Sunday, April 15, 2012

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Araby is seventeen and has never been kissed.  Wearing a mask to breath to keep her safe from the plague has eliminated that possibility.  She's so bored she's willing to take drugs to find oblivion.  And she has no idea how much danger she is in...

Green Willow Books and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 24th, so put it on your TBR list for the future.

This is a dystopian fantasy with an interesting romantic twist to it.  The plague is a virus and it has killed a majority of the population.  The survivors are doing just that, surviving as best they can.  Those in power have hidden themselves away from the disease and there is more than one rebellion going on now.

Araby's father has made the masks that protect people from the virus.  More than one faction wants that knowledge.  Ms. Griffin has made Araby innocent and naive but that will change as she faces her personal challenges.  She also will get kissed by two boys before the end of the story.  Coming of age is hard in normal times, but now it's almost impossible.

Come visit a world of the future where politics and power rule the times and three young adventurers are trying to find a way out.  This is the first of two books and can stand alone.  However, the author has grabbed my interest and I want to see what they find and who Araby chooses as her love.  I'll be watching for it.  Why not read this one and see if you want to write your own ending or get the next book yourself?

Happy reading.

1 comment:

UK said...

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.

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