March 29, 2012

Review: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin



Masque of the Red Death
By Bethany Griffin
Hardcover, 320 pages
Expected publication: April 24th 2012
By Harper Collins
AmazonGoodReads
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.

This book was AMAZING! I jumped into it and I didn't want to come out. The writing was excellent. A lot happens in the first couple of chapters, it’s hard not to keep reading. The story is told from Araby’s point of view and her story is so dark and scary; I don’t think I could survive in her world.

First, I feel I should mention that there is drug use in this book, not a specific drug, but the main character is so broken that she uses drugs once or twice to escape her life. I actually reached out to the author about this because I wanted to be sure. It's not big in the story, but it is there. Other than this, the book is pretty much clean.

This is the first time where I wished the author wrote the story from multiple points of views. I loved every single character. They each get a small break down in the book about their past and what's their story, but I would have loved to been inside their heads. There is a slight love triangle, but it was done so well that when I was done reading I was still swooning over both males.

The one thing that stuck out to me the most about Araby, was her compassion for others. Even though she was so broken inside and came from a pretty wealthy life, she still found it in her to think of others and help others. Although, this was also a bad thing, because at times she was very gullible, but it was written very well that in the end it just made her look like a strong character. While I was reading I was so into Araby’s world and her emotions that I instantly felt a connection to her. She is very relatable.

Araby shut herself off from the world around her after the death of her twin brother. In a mistaken attempt to honor her deceased brother, Araby decides to not fall in love or enter into any type of relationship because her brother is not around to do the same. This is another example of how deeply Araby feels. She is willing to forgo having any happy feelings in her life because she has this deep, albeit misguided, guilt about the circumstances surrounding her brother’s death.

Masque of the Red Death is a well plotted book with great, great, characters and a very imaginative world. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something dark and edgy with a great pace and consistent world building. I really enjoyed it!

5 out of 5 stars!




12 comments:

  1. Great review! Just from reading you review, I want to go and read this now. It has been on my tbr pile for a while and I just can't wait to read it. Thanks so much for sharing! Happy reading!

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  2. Glad you liked it so much Dee! (still think you're crazy for liking Elliot butttt, hehehe)

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  3. Wow, this book sounds so much better than what I thought! It's on my list, I cannot wait to read it! Thanks for a great review :)

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  4. Soooo excited to read this! I plan to read it next week and I can't wait everyone has only good things to say about it and it's been my most anticipated since for EVER!! :D

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  5. I loved this book too Dee! I love the whole take on the masks!

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  6. So excited to see a rave review for this book-I have a copy and adore Poe! Definitely one of my most anticipated books of the year.

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  7. Thanks for the awesome review. It has been on my wish list and I can't wait until I have some extra cash to go out and pick it up.

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  8. Can't wait to read this book, I am such a fan of the original by Poe. And I love the name Araby:)

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  9. Anything Poe related is always an automatic buy for me. I got this but still haven't read it. Just like the majority of my books. I need more time!

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  10. Masque Of The Red Death is a brilliant story. It will pull readers in, shock them, enrapture them, and have them begging for more!

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