Review: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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.

*sigh*. This is going to be a hard review to write, but here’s my attempt at writing a review for Masque of the Red Death, even though I know it will not do it justice.


I’ll start off with saying this: I. Loved. This. Book. I loved it with a burning passion, I loved it from the first page, all the way to the last. There was honestly not one moment of this book that I didn’t love.



As I’m writing this review, I’m overcome with so many emotions I’ve received from this book. I cried a little when reading this, I laughed a little when reading this, and most of all I was grinning from ear to ear throughout the whole entire book.


I love how, from the beginning of the book, I’ve had my opinions set on each and every character, and I thought my opinions were set in stone, but Griffin somehow managed to switch everything up and make my opinions the exact opposite. (Though I still think April is a bit selfish).


I wasn’t prepared for an ending like that, and, while it was a bit abrupt, I still loved it. I did not see any of the plot twists coming (I believe there were three, well, at least there were three for me), and what I absolutely loved is that even when Araby finds out the plot twists, she doesn’t flat out say what they are and gives you some time to think, and then you finally realize what the plot twists are on your own.

I really, really loved the characters in this book, especially Araby. She was sweet, thoughtful and caring, and I absolutely loved that about her. Then there’s also Will, who I really liked, and his two siblings, Elise and Harry, whom I loved. Then there’s April, who’s Araby’s best friend, and sister of another main character, Elliott (who I didn’t like at first but ended up really liking in the end), who I think is pretty selfish (when Araby hurt her shoulder severely, April’s reaction was “Aw, you’re never going to be able to wear a backless dress again.” She wasn’t joking). Despite that, she was a good friend to Araby at times, and genuinely cared for her. But of course, there are also the two antagonists of the book, Prince Prospero and Malcontent. The only complaints I have with these two are their names.


Prospero I assume comes from the word “prosper”, which means to be successful, so that was kind of a corny name in my mind for someone trying to take over the world, and a malcontent is someone who rebels against an established system, which also applies to the actions of Malcontent’s character.


There’s not really much left I have to say about this, other than that I (of course) loved it, and was extremely happy with the way things ended.


I sent Bethany Griffin a message asking if there will be a sequel, but I’ve heard that Masque of the Red Death is supposed to be the first book in a trilogy, so I cannot wait for the next two books (I just hope that isn’t a rumor, and that there actually will be more books to come, but it kind of leaves with an open ending, and everyone planning to do… something that I can’t say, so there has to be another book. Right? Please say right).


Highly recommended to absolutely everyone.


And if you still aren’t convinced to read this, would it help if I told you that there’s:


Crocodiles, bats, masquerade balls, poisonings, treason, some romance, lots of action, icky diseases, and an awesome world?


Please tell me that convinced you.


UPDATE:


I just got a response from Bethany Griffin saying that the series will be with two books, and book two will take place less than five minutes after the events of Masque of the Red Death. Book two will be released in April of 2013! (Can't wait!)


View all my reviews