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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
You know you're going to bad places when the writer admits to getting the basis for her plot from a fanfic site. I understand retellings, especially contemporary ones need to embellish what was originally presented, but man this story was WAY off. What was a good story about passion, music, and misunderstood people quickly devolved into boarding school, family curses, and supernatural creatures.... Clearly this book is a hot mess and in my opinion falls below a respectful adaptation. It manages to go for every YA trope you can think of all under the guise of a Phantom of the Opera retelling.
I'm sadly disappointed in this book. I'm a huge fan of Phantom of the Opera & was excited for a retelling of it. But throwing in demonic children & vampires didn't add spark to the story, it in fact diminished it. Done in a slightly different manner it could have led YA audiences to appreciate the true Phantom story.
This was an interesting story line, I wasn't familiar with the original phantom of the opera so I cannot compare it to that. However, I found the ending to be rushed and unlikely, I was disappointed with the few pages the author chose to wrap up the Phantom's big plans.
A very interesting take on an old classic. As always I really loved the imagery that A.G Howard creates; she has such a way with words. And she spun them together to make a retelling that is both haunting and lovely.
3.5 stars. I loved the history and the world-building, but the last third of the novel felt super rushed and I was left wanting more.
Sending a French man to Montreal is actually a fitting punishment for the Phantom.
Let me start off by saying this was not a terrible book. However, as for my own likes and tastes in books, this book was a disappointment.
It is also going to be hard to review this book without spoilers, so briefly I will say that this book had such a wonderful and interesting take on the Phantom of the Opera. It was different than anything I was expecting and it could have been an amazing novel. Though I am sad to say that the delivery fell flat to me.
I will go on to explain my disappoint but be warned - it is full of spoilers!!
First, I need to start off positive by saying that I sincerely appreciate how much research and depth the author took to create this novel. It is sort of a retelling, but also combines historical fiction and has more of a sequel feel to the original novel rather than a complete retelling. I say this because the Phantom is now an old man who's heart is full of revenge and regret. The story takes place around two main characters - Rune, a modern day Christine, and Thorn, the Phantom's adopted son. And as I have said, the story that enfolds should have captivated me, but it didn't... and I believe I know the reasons why.
As I have said, the author went into so much research to bring to life the possible real life Phantom & Christine, as well as some other real-life historical people such as Comte de Saint-Germain, and wove these facts to create a new story surrounding their descendants. Taking facts from real life people and the theories that the Phantom might have been a vampire/incubus, Howard created this retelling. This tidbit, the vampire/incubus/succubus component, was what interested me the most. I love a good paranormal/fantasy story, and succubi have always captured my attention (Lost Girl, anyone?). Despite this being the main plot point, it was also severely downplayed. I wanted more back story, more depth to this major fact, but we are basically fed the information and the story moves on. Yes, we do get the history of the Phantom and Rune's family in regards to their well-kept secret, but I wanted to know more about how Rune discovered this insatiable lust for energy and how she dealt with this, how this may affect her life and those around them, and more on her discovery of mastering her ability. Rune LITERALLY accepts this as her new life and masters her insatiable hunger in 20 pages.
Which leads me to my next MAJOR book flaw: the book was so plot-driven that the characters were rather one-dimensional. I was so disconnected from the characters because I felt like I barely knew them. Let's start with Rune - I know her father died and she has this weird singing hangup and she falls into the "chosen one" trope... but that's it? The entire book just tells us how she feels and what she does, barely shows us, which makes me feel like she's a stranger on the street. In 400 pages, I should have felt like Rune was my long-lost friend being reunited once more. This is the same for Thorn and the Phantom. Everything about them is all actions. The backstory we get is SO interesting that I almost wish the plot was about the backstory and not some twisted, young romance. Next - Rune's friends? Who the hell are they? We get a brief mention of two of Rune's friends from the States - Trig and Janine - and literally that's it! They were so irrelevant to the story. I feel like the author tried to give her these friends in an attempt to give Rune more depth but failed. Rune only mentions that she has these two friends back home, but doesn't mention why they were friends, how they helped her, how they felt when she left, etc. Rune gets one letter from them and then they are casually mentioned at the end of the book and that's it. Her friends at the opera house are also just there to make the plot more complicated (because we can't have Rune find out about her inner succubus without there being fall out from the friends who have barely been in the plot). With her friends having so little importance, this also left Rune one-dimensional. I really did not like her much because she had little emotions, a fragment of the past she left behind, and this insatiable love for her soulmate she just met.
Which leads into the insta-love component. I hate insta-love. Hate it. And the author justified the insta-love with this complicated "soulmate" story line. Granted, I did like the concept of "twin flames" and its real-life relevancy, but it reminded me too much of Evermore (which I HATED) and felt cheesy and forced. This is one of those times where I think the story could have been made into a duology so that the back stories could be told and Rune and Thorn's love could be more explored, especially the complicated Twin Flames part because Rune meets Thorn and is like "oh, good, you're the love of my life." There is no debates, no uncertainty, no nothing. Rune is simply dictated by fate and allows no possibility of determinism.
Thorn and Rune's love story fell by the wayside. Because I did not connect to either of the characters (how could I when I wasn't given any information about their personalities?), I did not care if they fell in love and made it through the fire (or water, in this case). There were also moments when the intensity of their romance was a bit too mature/too adult for a YA book. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind lust/sex/infatuation in YA books because this stuff happens in real life, but I felt their actions were more that of adults having a one-night stand rather than two teenagers driven by hormones. I think if the incubus/succubus story line was delivered more effectively and brought to the forefront - if things were explained! - the intimate parts would have made sense (because succubi - duh!).
So really, I would have liked the plot to be more thouroughly explained and complicated. Give me multi-dimensional characters, give me more succubi/incubi dilemmas, give me more than just a five page wrap-up after the opera house literally catches fire and everyone just accepts this! Just please, give me a better story.
A random part which just irked me was the author's choice to utilize the terms "vampire" and "succubus/incubus" interchangeably. I realize the author researched this Phantom conspiracy theory and that the internet does use them as one in the same for this matter, but growing up, I have always seen the two creatures as distinct species and I did not like the term "vampire" being used in the novel because of my predetermined imaginings. Vampires suck blood, Succubi suck energy (usually by sexual means, but this still completely worked for the novel!).
I really, really wanted to love this story. Phantom of the Opera is an amazing movie and my all-time favorite musical. I wanted this to be everything the original story was (and more), but it fell flat and left my deflated. Throughout the entire book, I wished I was reading something else. But I will give it some props, I didn't quit reading at any time, despite my desire to.
Overall rating: 2/5 stars.
It is also going to be hard to review this book without spoilers, so briefly I will say that this book had such a wonderful and interesting take on the Phantom of the Opera. It was different than anything I was expecting and it could have been an amazing novel. Though I am sad to say that the delivery fell flat to me.
I will go on to explain my disappoint but be warned - it is full of spoilers!!
Spoiler
First, I need to start off positive by saying that I sincerely appreciate how much research and depth the author took to create this novel. It is sort of a retelling, but also combines historical fiction and has more of a sequel feel to the original novel rather than a complete retelling. I say this because the Phantom is now an old man who's heart is full of revenge and regret. The story takes place around two main characters - Rune, a modern day Christine, and Thorn, the Phantom's adopted son. And as I have said, the story that enfolds should have captivated me, but it didn't... and I believe I know the reasons why.
As I have said, the author went into so much research to bring to life the possible real life Phantom & Christine, as well as some other real-life historical people such as Comte de Saint-Germain, and wove these facts to create a new story surrounding their descendants. Taking facts from real life people and the theories that the Phantom might have been a vampire/incubus, Howard created this retelling. This tidbit, the vampire/incubus/succubus component, was what interested me the most. I love a good paranormal/fantasy story, and succubi have always captured my attention (Lost Girl, anyone?). Despite this being the main plot point, it was also severely downplayed. I wanted more back story, more depth to this major fact, but we are basically fed the information and the story moves on. Yes, we do get the history of the Phantom and Rune's family in regards to their well-kept secret, but I wanted to know more about how Rune discovered this insatiable lust for energy and how she dealt with this, how this may affect her life and those around them, and more on her discovery of mastering her ability. Rune LITERALLY accepts this as her new life and masters her insatiable hunger in 20 pages.
Which leads me to my next MAJOR book flaw: the book was so plot-driven that the characters were rather one-dimensional. I was so disconnected from the characters because I felt like I barely knew them. Let's start with Rune - I know her father died and she has this weird singing hangup and she falls into the "chosen one" trope... but that's it? The entire book just tells us how she feels and what she does, barely shows us, which makes me feel like she's a stranger on the street. In 400 pages, I should have felt like Rune was my long-lost friend being reunited once more. This is the same for Thorn and the Phantom. Everything about them is all actions. The backstory we get is SO interesting that I almost wish the plot was about the backstory and not some twisted, young romance. Next - Rune's friends? Who the hell are they? We get a brief mention of two of Rune's friends from the States - Trig and Janine - and literally that's it! They were so irrelevant to the story. I feel like the author tried to give her these friends in an attempt to give Rune more depth but failed. Rune only mentions that she has these two friends back home, but doesn't mention why they were friends, how they helped her, how they felt when she left, etc. Rune gets one letter from them and then they are casually mentioned at the end of the book and that's it. Her friends at the opera house are also just there to make the plot more complicated (because we can't have Rune find out about her inner succubus without there being fall out from the friends who have barely been in the plot). With her friends having so little importance, this also left Rune one-dimensional. I really did not like her much because she had little emotions, a fragment of the past she left behind, and this insatiable love for her soulmate she just met.
Which leads into the insta-love component. I hate insta-love. Hate it. And the author justified the insta-love with this complicated "soulmate" story line. Granted, I did like the concept of "twin flames" and its real-life relevancy, but it reminded me too much of Evermore (which I HATED) and felt cheesy and forced. This is one of those times where I think the story could have been made into a duology so that the back stories could be told and Rune and Thorn's love could be more explored, especially the complicated Twin Flames part because Rune meets Thorn and is like "oh, good, you're the love of my life." There is no debates, no uncertainty, no nothing. Rune is simply dictated by fate and allows no possibility of determinism.
Thorn and Rune's love story fell by the wayside. Because I did not connect to either of the characters (how could I when I wasn't given any information about their personalities?), I did not care if they fell in love and made it through the fire (or water, in this case). There were also moments when the intensity of their romance was a bit too mature/too adult for a YA book. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind lust/sex/infatuation in YA books because this stuff happens in real life, but I felt their actions were more that of adults having a one-night stand rather than two teenagers driven by hormones. I think if the incubus/succubus story line was delivered more effectively and brought to the forefront - if things were explained! - the intimate parts would have made sense (because succubi - duh!).
So really, I would have liked the plot to be more thouroughly explained and complicated. Give me multi-dimensional characters, give me more succubi/incubi dilemmas, give me more than just a five page wrap-up after the opera house literally catches fire and everyone just accepts this! Just please, give me a better story.
A random part which just irked me was the author's choice to utilize the terms "vampire" and "succubus/incubus" interchangeably. I realize the author researched this Phantom conspiracy theory and that the internet does use them as one in the same for this matter, but growing up, I have always seen the two creatures as distinct species and I did not like the term "vampire" being used in the novel because of my predetermined imaginings. Vampires suck blood, Succubi suck energy (usually by sexual means, but this still completely worked for the novel!).
I really, really wanted to love this story. Phantom of the Opera is an amazing movie and my all-time favorite musical. I wanted this to be everything the original story was (and more), but it fell flat and left my deflated. Throughout the entire book, I wished I was reading something else. But I will give it some props, I didn't quit reading at any time, despite my desire to.
Overall rating: 2/5 stars.
DNF 55%
ARC provided by Netgalley.com
I tried very hard to go into this book, but I just cannot do it. It's boring and contrived.
ARC provided by Netgalley.com
I tried very hard to go into this book, but I just cannot do it. It's boring and contrived.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
5/17/17 Finally decided on a rating. Because again, there were parts I liked, but most of it was severely overridden by the parts I didn't like. It felt like the supernatural stuff was really shoe-horned in, and the writing seemed like it was just trying too hard. I also really wanted a retelling instead of this strange retelling/sequel mashup. Along with the g*psy slur being used in a derogatory manner multiple times throughout...just not great.
3/18/17 Conflicted. There were parts I liked, and a lot I didn't, so I guess we'll see...
5/17/17 Finally decided on a rating. Because again, there were parts I liked, but most of it was severely overridden by the parts I didn't like. It felt like the supernatural stuff was really shoe-horned in, and the writing seemed like it was just trying too hard. I also really wanted a retelling instead of this strange retelling/sequel mashup. Along with the g*psy slur being used in a derogatory manner multiple times throughout...just not great.
3/18/17 Conflicted. There were parts I liked, and a lot I didn't, so I guess we'll see...
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced