That's What HE Said Thursday #8

Image courtesy of Kei at The Lovely Pages Review

That's What He Said is a weekly meme hosted by the ladies at Chapter Break, where we spotlight a quote from our book crush to the object of his desire. We like to pretend it's us.

What better way to celebrate our book boyfriends?

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My choice is from Shadows In Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton. It's book two in the Angelfire series. Shel loves this series and had me read it too so we could both share in the joy and heartbreak that is Will. In fact, whenever we discuss this book, we always start off with "poor Will". A lot happens in these books that leave you breathless and aching and Will is a huge part of why that is. If you haven't yet read these, you should! ~ Bel

“For centuries I’ve watched you with everyone but me, …Not him Ellie.”

~Will to Ellie regarding her attraction to nemesis Cadan

For more information about Courtney Allison Moulton and the Angelfire series, visit her website. You can also see her artwork - including lovely images of Will and the rest of her characters!

Dance Of The Red Death (Masque Of The Red Death #2) by Bethany Griffin

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EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE

Araby worth’s city is being torn apart by death, disease, and corrupt forces wanting to claim it for their own. She has lost her home. Her best friend is dying. Her mother has been kidnapped. The boy who made her feel something again has betrayed her.  And her father may be a murderer.

But Araby has found herself.

Despite the death and destruction all around her, she will fight for herself, for her friends, for her city. Her rebellion will take her, finally, to the mad prince’s palace, for the decadent – and sinister – masked ball. It could be a trap. It could be the end of them all. Or it could be the moment that Araby becomes  the kind of hero she never dreamed she could be.

The tragic, dark, and steamy conclusion to Bethany Griffin’s Masque of the Red Death saga.

Masque of the Red Death had such a nail-biting ending that had me on the edge of my couch and left hanging and desperate. Seriously, did Griffin have to leave it that way? At least she made up for it with Dance of the Red Death by immediately picking up from where she left off. There’s no slowing down the action after Araby and company immediately make their escape from the city and head to the outskirts for safety. They’re forced to land in the swamp and reconfigure their plans from there.

Of course Araby is still stinging from Will’s betrayal when he turned her into Malcontent. She knows on the one hand that he had no choice because he did it to save his younger brother and sister. On the other hand, she was hoping that their feelings for each other would have guaranteed her some loyalty. Aside from that, she’s worried sick about her scientist father and his involvement in the outbreak of the red death.  Elliott, the other arrogant, confounding guy in her life and one-time fiancé who still carries a torch for her, promises that they’ll go searching for him as soon as they return to the city. First and foremost Elliott needs to regroup with his army to continue the work that was begun with his failed coup.

Most of the time Araby is grasping at straws trying to understand her father’s motives as she reflects upon the nature of their relationship. Then there’s also her conflicted feelings about Elliott and Will who are trying to win her affection. I have to say I was very taken by the scenes between Elliott and Araby. I had forgotten how he had previously deemed himself untrustworthy yet the two of them together are something. And while she may be in Elliott’s arms, she’s also thinking of Will who seems to have taken a backseat in this one. It gets tedious at times her flipping back and forth between the two.  Make up your mind already because there are bigger things to be concerned with!

My favorite albeit creepy moments occur when the Prince and Malcontent make appearances. Those two are erratic and sinister on their best days and there’s no telling which way they’ll go.  Araby lands in a precarious predicament when she realizes that either the Prince or Malcontent could be the answer to saving her best friend, April from the virus. At this point Araby gets points for remembering what’s at stake. Engaging in dangerous mind games with them raises the suspense several notches.

With all that being said, I have mixed feelings about the ending. I’m not exactly thrilled with one aspect of how she ends it but my reasoning for that is purely subjective and to avoid any spoilers I won’t elaborate. However, my disappointment with that is tempered by the fact that Griffin throws in a few astounding twists that made me raise my eyebrows.  All the tension builds up to a spectacular showdown that’s alarming and mind-bending all at once. And as the dust settles, Griffin offers up another twist that makes a nice finishing touch.

~ Bel

Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

*****

From HarperCollins:

Your strength in heart and hand will fall. . . .

Ellie knows that the darkest moments are still to come, and she has everything to fight for:

She must fight for Will.

The demonic have resorted to their cruelest weapons to put Will in mortal danger, and Ellie makes an unlikely alliance to save him and to stop Lilith and Sammael, who seek to drown the world in blood and tear a hole into Heaven.

She must fight for humanity.

As the armies of Hell rise and gather for the looming End of Days, Ellie and her band of allies travel to the world's darkest and most ancient regions in her quest to come into her full glory as the archangel Gabriel.

And Ellie must save herself.

Her humanity withers beneath the weight of her cold archangel power, but Ellie must hold tight to who she is and who she loves as she prepares for the ultimate battle for Heaven and Earth.

In this final installment in the Angelfire trilogy, Courtney Allison Moulton brings her dark world of epic battles and blistering romance to a blazing bright conclusion.

Look at those eyes!  Is it any wonder Ellie fell for Will?!  He's totally my book boyfriend!

You know when you love a series and the last book comes out and you are terrified, excited and devastated all at the same time?  Yeah, that's how I felt when we received the ARC of Shadows of the Silence from PageTurner's Blog.  I LOVE the Angelfire series.  There are endless ways a series can end and so many of those ways can be disappointing.  Will your favorite characters die?  Will the ending leave you cold?  Disappointing?  Heartbreaking?  

I despise spoilers, so all I will say about Shadows is that is was perfect.  Courtney Allison Moulton wrote an absolutely beautiful, touching and devastating conclusion to the Angelfire series.  As I tweeted to her after I finished the book, I love her so much for Shadows that I even forgive her for making me cry.  If you have yet to start the Angelfire series, do it now.  If you read Angelfire and Wings of the Wicked, run out now and get Shadows.  I only hope you love it as much as I did.  

Thank you Courtney Allison Moulton, HarperCollins and PageTurners Blog for choosing us to participate in the ARC tour.  Thank you Courtney Allison Moulton for writing a series that I have loved so much and characters to whom I want to give big hugs and root beer floats!  

~Shel

Masque Of The Red Death by Bethany Griffin

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Everything is in ruins.

A devastating plague has decimated the population, and those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery makeup . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club, and Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find not just something to live for, but something to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

 

Masque of the Red Death is bursting with conspiracy, espionage and deception. It's hard to narrow down when this takes place but that only adds to it's draw.

I was initially struck by Araby’s self-destructive nature and that of her best friend April. They go to the Debauchery Club regularly to engage in nefarious activities that help them forget the miserable reality of their day to day lives. Mind you their plight is not quite as bleak as the rest of the unlucky population who live in abject poverty. Because of a plague that no one quite understands, everyone has taken to wearing masks to prevent from breathing in the toxic air that kills without discrimination. And it's only the rich whocan afford that necessity.  If there’s anything most startling in this book, it’s the grotesque difference between the haves and the have-nots.  That glaring discrepancy is what makes Araby view her good fortune as a burden especially when she’s exposed to Will’s life. She is overwhelmed with guilt when she sees firsthand how her secret crush struggles to survive daily. Her guilt over how the other half lives is what informs her burgeoning political ideology.

Masque has a well-crafted plot featuring complex relationships and characters. Her fractured relationship with her parents is sad and uncomfortable. They are a very disconnected family. Will is the guy you automatically fall for. He’s sweet, considerate and works hard to help his family. But is he too good to be true? Then there’s Elliott. You can’t quite put a finger on him.  He’s aloof, sly, adept at spinning words and when combined with his sharp intellect, he's dangerously sexy.

Here’s what completely threw me. Despite the fact that I knew Elliott had his own personal agenda, that smug, arrogant guy quietly seduced me. He is hard to figure out but he carries himself so confidently and is unapologetic about his principles. He is flat out honest about his intentions and ambitions but is still ambiguous and unreadable most of the time. He’s quite the conundrum.

But don’t think Masque of the Red Death is simply about a love triangle. That is secondary to Araby’s introduction into the world of political intrigue and what she chooses to be her life’s purpose. I did feel jittery as I read along having no idea who could be trusted. As her alliance shifted I was so worried she would end up being the pawn in someone’s evil plan. But the clever girl holds her own proving that she should not be underestimated.  I sat at the edge of my seat as the climax built and after a few harrowing scenes, I was so crushed when it had to end. I want more damn it!

~ Bel

Masque Of The Red Death is also featured in Bel's Top 10 Of 2012.