath his cool exterior, is a man who could make her melt with just a touch.
No matter how hard they try, they can’t resist giving into their forbidden desires.
Even if it costs them everything.
King of Pride is a steamy opposite attract, forbidden billionaire romance. It's book two in the Kings of Sin series but can be read as a standalone.


MY OPINION: ***

This was not my favorite romance book ever nor was it my least favorite. Like the book that came before this one in the series, I just found it very mediocre and forgettable. There was nothing really about it that made me super excited to keep going but I also was interested enough to not give up. 

Kai and Isabella just weren't my favorite couple ever. I think the insta-love in this book really threw me off. Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate insta-love and this one was too much. I think it was literally chapter one and Isabella was fawning over Kai. I think Huang tried to make this more of a forbidden love scenario, as they can't date without Isabella losing her job and Kai's mother disapproving of the entire relationship. However, it felt like a flimsy plotline inserted to try to provide some sort of a conflict to the otherwise boring relationship between these two. 

I actually really liked Kai and think he was one of the most admirable out of the many fictional men Huang has dreamed up. He was respectful and witty, read classics (and weirdly translated them into Latin; as a classics reader, even I found that that one went a little too far), a billionaire, and handsome. He definitely cared the most about his girl and would do anything for her, something I really loved about him. 

I found his confidence really endearing. His motto that he never loses was so relatable and I also enjoyed seeing him fall back on Isabella when he did in fact end up losing (something that I cannot spoil). He was dealing with a lot in this book with his career and family but still managed to show up for Isabella (literally the bare minimum but it was definitely respectable). It definitely added to the whole "sin of pride" thing but I would have found it more interesting for the idea of pride to be explored more deeply, if that was what the book was called. 

Isabella wasn't my favorite female MC but she was fiery and funny, sarcastic and brave. I really liked the way that she held her own when talking to Kai and wasn't some giggly, weak mess. I liked seeing her from Kai's perspective as a confident and shameless woman and then seeing her interior monologues and learning more about her inner insecurities. I think a lot of us have a strong outward persona and an insecure inside one and I liked how this book represented that dichotomy in Isabella.

I'm excited for the rest of the series because so many potential couples have been hinted at and I can't wait to see their stories unfold. I know the next one is about Dom and Alessandra, an already-married couple whose marriage is starting to fall apart. I have never read a book with that trope before so I'm excited for that. I really liked their cameos in this book because each of them helped out with something for Isabella and Kai in their own ways. 

I think this series may not be my cup of tea in comparison to the Twisted ones but I feel as if I will read each and every book that Huang writes just to be in the know. They're interesting enough and easy to pass the time, so if you're looking for something like that, these are perfect.

Main Character: Isabella, Kai
Sidekick(s): Alessandra, Christian, etc
Villain(s): Forbidden romance, etc
Romance Elements: This is a "dark" romance novel.

Comments

Post a Comment