Overall, I thought this was a fine read.
I was very excited about it when I first read the description of what this story was about. Poe's The Masque of the Red Death is one of my favorite short stories, and I couldn't wait to see what this retelling did with it. I thought it did a fine job; but it was nothing particularly extraordinary.
I really liked that there was Jewish representation in this novel, as it's not something I've seen often in YA fantasy novels.
I also enjoyed following both Princess Imogen and Nico as the main characters (though I will say the princess felt more fleshed out to me than Nico).
One thing that I wished this story had more of was political intrigue. With everyone locked in the palace, avoiding the plague, I just felt like that was a missed opportunity that wasn't really explored.
I also felt the pacing was rushed in some areas. And that the tension could've been higher.
But as I said, it was a fine read.
I was very excited about it when I first read the description of what this story was about. Poe's The Masque of the Red Death is one of my favorite short stories, and I couldn't wait to see what this retelling did with it. I thought it did a fine job; but it was nothing particularly extraordinary.
I really liked that there was Jewish representation in this novel, as it's not something I've seen often in YA fantasy novels.
I also enjoyed following both Princess Imogen and Nico as the main characters (though I will say the princess felt more fleshed out to me than Nico).
One thing that I wished this story had more of was political intrigue. With everyone locked in the palace, avoiding the plague, I just felt like that was a missed opportunity that wasn't really explored.
I also felt the pacing was rushed in some areas. And that the tension could've been higher.
But as I said, it was a fine read.