Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I was not able to keep up with writing reviews as I finished reading each book, so for the last 20 books or so I have been rating them with the intent of returning to provide a proper review. Today it is time to explain the poor rating of Masque of the Red Death. Upon returning to this book I was surprised that I actually rated it two stars instead of just one, since whenever I think about it or mention it to someone all I can say about it is that is filled with nothing but hot air, instead of a steampunk, dystopian story of the post-apocalyptic genre.
I must say there was not one character that kept my interest, won my sympathies or possessed a remotely human or likable quality. The protagonist is whiny, spoiled, nonsensical, rude and inconsiderate, completely out of touch with the reality of the story and incapable of sympathizing with the other characters. There were quite a few times when I rolled my eyes in extreme annoyance, hoping she would meet her exit from the story sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, I was not granted such a wish. The other characters only existed to supply some fluff to the plot and provide the protagonist a few more opportunities to mope around.
I have to admit that I never read the original story by Poe, but I can tell by this retelling that he might turn in his grave, knowing what the author decided to turn this tale into. A story without any introduction of the characters or any background information, however small, and a story that wastes about 60% on a useless detail that does nothing in order to move the plot along only have it end at the precise moment the true story should have begun is a sad attempt at fictional writing.
A quick note about the “steampunk” elements. Mentioning sporadically that carriages are now steam powered and that traditional Victorian dresses (the ones with corsets and plunging necklines) are now required to be cut short in order to reveal that one has not been infected with the plague, is not really and true steampunk.
Now that I am at the conclusion of this review, I can say with confidence that my rating of this book will be changed from two stars to one star, because, honestly, do not waste your time on bad plot development and character building. I know that the young adult fiction genre can have its share of teenage angst, but this story was beyond all that a reader could handle. There are better stories containing steampunk, dystopian and post-apocalyptic elements, therefore do not bother with this one.
