Dance of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death, #2)

by Bethany Griffin

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I loved Masque of the Red Death. It was amazing and powerful, heart wrenching and beautiful; all the things that I think make up a book that you will remember forever. I had such high hopes going into Dance and was THRILLED when I was selected to review it. However it left me wanting.

The story picks up immediately where Masque left us; the city is in turmoil, and our merry band is barely escaping with their lives. The whole story is told from Araby’s point of view, first person present tense. Which I think is what makes it hard to follow at times. Like many of us would be in her situation, her train of thought can be all over the place and her mood shifts from moment to moment.

The most extreme example I can recall is when she is walking with Elliot and they come across several bodies in the street, having succumbed to the red death. She falls to her knees sobbing, then she is suddenly back up and on a mission. Um – what? There was no transition, no thought process from sobbing to determined. The reader is left to come to their own conclusions. And this happens several more times throughout the story.

Will remains to be one of my favorite characters in the whole story. I get him. He made some poor choices, but he did them for the right reasons. Elliot on the other hand, remains a giant tool bag that I want to repeatedly punch in the … face. He has his sights set on being the new ruler; he can’t always see what’s most important.

Overall, Dance wraps up the story nicely, with an ending that ties up many lose ends, but leaves a few open – just enough that you wonder if there could possibly be more story in the future. Would I read it? Yes. Despite the issues I had, the world building is tragically beautiful, if that makes sense. The story is sad, but good things still happen. If you loved Masque, I would most certainly recommend Dance, but maybe lower your expectations.

Overall Rating: 3.5