The world envisioned as the setting for this novel is so disheartening that it's thrilling. It's caught somewhere between past (they wear whalebone corsets), present (there are no new technological advances), and future (the society that we know has crumbled). I'm more tempted to label it as alternate history - what would have happened if an uncontrollable plague wiped out most of the population - than futuristic, as knowledge of things such as cruise liners, aeroplanes and even trains does not appear to exist. Or at least, they're not used anymore and their previous use is not hinted at. 
 The main character's plight is haunting. A few years previously a plague hit and her twin brother was one of its victims. Araby and her parents never recovered from the loss, each drifting in their own stretch of open water with no anchors to steady them. Their society allows them to lose themselves in decadence, to hide their pains in unruly behaviour. Araby blames herself for his deth and seeks oblivion from her troubled thoughts in the upper class's most decadent club. She took me on a complete emotional rollercoaster as she slowly came to realise that putting her life on hold in her brother's memory (she made a vow never to experience anything he didn't get the chance to experience) is the wrong outlook and that she should, in fact, be living for the both of them. 
 There's a lot of social unrest as a fanatic religious group led by a man who calls himself Reverend Malcontent rises up, claiming that science has failed society. They become terrorists, attacking the city in the name of their God. The city's leader, Prince Prospero, is only interested in his cushy lifestyle in his palace outside of the city proper and the evils to which he submits those under his power - such as only providing the masks that protect the wearer from the airborne plague to those with the means to purchase them, or executing people just because he can. Honestly, with such a man in power, I'm surprised that revolution was so long in coming. 
 Araby's new friends plan a political coup that would put a new person in power, a person who plans to improve life within the city. The poor need masks, the residents of the city need food, the infrastructure needs renewing... But they have a long way to go before they can achieve their goals. 
 There is a love triangle here but it's actually a very well-played one. I could see the merits of both Will and Elliott and had no clear preference until events dictated that one had to be ruled out. I liked and respected the stance that Araby took towards his actions but I hope that things don't regress back to their triangle status in the next book. 
 Very little, if anything, is actually resolved in this first book with many plots among plots unearthed but nothing fully explored to its naturel end. The book serves instead mostly as a way of setting the scene for what is to come in the next book. Events left off in such a place that I am very interested in seeing what will come next. 
 I can't quite picture how the masks work, though. They're described as being of porcelain and only covering the lower half of the face, yet it is possible to speak unimpeded through them and even eat while still wearing one. Anyone have any ideas?