by Laura Steven
First published 2023
Penny Paxton arrives at the prestigious Dorian Drama School ready to follow her supermodel mother's path to fame. Her new mentor presents an irresistible offer: a portrait by a mysterious artist who grants eternal beauty to every subject. Penny accepts eagerly, joining the ranks of Dorian's most celebrated graduates. She believes stardom awaits her. Then her mentor turns up dead. Penny realizes she has walked into a trap. Someone is using the supernatural portraits as murder weapons, killing the beautiful students one by one. As bodies pile up around her, Penny must uncover the killer's identity before she becomes the next victim. The pursuit of perfect beauty comes with a price she never imagined paying.
Genres: art, mystery, fantasy, horror, contemporary, 21st-century, academia, dark-academia
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, murder-investigation, supernatural-powers
Setting: Dorian Drama School
Period: 21st-century
352 pages · Paperback · Electric Monkey
Content warnings: death, murder, violence