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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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship
evaosterlee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence
wolfiegrrrl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I had heard that the original Phantom of the Opera novel is far more horror-based and intense than the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical I am familiar with, so I was curious to see for myself just how different the two stories are from each other.
Mostly, I wanted to see what Erik's deal was because he has so much more going on than what the adaptations of the character that I'm familiar with touch on. Now that I have listened to the entire book and its epilogue, I'd say that the best way to describe Leroux's Phantom is "the character whose OP backstory was created after the main story was written in order to explain how the mystery worked and prove that it was just a man the entire time!" but it honestly leaves me with more questions than answers. I also really wasn't fond of the sentiment about birth deformities being a sign of inherent inner evil to be pitied by the "beautiful" people of the world, so I don't really know what to make of that regarding Erik's character development at the end.
That being said, the novel was rather boring in how it mostly consisted of uneventful exposition dumps until the story picks up about halfway through when the Phantom and the Persian take more prominent roles. Their part of the story is still mostly large exposition dumps, but at least those dumps were entertaining in how absolutely buck wild they are. My main complaint is that having to follow a whiny, self-entitled Raoul around through the eyes of the narrator was so draining because he is a prime example of the Nice Guy trope and I can't really say I was rooting for him like we're so clearly supposed to.
It was fun to spot all of the story/character notes that the musical plucked out when reworking the plot into more of a dark romance. Having experienced Leroux's original work, I now have a greater appreciation for adaptations that play around with the fun and interesting concepts that are laid out in the novel.
Mostly, I wanted to see what Erik's deal was because he has so much more going on than what the adaptations of the character that I'm familiar with touch on. Now that I have listened to the entire book and its epilogue, I'd say that the best way to describe Leroux's Phantom is "the character whose OP backstory was created after the main story was written in order to explain how the mystery worked and prove that it was just a man the entire time!" but it honestly leaves me with more questions than answers. I also really wasn't fond of the sentiment about birth deformities being a sign of inherent inner evil to be pitied by the "beautiful" people of the world, so I don't really know what to make of that regarding Erik's character development at the end.
That being said, the novel was rather boring in how it mostly consisted of uneventful exposition dumps until the story picks up about halfway through when the Phantom and the Persian take more prominent roles. Their part of the story is still mostly large exposition dumps, but at least those dumps were entertaining in how absolutely buck wild they are. My main complaint is that having to follow a whiny, self-entitled Raoul around through the eyes of the narrator was so draining because he is a prime example of the Nice Guy trope and I can't really say I was rooting for him like we're so clearly supposed to.
It was fun to spot all of the story/character notes that the musical plucked out when reworking the plot into more of a dark romance. Having experienced Leroux's original work, I now have a greater appreciation for adaptations that play around with the fun and interesting concepts that are laid out in the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racial slurs, Suicide, and Death of parent
zos's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
3.0
Such a neat story. I am not typically a mystery fan, but this was a favorite of mine for a long time. I read this book before seeing the musical/movie/adaptations.
When I read this for the first time, I remember being totally taken aback by the scene with the lake.
Probably won't reread, but I did enjoy it while reading.
When I read this for the first time, I remember being totally taken aback by the scene with the lake.
Probably won't reread, but I did enjoy it while reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
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