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emiloid_reads 's review for:
Roseblood
by A.G. Howard
This was a charming enough read. It took a while for me to get into, because I had to wade through a chapter of Rune's whining. but I ended up liking it more than other reviews made me think I would. The mystery was intriguing, and the idea of music being a conduit for giving and taking life force was thought provoking.
So this isn't so much a retelling of "Phantom of the Opera" as it is more of a sequel, although there are moments that parallel the original novel, like the main female character getting musical visitations through the walls at night and having a rival musician. I did like that this book didn't rely too much on these parallels for its storytelling and had its own lore and style.
This story also has immense implications about the ending of the original "Phantom of the Opera." We're led to believe that Erik gives up Christine because he learns that he can't force someone to love him fully, and jus stops on making that dream happen. In this story, we learn that he's really trying to resurrect his love in some way, and that he's also given over one toxic relationship for another (that with Etalon, his apprentice), meaning that he hasn't really learned much of a lesson about what it means to love a person. But when you really think about it, this makes a lot of sense, given his background and character.
Aside from the main character having a rather complaining personality and not much else to show for her character, I'd say one of my bigger complaints is that the book didn't really make me buy the setting as much as it could. I didn't really feel like I was in France, but that I was at some American boarding school that happened to be vaguely in France. Other than snippets of French, I didn't pick up on any culture or landmarks that anchored me in that country. I also wasn't sure I bought the concept of RoseBlood Academy, but I guess I'm willing to suspend my disbelief?
So this isn't so much a retelling of "Phantom of the Opera" as it is more of a sequel, although there are moments that parallel the original novel, like the main female character getting musical visitations through the walls at night and having a rival musician. I did like that this book didn't rely too much on these parallels for its storytelling and had its own lore and style.
Aside from the main character having a rather complaining personality and not much else to show for her character, I'd say one of my bigger complaints is that the book didn't really make me buy the setting as much as it could. I didn't really feel like I was in France, but that I was at some American boarding school that happened to be vaguely in France. Other than snippets of French, I didn't pick up on any culture or landmarks that anchored me in that country. I also wasn't sure I bought the concept of RoseBlood Academy, but I guess I'm willing to suspend my disbelief?