Review: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Masque of the Red Death

Author: Bethany Griffin
Series: Masque of the Red Death #1
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Genre: YA Science Fiction/Steampunk
Format: Hardcover, 319 pages
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries  
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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 around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery makeup . . . 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 is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find not just something to live for, but something to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

My Review:

I was so excited to read this book because I had heard such good things about it. People loved this book. Obsessed over it. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. And now I feel like the weird kid at school. Because, while it was an enjoyable read, I just didn’t love it. This is probably going to be an unpopular review, but I have to be honest with you guys. It just didn’t do it for me.

I love Edgar Allen Poe. I had an English teacher in high school who was obsessed with Poe, so needless to say, I read a lot of his work. Because of that, I thought that this book would be darker. It was dark, full of death and disease, but it didn’t feel real to me. I didn’t feel like I was immersed into this world. It never quite clicked with me.

The main character, Araby (I literally kept forgetting her name while reading so that’s not good…), felt dead to me. I think that’s what the author was going for, but it just didn’t work for me personally. She’s gone through the loss of her twin brother, Finn, and ever since then just hasn’t been living her life. Araby was lifeless. She had no driving motivations throughout the book. Even towards the end when she finally understands that Finn would want her to keep living, her character felt the same to me. Like she was just going through the motions. Like she didn’t really care what happened.

Araby’s father is a renowned scientist who created revolutionary masks to keep the contagion from getting into your system. He works for Prince Prospero, a dangerous man who controls the city. Even when Araby’s family is endangered, her emotions just didn’t quite come through the writing. Most characters would be panicked, angry, or determined to ensure the safety of their family. Araby seems somewhat concerned, but I just didn’t feel the emotions.
 
Araby’s best friend, April, was probably my favorite character. April loves getting dressed up and going to the club. Regardless of the horrible plague that has killed the majority of the human population, April still lives. She still tries to enjoy what little life she may have left. As I got further into the story, I liked April more and more. Although she may appear somewhat superficial on the surface, there is so much more to her and I look forward to reading more about her in the next book.

Then we have the two boys that form the love triangle Araby is in. The first, Elliot, is April’s brother. I don’t trust him. I didn’t for almost the entire book. I think that he fell in love with Araby too quickly and it just didn’t feel genuine to me. There is something about him that makes me suspicious although towards the end, I started to believe in him a little more. Still…

Will is the other boy in the love triangle. I like him much more than I like Elliot. Will has two younger siblings that he takes care of. He is fiercely loyal to them which I find so attractive in a man. He clearly cares for Araby, but it’s not pushy like it is with Elliot. Even though I liked Will, his relationship with Araby just didn’t do much for me. When they were together, my heart didn’t start racing. I didn’t feel much of anything honestly. It was disappointing because that is one of my favorite things about reading: falling in love with the romance.

I think that this book has a lot of potential. The premise of a plague ravaging the globe and killing off the human race is definitely intriguing. What made it even more intriguing was Prince Prospero. I feel like there might be some kind of plot twist coming in future books involving the Prince. Although it had a lot of potential, I just didn’t feel like it was executed well. It kept me entertained, but didn’t pull me in like I thought it would. None of the action or romance scenes got my heart racing and I just kind of read them and went “oh, that’s nice” or “oh, that was a close one”. I’m interested enough to continue reading the series and I hope the next book, Dance of the Red Death, makes me feel more connected with the characters. Happy reading all!