Publisher: Indigo books
Pages: 336
Formats Available: Paperback, Kindle
BLURB from Goodreads
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
I was kindly sent this ARC of The Masque Of The Red Death to read and review for my blog by Indigo books, so thank-you Nina! As the book was an Arc it has a different cover to the one pictured above and below. I have to admit the ARC cover would have put me off reading the book slightly had I seen it in a store. Though I like both the cover pictured above and the cover below too. They carry the theme of the people having to wear masques to breath through. The cover pictured below also shows you that the dresses are rather revealing as the people want to show as much flesh as possible to prove that they are well and don't have the sickness.
When you think of Masques, it usually brings to mind beautifully decorated, masquerade ball masques, but the masques in this book are actually the difference between life and death and are made of a plain white porcelain. When reading the book you come to hate the masques and what they actually stand for. The masques are the only protection against what can only be described as a type of plague.
The description in the book of the clothes, makes you visualize such beautiful elaborate clothes being worn by the rich at the Debauchery Club in stark contrast to the drab rags worn by the common people. The description through the whole book is really good, helping you easily visualize what is being written about. The whole story is quite tragic, the scientist clever enough to make the masques, yet his own son dies because of falling ill maybe due to not having a masque. Both parents and Araby carry guilt about this. The first mask the scientist made was meant for his son Finn, however Araby took it and tried it on which then rendered it useless to Finn her brother. Each masques is made for the individual, and once someone has breathed through the masque it is of no use to anyone else.
There are a great mix of characters in this book, there's Araby who has known both riches and having very little. Her friends, who are nephew and niece to the man who is the cruel dictator of the land they live in and where she now lives are rich and are Elliott, a love them and leave them type of rich guy, and his sister April, who loves nothing more than to dress up and flaunt her wealth and regularly attend the Debauchery Club.
The poorer characters we learn about are Will who works at the Debauchery club (also a love them and leave them type) and his younger brother Henry and younger sister Elise who he is sole carer/guardian of.
So which guy suits Araby the best? Which one, if either is just using her and who truly wishes to change their former ways and love Araby and protect her too? Both guys have their moments with Araby, but you will have to draw your own conclusions as to who would suit her best when reading the book.
This book is not just a love/romance story as there is rebellion and revolution, as certain people try to make the masques available for all not just the rich. However just as things seem like they could turn for the better another strain of virus begins to claim lives. Do the masques protect against this new strain of illness?
So did I enjoy the book? Yes. Would I recommend? Yes Would I read more? Yes definitely!
The writing and description reminded me a little of the Melissa de la Cruz's series of Blue Blood Novels.
Available at Amazon.co.uk
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