Masque of the Red Death (Bethany Griffin)

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.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Rae Carson)

Title: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Author: Rae Carson

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)

Length: 423 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

  

Elisa was chosen by God for greatness when he placed his Godstone in her navel as a child. She has no idea what she was chosen for, and doesn’t feel particularly remarkable, even after being married off to a handsome king who expects her to save his kingdom. Then she’s kidnapped by rebels, led by a dashing revolutionary who expects her to be their savior. Can Elisa fulfill the prophesy, for the king, for the revolutionary, or for herself?

I had such high hopes for this book. Fabulous flap copy, great reviews by some of my favorite authors on the back…and yet…it took me a long time to like Elisa, and to like a book, I must first like the hero/heroine. How do you respect a character who doesn’t respect herself? Elisa eats to escape her problems (it can be tough trying to fulfill a prophesy when you don’t know what it is) and is unhappy with her body. She doesn’t believe in herself, and has a hard time with all the people who believe in her simply because she is a chosen one.

I saw this book as less about Elisa fulfilling a prophesy and more about learning to be herself, and learning to be happy as herself. A common theme in YA lit, but one made more exciting by foreign lands, revolutionaries, and a reluctant princess who learns to be a leader. I liked Elisa and the book a lot more once she embraced her fate.