Meriam Metoui’s Portrait of a Shadow is a thought-provoking and deeply emotional novel that explores themes of identity, loss, and self-discovery. Through a compelling narrative and well-developed characters, Metoui crafts a story that lingers in the reader’s mind long after the final page. The book follows a protagonist grappling with the weight of their past and the uncertainty of their future. As they navigate complex relationships and unravel hidden truths, the story delves into the struggles of self-acceptance and the shadows that haunt us. Metoui’s writing is both poetic and immersive, drawing readers into the protagonist’s journey with striking imagery and raw emotion.

One of the novel’s standout aspects is its character development. The protagonist is portrayed with depth and authenticity, making their internal conflicts feel real and relatable. The supporting characters are equally well-crafted, each contributing to the story’s intricate web of emotions and revelations.
The pacing of Portrait of a Shadow is steady, allowing the narrative to unfold naturally while maintaining the reader’s engagement. Metoui balances introspective moments with gripping storytelling, ensuring that the novel is both reflective and compelling. Portrait of a Shadow is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel that will appeal to readers who appreciate stories about personal growth, identity, and the complexity of human emotions. Metoui’s ability to blend lyrical prose with a powerful narrative makes this a must-read for those seeking a book that is both thought-provoking and deeply moving.

Absolutely haunting. Made me hug my sister so much tighter. Beautifully written and wonderfully poignant with an incredible sense of anticipation. It took me longer to get through this than I would have liked (pacing and general life) but would still recommend.

Great premise, and it follows through! Mae finds a blank canvas after her sister goes missing, and insanityensues!

I was really excited to give this book a try as it sounded similar to The Picture of Dorian Gray which is one of my favorite classics. I however really could not get into this one. I wanted more from it and more never seemed to have come. Overall, good premise for a story but not for me.

Read 9/14/24

I was so excited for this book. Sadly, it did not deliver. I was expecting creepy, spooky, weird, a good time... I got boring, predictable, forgettable, and underwhelming.

This was a solid YA horror/thriller. Personally, I didn’t feel like it was anything groundbreaking but I enjoyed reading it and think it was solid.

TITLE: Portrait of a Shadow
AUTHOR: Meriam Metoui
PUBLISHER: Macmillan
RELEASE DATE: July 16, 2024
GENRES: YA contemporary, horror

SYNOPSIS:
A missing sister. A mysterious boy. And a painting that holds the truth beneath its peeling edge...

Inez is missing, but missing things can always be found.
Mae knows this as a fact, even though the police investigation has come to a standstill, even though her parents are moving on. But when she goes to clear out her older sister’s studio, she finds a mess of research and a white canvas that seems even older than the ornate frame it is set in. The closer Mae gets to the canvas, the more difficult it is to pull her eyes away from its mottled surface, its heavy layers of white paint, its peeling top corner she is tempted to pull to see what’s beneath. But she doesn’t. Not yet.
Mae decides to trace her sister’s last steps in the hopes of finding answers, certain that Inez’s disappearance is related to the painting. And she knows she is desperate enough to let the strange boy who claims to have been Inez’s neighbor tag along. Even if his good looks don’t help distract from his avoidance of her questions. So begins a scavenger hunt piecing together what they can find from what Inez left behind. One that leads to centuries-old questions best left unasked and secrets best kept in the dark.
From the author of A Guide to the Dark comes another tender horror story about the lengths we are willing to go for the truth and the ones we love.

The second half of Portrait of a Shadow was far more engaging than the slow start, with suspenseful, thriller-like twists and some eerie horror vibes. I enjoyed Metoui’s debut, so I had high hopes, but this felt more like an early draft. Scenes played out sequentially, with minimal detail, which made it feel choppy even with flashbacks and side character perspectives.

While I liked the 1891 storyline with Dev, Ravi, and Nik’s complex friendship, the historical setting felt underdeveloped—the characters sounded like modern teens, and details were sparse. Overall, intriguing ideas, but it needed more depth and cohesion.

I had a hard time staying invested in this one even though I really liked this author's previous books. I just feel a little bored by the plot unfortunately and I don't feel invested in the characters. Dnfed at 45%.

Thank Fiercereads for a eArc copy of this to review!

This is why I don't like reading horror books. It's not for me. I don't like it. I can't get myself in it. Trust me, I tried before by reading this book. Unfortunately, I wasn't into this book at all. I tried multiple times to get into it, and I just can't. If you love reading about horror books, then you will enjoy reading this one more than me.

Ok so i am being nice and giving this book a 3.5, so rounding up to the 4 star review.
I thought this book sounded really good and I was excited to read it but I took we quite a bit to get it read. I was having a problem just sitting down to read and it kept my attention in a lot of the book, now some parts were good and really interesting. It was just mixed up. I will say that the 2nd half of the book was better than the first. The 1st seemed to brag a bit. This is just my opinion and I am a moody-mood reader so the best thing to do is go read this book yourself.
A paranormal/light horror novel. In my opinion i don't think this is very horror not even for a YA book, I was raised on R.L. Stine and Chistopher Pike. This book also had a little bit of thriller and mystery also.
The characters were just ok, nothing really stood out for them in my opinion. I think that writing the characters a bit better might have helped the story a lot.
This book is about the main character (Mae) who is not convinced her sister is not coming back and feels she needs to look into it more. While cleaning out her sister’s apartment Mae finds a painting, some odd research about the paintings, and a mysterious guy (one that her sister never has ever said anything about). This story takes place in a few different time (periods). Mae ends up going on a road trip with this random guy to find more info to help find her sister, and that's where the adventure starts in the present time parts of this book.
There were a few twists but they were not shocking, kinda predictable. The ending was sad I was hoping for a better ending.
Still glad that I read this book :)

SPOOky. cool vibes for this YA mystery, loved the cover, loved the intrigue. loved the everything abt it, would recommend this wrok A++

I loose retelling of Dorian Grey. I definitely enjoyed the first half better than the second half. I just could not seem to connect to the characters. Thank you to NetGalley Henry Holt and Co. for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3/5

This book is the story of Mae, a girl whose older sister went missing several months ago, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it, though everyone else has given it up as a lost cause.

The story is mysterious, fast paced, and it kept me hooked from the beginning to the end. I definitely expected more spookiness, but it was interesting enough to make up for it, though the end almost raised more questions than it answered. I don’t know if there is going to be a sequel, but this story was certainly left open-ended enough for one. I liked the characters; they were very easy to root for, and the relationships between them were compelling as well. I don’t really think the twist about two of the characters was done particularly well, though.

Aside from being a fun and spooky mystery, I thought that the story was a very insightful and well-done look at loss and the way that we cope with it, and the things that people will do for those they love. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Clever tale of a mysterious white painting!

Mae is desperate to find her missing sister Inez. Her parents want to move on from the pain and accept that Inez will never come home but Mae sees how their marriage is crumbling and how they’ve changed since Inez went missing. She goes to New York under the guise of cleaning out Inez’ apartment in search of any possible clues to her whereabouts. She meets Dev, a neighbor of Inez’, and he seems just as interested in finding Inez as Mae is. So they venture out together in search of a mysterious white painting that Inez has many notes of research on. What Mae discovers changes both of their lives forever!

Likes/dislikes: The alternating timelines build suspense. I like how dedicated Mae is to her sister. I’m fascinated with Dev and his background.
Mature content: PG for kissing.
Language: R for 11 swears and 2 f-words.
Violence: PG for fighting.
Ethnicity: predominantly white with the Dev being from India and Mae from Africa.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an ebook of "Portrait of a Shadow" by Meriam Metoui in exchange for an honest review. I LOVE the cover, wow! I hope to be able to own it one day so I can show it off for fall and Halloween! It has a horror vibe, cool idea, and kept me engaged and entertained. It felt unique and I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this to any horror lovers.

Wow, this book is so different from what I've been reading but I really loved the different themes within it. The author did a great job of weaving together this mystery and I couldn't wait to have it all come together.

In Portrait of a Shadow, we follow Mae who is trying to clean out her sister Inez's old place after she's been missing. There she finds a painting that Inez was infatuated with. Mae starts to believe this painting will help her find out what happened to Inez. I really enjoyed this book and found the pacing to be great. I don't often enjoy YA horror , but I felt that this retelling of Dorian Gray was done well and can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. I also enjoyed the dynamic of the romance in this one, and liked the fact that we had a diverse cast. The twist was also completely unexpected.

I was initially thrilled to dive into this book, expecting a fresh take on The Picture of Dorian Gray. However, it fell short of my expectations. I found myself so disappointed that I had to set it aside and couldn’t bring myself to finish it.

✨🎉📕 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 / 𝟻 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠📕🎉✨
𝚃𝚒𝚝𝚕𝚎: Portrait of a Shadow
𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛: Meriam Metoui
#yahorror #reimaginings #lgbtqhorror

𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜:
Inez disappeared without a trace. The only clues she left behind are a notebook and mysterious white painting. That's enough for her younger sister Mae to descend down a rabbit hole in search of the truth.

𝙼𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎:
This was an interesting play on The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I loved how it inverted a lot of the original in clever ways. Mae was an interesting character and Inez creates an intriguing picture (hehe - see what I did there?) in early scenes so that even though she's off page, she feels present. Metoui is a gifted writer and this an accessible horror-light read for this coming spooky season.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan for access to the eARC in exchange for this honest review.

#promotehorror
#horrorfiction