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readera's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It was a fantasy retelling that had a lot of dark elements that are revealed as the story goes .
Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Ableism, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Self harm, Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Torture
Minor: Forced institutionalization
margueritestjust's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
One thing that makes this story stand apart from other Phantom retellings or even adaptations is the swap that centers the Phantom (in this case Isda) as the main character, rather than the Christine (Emeric). (For those keeping track, there is no Raoul equivalent. Boo, we hate that. I feel a little ripped off without him.) Rather than Isda being a mysterious character, whose past and motivations are hidden, they're front and center - and she's the narrator to boot. But there are other mysteries to reveal, ones from both Emeric's past and her own life that carry the major plot threads. Another quality that differentiates Isda from Erik is that she has a father figure in the man who saved her, Cyril, who (MAJOR spoiler)
I liked the character writing - though I jokingly referred to this book as "girlboss phantom" to my friend, I deeply enjoyed the darker side of Isda, but felt somewhat disappointed when those traits didn't stick. And for the first third of the book or so, I was half convinced that Emeric would not stop snarking for anything. Practically everything that came out of his mouth was some witticism that nearly put me off entirely. But by about the end of the first act, there was a turning point where the stakes became much more real and the characters themselves became much more compelling.
I even enjoyed the romance, much as it shocks me to say.
I'll say that the writing itself in terms of craft was somewhat lacking, particularly in the first act, which dealt with dialogue that was really jarring - even though this story is set in a world not our own, it's still set in a funhouse mirror version of Paris likely sometime in the late 19th century as the original Phantom story by Gaston Leroux is. So it was quite strange to hear the love interest, even if a teenager, to refer to himself as a "kind of guy" in passing. You are not any kind of guy. You're a young man perhaps. Some of the writing fell into the trap of flowery language of poeticism that your eyes just end up glossing over because it's not really saying anything, a trap that's fairly typical for writing in this genre and age group.
However, what will draw the reader in is a strong undercurrent of suspense, along with sympathetic characters whose fates precariously hang in the balance. Once the second act begins, the gothic atmosphere and endlessly thrumming tension really makes the novel begin to come alive. Plus, she's not afraid to have character's more vicious natures rear their heads, which is always a treat. For all that the beginning of this book bemused me, I was hooked and barrelled through all of it in one night. For a debut novel, Olson shows strong talent and I would definitely read more of her work in the future. Plus she thanked her husband(?) for being the man who inspired Emeric, which is simply so cute, I live for that kind of thing. For all I ragged on it over texts to my best friend, I actually really ended up enjoying #girlboss phantom, and I think other readers will too. There's plenty of heart that comes through, and the ending is utterly perfect for the story that was told.
Graphic: Ableism and Death
At one point there's a description of a broken bone breaking through skin, which caught me a bit off guard and given that I'm particularly prone to feeling queasy to stuff like that I thought I'd mention it in case anyone also feels that way about itmonicalaurette's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Death, Dementia, Gaslighting, Murder, Abandonment, and Confinement
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Ableism
Minor: Gun violence and Animal death
caidyn's review
- 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
3.75
As someone who loves The Phantom of the Opera, I knew I had to read this since it sounded so much like it. And I enjoyed the story. Not my favorite retelling, but it was very good and engaging. I like how the story stuck relatively close to the original text, all while making the story its own thing with the world and the reasons behind it. I'd definitely read this again and check out more from this author!
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Kidnapping
mxfahrenheit's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, and Vomit
caseythereader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
📚 I absolutely tore through it despite never having seen or listened to PHANTOM - Isda and Emeric's stories are so compelling.
📚 I loved how music and memory were at play in this story, and how precious both those things were to the main characters, if for different reasons.
📚 Though the world was built out enough to serve the story, I would have loved to see more of the country (a fictionalized version of France) and how fendoirs and the elixir market worked in everyday life.
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Self harm, Torture, Violence, and Vomit