Friday 29 June 2012

#122 Book Review: The Masque of the Red Death [ARC]


The Masque of the Red Death [ARC]
Release Date: 2 August 2012
Author: Bethany Griffin
Publisher: Random House Australia
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy: Fishpond | Booktopia | Dymocks
More Info: Goodreads
Summary 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 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.
Cover:
The cover looks so creepy! Unlike the US one, we can see a mask tainted with blood in the UK/AU cover. My ARC cover had a different cover but I preferred the final cover compared to the ARC's cover. The cover does reflect the eeriness of the book!

Story:

A world consumed by The Red Death with plague...


Masque of the Red Death was one of my most anticipated releases in 2012. I haven't actually read the original story of Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe but you don't have to read Poe's story in order to grasp the beauty of this book. 


Masque of the Red Death is set in a terrifying but exotic world. The book is written from Araby Worth's POV. People who can buy masks wear masks all the time to protect themselves from the plague. A mask can only be used by a single person so once you breathe in the mask, it will only protect you from the plague. The world-building is fantastic and Bethany Griffin's writing is gorgeous. It is entrancing and there is just that beauty that will keep you hooked into the story. There are also clubs where people just lose themselves and forget about the plague. Even though this book is a re-telling, it's unique in its own way. The book ends in quite abruptly but it still makes me excited for the sequel because things are not yet resolved!


Characters:
The characters are well-written! I really connected with Araby and felt her pains. She feels guilty for her brother's death and she tries to forget her pains by partying in the clubs. When she meets Will and Elliott, she finds herself drawn to them both. Both boys are completely different. Will is the proprietor of the Debauchery club and Elliott is the Prince's nephew. At first, I preferred Will over Elliott but by the end of the book, I'm not sure which 'Team' I'm in. Will did something in the book which made me disappointed and Elliott is not exactly a gentleman so I'm not sure! I guess I'll just have to find out if both boys get better in the next book! 


I also really enjoyed reading about Araby's parents, Will's siblings and April. Araby's father is the scientist who created the mask but he and Araby's mother is still torn about the death of Araby's brother, Finn. Will's siblings are very adorable and they show a different side to Will's life. April also gives a new side to Elliott's life. We can see how both Will and Elliott really care for their family. 


Overall:
Masque of the Red Death is a gorgeous book set in a terrifying yet exotic world. In a world consumed with plague, can Araby and the others survive? Despite the book being a re-telling of Poe's story, the book is unique in its own way and you don't have to read Poe's story to appreciate the beauty of the story.
4 Forget-Me-Not flowers for Masque of the Red Death!
Thank you Hachette Australia for the review copy!

18 comments:

  1. Araby sounds like a cool chic! But, so far, the boys so meh. Except, I probably shouldn't judge since I haven't read this yet! But I want to. Haha.

    Great review, Celine!

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  2. Yay ! I'm so glad you liked this one since I was a huge fan as well ! :)
    I actually like the Australian cover better than the US one. :)
    I agree that the characters were well-written and I too had difficulty choosing which "Team" I was in. -_-
    Hopefully, the next book will help clear that up !
    Fab review, Celine. :)

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  3. Oh wow, this does sound like a really dark but glamorous read! The cover creeped me out a little though hehe >.< Books with well-written characters are a must; Araby sounds like a wonderful heroine and I'm so eager to 'meet' Will and Elliott <3 It sounds so thrilling and I'm surprised it's actually a re-telling.

    Another lovely review, Celine <3

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  4. Great review, Celine! I'm glad to see you liked this. I started off liking Will too and then had a change of heart (or several!). Now I'm not really sure which if the two boys I prefer either. It will be interesting to see how things progress in the next book. :)

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  5. Re-telling or not, this is DEFINITELY original in its own way! x) I'm so happy you enjoyed this too, Celine! This cover is so creepy-cool (even more than the US one), and I loooooooove how you mentioned Will and Elliot's relationships with their siblings. I think I forgot to mention that in my review, but that was one of the parts that I loved most too. I mean, how could I not when Will's little brother and sister were so adorable? :')

    Beautiful review, Celine! <3

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  6. "Masque of the Red Death is a gorgeous book set in a terrifying yet exotic world."

    Such a perfect way to describe this book Celine! I found the world both horrifying and fascinating, and I really enjoyed what a hard character Araby was. She was in such a bad place for so much of the book, I couldn't help but want to reach in and hug her:) Will disappointed me as well, so I'm super interested to see where things go with him in the next book!

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  7. I love this cover too! It gives it that extra creepiness! This is such a great review Celine, I can't wait to check this book out! :)

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  8. Gorgeous review, Celine! I haven't read this yet but I heard it's an enjoyable read. So glad that you seem to enjoy the book very much! <3 I also heard that both boys are not exactly 'good guy', so I'm very interested to pick this soon! x)

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  9. I just checked this book out from the library, so I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it! =) It seems like the world setting is so mysterious and dark. It's also good to hear that the book is still unique, even though it's a retelling. I think that's really hard to do in a retelling! And both Will and Elliot sound like they're really great characters. ;)

    Fabulous review, Celine!

    -Aneeqah @ My Not So Real Life

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  10. Great review! This book sounds so dark and creepy and I am so glad to hear you loved it! I adore reading books with engaging characters and two guys?!?!? Wow that is interesting! However this book sounds a bit too scary for me!!!! Wonderful review :-) Glad to hear you are looking forward to the sequel!

    SeeitORreadit

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  11. I'm glad you enjoyed this, Celine! Sounds very interesting and different from the usual YA books we read ;) Looking forward to it!

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  12. I'm definitely Team Will. Though that 'scene' had me conflicted at first, I can absolutely understand his motivations and if I were him, I'd probably do the same thing :( Elliot is DEFINITELY intriguing, though I would have killed him if done that to me on the boat LOL. I think it's Will's loyalty and love of his family and that sweet side (not to mention the sexy tattoo's!) that has me batting for his team :D

    So glad to see you enjoyed this, Celine! Awesome review!

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  13. I didn't know much about this book but I feel like I have a good idea now, thanks to your review! The world sounds so strange and definitely unique!

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  14. The only thing is, I hate abrupt endings. They make me irritable. And this book sounds far too creepy for me to handle, to be honest. I LOVE THE UK/AUSSIE COVER. So prettily creepy!

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  15. I remember reading something by Edgar Allan Poe and it was creepy! Not a fan of creepy things, but this one actually caught my interest. The setting looks so intriguing! Oh, I think it's nice that you could connect to the main character right away :)

    Two boys! And they really sound like a love triangle I'd enjoy reading about. There's also that family story intertwined with the mask... I'm interested, alright! :D

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  16. Celine! Im so glad you enjoyed it. I loved it, I loved how raw and dark this book was. And yes I agree that the characters are well-written. I loved the love triangle here too. :) Great review Celine. x<3

    Ƹ̴Ӂ̴ƷFICBOOKREVIEWSƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

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  17. Yay, I liked this one too! The ending took me by surprise too since I was like "that's it?" but overall, it was a nice book. Haha both boys are terrible but I prefer Elliot because he's more entertaining to read about it. Fantastic review!

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  18. Amazing review Celine! I love the cover of this novel and although I didn't wind up liking it as much as you had, I enjoyed your thoughtful insight of it! :D

    ~Keertana
    Ivy Book Bindings

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