Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Book description from Edelweiss:

A terribly romantic, atmospheric, and thrilling beginning of a two-book sequence.

In a smoldering city full of death and danger, a seventeen-year-old girl could be the salvation-or the destruction-of the entire human race . . . and of two boys' hearts. A breathtaking dystopian twist on Edgar Allan Poe's gothic tale for fans of Cassandra Clare and Holly Black.

The city was decimated by a deadly plague-halted only by Araby Worth's father, who invented masks that filter the virus out of the air. But the city has never recovered. Seventeen-year-old Araby hasn't, either. She doesn't want survival; she wants oblivion, so she can forget the horrors she has seen. Until she finds a spark of hope in the depths of the Debauchery Club: in Will, the club's unbearably magnetic proprietor, and in Elliott, the wickedly smart revolutionary. But what will she choose when a new terror sweeps the city and she alone holds the cure? Her own heart? Or the rest of the human race? A terribly romantic, atmospheric, and thrilling beginning of a two-book sequence that reimagines Edgar Allan Poe's gothic story. For fans of Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series.

Here's what I think...

I do not have lots of stempunk novels on my "read" list so far, but I like the general idea behind this genre - alternate history and "what if?" base of the story. I was afraid to read Masque of the Red Death - my expectations were really high. 

It started shaky - I liked the the decadent atmosphere and descriptions, but characters seemed somehow superficial. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. But later I got caught up in its strange, dark, drug-abusing, glittery world. I've noticed that some reviewers who read this book didn't like the love triangle part of the story, and others had some problems with language (it's "too modern"). I have to say that I didn't pay too much attention to the language - I simply enjoyed in the twists.

Love story isn't predictable - I really can't tell what will happen in the next book and that's the reason why I like it. Nothing is as it seems and choices some of the characters are making have deeper reasoning. Unlike The Selection by Kiera Cass, I didn't have problems with the way author represented social and political background of the story. Actually, in this case I like that part of the plot much more than all personal aspects of it.

Here's what  Lauren DeStefano, author of The Chemical Garden series, said about Masque of the Red Death:

"Luscious, sultry and lingeringly tragic, this story has my heart. I can't stop thinking about this tale of a broken world held together by corsets and clock gears. Araby's voice stays with me even now, making me wary of the air I breathe."

I recommend this book to everyone who likes their heroines to be a little bit darker. Masque of the Red Death will be available on April 24th, so you won't have to wait much longer to get your copy of this amazing book.

If you want to learn more about  Bethany Griffin, go to her official web page - bethanygriffin.com. It's beautiful... 

Until next time, 

***NOTE! Copy of the book is kindly provided by the publisher, Greenwillow Books. I'm not paid for writing review - I do this for free as lover of written word. All opinions in this review are personal.