Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

43 reviews

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, and Torture

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Death, Suicide attempt, Violence, Murder, and Suicide

Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

elisammansur's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Mistki wrote Nobody about the Phantom

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

isabella_boytsan's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Murder

Moderate: Death and Torture

Minor: Kidnapping, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

nyssa_jo's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this book is crazy, but most of it is told in exposition, making it quite boring.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Torture

Minor: Death of parent

amalielisabeth's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Body horror

rachelwierick's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Torture, Stalking, Murder, and Kidnapping

maiahhtratchh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I’m obsessed with the musical and there are very few times where the adaption deserves to outshine the source material and this was one of those times. While I did really enjoy it, specifically the middle part, the end dragged out for a long time and some aspects (ie the Persian), though probably on par for the time are bordering on problematic. I was just really confused by the inclusion of this character if not just to have a mystical foreigner swoop in full in the background gaps and save the white characters lives. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

meowchemicalromance's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

criminal's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

• Strong character development? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Murder, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Gun violence

joyce_ti's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 I struggled to rate this book. While the story caught my interest at once, and I thoroughly enjoyed some parts of it, there were other instances when I felt rather bored and a little confused. I love the Gothic vibe that runs through the novel and I especially enjoyed the atmosphere of fear and suspense and the setting of the story. The Opera works like a labyrinth through which the notions of secrecy and suspense are enhanced. Leroux’ writing is simple but good and I enjoyed most of the plot. 

While I usually do not mind when the narrator breaks the fourth wall and engages directly with the reader, there simply were too many and too long interferences that took me away from the story. The characters were also a big issue for me. They all are fairly standard stock characters for the Gothic genre, which is completely fine and to some extent they work just the way they should. However, I did not care about them at all. This has nothing to do with likeability, the characters simply felt flat (with exception of the phantom himself). And the melodrama…oh the melodrama… I know it is a tragic story and this is a purely subjective issue, but there was definitely too much drama for me. Also, the ending did not really convince me. Some of the decisions Leroux made did disappoint me a bit. 

Essentially, it is a tragic story with an engaging plot. It definitely is a readable story, just not the miraculous one I was hoping for. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Toxic relationship