"Or maybe the ugliness is in us. Father says that's just the way we are. Underneath the pretense of civilization." (Araby Worth)
In the beginning, Masque of the Red Death feels like a typical YA novel. There's the beautiful protagonist who is dealing with grief and guilt and tries to numb her feelings by partying and drugs, a love triangle between two very different guys and the promise of a rebellion.
Masque of the Red Death doesn't have a gripping beginning. It took me a month to read this book and while that was partially due to packing for university and orientation week, it was also because my brain had no interest in reading Masque of the Red Death.
Things began to change a few pages before the half way mark and I didn't want to put Masque of the Red Death down. Almost everything that I thought would happen in this book gets twisted on its head.
In the beginning, I thought that the main character, Araby, was selfish and silly. She goes ahead and betrays her family for a guy who tells her things that sound awesome, but doesn't provide any evidence to back up his claims, because he is also offering her drugs. After the half way mark, I started warming up to her and liking her. Araby is forced to make some tough decisions and her progression in dealing with them is interesting.
Apart from Araby, the secondary characters characterizations are quite rounded and there's a balance to two sides that they have such as:
☂ April who cares very much about her material lifestyle but she's loyal to the people she loves.
☂ Elliot who is cold and arrogant, but can also be vulnerable and sensitive
☂ William who puts on a tough guy facade at The Debauchery Club, but is also fiercely protective of his siblings.
Araby's parents are also fleshed-out characters and while they don't feature much, I appreciate their characterization.
Romance plays a huge role in Masque of the Red Death. This role isn't huge enough to affect the plot, but it does affect the pacing. There is a love triangle and I thought that it would be conventional and I would know exactly who Araby would end up with, but after the half way mark, the love triangle took an interesting turn. I could understand Araby's feeling towards both Will and Elliot - her instant attraction to one and her loathing which gradually becomes some form of compassion for the other.
I love that Masque of the Red Death deals with the idea of a petrifying incurable disease taking over the world and how it leads to a ripple effect of issues. Masque of the Red Death is a Steampunk novel as shown through the scientific inventions of masks that are a preventative measure against the disease. The problem is that the masks are expensive and can only be afforded by the rich. Interesting themes come into play such as corrupt leadership, science, religion, rich vs poor and rebellion.
I can't comment on the Masque of the Red Death in relation to the short story with the same title written by Edgar Allan Poe, because I haven't read it, but if I had, I would have probably appreciated this book more.
One star for a slow and typical beginning that was still readable and two stars for awesome characterizations, themes and twists and turns.
"Violence is mindless. It doesn't listen to reason" (Araby Worth)