Masque of the Red Death Review

Masque of the Red Death
by Bethany Griffin
Expected Publication: 4.24.12
From 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.

My Thoughts:  I was so excited when I read the summary for this book!  I have no idea why, other than the fact that I am a morbid midnight book girl, but I have an intense interest in plagues.  Weird, right?  And like a good horror fan, I dig all things Poe.  So a YA book that updates a Poe story?  I am so with that.

This is not just a simple retelling of a Poe story, this is Poe meets Moulin Rouge meets sci fi.  Everything is decadence and decay, with a bit of steam punk thrown in. I'm not sure this is 100% steam punk, but there's air ships and steam carriages and balloons. And there's a parasol on the cover, which is pretty much all I know to look for in the steam punk genre.  I imagine some readers will have issues with the time/period setting, since it's kind of a mish mash of the past and the present, but I think it works in this story.  Plus, I don't read for realism, I read to get out of my head and into a new world.  Masque of the Red Death definitely feels both familiar and alien, which I liked.

Araby is the daughter of a very important scientist, one who has helped keep the plague at bay- at least for those that shadowy Prince Prospero wants kept alive, but most of what defines her throughout the book is that she is the former sister of dead twin brother Finn.  Because she feels guilt over his death, Araby is all about denying herself happiness, and is careful not to experience anything that Finn never got a chance to do.

This does not apply to drugs though.  Araby does drugs to numb herself, even as she dresses in skimpy clothes (the idea is to show your arms and legs as much as possible to prove you aren't diseased) and gorgeous corsets and lounges around the most popular club in the Debauchery District. Honestly, the drug use was probably the only part of the book that I didn't really enjoy, but I do think it adds to the overall decadent tone that Araby sets in the beginning. It doesn't feel like it's advocating drug use, but it also doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of consequences for all the drug use going on either.

Everyone, and by everyone I mean the rich people, wear masks constantly to protect them from the plague.  Imagine a society where your nose and mouth are always covered, it would be hard not to feel detached from each other.  Of course, I'd be fine since my eyes are my best feature.  But it'd be weird to not be able to see people's mouths and things like sneezing are never addressed. I think the masks add to the mystery and isolation that surrounds the characters.  Her mask helps numb Araby to the world around her.

But things happen, and suddenly Araby begins to not feel so numb.

And of course that's partly due to the new boys in her life.  Because what's a YA novel without some yummy boys?

First there's poor, but sexy and tattooed Will.  They start of strong and sexy because he's the one that checks the ladies coming into the club, so there's lots of lingering caresses and whispers. Will's also raising his two adorable moppet siblings. Who can resist a sexy guy that's also in touch with his nurturing side?

Then there's Elliot.  He's the older brother of Araby's bff April.  I didn't know what to think about him at first, because it seemed clear to me that Will was the main love interest, but I have to say Elliot won me over.  He's a bit broken, a bit radical, but the passion that he feels towards wanting to end his uncle's control over the city and his crusade to get masks to the poor is kind of attractive.  He and Araby have a slow burn, compared to the white hot flash that she and Will have, so I'm a bit torn. Towards the end of the book I was kind of over Will.  I mean, I wished him well, but I felt like I might want to board the Team Elliot band wagon.  We'll see.

Overall this was a fast paced read for me.  I wasn't sure I liked Araby in the beginning.  First there's her name, which conjures up the old song The Sheik of Araby in my head which plays over and over again anytime her name is mentioned.  In fact, it's playing right now.  This probably won't be a problem for most of the readers since not a whole lot of people under the age of 70 even know it.  But I also had a problem with her drug use.  I'm just not a fan, and I thought it was at odds with her pledge to not experience anything her twin wasn't around to enjoy.  But once Araby started to get over herself, and her own loss, and began to really care about people and events going on around her, I was able to connect with her. 

I didn't sit down and read this book in one sitting, but it's the kind of book you can devour.  There's a lot of action, not just feelings and pretty dresses.  Araby, Will and Elliot don't just sit around, sighing and looking attractive.  They are all balancing on a very thin wire, one constantly shaken by death and danger.  So while there is a love triangle, there's also a real plot underneath it. 

Masque of the Red Death gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I love it!  I'd seriously buy this book summary unseen just based on title and cover art.

Disclaimer: I briefly received a copy of this book for review as part of an ARC tour in exchange for my honest opinion.