We love the basis for this one (Poe's original piece- who doesn't like a little Poe in their life?). We love, love the cover (even though they will probably go with a real model eventually). We love that it was written by a high school English teacher who enjoys YA Lit and not just the Classics. We love the use of the ceramic masks for protection, the political maneuvering, the science v. nature v. wrath of God... The love triangle- not so much. Probably because we can't seem to pick up a book without this storyline and it's BEEN DONE. We also aren't big fans of the main character- Araby. Despite that (and we know we are in the minority here), it's worth your time and we plan on reading the second one as soon as it comes out.
A devastating plague has decimated the population (we seem to write that often), and those who are left, live in fear of catching it. Only the rich and connected families can afford the ceramic face masks that filter out the sickness. Once you breath through a mask, it will not work for anyone else- so, no sharing. Araby Worth, the daughter of the brilliant scientist (who may or may not have caused the plague), spends what seem to be the last remaining days of the human race trolling through lavish parties at exclusive clubs. It is at The Debauchery Club that she meets Will (the bouncer) and Elliott (the mysterious brother of her best friend). Will wants to protect Araby from the less than savory clientele and end her use of club drugs. Elliott, however, has far grander plans as he eventually reveals that he wants to rebel against the current government and Araby is the key to his success. As Araby becomes more aware of her father's involvement in the pandemic, she finds that she no longer knows who to trust and time is running out for mankind.
We wanted to give it a better grade- the setting alone deserves an 'A', but Araby... We have a sneaking suspicion that she is a distant cousin to Bella Swan. We just wanted to grab her and say, "Make a decision already! You can do it! Just think for yourself!" That's a lot of exclamation points for one character ;). We suggest you read the original short story by Poe first, then pick up Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin so that you can get the full effect of the hopelessly dark atmosphere.
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Next up: Insurgent by Veronica Roth- May 18th
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