Bethany Griffin

I really enjoyed this. And that kind of shocks me.

I'm not a huge steampunk fan. And I have gripes about this book, but honestly, I really enjoyed it.

Araby wasn't annoying at all. I understood her confusion and motivations. I even understood her draw to certain men :)

My only complaint - I can't get a good handle on what these masks look like. If they don't cover the mouth, won't they catch the contagion that way? But there is eating AND puking while wearing the mask, but no show more kissing....I....need a photo of these things. lol Where's the fan art?!?!

But Alice, Araby, Will, Elliott. Elise, Henry, Kent and many other supporting characters - I loved them all. I had a tough time weeding out who to like and who to hate and why. I'm glad it wasn't all black and white - but very very gray.

I will continue this series. After I see a photo of these dang masks! show less

I got an advanced reading copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. I had been wanting to read this book forever, it just sounded so good. Griffin creates an awesome world in this book and all in all I really enjoyed reading about it. This seems like the first in a series but I haven't heard any news on upcoming installments. I know this is based on Poe's short story The Mask of the Red Death, which I have not read yet.

After a deadly plague decimates the population humanity is show more hanging on by a thread. Araby Worth is one of the lucky ones; she has food, shelter, and protection from the plague. When Araby's twin brother was killed by the plague Araby made a vow never to experience anything that he wouldn't be able to. Instead Araby and her friend April haunt the Debaucery club. It's the one place you are safe without a mask. While April looses herself in scandalous behavior, Araby looses herself in drug induced dreams. Araby is jerked out of her dream state when Will, one of the club's security guards comes to her rescue. Araby is drawn deep into political secrets when April's brother, Elliot takes an interest in her. Now Araby finds that everyone has secrets, maybe in the maze of everyone's secrets she will find the will to live.

There are a lot of very interesting aspects to this story. It definitely has a post-apocalyptic feel to it but also a steampunk or Victorian overtone. It's kind of Victorian turned on its head. Everyone exposes as much skin as possible to prove that they aren't infected. Everyone wears masks with filters to protect them from the plague. Carriages run on steam since no horses survived the plague and gasoline is pretty much non-existent. This is humanity on the edge; people living like they aren't sure if they will survive another day.

Araby drifts through the first part of the book; she goes from one drug-induced dream to another...she obviously doesn't care if she lives or dies. She has a unique place in society; her dad (as the scientist who invented the masks) is lauded as a hero. But mad Prince Prospero controls her father and the city. Initially Araby seems to make some decisions out of a need for excitement, but as the story continues she seems to slip out of her apathy and really starts to care.

Elliot, Will, and April are more interesting characters. There lives are full of secrets upon secrets and it takes a while to begin to uncover the complicated political maneuvering behind these characters. What starts out as a story featuring debauchery ends up as a revolution against a power hungry monarch.

The world in this book is what really steals the show. The world is extravagant with tattered velvets, glittery makeup, putrid streets, and glossy ceramic masks. Its full of things that are almost sickeningly beautiful balanced by scenes of stark despair. I loved the contrast throughout the book and loved this world torn apart by human illness and death. So, uh, yeah this is a pretty dark book but sometimes in a beautiful way. I enjoyed how a post-apocalyptic setting is blended with steampunk elements, Victorian sensibilities, mystery, and revolution.

The plot is also well done; it was unpredictable but never contrived. There is a lot of intrigue, politics, and mystery to be solved. The book is very easy to read and well-written and stopped at a good stopping point with more issues to be resolved in future books.

Overall I thought this was a fascinating read. I love the blend of genres and really enjoyed the world created here. While I was a bit underwhelmed by our heroine in the beginning of the book, she started to grow on me towards the end. The plot is intricate, hard to guess, and easy to follow...all in all very well done. I recommend this to those who are interested in reading a post-apocalyptic book with steampunk sensibilities; it is targeted to a YA audience but I think older readers would definitely enjoy it. Not for younger readers though; there is a lot of graphic death, drug use, and debauchery. show less

I always have mixed feelings about novellas in a series since I so often don’t see the point of them, perhaps due to my general love of meta in all things.

I find novellas frustrating because they often don’t have anything to add to the series and they’re too short to develop any kind of engaging story in their own right to pull me in. Sometimes they’re an interesting “day in the life” insight into the characters when they’re not facing the epic plot of epicness – which can be show more interesting character development but even that is of mixed utility, especially if it’s done before.

Without something to add to the main story – some advanced world building or plot or character development, something that will reflect on the main story I’m usually left feeling like the book was rather pointless, an unnecessary addition clinging to a main plotline at best or a cynical money grab at worst. At the same time, if the entire main meta rests on development revealed in a novella or short story, I find it annoying because such major developments should really be woven into the main plot line, not included in a novella which, I confess, I generally consider an add-on to a series rather than essential reading.

In all, I’m pretty difficult to please when it comes to novellas.

And all that being said, Glitter and Doom was one of those books that got it right.

Of course, part of the reason Glitter and Doom really worked for me was the same reason I found Dance of the Red Death kind of disappointing. The whole series follows Araby around when, frankly, she’s the least interesting and compelling character there is. Quite literally, just about everyone else: April, Elliot, Kent, Will, even Will’s younger siblings, would be more interesting protagonists than Araby. I actually want to praise the quality of these side characters but am stopped by the sheer lack of any compelling qualities in the protagonist herself.

Which is where Glitter and Doom comes in –a book that is about April and Kent and even a little Elliot. We get to see the backstories of Elliot that we missed and that add so much texture to his character. We get to see who Kent was, what motivated him, why he was involved, how he met April and how he actually became one of the team – rather than just a character who was dropped into the plot rather randomly.

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In which Poe is Eclipsed by a Love Triangle

Araby Worth's world is on fire.

Set immediately after the events of Masque of the Red Death, Dance of the Red Death sees Araby and her allies - April, Elliott, Will, Henry, Elise, Kent, and Thom - fleeing from the city to regroup before trying to regain control of the city from the opposing armies of Prince Prospero and Reverend Malcontent. In a world already decimated by the Weeping Sickness, a new plague - the Red Death - threatens to wipe humanity show more off the map. Faced with this new danger, and fueled by Malcontent's bombs, violence sweeps through the city - even as many citizens attempt to flee to the relative safety (emphasis on "relative") of Prince Prospero's castle.

Inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe short story of the same name, Masque of the Red Death imagines a society crumbling under the weight of poverty, class warfare, and disease. In the first book, we saw as protagonist Araby Worth slowly transformed from a depressed - if privileged - teenager, wracked with grief over her brother's death, into a budding revolutionary. In Dance of the Red Death this promise is fulfilled as Araby, Elliott, and Will travel back into the city in order to save it.

The story culminates with the masked ball first given life by Poe. Temporarily separated from her friends, Araby - now considered a hero among the people in light of her rescue of dozens of young orphans slated to be sacrificed by Prospero in the name of "entertainment" - is kidnapped by the Prince and imprisoned in his castle. The night of the ball, she's to embark on a treasure hunt through the seven interconnected chambers, where the Prince has hidden objects (and people) important to her. The Red Death makes his appearance just as Araby reaches the black room with its imposing ebony clock. I hesitate to say anything more because spoilers.

While I loved Masque of the Red Death, Dance of the Red Death is a bit of a letdown. The political intrigue and world building that I so enjoyed in Masque take a backseat to the love triangle between Araby, Elliott, and Will. By Masque's end, I found myself hoping that Araby would follow her own advice - how can there be love without trust? - and go her own way, choosing neither Elliott nor Will. Not only does this not come to pass, but by book's end I had begun to loathe every point in the triangle: Elliott and Will, as well as Araby, or at least whenever she's in their company.

April and Kent's romance, which is only hinted at in Dance, is much more interesting and compelling. (It's also elaborated upon in Glitter & Doom, a digital-only, Masque of the Red Death short story.)

I also found Prince Prospero's actions weirdly inconsistent. Why suddenly give the city to Malcontent after exploiting its residents for years? (Abandon it, yes, but give the keys to your arch enemy? Doesn't seem Prospero's style.) Why spare Araby after deciding to hang her? (I thought the Prince was merciless? And why's he so fixated on Araby, anyway?) Why continue to flee hysterically from the Red Death once his true (very human) identity has been revealed? (Just sic your soldiers on him!) Perhaps these quirks are intended to convey just how mad the Prince had become, but I mostly just found them puzzling and untrue to the character.

To top it all off, the story's ballroom climax is rather meh, and the conclusion feels a little too tidy for my taste. Overall, Dance is nowhere near as dark as Masque.

Dance of the Red Death is solid enough on its own, but after the genius that was Masque, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I still love Griffin's reworking of Poe's story, but the sequel didn't quite live up to its potential. Fans of the first book may want to give it a try - it's a quick enough read - but, then again, it's safe to skip it if you'd rather not taint the memory of Masque.

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