The Lords of Salem by Rob Zombie & B.K. Evenson

Title: The Lords of Salem
Author: Rob Zombie and B.K. Evenson
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: March 12, 2013
Source: Purchased

From the singular mind of horror maestro Rob Zombie comes a chilling plunge into a nightmare world where evil runs in the blood...
THE LORDS OF SALEM
Heidi Hawthorne is a thirty-seven-year-old FM radio DJ and a recovering drug addict. Struggling with her newfound sobriety and creeping depression, Heidi suddenly receives an anonymous gift at the station-a mysteriously shaped wooden box branded with a strange symbol. Inside the box is a promotional record for a band that identifies themselves only as The Lords. There is no other information.
She decides to play it on the radio show as a joke, and the moment she does, horrible things begin to happen. The strange music awakens something evil in the town. Soon enough, terrifying murders begin to happen all around Heidi. Who are The Lords? What do they want?
As old bloodlines are awakened and the bodies start to pile up, only one thing seems certain: all hell is about to break loose.

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Holy *#&+! Rob Zombie has done it again. And this time it's in the form of a book! I have been a long time Zombie fan, so when I heard about his book coming out, of course, I had to read it!

The Lords of Salem will mess with your head. It's ultimately about the devil. It focuses around a group of witches who call upon the dark for their power. After being captured and burned alive for their witchcraft, they vow revenge on the descendants of those who killed them.

Being from a christian family and background, reading about devil worship freaks me out. But that's also the point of a horror story. And The Lords of Salem did not disappoint.

The Lords of Salem follows the story of Heidi Hawthorne. Her ancestor, John Hawthorne, was the priest during the witch trials. The craziness all begins when a mysterious antique box is delivered to Heidi at her job. It's a record from a band called The Lords. After playing the record on air, all sorts of crazy stuff starts happening all over town.

This is a book about evil. There is no good to fight it with. These witches are set on destruction and they don't stop until they have avenged their deaths. Rob Zombie is all about the heavy. The Lords of Salem is heavy. Heavy on the violence, heavy on the gore, heavy on the horror.

There is no sparkle and sunshine (not even the black kind!). No love triangles or morals to a story. There is only darkness and demons.

This book disturbed me. But in that good, scary kind of way. I was excited to see the movie already. But now, I don't think I can handle the excitement. If the movie creeps me out half as much as the book, I will be one happy little living dead girl. (JOKES! to many zombie puns!)

Rob Zombie & B.K. Evenson make a terrific pair. Nothing would make my life better than to see more books!!

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Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Title: Masque of the Red Death
Author: Bethany Griffin
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: April 2012
Source: Purchased

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.

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Masque of the Read Death is doom and gloom. It's a quick, easy read that is beautifully written. I believe this is my first "steam punk" book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

We become acquainted to a rather large group of characters, with Araby being our main girl. In our Read-a-long, we discussed Araby being a tragic story. She lost her twin brother at a young age. Her mother left them for 2 years. Her father kept Araby and her brother locked away to protect them from the plague. She was contemplating suicide when she met her best friend, April. A best friend that introduces her to the Debauchery Club. A place they go to escape reality. Drugs, alcohol and random men. Now if that's not tragic, then I'm not sure what is!

I'm not sure that I really loved any of the characters involved in this story. Araby was ok, but I sometimes found myself being like, "O.M.G. you are so dramatic." April seems a bit shallow and only concerned with herself. But she does redeem herself a bit before the end of the book. Araby also finds herself in a sort of love triangle with Elliot (April's brother) and Will (a bouncer of sorts at the Club). I have to say that I despise Elliot. He's controlling, violent and untrustworthy. In one instance, he's telling Araby that he loves her and then the next he's threatening her life. Will, on the other hand, seems perfect. Seems. He still has his own demons to deal with and some of them are shocking, but understandable. I feel as tho I could grow to love his character.

I would highly recommend Masque of the Red Death to anyone! This is a gorgeous story that is surrounded by death and despair. A tale of tragedy. One that I hope in the next book, Dance of the Red Death, will maybe get some happiness and sunshine. I am not familiar with Edgar Allen Poe's original version, so I'm not quite sure how it compares. But I do know that I will be reading it as well!

I've also hear that there is an e-novella called Glitter and Doom that is told from Aprils perspective. I'm thinking I may have to check this one out as well. And of course, the second book, Dance of the Red Death, is coming soon! I, for one, can't wait!!

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