A review by booknerd_therapist
Phantom by Susan Kay

5.0

I am a die-hard Phantom of the Opera fan. I read Leroux's book in high school. I know every word to Webber's musical score. I've seen the musical live twice. I even watched that awful movie with Gerry Butler. That being said, I was extremely skeptical when I picked up this book. The story was already written and loved worldwide. Why would someone else alter it?? My best friend had to suggest it several times before I finally gave it a chance. And now I am so glad I did. This is hands down one of the best books I have ever read. I have never been more emotional reading a book before. I lost track of how many times my heart broke for Erik throughout the 500+ pages of this novel. I found myself wishing he was a real person so I could run to him and comfort him. Susan Kay is an extraordinary wordsmith -- she writes beautiful or horrifying descriptions of every character, place, and event that occurs throughout the story. Her masterful command of language kept me engaged to the point where I had to force myself to put the book down, if only to take a break from the emotional roller coaster. I also admire how she weaved her story seamlessly with Leroux's original novel. Everything is there: his many areas of genius, his relationships with people such as the Persian and the opera house managers, his time in the gypsy circus, etc. The only thing I didn't like was the ending, because it diverged so far from the original. However, the rest of the novel was so incredible that I am willing to overlook that and give it 5 stars. I can't do this book justice with a review... no one can... check it out and read it for yourself! You won't be disappointed!