Twerp by Mark Goldblatt 
Review: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin
“And I’m falling in love with you,” he whispers. “But I would throw you in the water and watch crocodiles tear you to bits, if I thought that doing so would accomplish my goals. Do. Not. Trust. Anyone. Especially me.”
The premise of this book really drew me in. It sounded like Moulin Rouge mixed into a scary dystopian world complete with a couple of sexy romantic interests – who couldn’t be intrigued by that? After I first picked up this book I simply devoured it, it was so good if a little different to my original expectations. The story is based on an Edgar Allan Poe classic by the same title and while I haven’t read it to see how it lives up to the original, the story definitely has a very dark gothic vibe which rings true of what Poe I have read. Araby, the central character of this novel starts of numb and disconnect buried in guilt and grief and this story really is about her discovering herself and opening her eyes to what is really happening in the world around her.
The world itself is both gorgeous and terrifying. You have the beautiful masks, aristocratic ladies with carriages and luxury apartment towers on one hand. You also have the corpses on the street, corpse collector’s, scary bats and crocodiles plus the plague infected on the other. Mixing these together is captivating and gives you a completely encompassing city background. There is an undercurrent of fear throughout the entire book – fear of disease, angry mobs, rebels, the evil prince it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor in this world, there is little happiness to hold onto for anyone.
Araby is a wonderful main character. She experienced so much in her past and this is conveyed really well throughout the novel so you connect and empathise with her as the story progresses. She starts off so numb and dead inside, choosing to forget the horrors in the world with sleeping potions, illicit drugs and roaming the debauchery club even though she doesn’t actually partake in any real debauchery! Upon the disappearance of her best friend she meets the first of her 2 love interests, Will who works at the club and is just a downright lovely guy. She discovers Will is the sole provider of his 2 young siblings and will do absolutely anything to keep them safe.
Her other love interest Elliot is a very interesting character and you aren’t ever 100% sure if he really is a nice guy or if he is going to turn out to be a bad egg after all. It turns out both of these guys do some shitty things and are deeply flawed yet the writing and character development is so well done that you really understand their actions and can’t stop rooting for them anyway. Often in YA love triangles its really obvious which guy the girl is going to choose right from the get go but in this book your left with things not being clear cut. You simply don’t really know by the end if Araby would choose Will or if she would choose Elliot. Perhaps she’ll choose neither, I’m just not sure.
Araby’s family is also quite important to the story. What’s on the surface seems quite simple however through the story you are given titbits of information that when you piece things all together you can see that this family has gone through a lot of tragedy and there is actually a lot of love there even if it is covered by loss and grief of Araby’s twin brother.
While this book is slow paced and there is a lot of subtext, you never feel bored while reading it. The book is wrapped up nicely though there are so many reveals and shocks towards the end that I simply can’t wait to read the sequel which must be ages away argh! I can imagine that some people would not enjoy this, those that like a lot of speed and action would probably not like mulling over minute details and information that is interwoven into the story to provide the rich experience that is Masque of the Red Death. But if you’re looking for a story that really makes you think and one that doesn’t shy away from death and betrayal I strongly recommend picking up this story ASAP!
Thank you Edelweiss and Harper Collins for providing me with a copy of this novel for review. Masque of the Red Death was just recently released on the 24th April 2012 so go pick up a copy today!
Rating 
| Author | Bethany Griffin |
|---|---|
| Book series | Masque of the Red Death: Book #1 |
| Genre | Dystopian / Steampunk / Young Adult |
| Publisher | Harper Collins |
| Published | April 2012 |
| Source | Edelweiss ARC |
| More |
Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin at Goodreads Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin at Amazon Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin at The Book Depository |
39 Comments:
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Ellie says:
I can’t wait for this one, my interest was piques when I herad the Poe connection a few months ago but the UK release date is August. I have been told I can get a review copy when they’re ready so yey!
Philippa says:
That sucks when they have different release dates! Seriously considering how global things are now and that we’re in the digital age with ebooks flying all over the place you think they would try to time the releases at once! I hope when you get your hands on it you love it as much as I did
Megan says:
Great review, I definitely want to read it. I am glad it’s dark like Poe, though I haven’t read Poe’s work by the same title, either. Which is weird… I’ve read a lot of Poe. But I enjoyed reading your review and will definitely have to get to the store and pick up a copy for myself!
Philippa says:
If I ever manage to get ahead on my review list I’m planning on reading the short story as I’ve heard it makes you appreciate this book even more. Glad you liked the review and hope you get a chance to read it someday
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Adrian says:
I really wanted to like this one so badly because it was around the time that I was interested in dark UF so this seemed perfect! However, when reading the story I just felt it didn’t fit. I felt it should have been adult novel that way the club and all the slightly dark elements could have been darker with a touch of passion and sex if it wasn’t classified as YA. Idk this just didn’t work for me, though I’m glad it was a great read for you. Thanks for the great review.
Philippa says:
I get what your saying – it sounded from the blurb like it should have been a bit darker/more sexy but I think this was still conveyed pretty well in the descriptions. Thanks for your comments though – I love hearing other peoples opinions!
Amanda Morganne says:
Awesome review, I’ve been wanting to read this book and this and now you have made me want to read it more. I like how you described it as a dystopian Moulin Rouge. Great review.
Philippa says:
Thank you! It’s fantastic I hope you get to read it soon
Bonnie says:
Great review! I just got this one a few days ago and I’m super excited to start it.
Philippa says:
It is fantastic! Really dark for a YA novel, I loved it
Leila | The Fiction Pixie says:
So I just picked this up at the library. I wasn’t in the mood to read Everneath when you asked I marked it reading on GR. Oh well, such is my fickleness…..ANYWAYS….The first 20 or so pages in this books is riveting. Just so dark and enthralling that I was amazed and had to double check that it was “teen” I am excited to finish.
Philippa says:
This book is definitely more engrossing to begin with – but dont completely give up on Everneath, it really really gets better!
Maneesha Haroon says:
OMG! I have been wanting to buy this book for the GORGEOUS cover alone! Love it! And I’m glad everyone seems to love it! Can’t wait to get my hands on it! NOW!
Philippa says:
It was a fantastic read, and I agree the cover is so gorgeous! Hope you get a chance to read it soon
Allison says:
Wow, this sounds really interesting, and I’m not normally interested in steampunk-like books. The cover is captivating, too. Thanks for a great review!
Philippa says:
No worries – I’m glad you liked reading it
It’s definitely a worthwhile book to read, hope you get a chance to read it soon.
Kris S says:
I loved this book as well. The world building is amazing, and Araby is a wonderful character. Can’t wait for book two!
Philippa says:
Me either – I hope it is as good as its predecessor
annerooo says:
I think I fell in love with this book after reading that teaser. But oh no! I’m not really into love triangles especially when you don’t know who the girl’s going to end up with.
Philippa says:
I’m not into love triangles that are done badly – but this one is pretty good, don’t judge it on that!
Danielle B! says:
Thanks for the great review. I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for a while and now I think I just might begin reading it
Philippa says:
I loved it – hope you get a chance to start it soon
Sheena-kay Graham says:
Edgar Allen Poe is a literary legend. I love the cover of this book and the story line is very interesting. I like Araby too and your review has made me decide to give this book a second look.
Philippa says:
Thank you for the kind words, I hope you get a chance to read it and enjoy it soon!
Amber @ Fall Into Books says:
I agree that the book is slow paced, but somehow not boring. I really enjoyed this book, and I’m glad to see you did too. Great review! I agree with all of your points!
Philippa says:
There is nothing better then a book that feels thoroughly explored and unhurried yet doesn’t bore you! It really was a fantastic debut novel – I’m glad you liked it too!
Danielle D says:
I have been going back and forth on picking this book up, and I have to say that this nudged me towards getting it for my collection, thank you for a great review
Philippa says:
Thats great news – I hope you have a chance to read it soon!
Suz Reads says:
Wow! I love dystopian books and this sounds so original! Mixing corpses and the rich aristocracy makes for quite an amazing story! I was looking forward to this book already and now after reading your comments, I am even more excited about it! Thanks for the info!
Philippa says:
No worries – hope you get a chance to read it soon!
Maneesha Haroon says:
Wow! I wasn’t aware the book was as good as the cover. I read the blurb and wasn’t really impressed though I almost bought it because of the cover (And I know I am not supposed to rate a book by the cover, that is exactly why I didn’t get it!) but now that I have read your review, this sounds like something very different from the other dystopians. Definitely going to give this a try!
Philippa says:
I judge books by there covers all the time
I would definitely recommend giving this one a shot if you have the time to read it!
Cyn says:
I have wanted to read this for a long time. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!
Philippa says:
Hope you get a chance to read it soon
Stephanie H. says:
Thanks for the review! I’m curious about this one. I’ve heard some mixed reviews. While a lot of people seem to love it, like yourself, others seem to really dislike it. One of the reviewers in the dislike camp felt that here was this heroine in this depression and then the plot was the heroes bringing her out of the depression. Which if true, is not how depression works and is not a great role model for young teenage girls. What do you think about this assessment?
Philippa says:
It’s been a little while since I read it but I still found her to be quite depressed throughout the story – there was some resolution with some family issues that I felt probably helped her depression plus seeing how the non-aristocratic lived that shook her out of self pity to an extent but overall she still acted like a fairly depressed person – very negative view points etc. In fact it’s part of what I liked about her she wasn’t a typical heroine though I agree that a depressed girl probably isn’t the best of role models – this wouldn’t be a book I would suggest if your looking for a really kick ass heroine!
Heather Jensen says:
I’ve heard about this book before but your review really piqued my interest. Now I’m definitely going to have to get a copy. Thanks so much for the detailed comments!
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