Title: Masque of
the Red Death
Author: Bethany
Griffin
Publisher:
Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)
Length: 319 pages
Rating: 3/5
A plague has destroyed most of the world, including Araby’s
twin brother. Resolved to never experience anything her brother can’t, Araby
attends glittery parties with other wealthy survivors in the hopes of finding
oblivion. She finds her vow hard to keep after friending Will, the handsome
proprietor of the Debauchery Club, and Elliot, a wealthy aristocrat determined
to start a revolution.
I really wanted to like this book and there were several
moments that I loved it. But mostly, I loved the idea but didn’t love the
follow-through. This book had so much potential because it contained most the
things I look for in a good book: a strong female character who is willing to
take risks, handsome men vying for the lead’s attention, beautiful costumes,
mystery, revolution, and it’s based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Mask
of the Red Death.”
But it was just so messy. Character’s personalities weren’t
clear or changed through the book, the dialogue was unbelievable, and the
amount of times the author conveniently brought characters together but didn’t
make the most of it was terribly frustrating. There was not enough continuity
and I couldn’t get into the story like I wanted to. And then the book ended
without a conclusion, only more problems- a bit like the story as a whole.
I felt the same way! Such a great premise that was so poorly executed. I was really hoping for a better story with this one as well :( It had a couple of shining moments, but the atrocious dialogue, poorly thought-out characters, and confusing pace made it pretty disappointing.
ReplyDelete