April 19, 2012

Review: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin
Hardcover, 320 pages
Expected Release Date: April 24, 2012 by Harper Collins

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.

 *Sigh* Yet another love-hate relationship. I was dying to read Masque of Red Death from the moment I came across it on Goodreads. I’m a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan, and I was excited to read this YA adaptation of one of his grim stories.

In that aspect, Masque of the Red Death did not disappoint. Despite my excitement to read the story, I really wasn’t expecting the author to pull of the desolate atmosphere I would expect out of a take on Poe. I was expecting it to be sugar-coated, and a lot more fluffy. But it wasn’t. I loved the world-building and the overall feeling I got from Griffin’s writing. It kept me glued to the pages. I would recommend it for that reason alone.

There was, however, a love triangle. Which is something I knew going into the story, but I wanted to read Griffin’s take on The Masque of the Red Death too badly to pass it up, love triangle or not.  So I read it anyway, and both of the guys have their moments that made me think “aww”, but they both also had their moments that should send a girl running in the other direction. Not that Araby is innocent and perfect herself. The truth is, all of these characters have faults that I personally find easily forgivable because of the world they are living in. These things they have seen and gone through would make anyone a little crazy. But is that enough to make me read the sequel? I don’t know yet. I guess I will have to see how much I care once the sequel shows its pretty face.

I would recommend Masque of the Red Death if you’re a Poe fan, a dystopia/post-apocalypse fan, or if you’re just looking for something darker than the norm. I know most people aren’t so easily turned away by a love triangle, and if you’re one of those who still like them, definitely give Masque of the Red Death a shot. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

4/5 Stars


11 comments:

  1. Great review Amanda! I loved the setting in this one a lot. I wasn't a huge fan of the love triangle but I still enjoyed not knowing what the boys were up to. Glad you were able to enjoy it regardless :)

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  2. As weird as it may seem, I've never read an Edgar Allan Poe book (please don't stone me to death). I've always wanted to, but somehow other books sort of 'got in the way', my wishlist is ginormous!!
    But as soon as I read, i'll read this one as well ;) Loved the review!

    Ella
    Read Into Hiding

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    1. *Gasp* LOL. Truth be told, if I hadn't been forced to read Poe in school, I may have never even bothered. But I'm glad I was forced because I love his stuff. :)

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  3. It's quite nice to hear from someone else who has issues with love triangles! Especially of the surprise variety!

    I'm still kind of interested in this book - fingers crossed I'll enjoy it as much as other people seem to!

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    1. Yes in most cases they're a deal breaker for me. I'm too sick of triangles to even keep an open mind most of the time! Lol.

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  4. I've been hearing a lot of mixed reviews on this one. I really do like darker stories and I love Poe, so maybe I will give this a try. But maybe I'll take it out of the library instead of purchasing it. This was a great review.

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  5. I'm not into Poe but I'm good with love triangles. I actually love that you mentioned it's not all sweet, actually expecting it to be darker. :D

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  6. I am a dystopian loving Edgar Allan Poe reading love triangle addict! This sounds like the book for me! And to top it all off I love characters that make mistakes. It makes them all the more relatable.

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  7. Wow-I have a lot of the same feelings as you. Except I was fully Team Will until the end when I got a bit confused. I can understand his actions but I didn't like them.

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  8. I guess I'm still on the edge about reading this book. I'm not a huge Poe fan but wanted to read it before I decided if I should give it to my teen or not as she is a pickier reader than I am. I do own the book but it's in my reading pile and I keep passing it over for another book. I'll give it a shot though.

    Wendy/books4me

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  9. Well written review... thank you so much for sharing. I've been back and forth on the fence with this one. To read, or not to read? Perhaps it's time to give it a shot.

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