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cathy_acasefullofbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Okay, this was so good. A gender swapped retelling of The Phantom of the Opera was not something I would have thought I needed, but wow was it well done.
I'm not a Phantom fanatic, I've never even seen the musical or read the book. I've heard one or two of the songs. That's it. But after reading this book I definitely want to seek out the originals and see exactly how they influenced this book. I picked up on some references but I'm sure I missed many others.
The ending definitely gave me mixed feelings. It made sense for the characters, but I still really wanted it to be different. I can't elaborate because spoilers, but if you read it I think you'll understand.
I'm not a Phantom fanatic, I've never even seen the musical or read the book. I've heard one or two of the songs. That's it. But after reading this book I definitely want to seek out the originals and see exactly how they influenced this book. I picked up on some references but I'm sure I missed many others.
The ending definitely gave me mixed feelings. It made sense for the characters, but I still really wanted it to be different. I can't elaborate because spoilers, but if you read it I think you'll understand.
annemarie246's review against another edition
4.0
A fun combination of Phantom of the Opera, Beauty & the Beast, Twilight & Romeo & Juliet with a good dash of teenage angst thrown in. Narrator Caitlin Kelly does an amazing job, had me hooked after just a few minutes.
readera's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
The reworking of the phantom of the opera story was one of my favorite parts of this. Seeing all of the nods to the musical was fun.
It was a fantasy retelling that had a lot of dark elements that are revealed as the story goes .
It was a fantasy retelling that had a lot of dark elements that are revealed as the story goes .
Content Warnings
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
aklev13's review
3.0
I neglected to do a review for this one for ages because i had no idea how i would rate it. I think this is a sad case of the ending spoiling the rest of the book for me so spoilers ahead!
To begin with i thought for sure this would be at least four stars. The writing was gorgeous, the world-building was really interesting - sometimes it was a bit info dumpy but it was kind of necessary because this world was so unique and different and it only had one book to cover the differences and really flesh out the world. The whole concept of memory being a buyable commodity was fascinating and horrifying and seeing the poor who had sold so much of their memories was very chilling. The ethics of this world would be fascinating and i thought the author did a good job of touching this within the limited scope she had.
I also felt this book did a good job as a Phantom retelling. All the original concepts were mostly there. With the FMC (the phantom in this narrative) there was a little more ‘good’ in her than villain. She was written as a misunderstood monster girl who never wanted to hurt anyone and any harm she caused was unintentional. Her villain thoughts came from the hunger of her uncontrollable power, a bit more like a vampire that cant help thirsting for blood. Whereas Phantom was I think a little more callous at heart than our FMC. This meant that when villainous thoughts came up they felt a little out of character and made me uncomfortable, where ordinarily id be like ‘yeah there’s the phantom’
To begin with i thought for sure this would be at least four stars. The writing was gorgeous, the world-building was really interesting - sometimes it was a bit info dumpy but it was kind of necessary because this world was so unique and different and it only had one book to cover the differences and really flesh out the world. The whole concept of memory being a buyable commodity was fascinating and horrifying and seeing the poor who had sold so much of their memories was very chilling. The ethics of this world would be fascinating and i thought the author did a good job of touching this within the limited scope she had.
I also felt this book did a good job as a Phantom retelling. All the original concepts were mostly there. With the FMC (the phantom in this narrative) there was a little more ‘good’ in her than villain. She was written as a misunderstood monster girl who never wanted to hurt anyone and any harm she caused was unintentional. Her villain thoughts came from the hunger of her uncontrollable power, a bit more like a vampire that cant help thirsting for blood. Whereas Phantom was I think a little more callous at heart than our FMC. This meant that when villainous thoughts came up they felt a little out of character and made me uncomfortable, where ordinarily id be like ‘yeah there’s the phantom’
lamanda_quiring's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I didn’t expect to enjoy this so much! I bought it quite a while ago, and then sort of forgot about it. This book became one of the 200+ books on my tbr and I couldn’t remember why I bought it or what it was about. It was just sitting on my shelf staring at me.
I decided to prioritize my tbr this year and finally decided to read it. I really enjoyed the writing style and the phantom of the opera vibes. The magic in this book is super interesting and I liked the FMC, Isda. I wasn’t expecting her to make the choice that she did at the end, and it pulled at my heartstrings a little. But it just reaffirmed that she’s a bada$$.
Anywho… i think this book needs more hype and I think you should read it. 😉
I decided to prioritize my tbr this year and finally decided to read it. I really enjoyed the writing style and the phantom of the opera vibes. The magic in this book is super interesting and I liked the FMC, Isda. I wasn’t expecting her to make the choice that she did at the end, and it pulled at my heartstrings a little. But it just reaffirmed that she’s a bada$$.
Anywho… i think this book needs more hype and I think you should read it. 😉
cloverminereads95's review
3.0
T.T. More like a 3.5, the last 25% of the book is a 5 T.T
Let's talk about why. I bought this book because the idea of a gender swapped, Phantom of the Opera with a supernatural twist was intriguing to me.
I will admit it started slow and about half way through I was thinking of putting it on hold and reason something else but I had questions that needed answers so I kept going.
The lore was a little odd but likeable. The idea of creatures that can take or alter memories while someone is singing and then take the extracted memories and sell them was unique and I liked that.
Character wise I liked them all. Isda and Emeric where good together and Cyril was unlikable throughout. Never trust idolized characters. They are always evil. I liked the twist with Emerics sister and that he could amplify Isdas powers.
And the ending gave me all the Angst I needed.
However, I felt that there were parts that a skimmed because I was bored and then other scenes where things picked up. I wish the Romance felt more like the focus to really dig in the nail that was that final chapter.
All in all. It was Alright.
Let's talk about why. I bought this book because the idea of a gender swapped, Phantom of the Opera with a supernatural twist was intriguing to me.
I will admit it started slow and about half way through I was thinking of putting it on hold and reason something else but I had questions that needed answers so I kept going.
The lore was a little odd but likeable. The idea of creatures that can take or alter memories while someone is singing and then take the extracted memories and sell them was unique and I liked that.
Character wise I liked them all. Isda and Emeric where good together and Cyril was unlikable throughout. Never trust idolized characters. They are always evil. I liked the twist with Emerics sister and that he could amplify Isdas powers.
And the ending gave me all the Angst I needed.
However, I felt that there were parts that a skimmed because I was bored and then other scenes where things picked up. I wish the Romance felt more like the focus to really dig in the nail that was that final chapter.
All in all. It was Alright.
vikaroni's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
jacktardis's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0