Book Review- Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Title: The Dance of the Red Death

 Author: Bethany Griffin

Series: Masque of the Red Death #2

Published: 4 April 2013 by Indigo

Length: 

Source: publisher

Other info: First book was Masque of the Red Death, which I loved. 

Summary :Araby Worth’s city is on fire. Her brother is dead. Her best friend could be soon. Her mother is a prisoner, her father is in hiding. And the two boys who stole her heart have both betrayed her. But Araby has found herself, and she is going to fight back. Inspired by one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most compelling stories, “The Masque of the Red Death,” Bethany Griffin has spun two sultry and intricate novels about a young woman who finds herself on the brink of despair but refuses to give in. Decadent masquerades, steamy stolen moments, and sweeping action are set in a city crumbling from neglect and tragedy. A city that seeps into your skin. Dance of the Red Death is the riveting conclusion to the dark and fascinating saga of an unforgettable heroine.

Review: We pick up where we left Masque of the Red Death, so  Araby has a dead brother, a dying best friend, and two boys that she loves who have also betrayed her. as people seek shelter at Prince  Prospero’s place and Reverend Malcontent spreads disease, Araby and co must try and save the city, and themselves.

I really enjoyed Masque, but somehow, this wasn’t the same. The world was once again, gorgeously written in its full, crumbling glory. The world is distinctly Poe style, which I liked. The seven rooms in Prospero’s palace didn’t come in until the end though, which is a shame, because that was my favourite part about the story this was based on and I was really hoping that it would feature more.

Lots of things don’t come in until the end, really. There’s a lot of running around the city, but it’s hard to see where it all leads to sometimes.

Araby is a bit more forward in Dance, which I liked. Elliot has a hidden agenda. Will is ok, I suppose. No strong feelings about the boys either way. The love triangle was interesting, in terms of the secrets between them all, but I  didn’t really care about how the love side of it ended up.

What I loved, as in obsessed over for a couple of days after reading it, in Edgar Allan Poe’s Masque of the Red Death, was the masquerade ball, and the rooms. I was disappointed with both of these in Dance. It all happens within thirty pages, so it was all crammed together and rushed.

As a  series conclusion, it all felt a bit anticlimactic. I also don’t think everything was fully tied up-there’s room for more in Griffin’s world. Oh well.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a disappointing, but still good on its own, conclusion to a beautifully set gothic series.

Links: Amazon  | Goodreads | Author website | 

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Book Review- Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Title: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

 Author: April Genevieve Tulchoke

Series:  Between #1

Published:  3 April 2014

Length:

Warnings: suicide

Source: publisher

Other Info: Book 2 will be called Between the Spark and the Burn.

Summary : You stop fearing the devil when you're holding his hand... Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White's sleepy, seaside town...until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet's crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Violet's grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who likes coffee and who kisses you in a cemetery... Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's just how River likes it.

Review: Violet White has lived in Citizen Kane, a house out by the cliffs in a quiet seaside town, with her twin brother ever since their parents left to go travel Europe. Not much happens. Until River West turns up-good looking, charming, and someone for whom Violet falls head over heels in love. But as a child goes missing, a man kills himself, and other children hunt in graveyards for the Devil, Violet isn't scared.

I was very much looking forwards to this. The title, the tagline (you stop fearing the devil when he's holding your hand), the cover made it sound gorgeous.

It was gorgeous, though in a different way to what I was expecting. There's instalove, which is explained later in a way which makes you question all the love between River and Violet.

I really like the atmosphere and writing style of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. It's romantic, dark, and gothic, and also has touches of 20s glamour, with Freddie, Violet's grandmother, playing a key role in things She's probably my favourite character, despite the fact she's dead.

I liked the way the plot develops, especially with the unexpected arrival of River's family and the tensions between them.

I'm uncertain as to the actual devil-ness of various people, but that didn't really matter. The paranormal elements definitely enhanced the story, even if it was a little creepy at times (ie how it affects the relationship between Violet and River).

The ending, ie climax of the novel, was very unexpected, even though there had been vague hints throughout. I liked it. The very ending seemed a little too neat and tidy a finish, but was still nice.

Overall:  Strength 3.5, just more a 3, to a beautifully gothic romance with a little mystery running through it too.

Links: Amazon| Goodreads| Author website |

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Mini Reviews-Wool by Hugh Howey and Never the Bride by Paul Magrs

Title: Wool

 Author: Hugh Howey

Series:   Wool #1-5, Silo #1

Published:  March 2013 by Simon and Schuster

Source: library

Review:  Everyone lives  underground, every birth requires someone to die (so resources aren’t in over-demand), orders are given and followed, and those who think ideas about going outside get them, though maybe not as they wanted them. Dissenters are sent to Cleaning-the task of cleaning, with wool cloth, the cameras which give a view of the world outside of the Silo, which is a punishment because the poisonous gases in the atmosphere break down protective suits and kill the wearer. Jules is one such idea-thinker.

I loved the world of this. You’re transported instantly with the beginning following ex-sheriff Holston going out to Cleaning and starting off the events of the book. You quickly get the gist of the tightness of control, and over the first half you really get the idea of the society and the way it runs together.  

Characters-there’s a lot of them. Or at least I think there were. I got really lost in places in terms of who was who and their relationships. Jules is a really good character-strong, inquisitive, and brave.

Book 2 was quite political, which held my interest a lot less than the rest of it. The second half seemed to set up a revolution, and it was interesting to watch, especially when we get parts outside of the Silo.

Overall:  Strength 2.5 tea, more a 3, to an adult dystopian that I liked in parts but got lost in others. Excellent world building.

Links: | Goodreads | Author website | 

Title:  Never the Bride

 Author:   Paul Magrs

Series:  Brenda and Effie Mystery #1

Published:   May 2005 by Gardener Books

Source: Library 

Review: Brendan is an older lady who runs a B&B in Whitby. There’s some weird things going on, such as tv psychics, aliens, time defying beauty parlours and a hotel with people in meat lockers,  Brenda and best friend Effie have a lot to keep investigating. And then there’s Brenda and her own mysteries- all the things about her that make you wonder exactly who, or what, she is.

I got recommended this on the fact that it is a very gothy comedy thing that sounded right up my street.

It’s odd reading a book with an older person (who doesn’t have the gift of eternal youth and related perks). It makes it hard for me to connect,  but I like the fact that the main character’s age, plus the whole variety of characters, isn’t your typical horror/supernatural/mystery story.

Brenda is a very intriguing character. Who she is is really awesome, and I liked learning her story (see if you can guess who she is from the title.  I couldn’t but at the reveal, it made perfect sense). The supporting cast are very varied, but lack depth.

The plot is quite disjointed, but there are some callbacks in places I quite liked.

Writing lacks the laughoutloudness that I was promised by someone, but I liked the style.

Overall:  Strength 2.5 tea, more a 2, to a book with a nice idea that I  couldn’t get into really.

Links: | Goodreads| Author website | 

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Another Jekyll, Another Hyde by Daniel and Dina Nayeri
249 pgs.
Target audience: Young Adult
Rating: Wizard

Nicola is a demon and immortal as long as she gets the souls she needs, but her immortality is at risk. She must find another appropriate human vessel for her son, Edward, whom she murdered centuries before, thereby ensuring the continuity of her line. Thomas is the son of a New York banker with a very precise life plan, he's going to be a Manhattan lawyer. His well ordered existence spirals into depression after Belle Faust, his gorgeous girlfriend, dumps him and then promptly disappears. Things get stranger still when out of the blue his dad marries the Faust family's French governess, Nicola Vileroy. One night at a club, Thomas tries a designer drug and suddenly his life spins utterly out of control. He starts having blackouts and hearing a strange voice in his head. Thomas realizes in horror that his blackouts coincide with a series of hate crimes at his school, that his new stepmom is even more sinister than he thought and that he as Edward attacked the kids. Loosely based on the Jekyll and Hyde story, it primarily focuses on Thomas and his struggle. The preludes to each chapter catch the reader up on Nicola's past and current motivations. The fast pace and suspense will keep readers interested until the twist at the end. There is a confusing attempt to include a bit of backstory but the story stands better on it's own. Readers may want to go back and read the previous titles in this series. Deliciously gothic and hard to put down, this book is a truly satisfying read.

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