Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

16 reviews

charity_ix's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

My first classic! I was intrigued by the first chapter alone and knew I was going to love this book. The penguin classics edition was also super easy to read and the notes gave me so much insight into the world this book takes place in. I was very invested throughout the book and it was so intense at times. Some parts did feel very long and at times I felt like the pacing was slightly odd, but in the end, it was fine. The epilogue tied everything together for me and it just felt perfect. Erik as a character was written so well and even the descriptions of him gave me chills. Overall, this is the perfect book if you want to start reading classics or if you just want to read a whimsical story of The Paris Opera in the 1800s. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Violence and Kidnapping

streamthief's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

I really liked a lot of the writing and much of the story was interesting but I had a lot of time enjoying reading the characters. It's not just that they are unlikable, I'm not sure how to explain but not my thing. Raoul is especially annoying which kinda of sucks because he narrates most of it. I did like learning more about Christine's dad and all that, but I didn't really like it. I didn't like erik either, I wanted him to be redeemable, but he just wasn't.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

sxrxh_lenx's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Murder

taelights's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

While I do prefer the stage version and the movie a lot more, I did really enjoy getting to read the original book which inspired Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical. I definitely have to give a lot of respect to this book for being the inspiration for my favorite musical ever.

The Phantom was truly creepy in this version and not sexy at all. While I do enjoy the more sexy twisted version in the book version was very interesting to learn about.

All the characters do pale a bit in comparison to the musical. But it was also interesting to get some extra context on inspirations for the musical. 

The writing, especially the dialogue was a bit bad at times but I'm not sure if that's just how it is or how the translation is seeing as the original novel was in French. Or perhaps a bit of both. 

I wouldn't recommend this book unless you are a fan of the musical or movie because honestly if I had read this without being a big fan of the musical I'd probably have dnf it but I only enjoyed it a bit due to the musical. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Murder, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

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