Review: Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Title: Dance of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death #2)
Author: Bethany Griffin
Age Group: Young Adult
Release Date: 4th April 2013
Publishers: Indigo
Rating: 3.5 stars
Available from: The Book Depository Amazon AU
Source: Own purchase

In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.

Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.

With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.

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Dance of the Red Death is the conclusion to Bethany Griffins Masque of the Red Death duology. I really loved the first book, but reading book 2, I felt the atmosphere of this book was lacking and it was missing the spark that had made me love Masque. The first half of the book seemed to drag by, with not a lot happening. There is a new plague that is sweeping through the city called The Red Death. It kills quickly and has left much of the city and water supply contaminated. Everything points to Araby's father being the one to create it and Araby can't comprehend the father she loves could be the murderer everyone is branding him. The pace doesn't really pick up until the last 50 or so pages and is where it gets interesting. 

Araby has carried around a very haunted and depressed persona through book one and mostly through book 2. For the most part she is quite useless, but in the latter half of the book she does become more engaging and feels more alive. It takes her a while, but she does realise that she doesn't need anyone to save her and actually goes about doing things that need to be done. It was a nice change to see her taking action and thinking for herself; even though it wasn't always the smartest option.

I'm not a huge fan of love triangles, and really didn't enjoy the was the Elliot, Araby, Will triangle played out. I understand why, but Araby and Elliot together annoyed me. It felt like she was using him to wash away Will's betrayal, and even though Elliot had genuine feelings for her, they were taken over by the fact that he could use her to help his cause. He was more interested in her as the scientists daughter. It was almost like a tug-of-war between them. 

Elliot is the leader of the rebellion. He is trying to overthrow his uncle Prince Prospero, the tyrant who rules them. Elliot is a very charismatic character, but there is a dark side to him thanks to growing up under his Uncle's tutelage. He was the most driven out of all the characters, full of passion and ambition. He is incredibly smart and knows exaclty what he needs to do to save the city from his uncle. Even though I didn't like him and Araby together, I loved him as a character. He has the will to get things done.

For the most part, Will is just along for the ride and is trying to atone for his betrayal of Araby. He does what needs to be done and is willing to sacrifice himself if it will help. He's kind of pushed to the back during most of the book and I really missed his character. In book one he was cheeky and flirtatious, but he becomes quite withdrawn in book two. Most of what he does seems to be behind the scenes. 

Dance of the Red Death is full of drama, adventure, romance and death. Bethany Griffin has created a beautiful and haunting world. It's hard not to become immersed in the death and destruction she has created. If you're looking for a flawed heroine, Araby's story is definitely for you. I think it was a fitting end to their story.

Top 5 books I've read this year.

I was thinking of all the awesome books I've read this year, and I was trying to decide which one's I have enjoyed the most. So here are the best five books I've read this year in no particular order. What have been your favourites so far?

Everyone has a soul

Some are just worth more than others

Farley Hope was seventeen when her mother disappeared. In the last six months not much has changed, except that her eighteenth birthday came and went and still no sign of Moira. Her life is just as complicated as it always was. Since her father died in a car crash before she was even born, she’s officially parentless, and to top it all off she’s still suffering from the hallucinations. Mind-splitting, vivid hallucinations- the kind prone to induce night terrors and leave you whimpering under your covers like a baby.

The last thing on her mind is boys. Farley is on break from St. Judes’ when she meets Daniel. It’s not some casual run in at a party, or even a blind date with friends, though. Daniel is the guy following her in his 1970′s Dodge Charger; the guy standing at her window in the LA lunch hour traffic, trying to persuade her to leave everything behind and follow him. And he's hot as all hell. 

The moment Farley lays eyes on Daniel, everything changes. He is cold and withdrawn, but there are cracks in his harsh veneer- cracks that betray the secrets he is trying so hard to hide. Farley is drawn into a world that will shake apart everything she thought she ever knew. There are truths out there that she must learn: that a person’s soul is their only real currency, and there are people who would do anything to take hers; that loving someone can hurt so much more than hating them; but, most importantly, when your future is predestined, there is little you can do to change it.

Farley Hope is prophesied.

Her coming has been awaited for hundreds of years.

She is destined to end the tyranny of the Soul Reavers.

To do so she must die.

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.

Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she's determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Honorable mentions go to Storm by Brigid Kemmerer, Touching Smoke by Airicka Phoenix,  The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel,  Eve by Anna Carey, Everneath by Brodi Ashton, Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, Fated & Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson. I think I better leave it there. Just so many amazing books.

Waiting on Wednesday #2 - Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @Breaking the Spine! This is where we share upcoming books that we are desperately waiting for.

Release Date: 24/04/12
Publisher: Greenwillow Books

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.

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So I just went trawling for books and found this gem by Bethany Griffin. I haven't heard anything about Masque of the Red Death, but it's definitely being added to my TBR. How awesome is the cover? Have you heard of it before and has it been added to your TBR?