Review- Masque of the Red Death

Title: Masque of the Red Death
Author: Bethany Griffin
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: ARC compliments of HarperTeen

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:

When I first read the title of this book I added to my wish list on Goodreads even though it didn’t have a cover or a synopsis. I’ve been a huge fan of Edgar Allen Poe ever since high school and the Masque of the Red Death is one of my favorite short stories. Then the cover and the synopsis were revealed and I about died! I knew I had to get my hands on an ARC of this book no matter what I had to do to get it!

And let me tell you, I was in no way disappointed! Never have a read a book where the writing and the story was just as dark and beautiful as the cover. They fit each other perfectly.

I loved the dark world of death that Griffin created. The way she depicted the dying in the streets and the carts picking up the dead, is exactly how I pictured the Bubonic Plague that ravaged Europe in the 14th century. More modern of course but definitely the same concept. In this world, people are either so rich that they are able to lock themselves away and hope that the virus never reaches them, those that have turned to religion and those, like Araby who go to the clubs and take drugs to numb themselves of the pain.

This first book (after the ending it has to be a series) is a great setup for what is going to happen next. The world building was amazing, we got to know the characters and now the momentum is really going for book 2. And let me tell you I cannot wait!!!

As much as I absolutely loved the book, I thought the ending was somewhat anti-climactic. I guessing all the action is going to happen in the next book which is understandable. There was also a huge surprise that I wasn’t expecting so that really helped too! I’m giving this book 5 hearts and putting in on my list of favorite reads of 2012!