Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 320
Series: Masque #1
Review Source: Edelweiss
Synopsis: (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 liked this one well enough, I suppose, but I just didn't feel that connected to it like a lot of other people seem to be. See, a self-medicated heroine isn't really my cup of tea. I really hated how Araby refused to experience things her brother wouldn't experience. It just felt so weak, and I hated her lack of will. I understand that this was part of her character progression, but I also hated that it took a boy for her to see her worth.
Another thing that was a bit difficult with this book is that so much was going on. There was the old plague, the new plague, the clubs, political conspiracy, etc... there was so much all at once and it all kind of flowed together. I also felt like the characters were poorly defined. They also flowed together, in that it felt like they had different personalities at different times. There was also a lack of motivation going on with the prince. He was psycho and power hungry, wanting to control everything, even treating his family in a terrible way, but why? I didn't see any reason beyond the fact that he's the big bad.
Despite these complaints I didn't mind this book for the most part. It had a great visceral setting that I thought was one of the main strong points. In the end, though, I found it a bit forgettable, and not really for me. I'd definitely recommend you check out some other reviews, though, because a lot of people seem to be in love with this one.
The Cover:
Um yes, it's pretty awesome!
Rating:
[3/5]Find Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.
The character of Araby wasn't my favorite part of the book, though she did get better after Will intervened. I loved the atmosphere, though: Almost drooping with sadness, dying and collapsing into itself, and very dark.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the dark, visceral setting was definitely the highlight of this one, though I did enjoy Will and Elliot as well. Araby was a hard girl to really connect with since she was struggling simply to live, but I have high hopes that we'll see growth from her in the future. Really fantastic review Ashley:)
ReplyDeleteI hate this cover, and I honestly don't know why. It makes me cringe every time I see it, but the story sounds interesting. Well, the self-medicated part doesn't sound so good - that's usually not my cup of tea either.
ReplyDeleteI have heard all type of things about this book, people love it, hate it or think it was just OK.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how i'll feel since I love the original story.
The setting sounds awesome.