Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Pages: 400pgs

The Story

In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.

Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.

With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.

The Review

Bethany Griffin's first book in the series, Masque of the Red Death was one of my favourite books from 2012 (mostly because it's a retelling of one of my favourite Gothic short stories coming from Mr. Edgar Allan Poe himself and whom I idolize) and I was pretty excited to grab its sequel as well because the story was that awesome. So considering everything I've just read, DANCE OF THE RED DEATH was certainly a much more fast-paced book than the previous book was (which is great) and it definitely answered the many questions I still had after reading that first book (again this is great). However, I wasn't as wowed by this sequel as the first book but I still enjoyed immensely.

Out of everything, there were two major things I loved about this particular sequel. One was of course the main character, Araby, and, two, being what occurred in the actual storyline that - thankfully - followed pretty closely to the original story it retold. In terms of Araby's character, I loved the fact that she didn't hold back in this book - if at all - and her character was strengthen to a point where you had become so amazed by her with how far she has actually come to be this strong and unfazed main character because let me tell you this girl kicks a lot of ass in this book. Maybe not in fist-fights and such, but she has her own way of kicking butt (more so in a quiet way) which made me love her even more. Now in terms of the storyline itself, I loved that it included the masquerade ball which also occurs in the original Poe tale and let me tell you I've been waiting for this particular moment since last year of reading the first book, so I'm definitely glad the author does not disappoint me there because I loved it so much!

While I was pretty happy with mostly everything that happened in the sequel, but the only thing I was disappointed with was the 'sort of' love triangle the author introduced. Okay, maybe it wasn't exactly a love triangle so to speak, but I felt like that was how it was set-up to begin with and I actually had high hopes for it since I loved both of the guys for completely different reasons. Sadly on my part, the 'sort of' love triangle (even though it wasn't necessarily an intense love triangle) was really disappointing. Really disappointing.

Will's character, one of the boys in question, certainly redeemed himself in this book and I can see why Araby liked him a lot because I began to like him again, but with the guy I was initially rooting for secretly from the first book, that being this guy named Elliot, I thought his character was completely unnecessary this time round in the sequel. I felt like he had so much potential as a character but instead he fell so flat for me in the end. I just did not see the chemistry between him and Araby (even though they totally had it in the first book so who knows where that went) and I already felt like Araby knew who she wanted to be with . . . so why get hot and heavy with Elliot all of a sudden for no reason at all? Huh. It was just hot and cold with them . . . but no matter . . . I still liked Elliot for being the self-serving prat that he was. I guess. Pfft.

Overall, DANCE OF THE RED DEATH was a great sequel and while it did have its highs and lows, I was still happy with how everything ended up like and that's the main thing here.

The Rating

4/5 stars

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Greenwillow

Pages: 320pgs

The Story

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 tehm.

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.

The Review

I have heard nothing but amazing things about this book, before I even started reading it, and I knew it was a complete must for me! First let me just say that I am a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan. He has forever been awe-inspiring for me ever since Ive read his works at a young age and honest to god he was one of the main reasons why I wanted to be a writer in the first place. So, when I came across this title, seeing and recognising the title and reading that is was inspired by one of my favourite Poe stories, Masque of the Red Death, there was no denying that I was going to adore this book inside and out! And once again I was right.

MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH is a wonderfully-blended steampunk tale about a young teenage girl named Araby Worth, who lives in a plague-stricken city of New Orleans. Being the daughter of a scientist, who is now under the protection of Prince Prospero, she enjoys a somewhat 'glamorous' life athough she is still haunted by the death of her twin brother, Finn, which she can only escape from by partaking in drugs at the Debauchery Club, where her friend April also comes along with her, the niece of the Prince himself. With the city slowly deteriorating with deadly diseases killing nearly half of the population and with so very little masks to be used in order to contain these diseases alone, there is little hope for Araby to survive. But as soon as Araby decides to change her ways, she will not only encounter many dangers that could threaten her and her family, but she will also encounter many questions not only about her family and friends, but also questions about her entire city.

This book literally blew my mind. Not only could I feel the clever familiarities of Poe's story being interwined with this storyline, but I could feel the author's own story as well which was just as beautiful, compelling and seductive as the original. What amazed me with this book was that it was nothing like anything out there in young adult books and it sets itself apart entirely, with a world that is part of the past, part of the present and part of the future that is far more different to what we're aware of now. As Bethany Griffin takes us into this new world she has created, the book works like magic as you slowly begin to get sucked into this plague infestation and ultimately everything about this book from its dark world-building to the mysterious dark romances . . . there is honestly not enough to say in order to do this book the justice it clearly deserves!

Apart from the wonderful storyline, what captivated me the most were the characters themselves, even the ones with smaller purposes to the story. Araby, for one, was such a fantastic main heroine. She was smart, kind-hearted, and she was always courgeous in every single situation she faces - no matter the danger, she's already there and prepared to fight for the cause. To some readers from what I've read in past reviews, Araby may be a very depressing character for some since for the majority of the book she continues to push herself away from others, punishes herself when she has a chance at true happiness, and at times she is still struggling to deal with the world that is withering around her and even with her twin brother's death which is the main contribution to her own depression. But damn, once this girl changes and stops hiding behind her mask, she is a reformed young woman and everything about her puts a smile on my face because she's a beautiful person with a lot in her to still love. And loved her I did.

But when there's a heroine there are always love interests involved. In this case a love triangle. I don't do love triangles as much as I used to, but this one is clearly an exception. For Araby's character she has two very worthy and hella sexy love interests - Will, the mysterious tattooed proprietor of the club whom Araby is instantly attracted to and damn I don't blame her, and then there's Elliot, the wealthy aristocrat and the brother of Araby's best friend, April, whom she's attracted to as well, only she doesn't trust him as much as she does Will since Elliot has many secrets of his own. MY GOD THESE BOYS! Where most fangals can have only one fictional boy team that they remain faithful to, but seriously . . . when it comes to Will and Elliot alone, I just can't seem to choose between them! Firstly, you trust them and you love them. And then the next you don't trust them and you want to cry in frustration because these two boys are just so insufferable but in the best possible way of course! While I feel Elliot had more of a connection to Araby than Elliot did at first, both on an emotional and personal scale, but I guess I'll have to wait and see in order to find out just which team I'm on. Oh heck - I'll just say Team Elliot right now and I'll see what happens because Elliot was the boy I was so obsessed with. Seriously. LOVED HIM!

Overall, MASQUE OF THE READ DEATH is painted as a sinister and twisted story just like the original Poe tale. Beautifully written, page-turning, and every as bit as rich and complex as I expected it to be, it's no wonder why Griffin's haunting creation is a solid novel and it deserves every single high praise it's been getting because I'm lusting, craving and WANTING more from this series!

The Rating

5/5 stars