Masque of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Mar 30, 2012 karen rated it liked it

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya, thanks-for-prezzies, fuck-you-bedbugs

i am unable to see magic eye puzzles. whether it is my astigmatism or whatever is miswired in my brain that was giving me that off-brand epilepsy some years back, i am not able to get the same joy as others out of those things.

but i enjoy the enjoyment of others.

and i was really excited to find this on the free shelves at work, knowing that other people had really loved it.

but for me, it wasn't a home run. i don't see it.

the premise is great - it is not a retelling of poe's story, but it borr ...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: old-reads, mt-bookpile-2011-2015

Love the idea: a plague has devastated what I think is New Orleans, killing the majority of the population and forcing the ones who remain to either stay indoors or use a porcelain mask to breathe the air. Araby is the daughter of the man who has invented the masks and thus is relatively privileged, venturing out at night in corsets, short skirts and glitter make-up to the Debauchery Club. She lives with the memory of the death of her brother Finn, having pledged to not experience things he coul ...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Michelle rated it liked it

Shelves: kids_and_y-a, horror, post-apocalyptic

one of the oddest repeating themes in the current trend of YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic lit is for the heroine to be an ordinary teenager, wandering through this brave new world of awful with only a vague sense of "huh." horrors pass before her eyes with barely a shrugged shoulder, because "that's the way it's always been," making her inevitable participation in rebellion later in the book that much more inexplicable.

so mad bonus points to Griffin for writing a tale where most all of the charac one of the oddest repeating themes in the current trend of YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic lit is for the heroine to be an ordinary teenager, wandering through this brave new world of awful with only a vague sense of "huh." horrors pass before her eyes with barely a shrugged shoulder, because "that's the way it's always been," making her inevitable participation in rebellion later in the book that much more inexplicable.

so mad bonus points to Griffin for writing a tale where most all of the characters have been actually impacted by the world being destroyed. Araby Worth, an inventor's daughter, has lived with a population-slaughtering plague since earliest childhood. she's lost both family and way of life, and she's rather shell-shocked, drugging herself into oblivion and wishing for something to change. the apocalypse here is real and visceral and immediate, not some distant "before times" memory, with touches of actual horror instead of gratuitous gore. there are occasional brilliant tiny "what if?" moments ("we'd been wearing masks for so long that i read a smile by looking at someone's eyes") that add wonderful depth to this slim story. if all that weren't enough, Griffin should be teaching a master class in how to do the de rigueur angsty love triangle properly: both male characters are interesting, well-developed, and differ by a lot more than just the color of their hair.

so why only 3 stars? the end, my dears, is a trainwreck. after clipping along as a solid 4-star read throughout, the last 10% or so just thoroughly derails. (view spoiler) ...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, dystopian-and-post-apocalyptic, steam-punk, zombies, retelling-a-classic, yikes

I will confess that I've never read Poe's Masque of the Red Death (or, if I have, I've forgotten), and I'm thinking I'm going to go do that next. I will also confess that I was not expecting much at all from this book. A YA book inspired by some other literature? yeah, doesn't sound very original or interesting. I sat down to read just the first few pages, because I was a bit out of sorts, not sure what to read, and the other two books I'd started didn't thrill me. And before I knew it, I was ha I will confess that I've never read Poe's Masque of the Red Death (or, if I have, I've forgotten), and I'm thinking I'm going to go do that next. I will also confess that I was not expecting much at all from this book. A YA book inspired by some other literature? yeah, doesn't sound very original or interesting. I sat down to read just the first few pages, because I was a bit out of sorts, not sure what to read, and the other two books I'd started didn't thrill me. And before I knew it, I was halfway through the book. And it's not a bit like Cafe Flesh. In fact, it's not really particularly debauched at all. (I'm not really sure if this qualifies as "steam punk" but there are steam-driven mechanisms, and there is a weird mix of advanced technology and medieval living, and I can't even tell if this is past or future or alternate present, so ... steampunk it is!)

There are definitely similarities to Cinder (plucky heroine, spreading incurable illness, rich & poor ...), so if you liked that, you should read this, and vice versa.

This was fantastic, and dream-like, and thrilling, and romantic, and confusing (intentionally-so). People meet, and meet again, and strangers turn out to be known. There is adventure,and mystery, and thrills, and plot twists. Characters trust each other, even though no one (NO ONE) should be trusted. No one is surprised by betrayal, or by connections previously unknown.

Araby Swift lives in the penthouse of the tallest tower of the city. A deadly plague has swept the world, turning society inside out. Araby, despondent at the death of her twin brother and unable to face reality, passes her days and nights in a drug-induced oblivion. her parents have also basically checked-out - they seem to love her, but it's hard to really be sure. Araby, sort of through lack of any other options, has become fast friends with her penthouse neighbor, April, daughter of the now-deposed mayor. Everyone in this story is pretty much on the edge of being psychotic, and quite a few of the characters have jumped right off that edge. Yes, as in much dystopian YA, there is a love triangle, but I did not find it bothersome. The characters are all too busy just trying to survive, and none of them become overly wrapped up in love.

Bonus: a fantastic kiss in a hot air balloon, while the city implodes.

Ms Griffin excels at creating a dark, dream-like, mysterious world, in which the best possible option is to align yourself with the psycho who is NOT currently trying to murder you.

I enjoy reading the negative book reviews, and the funny thing is, with this book, even though I loved it, I AGREE with the negative reviews, too! The thing is, everything that bothered those reviewers, drew me right in.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series, but I also face this prospect with trepidation. I fear Ms Griffin cannot keep it up, and the story will either collapse under its own dark weight, or lose its carefully balanced momentum and become overblown. ...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Jess rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, steampunk

This is the kind of book that's enjoyable and easy to recommend to teens who like moody romance and a crumbling world. But it didn't do that much for me personally.

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