Thanks to NetGalley and Evolved Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
227 Pages
Synopsis: What happens when everything you believed turns out to be a lie?
Every child of Eden fears the red Death. All those afflicted with the plague die young, their souls stripped away as punishment for ancient sins long forgotten. Guardians have protected Eden from the Red Death by killing outsiders who stray to close.
Seventeen-year-old Aliss is a highly-trained Guardian, but when her rather odd thirteen-year-old brother Wilky, discovers a cure to the plague, her world turns upside down. Branded as traitors by the corrupt High Priest, Aaliss and Wilky are forced to seek refuge in the last place Aaliss thought she’d ever go–beyond the boundaries of Eden and into the land of the Soulless. Here they must navigate a medieval world with witches, magic, and warrior kingdoms run by Elders only a few years older than her.
Aaliss yearns to return home, but when her heart tugs her deeper into the world of the Soulless, she questions everything she once believed. Has her soul been taken? Will she and Wilky fall victim to the Red Death, or might they die sooner in the center of a battle that threatens to tear apart the Soulless world? Or…might Aaliss finally find, against all odds, what her heart has yearned for all along?
Red Death is a great example of how an author can write a short book or novella and successfully create a rich fantasy or dystopian world filled with complex characters that readers will become attached to. I’m going to admit, I requested this purely because of the hype. I figured with it being just a little over 200 pages, what did I have to lose? By the time I had reached the last page I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it! The story is told in the third person POV of multiple characters, but I was never once confused. I didn’t even need to use the link to the glossary of characters that the publisher thoughtfully included at the end of each chapter. Aaliss of course, is the lead character and is reminiscent of Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. Her relationship with her thirteen-year-old brother Wilky, who’s a genius, but has autistic-like tendencies, is at the heart of the story. The other characters all have equally interesting backstories which begin separately but come together by the end. My one and only criticism is that I found the romance between Eamon, the Prince of the Butchers–a so-called “Soulless” tribe–and Aaliss to be rather tepid, but it didn’t play a huge role in the storyline so it didn’t fill me with overwhelming annoyance. The world-building was mind-boggling given the brevity of the book. It mixed high fantasy elements with those you’d find in dystopian fiction that was truly unique. Overall, Red Death is an exciting and imaginative read that’s perfect for both YA and adult fans of these genres. I’m completely hooked and I can’t wait for the next book, The Ghost King which is due to be released in 2017!
High fantasy + dystopian fiction + solid world-building? Sounds super cool!
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It most definitely is JJ!😊
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Sounds like a great read!
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It reallywas!💁🏻
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Awesome review! 🙂 That’s always nice when a short book delivers like that. It’s so hard to find the good novellas. I’m surprised with fantasy it was handled so well. That cover is awesome!
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Thanks so much Jill! That cover really is eye-popping, isn’t it! It’s funny, because we’ve been talking about novellas and shorter books, and I had issues with the last two I read, Maresi and Down the Rabbit Hole, precisely because they were set in dystopian and fantasy worlds and there just didn’t seem to be enough time for good world-building AND great characters. But this just completely blew that theory out of the water! I’m still trying to figure out how Altabef managed to accomplish everything in a relatively short book.🤷🏻♀️
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Yeah, it sort of reminds me of the cover of a Snow White retelling I have on my kindle. I couldn’t see reading a brand new fantasy story in novella form unless it was an add-on to a series. That’s awesome that this worked out for you. Telling a good story in a short amount of time is no easy task. My favorite novella is Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I’ve actually never read a fantasy novella. It’s always been contemporary or romance.
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I had begun to think that only a contemporary/romance novella would work. This has restored my faith that in the hands of a talented author a story of any genre can work in this form!😊
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This sounds SO good—going on my wishlist right now 😉
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Yay!🤗
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I would be the one that got confused but in my defense I picked it up right after having surgery so it was the darn drugs distracting me. LOL Once I figured it out I really enjoyed this one though. 🙂
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I remember you saying that in your review Carrie, but I think you had a valid excuse!😊
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Even the romances I tried to do straight after would have me rereading when I’d start dozing off so it probably was lousy timing for anything of substance. LOL
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Another good one, Kim!
Thanks for the review.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks Pete!💁🏻
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This is something I need to read! I love dystopian ❤ and it sounds like the author has done a great job of proving that novellas and shorter books can still successfully tell a satisfying story when done proper. Love your review!
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Thank you so much! I definitely recommend this for your tbr pile!💁🏻
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I would read this based on the cover alone, but your review definitely sold it. 😀
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Thank you so much Stefanie!🤗
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I read Enemies of the State by this author. It was a really short action-adventure story and I have to say that he was able to do a lot with so little (word-wise). Pretty nice to see that it also shines through his other books; like this one. Quite glad to hear it was a surprisingly good book! 🙂
– Lashaan
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It’s made me want to go back and read his previous books while I’m waiting for the sequel!😊
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I’ve never heard of this! So I should totally check this out if I’m a fan of YA dystopian? 🤔🤔🤔
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Awesome! I hope you enjoy it!😊
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