A feminist YA horror-thriller-romance retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray by the TikTok sensation and author of The Society for Soulless Girls...

Penny Paxton is the daughter of an icon. Her supermodel mother has legions of adoring fans around the world, and Penny is ready to begin her journey to international adoration, starting with joining the elite Dorian Drama School.

When Penny's new mentor offers her an opportunity she cannot refuse, to have a portrait painted by a mysterious artist who can grant immortal beauty to all his subjects, Penny happily follows in the footsteps of Dorian's most glittering alumni, knowing that stardom is sure to soon be hers.

But when her trusted mentor is found murdered, Penny realises she's made a terrible mistake - a sinister someone is using the uncanny portraits to kill off the subjects one by one. As more perfectly beautiful students start to fall, Penny knows her time is running out . . .

A seductive and searing exploration of beauty, identity, and what the pursuit of perfection can truly cost.

The most seductive new sapphic YA dark academia thriller novel of 2023

About the Author

Laura Steven is an award-winning author from the northernmost town in England. She has published several books for children and young adults; her debut novel The Exact Opposite Of Okay won the inaugural Comedy Women In Print Prize, while The Love Hypothesis was optioned for TV by an Emmy-winning team. Her books have been widely translated, and her work has appeared in The i Paper, The Guardian and Buzzfeed.

Reviews

A contemporary reworking of The Picture of Dorian Gray, this book shines a light on beauty standards and the pursuit of perfection.- The Observer

Praise for The Society for Soulless Girls

'A twisty, sexy, smart haunting of a book, full of eloquent rage' Kiran Millwood-Hargrave

'An intimate exploration of women's anger, bladed with mystery and sapphic desire. Laura Steven has cut a modern Gothic gem, leaving room for glints of her trademark humour' - Samantha Shannon

'A fast-paced feminist horror, that manages to be oh-so-romantic and oh-so-haunting all at once' - Alexandra Christo, bestselling author of TO KILL A KINGDOM

'As seductive as it is sinister' - Kate Dunn

'Dark, clever and filled to the brim with feminist rage, Steven has crafted the sapphic dark academia of dreams - and of nightmares' - Francesca May

Book Information
ISBN 9780008627355
Author Laura Steven
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Electric Monkey
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 30mm