ARC Review: Masque Of The Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Book: MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH
Author: BETHANY GRIFFIN
Genre: YA FANTASY
Published: April 2012, HARPER COLLINS

Series:
Source: Around the World ARC Tours, no other compensations given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
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 Review:
When I first started MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, I wasn't sure if it might be a help or a hindrance that I've read the original Poe work. See, Poe is spooky and creepy and super odd, but his work has a draw for me; a magnetism that I've never been able to resist. I was worried that Bethany Griffin's adaptation wouldn't hold the same charisma. But, I needn't have worried. Griffin's MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH is an homage in the truest sense. It takes the original idea and updates it, but retains all of the skin-crawling, wide-eyed appeal that drew me to Poe.

Griffin's language is as lyrical as the pace of the book. Almost mirroring the languidness of Araby when amidst the, well, debauchery of The Debauchery Club, the novel exposes the world that has arisen out of a devastating plague, while concealing tidbits and details of the people that live in this world. Araby herself is a puzzle. Though she spends time at The Debauchery Club ingesting naughty substances she isn't an unsympathetic character. Living in the world she lives in (and being one of the few fortunate favored) has necessarily dulled her happiness. She, Will and Elliott, along with Araby's parents, and Will's siblings make up a motley cast of characters that stay true to the idea of Poe's MASQUE.

The masks the citizens have to wear do the dual job of protecting them and hiding their true nature. And MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH does a fantastic job of exploring human nature, while following Araby on her self-discovery, and illuminating a world that sounds very scary indeed.

4.5/5 for plot
5/5 for characters
5/5 for language

My Rating: 14.5/15 (5 stars)

Must Read, if you liked:
Starters by Lissa Price
Partials by Dan Wells

Find the author at:
Website | Blog | Twitter | GoodReads

Book Review: The Shifters of 2040 by Ami Blackwelder

Book: THE SHIFTERS OF 2040
Author: AMI BLACKWELDER
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION/FUTURISTIC
Published: October 2010

Series: THE HUNTED OF 2060 #3
Source: Author via Book Lovin' Bitches E-Book Tours, no other compensation given for honest review

From Good Reads:
Set in Alaska in 2040, Melissa Marn and Bruce Wilder must work under the iron fist of the SCM, while still trying to maintain humanity. Discovering a world of shifters and hybrids, the scientists must struggle with human prejudice and betrayal. With the original ancestors, dubbed shifters, still living on earth, humans are in the midst of a fifteen year old war. As the eldest hybrids, Unseen and Diamond, learn about humans the hard way, with the loss of loved ones and sacrifices, love on planet earth proves challenging.

My Review:
Ami Blackwelder has created a rich and enthralling world in THE SHIFTERS OF 2040. Also, a deadly and frightening one for the alien race of shifters that had come to the planet Earth in 2020. Her novel explores deeper themes of the human spirit and what we are capable of, when we allow total fear and prejudice to control our actions.

There are a multitude of characters in which the reader is allowed to experience their life and point of view. Though it might seem disorienting to switch from character to character for some readers, I liked the affect. Blackwelder has chosen her characters, so that each kind of "player" in her field gets a chance to influence the reader. From the scientist that feels that her experimentation is the only way to combat the "shifter" invasion, to the military general whose rhetoric and power comes close to despotic, to the shifters themselves that don't seem as dangerous as the humans believe them to be.

I would point out that this novel is heavy on the science. In fact, some of the experimentation that the doctors are doing, as well as the shifter DNA dynamics are so well discussed that I could only guess at the research that was done by the author. This did not put me off in any way. I enjoy reading science-fiction, and the world shown in THE SHIFTERS OF 2040 is very like the one we live in, so much so, that it seems all the more frightening for the possible reality that it portrays. This is the perfect novel for someone who enjoys a detailed look into the human reaction and offensive toward a species that did nothing more than come to our planet.


4.5/5 for plot
4.5/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 13/15 (4 stars) Highly Recommended

Links for the author and books:
Website | Twitter | GoodReads | Facebook

Purchase at:
Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Available formats: E-Book

Challenge Participation:





Review Copy Provided by and Tour Participant of: