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.
I have to say that though “Masque of the Red Death” is not one of my favorite Poe stories, Griffin managed to turn the dreary and somewhat straightforward story into a story of intrigue, survival, and love. Not only did she find an epic story within a story, but she managed to create an entire story world around the limited vision provided by Poe. I’m not surprised that Griffin teaches Creative Writing.
Speaking of the story world, the city where Araby and her family lives is one rife with disease, crime, and well…debauchery. The descriptions have a definite Gothic literature background with a refreshing steampunk twist. I especially enjoyed the depiction of the Debauchery Club, which reminded me of the many levels and many rooms that made up some of the Clubs that I visited when I was in London a few years back. Even the use of drugs to escape brought a modern twist to the tale that I rather enjoyed.
I found it exquisitly refreshing that Masque featured a heroine that was tortured, but not tortured for lack of love or for lack of friendship–but because, as a twin, she lost her “other half” at a young age. Araby blames herself for her brother’s death and believes that her parents do as well. Therefore she punishes herself by abstaining from anything that Finn, her brother, could have possibly wanted to experience in his life. It is believeable and shows the amount of self control that Araby has developed since his death.
The other characters that are featured in this narrative that really captured my attention was Elliot and April (obviously), Will (in all his tattooed glory), and Araby’s father. While Prince Prospero was exceedingly interesting, he was more of a flat character that was meant to be somewhat one-dimensional, in my opinion. Elliot and April are great opposites of each other for siblings, and I hope we continue to learn more about Elliot’s tortured life at the Palace when he was a child. April was kind of stereotypical at first, busy trying to have the latest fashion and the cutest guy–but all that changes in the end. Her growth was exponential. Will was enigmatic at the beginning, somewhat transparent in the middle, and then completely opaque at the end. I did not see that coming. Araby’s father, the famous scientist who created the masks that saved countless lives, is almost as tortured as his daughter. But in the end, he achieves what seems like forgiveness and acceptance of his daughter.
I’m excited to say how much I enjoyed this novel, because the synopsis doesn’t do it justice.
4 Bards.
Moving! 