I love the concept of this book, so if I had a patron who was really into Poe or Steampunk, I would probably recommend it without hesitation. However, I feel that the main character is both flat and amazingly self-absorbed (interesting feat, that). The world is interesting, the action is very fast paced, but it's not particularly believable and the characters didn't sweep me up. Still, I wanted to know what would happen next and I appreciate good world building. ( )

This was a disappointing sequel, made even more so, because I think it has a good story at its core, but the writing was in desperate need of tightening up. The first two-thirds of this book contains nothing important; Araby goes back and forth between which guy she likes more, deriding herself for having feelings for either of them. The group is on the run and trying to figure out their next move. Honestly, it wasn’t anything that could have been quickly summarized in a couple of pages. The last one hundred pages was actually quite interesting; it’s what I had expected the first book to touch on, actually, so it’s a shame this duology couldn’t have been put together to be one book, because I think that would have worked a lot better. Alas.

Araby shows great growth and comes into her own as a character. She is tired of relying on everyone else to solve her problems, so she takes the plunge and starts solving her own problems. Her parents also go through a similar change and start helping out, which was a nice change of pace. April is her wonderful self; her character didn’t need to change, and she didn’t. She’s still the girl who tries to make everything better and happy, even in tough circumstances. I really appreciated her as a foil for Araby’s character, and as a impetus for growth for Araby.

I could have done without the love triangle altogether; it kept getting in the way of the story and just wasn’t as compelling as it was in the first book. Everything felt forced, and maybe that was because Araby herself wasn’t sure of her feelings, but I just couldn’t get into it. Even at the end when all the conflict had resolved and they were free to move on and build new lives, I felt as though something was missing from the relationships.

The resolution itself was quite satisfying. I enjoyed the party with the different-colored rooms. I enjoyed them FINALLY confronting the prince. As I’ve said before, the last 100 pages is a wild ride, and if that were the whole of the book, this would have at least 4.5 stars. But, I don’t know if those final pages are enough to make me recommend the series as a whole to anyone. All put together, it was just okay. If it sounds like your thing, you might get some enjoyment out of it. I just wasn’t feeling it from this book at all.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. ( )

This is the second book after Masque of the Red Death. I finished it quickly. It was a good book, but nothing special. The ending was satisfying and there was plenty of action and suspense.

I read Masque of the Red Death and Dance of the Red Death as if they were one book for my free space in Halloween Bingo. Honestly, it probably should have been one book, but maybe that would be too imposing (at around 600 pages) for its intended audience. ( )

The end of Masque of the Red Death had me wanting more. I wasn’t disappointed with Dance of the Red Death.

So, character-wise, Araby annoyed me a little more in this book. She was stuck between figuring out who she liked, Elliott or Will. She couldn’t make up her damn mind. I just wanted to beat her with a stick, and tell her to stop going back and forth. Even though she can’t make a decision when it comes to guys, she constantly struggles with finding something to make her want the world to go on. Even in the darkest of moments, she keeps trying to find a cure. She may even have a few heroic qualities to her.

Elliott was even more grating in the sequel. He’s mean, sarcastic, and very good at being bossy. I guess that would make him an effective leader, but still he doesn’t have to be an ass about things. And Will, oh Will. I like that he’s not pushy like Elliott. He allows Araby to make decisions for herself and doesn’t force, or coerce, her actions.

This book basically follows the hunt for the cure. Araby must find her father, but there is mayhem happening in the streets. Children are disappearing, and people are just plain scared. I know one thing for sure, I’ve never hated the Prince more than I did in this book. He’s such an awful man. I thought Elliott exaggerated when he spoke of how vile that man is, but no, he wasn’t. We get to see firsthand his wickedness.

This is such a great conclusion. I wish we could get more of these characters, but overall, I was happy with how things ended. ( )

So I have been putting my thoughts together about his book for a few days now, and there's definitely some stuff I need to get off my chest.

I really really enjoyed the first book. It was amazing, atmospheric, and I was impressed by the world Griffin created. I'm a huge fan of the original story by [a:Edgar Allan Poe|4624490|Edgar Allan Poe|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1315307900p2/4624490.jpg], and it's amazing how such a short story instilled so much in my memory about what the world and characters "ought" to have been. The author matched it head on, too. It helped too that I watched the movie starring Vincent Price as Prince Prospero and his evil laughter filled my head as I read about the antics of Prospero and his infamous party in this book. So deliciously evil.

Yet, there were definite problems with this book. In the first book I changed teams -- going from team Will to team Elliott before Will did "the thing we won't speak of." Then, he did the thing and I was like, ok he's never going to here deemed for this! Oh, but that only means that he can and will be redeemed and blah. Ensue pissy bitchy resting face for the entirety of this sequel. I didn't understand how Araby could have tender intimate moments with Elliott and then act like it never happened and just shove him aside without an explanation? You can't trust him, yet he's never betrayed you, lied to you, or screwed you over like a certain other gentleman... So. F'd. Up. So yeah, that was a big reason I disliked this book. It wasn't handled well NOR was it resolved well at the end. SMH, Araby...SMH.

That brings me to the other colossal mistake in this book -- the ending. Oh, where do I even start? Since this is spoiler free I (luckily) don't have to go into the details of why each facet failed, but I do have to say, it sucked. The resolution was pretty much nonexistent. It doesn't make sense. I feel badly for Elliott. And, I am left with a feeling that Araby is acting like an entitled and spoiled little biotch. Yeah, I said it Araby. Grow the F up and let your father take responsibility for his actions. Gah.

Ok, rant..li mean, review over. All in all I liked the retelling as a whole. Disagree with the way it ended, and wish some major things played out differently. Will I recommend this book to others? Maybe. Read the original first. Don't expect amazing, expect "good". With that in mind, I'd recommend it. I will read more by this author though, she's proven to be badass at world building and creativity.

*edit*

A little disappointed in this one.

May write a full review, not sure yet.

I'm definitely disappointed with the way things turned out, especially concerning Elliott. ( )