Glitter and Doom by Bethany Griffin
Release Date – March 26, 2013
Publisher Website - Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages - 50 pages
My Rating- 4.5/5
**Purchased**
Here is the Goodreads synopsis
A 50-page, digital-only novella set in the world of Bethany Griffin's dark and haunting retelling of the classic Edgar Allan Poe story Masque of the Red Death. When a rich teenage girl who spends her nights in the most desirable club and a smart, young inventor meet, they might have more in common than they know.A 50 page novella doesn't seem like a lot of time to unravel a character, and expand on plot but Bethany Griffin does just that with Glitter and Doom.
April, niece to the dying city's cruel dictator, is Araby Worth's glittery and frivolous best friend. But she's more than she appears. And when she disappeared in Masque of the Red Death, where did she go? This short novella answers that question, taking us deep underneath the crumbling city, where April crosses paths with Kent, the serious young inventor who is key to rebellion. Glitter & Doom is a story of chilling action, of spies, and of surprising love. Can love be anything but doomed is a city that's burning down around its survivors?
A dark, unnerving story about two of the most fascinating characters from Masque of the Red Death.
As rich in prose a Masque of the Red Death was, this novella offers something most do not - a perspective, and part of the story not found in the actual novel it compliments. Typically these use a different perspective to tell the same story, offering a different layer. Bethany chose to give us part of the story we're not privy to by making it from April's perspective. Araby, as our main narrator from the main novels, is not aware of what is going on, and neither is the reader. This glimpse into what happened to April is not only captivating, but illuminates a shallow seeming character in the most brilliant way.
My opinion of April changed dramatically after reading this. Her exterior hides a much more vulnerable side that is underneath. Bethany brings this out subtlety and beautifully. April's character doesn't change, but rather a layer is added that makes her more complex.
Doom takes us into Kent's world. A young scientist we briefly touch upon in Masque. It was nice to dive a little deeper into his character, and get a feel for who he was. The brief time we spend with him in this novella, surprisingly, provides quite a bit of characterization.
The tentative connection between April and Kent is, as the synopsis states, a surprising one. The build up is rather organic and sweet. It's one that I can only hope will grow in Dance of the Red Death.
A perfect bridge between the two novels that make up this duology, and a unique perspective that differs from the novels themselves make this a novella not to be missed.
