You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
this was fun! and it’s supposedly a retelling of the phantom of the opera (which my only knowledge is from the phantom of the opera soundtrack, not even the actual book or the the entire musical) which makes me really want to read the original. although i have no current knowledge of the original work, the author did an incredible job at making this feel modern, i really enjoyed it!
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
I’ll get back to this eventually. I’m enjoying it enough, but it had the misfortune of being read right after I finished a book in a series I really loved (the Boys of Tommen series). I was really just reading this while I waited to get Releasing 10, and now that I have it, I’m going to read that instead. But like I said, I enjoyed Phantom Heart (especially my king Lucas) and I’ll come back to it one day, though I don’t think it will be soon.
They say don't judge a book by its cover, and not going to lie, I did decide to read this book due to its breathtaking cover. I was super excited to read this Phantom of the Opera retelling and had high hopes, but this book really fell short for me. The glaringly obvious Stockholm Syndrome occurring was not addressed nor was it even mentioned by the main character or her friends, the entire human/ghost relationship was not healthy at all and seemed highly forced. Considering that the story is over 500 pages, I expected to see the characters actually "falling in love" somewhere in there. The ending felt very rushed and thrown together, and this would easily be a 4 stars for me if the ending was different.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So... I have so much to say, and at the same time, it feels like no amount of words could ever be enough.
First of all, I loved the book — no surprises here, Kelly's stories and wonderfully crafted prose never fail to enrapture me time and time again. There's just something about the way she's able to expertly weave and guide a tale, and it leaves me speechless.
And yet, as this is (supposedly) a review, I must appear somewhat eloquent.
Secondly, I cried at least twice, and while whether it's the hours of sleep I sacrificed for finishing this book or my own melancholy is neither here nor there. I hadn't expected to be as emotional about this book as I am.
It started off relatively slow (at this point, the Nevermore series is my point of reference), with tension sprinkled here and there. Honestly, halfway throughout the book, I found myself doubting the credibility of
I think that the most heart-wrenching thing about this entire story is its essence — and the essence of the Phantom of the Opera all the same — that there is so, so much more beneath the surface, and that empathy, understanding and love conquer everything else. It touched me as much as it did, because I know that if I were in Stephanie's shoes, I wouldn't have had it any differently, as crazy as that may sound. I'm a SUCKER for a good, even if at times tragic, romance, and this one? This one's good.
Another thing that really gripped me is the fact that in the conclusion of the book, I found it to be an especially rare, bold move, entirely unexpected. It was also the part of the plot that broke my heart the most — because how could Erik possibly go on when he'd been the one This bit right there screams 'true love' unlike anything else — because the sacrifices we'd all make for the person we love, for the slightest chance of them being happy, are what makes it real and tangible. It's the act of loving another even with all of their 'ugly' and 'shameful' parts. (That topic in and of itself would deserve an entire essay, anyway.)
And how enchanting it was to read about Erik and how... gentlemanly he is. Of course, he's a product of his time and yet, his "antics" never felt as such, and he was written in such a way that it felt genuine. The contrast between gentle, kind, proper and violent, selfish, wrong was executed very, very well.
All in all, I'd say that the only thing that bothered me about this book was the pacing — it could have used more action, even if not directly related to the main plot itself. Or rather, maybe some subplots, I'm not entirely sure. As much as I love Kelly's... everything, when it comes to her prose, I suppose I grew really impatient when it came to the ultimate unraveling of the story.
I'll definitely be returning to this one. I'm really grateful to have been able to embark on this wonderful journey Kelly was able to take me on.
First of all, I loved the book — no surprises here, Kelly's stories and wonderfully crafted prose never fail to enrapture me time and time again. There's just something about the way she's able to expertly weave and guide a tale, and it leaves me speechless.
And yet, as this is (supposedly) a review, I must appear somewhat eloquent.
Secondly, I cried at least twice, and while whether it's the hours of sleep I sacrificed for finishing this book or my own melancholy is neither here nor there. I hadn't expected to be as emotional about this book as I am.
It started off relatively slow (at this point, the Nevermore series is my point of reference), with tension sprinkled here and there. Honestly, halfway throughout the book, I found myself doubting the credibility of
Spoiler
either relationship because they all seemed so hasty and irrational, but the conclusion made sense of it all (at least for the most part).I think that the most heart-wrenching thing about this entire story is its essence — and the essence of the Phantom of the Opera all the same — that there is so, so much more beneath the surface, and that empathy, understanding and love conquer everything else. It touched me as much as it did, because I know that if I were in Stephanie's shoes, I wouldn't have had it any differently, as crazy as that may sound. I'm a SUCKER for a good, even if at times tragic, romance, and this one? This one's good.
Another thing that really gripped me is the fact that in the conclusion of the book,
Spoiler
Stephanie ends up "choosing" Erik instead of Lucas.Spoiler
begging Stephanie to lead him on, fully aware that it could only ever end in loss, sorrow and grief.And how enchanting it was to read about Erik and how... gentlemanly he is. Of course, he's a product of his time and yet, his "antics" never felt as such, and he was written in such a way that it felt genuine. The contrast between gentle, kind, proper and violent, selfish, wrong was executed very, very well.
All in all, I'd say that the only thing that bothered me about this book was the pacing — it could have used more action, even if not directly related to the main plot itself. Or rather, maybe some subplots, I'm not entirely sure. As much as I love Kelly's... everything, when it comes to her prose, I suppose I grew really impatient when it came to the ultimate unraveling of the story.
I'll definitely be returning to this one. I'm really grateful to have been able to embark on this wonderful journey Kelly was able to take me on.
I have to give up with this one. Not gonna rate kt because it wasn't bad; it just wasn't for 24 year old me. Maybe 17 year old me would have eaten this up
Phantom Heart started off slow but after the halfway point the action picked up and remained that way until the end. I didn’t care for the love triangle or the instant love between the characters. I didn’t quite understand how you can be in love with someone after two brief interactions with minimal talking. Despite that, I loved the paranormal aspect and will read the next one to see where the story goes. Thank you Edelweiss for an ARC.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 stars
The biggest disservice this book does is claim to be related to Phantom of the Opera.
Now, I understand it is inspired by Phantom of the Opera (the musical specifically), the author loves Phantom of the Opera, and I can appreciate that. But the connecting tissue is "there is music involved, a love triangle, and a supernatural spirit who wears a mask and is named Erik". I go back to my oft used comparison....this is to Phantom of the Opera what Riverdale is to Archie comics. It's a loose connection at best, and I feel like the cover is especially misleading because that is the Phantom mask from the musical.
I tend to enjoy YA books the way a lot of people enjoy romance novels. It's a brain beak for me. I find them creative and fun and usually they're well written enough that it doesn't feel like the target audience is a *cough* few decades younger than me. This book felt like it was written for teenagers. Which is fine, it's a YA novel, but off the jump it meant I wasn't going to enjoy it as much as other YA novels I've read. I think for a YA novel aimed at teenagers, this is a fun CW style read. There's a gothic, spooky element, fun characters, a love triangle with two attractive boys, and the Phantom inspiration does make it feel original compared to a lot of the vampire/werewolf/ghost stories that sit next to it on bookshelves.
But there are more cons than pros for me. The first major flaw I found was the length and pacing. It was too long and too slow. The second was the love triangle. We are given a lot of details about Stephanie and Lucas' relationship....but the Erik plot felt very weakly written to me. Not enough time was dedicated to us seeing Stephanie/Erik actually interact, which meant that their relationship felt rushed and incomplete to me. Third issue was the curse, I still don't understand it. We're given no explanation of exactly what happened...despite us being told that characters are explaining it off-page. Why can't we get that explanation too? It would have really helped, and part of me wonders if the author wasn't even really sure what the curse entailed. Fourth issue was the ending. Woof.Why the heck did she end up with Erik? As stated above, their relationship was barely fleshed out compared to her and Lucas....so the idea that she was so in love with Erik felt like a cop out. Also....what a bad message. The whole point of Phantom of the Opera was that the Phantom isn't some romantic spectre...he's a man. A manipulative man who uses what he knows about Christine from spying on her to his advantage and tricks her or scares her into thinking she loves him. Then she realizes he's a sad sack who treated her badly and leaves him. To have the Christine character end up with the Phantom just feels cringe to me. Please see Love Never Dies....actually don't bother.
I finished the book but this is where my journey ends. I will not be continuing the series.
The biggest disservice this book does is claim to be related to Phantom of the Opera.
Now, I understand it is inspired by Phantom of the Opera (the musical specifically), the author loves Phantom of the Opera, and I can appreciate that. But the connecting tissue is "there is music involved, a love triangle, and a supernatural spirit who wears a mask and is named Erik". I go back to my oft used comparison....this is to Phantom of the Opera what Riverdale is to Archie comics. It's a loose connection at best, and I feel like the cover is especially misleading because that is the Phantom mask from the musical.
I tend to enjoy YA books the way a lot of people enjoy romance novels. It's a brain beak for me. I find them creative and fun and usually they're well written enough that it doesn't feel like the target audience is a *cough* few decades younger than me. This book felt like it was written for teenagers. Which is fine, it's a YA novel, but off the jump it meant I wasn't going to enjoy it as much as other YA novels I've read. I think for a YA novel aimed at teenagers, this is a fun CW style read. There's a gothic, spooky element, fun characters, a love triangle with two attractive boys, and the Phantom inspiration does make it feel original compared to a lot of the vampire/werewolf/ghost stories that sit next to it on bookshelves.
But there are more cons than pros for me. The first major flaw I found was the length and pacing. It was too long and too slow. The second was the love triangle. We are given a lot of details about Stephanie and Lucas' relationship....but the Erik plot felt very weakly written to me. Not enough time was dedicated to us seeing Stephanie/Erik actually interact, which meant that their relationship felt rushed and incomplete to me. Third issue was the curse, I still don't understand it. We're given no explanation of exactly what happened...despite us being told that characters are explaining it off-page. Why can't we get that explanation too? It would have really helped, and part of me wonders if the author wasn't even really sure what the curse entailed. Fourth issue was the ending. Woof.
I finished the book but this is where my journey ends. I will not be continuing the series.