WoW: Portrait of a Shadow by Meriam Metoui

This bookish meme tells the blogosphere what we’re waiting patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) for! It’s hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine!

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.

Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Expected Publication: July 16, 2024

Why I’m Waiting: I don’t think I even read the title or the synopsis before I added this to my TBR lol I think I just noticed the cover and that was enough for me. But even the synopsis sounds good and the author’s debut was also good from what I’ve heard. (I’ve read only a couple chapters of it before I had to return it back to the library lol So I’ll let you know the full verdict when I finally finish it) Basically there’s no reason this won’t be good! I can’t wait to see what it’s all about!

What about you? Have you read Metoui’s debut? Will you read this? Let me know in the comments!