Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Review: Masque of the Red Death

Masque of the Red Death
by Bethany Griffin

Publication Date: April 24th, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9780062107794
From Publisher for Review

B&N | Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her. (Goodreads)
I’ve heard nothing but good things about Masque of the Red Death, so I was super excited to finally read it myself to see what the fuss was about. This book was definitely not what I expected.

After the death of her twin brother, Araby struggles daily just to find a reason to live. Nights are spent with her best friend April at the Debauchery Club, which is the only place Araby can go to escape the disease and death that they face on a daily basis. The club is where she meets Will, and also Elliott, who both have secrets, but also have the ability to change Araby’s life forever.

The characters in this book were all amazingly well developed. I found each of them fascinating, and all for different reasons. You have to feel bad for what Araby, the main character, has been through. I can imagine why she wanted to slip into oblivion whenever she possibly could. We do see her change throughout the book from a girl with many issues into a very strong, determined young lady. I was very glad to see that.

The romance in the book comes in the form of a love triangle. I pity Araby her decision between the two young men, Elliott and Will. I found both young men to be completely fascinating, and each for different reasons. Will is sweet and thoughtful, and really seems to care for Araby, even when he has to make a very difficult decision that involves Araby. Elliott, on the other hand, was quite mysterious and thrilling, but also with a soft side. It’s definitely hard to choose between these two men.

The thing I love most about this book is the uniqueness of the storyline; it was a mixture of modern day and Victoria times. The world that the author created was engrossing as well as terrifying. The descriptions of the era and illnesses, as well as the clothing and world itself, were extraordinary. I definitely had a clear picture in my mind of what Araby had to deal with. The book was also very well paced; I was definitely hooked throughout the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters and the world building all join together to make a unique, thrilling read that you won’t soon forget! I can’t wait to get the next book to see what is going to happen next, and most importantly, what guy Araby is going to choose!

Happy Reading!

16 comments:

  1. Loving your review, really. I also heard nothing but good things about this book and now the itch to read it it's only getting worse and worse. Can't wait for the official release.

    Aleksandra @ Divine Secrets of a Little Bookworm

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  2. I'm glad you liked it. This one looks really good!

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  3. AAAH so excited to be reading this this weekend! I love books like this and it sounds so original! Awesome review Christy! Every review I read is positive and makes me anxious to get my other books out of the way for this one! :D

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  4. Woot! We're review twins today Christy! I had a very similar reaction to this one, I wasn't sure I would enjoy the love triangle but I found Will and Elliot both incredibly interesting and I honestly wasn't sure which one to root for. Loved the world as well, creepy as it was - it just had such a different feel and I really liked that about it. Fantastic review!

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  5. Usually I'm not reading reviews of books that I'm currently reading (or at least I'm trying to), but since yours are always so awesomely spoiler-free, I couldn't stop myself. ;) And while I definitely liked what I've read so far, your review just made me want to put away my laptop and continue reading immediately. Glad you liked it! :)

    Carina

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  6. Oohh this is one of my next reads and I'm EXCITED!!! I hear the love interest Will is to die for too...so awesome!! Great review! Donna xoxo

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  7. I really enjoyed this one. I agree about the love triangle, both Will and Elliott were fascinating and complex. I liked Elliott a little more than Will but I'm very interested to see who Araby will choose in the future. The storyline kept me hooked as well, it was so well written and I could picture everything very clearly in my head. Awesome review :)

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  8. It comes out on my birthday :):)
    Want this so much. I loved the original Poe story, so obviously looking forward to see where this is going to go.

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  9. Great review Christy .. I wasn't sure about this one but I've read a lot of fab reviews so I'm really reconsidering.

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  10. I'm so excited to read this one because it sounds so different from everything else. Even with the love triangle, it sounds like both of them are mysterious so I'm looking forward to revealing their layers. Great review, Christy!

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  11. Ooh, engrossing and terrifying? I'm there. I've heard a lot about this one, too and the cover's really cool. Definitely love the blend of modern and Victorian. Why haven't I read this yet? It's on my shelf...

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  12. Sounds good. I'm not a big fan of triangles, but I'll just give this one a shot :) Thanks for the review!

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  13. ooh, glad you liked it! *sigh* love triangles can be good for tension, but sometimes it can be draining. I hope this isn't like that for me! Great review!

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  14. Yay another great review of this one! I was hoping this would be a good book! Thank you for the review!

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  15. I love that you love this book too! It's seriously my favourite read of 2012 (so far anyways, and it'll be tough to top).

    I love all the characters, and how unqiue the storyline really is. I love that everyone is so flawed and real.

    Amazing review!

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  16. Oh, yay-well developed characters! I'm pretty excited about this because I have seen mostly positive reviews of it and it sounds right up my alley with its Poe references and inventive world building.

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Thanks for stopping by! :)