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Our Strange Duet
Not yet published
Expected 1 Sep 26A reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, spotlighting Christine Daaé as she rises to fame while torn between love, ambition, and the haunting secrets of the opera house from #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig, in a deluxe hardcover edition.
Inspired by Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Le Fantôme de L’Opéra, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with a young soprano, Christine Daaé, and devotes himself to nurturing her extraordinary talents, employing all of the devious methods at his command. Our Strange Duet centers Christine’s emotional journey and her agency within this sweeping, atmospheric opera.
Inspired by Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Le Fantôme de L’Opéra, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with a young soprano, Christine Daaé, and devotes himself to nurturing her extraordinary talents, employing all of the devious methods at his command. Our Strange Duet centers Christine’s emotional journey and her agency within this sweeping, atmospheric opera.
390 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 1, 2026
About the author
Erin A. Craig
10 books7,448 followers#1 New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig has always loved telling stories.
After getting her B.F.A. from the University of Michigan, in Theatre Design and Production, she stage managed tragic operas with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just as spooky.
An avid reader, decent quilter, rabid basketball fan, and collector of typewriters, brass figurines, and sparkly shoes, Erin makes her home in West Michigan with her husband and daughter.
To find out more about Erin and the worlds she creates, follow @penchant4words on Instagram and Threads.
She is represented by Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord Literistic.
After getting her B.F.A. from the University of Michigan, in Theatre Design and Production, she stage managed tragic operas with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just as spooky.
An avid reader, decent quilter, rabid basketball fan, and collector of typewriters, brass figurines, and sparkly shoes, Erin makes her home in West Michigan with her husband and daughter.
To find out more about Erin and the worlds she creates, follow @penchant4words on Instagram and Threads.
She is represented by Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord Literistic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
March 5, 2026
Wildly excited to welcome you all to the Opera Populaire… it’s stranger than you remember it……
Want to Read
June 4, 2026Nothing like young love! This is a reimagining of Phantom of the Opera!!
A rising soprano with a gift is torn between two loves--a childhood friend and a mysterious masked figure that lurks beneath the Opera House. She must decide who she is and what she is willing to risk for the life she wants.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Random house Childrens Books/Delacorte Press and the author, Erin. E. Craig for an early copy!
Publication date: September 1, 2026
A rising soprano with a gift is torn between two loves--a childhood friend and a mysterious masked figure that lurks beneath the Opera House. She must decide who she is and what she is willing to risk for the life she wants.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Random house Childrens Books/Delacorte Press and the author, Erin. E. Craig for an early copy!
Publication date: September 1, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I am so glad I didn't pay a cent for this. I like to thank my friend who gave me a physical copy.
I'm not going to talk about my background with Webber and Leroux Phantom, if you know me you know me. What I am going to talk about is this book and how it is a completely different piece than the musical it is based off of. It is as if Webber spoke to Mrs. Craig and said "so I've been thinking, I absolutely hated how these bits go down in the show now that Love Never Dies is existing, can you re-write them?" And of course, she obliged to it. In changing the narrative of a few characters and rearranging events from the show, we have a book that has the outcome of Christine choosing Erik instead of Raoul.
I am not going to spoiler cut this since Phantom has been around for 40 years and if you're here then you know you're reading a Phantom of the Opera Webber adaptation. So I will just stick to the facts:
The fact that we are using the Phantom film's Opera Populaire is bothersome.
Since the Opera Populaire is now here instead of the Garnier, the author can't seem to choose historical or fantasy. She uses the name of a cafe across from the Garnier several times but it would not be across the street from the Opera Populaire - since the Opera Populaire does not exist. This Opera Populaire is also suffering from the same issues that the Garnier has with their underground lake (however she has indicated this one gets the run off from the Seine, where the Garnier does not). Because we are adding Love Never Dies, we are also changing the time of the musical and the events at the Opera house to 1895. The author references several Russian Operas that were not popular to France until after 1900's (Eugene Onegin for one) that its as if she drew the opera out of a hat because she needed an opera to put there. Along these lines, the location of the scarf fetching has changed. In the novel the scarf fetching took place in Brittany, in here it is changed to Normandy (cannot tell if it's because we're honoring the Battle of Normandy which will take place in about 45 years). In conjunction to the use of the novel, she also chooses to give the Phantom the name Erik. The Webber musical never gives him a name, but she chooses the name Leroux has given the Phantom. She could have given him any other name but comes back to Leroux.
Those who appreciate Raoul will be not surprised (that since we are accounting for Love Never Dies) any shred of decency from Raoul is gone. Gone are Raoul's genuine care and devotion for Christine, it is replaced by liking her to that of a bauble to show off. There is also the inclusion of gambling, drinking, and the alluding to of scandalous activities. He is very superficial and quick to jump to thought without a second glance. (He also takes her to visit his now alive mother who gives her a shake down and tells her she's nothing more than a fling.)
Meg's future in Love Never Dies is heavily alluded to here. She gets jealous of Christine's suitor, the love triangle, and Christine's apparent good fortune with regards to her voice. She blows up at Christine and blames Christine for her lack of a job for six months (post chandelier fall), and then in the same breath asks Christine on how to get with the Phantom so he could make her a star. After this they are not on speaking terms until post musical events. (There is also the fact Meg becomes a dancer at Moulin Rogue because she and her mom need money.)
Mrs. Craig also rearranges events from the musical in order to fit the narrative (of Love Never Dies). Christine is told of Erik's history (not Raoul), giving her some sort of... reason... to why she makes the decision she does in the end. And what I mean by that is that Christine willingly, 100% without a doubt, chooses the Phantom. In the musical and the book, Christine chooses Erik to free Raoul because she has no other choice. In this, she chooses him because she believes genius and madness are one in the same and that if people like Mozart could be both, what makes them so different than Erik? (This is also given leverage to the fact that she does not witness the Phantom killing Joseph Buquet - his death is now up to interpretation if the Phantom killed him. Same with Piangi, too. He has five other deaths he is responsible from that were caused when he dropped the chandelier.) She is willing to go with Erik but is told to go with Raoul, leaving her upset that Erik is choosing to let her go instead.
On that same note, there is an addition of a sex scene in the form of a dream (which could be almost ambigious) where she finds out Erik's name... to confront him of it when she's awake and when he asks how does she know she goes "I just know". (?)
There is also the fact that several songs are now real songs within the world of Opera Populaire. Music of the Night is no longer a song to the audience of the Phantom expressing his feelings for Christine, it is now a love song about Psyche and Eros in a Greek opera he is writing about. The song Masquerade is now the chorus singing a song about... a masquerade. It would have been nice to nix these additions or simply not sing them out in the text.
This book was just a really upsetting piece and so much work is being put into it thanks to the audio cast it has and the publicity it has gained (thanks to Webber's company). I felt as though I'm watching what Disney did to Star Wars only happen with Phantom. Do I like it? Not really. Can I do anything about it? No. Can I share my opinions? Of course. So here they are. It's funny that Hal Prince is given a nod in the acknowledgements where I'm pretty sure that (if alive) he would have been rolling his eyes (he was not a fan of Love Never Dies nor the changes made to the show to incorporate it before his passing). Gillian Lynne didn't get a nod, but I am sure she would have been kind of aghast seeing some of her choreography made into the text along with bits and pieces of the film.
My last bit, and probably my favorite part (and only part of this entire book) is Raoul literally gives Christine the choice of wanting to still marry him. She chooses because they seem to have undergone some shared trauma. Thus, making clearing the path for Love Never Dies. So in the end, she causes her own death... funny how that all works out.
PS: Shout out to the tacky Hot Topic ring that Erik has instead of the black and gold (or silver) ring from the stage show. The one has a skull with ruby eyes, lol.
I'm not going to talk about my background with Webber and Leroux Phantom, if you know me you know me. What I am going to talk about is this book and how it is a completely different piece than the musical it is based off of. It is as if Webber spoke to Mrs. Craig and said "so I've been thinking, I absolutely hated how these bits go down in the show now that Love Never Dies is existing, can you re-write them?" And of course, she obliged to it. In changing the narrative of a few characters and rearranging events from the show, we have a book that has the outcome of Christine choosing Erik instead of Raoul.
I am not going to spoiler cut this since Phantom has been around for 40 years and if you're here then you know you're reading a Phantom of the Opera Webber adaptation. So I will just stick to the facts:
The fact that we are using the Phantom film's Opera Populaire is bothersome.
Since the Opera Populaire is now here instead of the Garnier, the author can't seem to choose historical or fantasy. She uses the name of a cafe across from the Garnier several times but it would not be across the street from the Opera Populaire - since the Opera Populaire does not exist. This Opera Populaire is also suffering from the same issues that the Garnier has with their underground lake (however she has indicated this one gets the run off from the Seine, where the Garnier does not). Because we are adding Love Never Dies, we are also changing the time of the musical and the events at the Opera house to 1895. The author references several Russian Operas that were not popular to France until after 1900's (Eugene Onegin for one) that its as if she drew the opera out of a hat because she needed an opera to put there. Along these lines, the location of the scarf fetching has changed. In the novel the scarf fetching took place in Brittany, in here it is changed to Normandy (cannot tell if it's because we're honoring the Battle of Normandy which will take place in about 45 years). In conjunction to the use of the novel, she also chooses to give the Phantom the name Erik. The Webber musical never gives him a name, but she chooses the name Leroux has given the Phantom. She could have given him any other name but comes back to Leroux.
Those who appreciate Raoul will be not surprised (that since we are accounting for Love Never Dies) any shred of decency from Raoul is gone. Gone are Raoul's genuine care and devotion for Christine, it is replaced by liking her to that of a bauble to show off. There is also the inclusion of gambling, drinking, and the alluding to of scandalous activities. He is very superficial and quick to jump to thought without a second glance. (He also takes her to visit his now alive mother who gives her a shake down and tells her she's nothing more than a fling.)
Meg's future in Love Never Dies is heavily alluded to here. She gets jealous of Christine's suitor, the love triangle, and Christine's apparent good fortune with regards to her voice. She blows up at Christine and blames Christine for her lack of a job for six months (post chandelier fall), and then in the same breath asks Christine on how to get with the Phantom so he could make her a star. After this they are not on speaking terms until post musical events. (There is also the fact Meg becomes a dancer at Moulin Rogue because she and her mom need money.)
Mrs. Craig also rearranges events from the musical in order to fit the narrative (of Love Never Dies). Christine is told of Erik's history (not Raoul), giving her some sort of... reason... to why she makes the decision she does in the end. And what I mean by that is that Christine willingly, 100% without a doubt, chooses the Phantom. In the musical and the book, Christine chooses Erik to free Raoul because she has no other choice. In this, she chooses him because she believes genius and madness are one in the same and that if people like Mozart could be both, what makes them so different than Erik? (This is also given leverage to the fact that she does not witness the Phantom killing Joseph Buquet - his death is now up to interpretation if the Phantom killed him. Same with Piangi, too. He has five other deaths he is responsible from that were caused when he dropped the chandelier.) She is willing to go with Erik but is told to go with Raoul, leaving her upset that Erik is choosing to let her go instead.
On that same note, there is an addition of a sex scene in the form of a dream (which could be almost ambigious) where she finds out Erik's name... to confront him of it when she's awake and when he asks how does she know she goes "I just know". (?)
There is also the fact that several songs are now real songs within the world of Opera Populaire. Music of the Night is no longer a song to the audience of the Phantom expressing his feelings for Christine, it is now a love song about Psyche and Eros in a Greek opera he is writing about. The song Masquerade is now the chorus singing a song about... a masquerade. It would have been nice to nix these additions or simply not sing them out in the text.
This book was just a really upsetting piece and so much work is being put into it thanks to the audio cast it has and the publicity it has gained (thanks to Webber's company). I felt as though I'm watching what Disney did to Star Wars only happen with Phantom. Do I like it? Not really. Can I do anything about it? No. Can I share my opinions? Of course. So here they are. It's funny that Hal Prince is given a nod in the acknowledgements where I'm pretty sure that (if alive) he would have been rolling his eyes (he was not a fan of Love Never Dies nor the changes made to the show to incorporate it before his passing). Gillian Lynne didn't get a nod, but I am sure she would have been kind of aghast seeing some of her choreography made into the text along with bits and pieces of the film.
My last bit, and probably my favorite part (and only part of this entire book) is Raoul literally gives Christine the choice of wanting to still marry him. She chooses because they seem to have undergone some shared trauma. Thus, making clearing the path for Love Never Dies. So in the end, she causes her own death... funny how that all works out.
PS: Shout out to the tacky Hot Topic ring that Erik has instead of the black and gold (or silver) ring from the stage show. The one has a skull with ruby eyes, lol.
Currently Reading
August 20, 2026
*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review!*
A Phantom of the Opera reimagining by Erin A. Craig... and I already have an advanced copy? This has to be a dream.
A Phantom of the Opera reimagining by Erin A. Craig... and I already have an advanced copy? This has to be a dream.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
*Review to come*
Did Not Finish
June 26, 2026Soft DNF at 30%
It was gothic and enchanting with a beautifully haunting atmosphere, maybe right book wrong time!!
It was gothic and enchanting with a beautifully haunting atmosphere, maybe right book wrong time!!
Want to Read
March 29, 2026ahh so very excited about this 🥀
July 31, 2026
I do appreciate Erin A. Craig's writing style, though I felt lukewarm about her last book. I was, however, eager to see her take on the Phantom of the Opera from Christine's point of view, because she's been a Phan ever since 8th grade band class, and she worked in theatrical productions for a number of years. I would not say I'm a Phan, I don't have the Swiftie-levels of obsessive devotion that they do, but I'm more of a casual fan. I also saw the musical for the first time this year, so I was intrigued to try this, as this is also authorized by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Plus what a gorgeous cover.
If you're a Phan who doesn't ship anyone in particular, you ship Christine/Erik, or don't know anything about the stage production, you may enjoy this more than I did. It was basically a copy of the musical in book form with slight variations, and Raoul and Christine do end up together and until the attempted forced marriage with Erik, I felt it treated their love respectfully. The end, however, killed this for me. Christine never has any agency and never really chooses between the two men who love her. Raoul is her safe choice, and Erik is the toxic, obsessive lost puppy whom she burns for. I liked Erik in the musical because he had mystery and he had the lost puppy in spades (I love a man who's a broken lost puppy), but in this he is cruel and manipulative, and it is a darker version of him.
I didn't want Christine to end up with either of them, and in the musical I loved her choice of Raoul even if I could ship either of them. I prefer Christine/Raoul. But the way they ended up, they didn't have any passion or fire, and they just had their halcyon summer love and not the reality of living together from very different class backgrounds. Christine also gave up singing to be with him. It didn't feel like a HEA, it felt like a HEA with regrets.
My issue with a lot of m/f romance is that it centers the man in the woman's life and she can't do anything without a man taking care of her. I felt this way about this author's last book too. In my dream Christine POV, she is a stronger woman than this weak, lovesick, angsty thing who gives up her dreams for the security a man can bring, no matter whom she ultimately chooses.
I also loved the stage production because it was a play within a play, and I felt we got none of that here because we got too much of their inner thoughts. This was too straightforward of a musical in book form.
It was, however, dripping with Gothic atmosphere, the author's theatrical background really shone through, and it was full of melodrama just like the musical.
Unfortunately this was a miss for me. It just didn't quite match the magic and mystery of the stage production.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
If you're a Phan who doesn't ship anyone in particular, you ship Christine/Erik, or don't know anything about the stage production, you may enjoy this more than I did. It was basically a copy of the musical in book form with slight variations, and Raoul and Christine do end up together and until the attempted forced marriage with Erik, I felt it treated their love respectfully. The end, however, killed this for me. Christine never has any agency and never really chooses between the two men who love her. Raoul is her safe choice, and Erik is the toxic, obsessive lost puppy whom she burns for. I liked Erik in the musical because he had mystery and he had the lost puppy in spades (I love a man who's a broken lost puppy), but in this he is cruel and manipulative, and it is a darker version of him.
I didn't want Christine to end up with either of them, and in the musical I loved her choice of Raoul even if I could ship either of them. I prefer Christine/Raoul. But the way they ended up, they didn't have any passion or fire, and they just had their halcyon summer love and not the reality of living together from very different class backgrounds. Christine also gave up singing to be with him. It didn't feel like a HEA, it felt like a HEA with regrets.
My issue with a lot of m/f romance is that it centers the man in the woman's life and she can't do anything without a man taking care of her. I felt this way about this author's last book too. In my dream Christine POV, she is a stronger woman than this weak, lovesick, angsty thing who gives up her dreams for the security a man can bring, no matter whom she ultimately chooses.
I also loved the stage production because it was a play within a play, and I felt we got none of that here because we got too much of their inner thoughts. This was too straightforward of a musical in book form.
It was, however, dripping with Gothic atmosphere, the author's theatrical background really shone through, and it was full of melodrama just like the musical.
Unfortunately this was a miss for me. It just didn't quite match the magic and mystery of the stage production.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to Read
May 9, 2026Just inject it into my veinsssss
Read
June 23, 2026Oh my GOSH I was wandering around the house reading this obsessively and singing to myself. The lyrics to my favorite Phantom songs are embedded so seamlessly into this book that sometimes I was humming the tune before I even realized why. A stunning dive into Christine's story, and a must-read for all Phantomheads!
June 10, 2026
Our Strange Duet
Erin A. Craig does it again! A masterful and beautifully written gothic YA retelling of The Phantom of the Opera from the perspective of our beloved heroine Christine Daae!
When I first heard that Erin was given the reins for this story I was THRILLED! Nobody does atmospheric/gothic YA like Erin A Craig! And you know when ALW gives someone the helm to help expand this story…you can trust that judgement!
This is so beautifully done! Christine’s story is expanded on, her relationship with Raoul and her life before the Opera Populair. We also get to know the inner workings of her mind and her complicated feelings surrounding Erik, The Phantom, her Angel of Music. We see her conflict, her desire and confusion, the feelings of betrayal but her reaction to his music. It’s all written so beautifully while still maintaining the naive and optimistic voice that a woman like Christine would have.
Erin also does a magnificent job of intertwining the lyrics from the show throughout without it feeling heavy handed or like I’m just reading the lyric book. There are even a few nods to Love Never Dies (iykyk) that I screeched at!
If you are like me and are a HUGH Phan of Phantom of the Opera this will tick all the right boxes! I laughed (the managers keep their whimsy) I cried (the monkey music box makes his appearance) and I immediately put on the 25th anniversary and laughed and cried some more!
Thank you so much to Penguins Random House Childrens Books / Delacorte Press and Erin A Craig for the e-ARC, you’ve made this theatre kids heart soar!
Erin A. Craig does it again! A masterful and beautifully written gothic YA retelling of The Phantom of the Opera from the perspective of our beloved heroine Christine Daae!
When I first heard that Erin was given the reins for this story I was THRILLED! Nobody does atmospheric/gothic YA like Erin A Craig! And you know when ALW gives someone the helm to help expand this story…you can trust that judgement!
This is so beautifully done! Christine’s story is expanded on, her relationship with Raoul and her life before the Opera Populair. We also get to know the inner workings of her mind and her complicated feelings surrounding Erik, The Phantom, her Angel of Music. We see her conflict, her desire and confusion, the feelings of betrayal but her reaction to his music. It’s all written so beautifully while still maintaining the naive and optimistic voice that a woman like Christine would have.
Erin also does a magnificent job of intertwining the lyrics from the show throughout without it feeling heavy handed or like I’m just reading the lyric book. There are even a few nods to Love Never Dies (iykyk) that I screeched at!
If you are like me and are a HUGH Phan of Phantom of the Opera this will tick all the right boxes! I laughed (the managers keep their whimsy) I cried (the monkey music box makes his appearance) and I immediately put on the 25th anniversary and laughed and cried some more!
Thank you so much to Penguins Random House Childrens Books / Delacorte Press and Erin A Craig for the e-ARC, you’ve made this theatre kids heart soar!
July 1, 2026
This book was the love letter to phantom of the opera I desperately needed. It’s a gorgeous combination of both the musical and the film that adds extra elements that expands on the characters and helps make some of their decisions make so much more sense. Getting a peak into Christine’s mind and seeing how her thoughts play into her choices was such a joy. I read this book while listening to instrumentals of the soundtrack and it was everything to me. I wish I could put into words how much I enjoyed this book. Plus for the hardcore fans, it leads to the set up of Love Never Dies, letting the Christine and Erik fans have their moment of knowing what comes next.
June 24, 2026
I am a fan of the musical and I personally feel like this book doesn’t add much. I was expecting there to be something new, that changed the story of the Phantom of the Opera. Instead, I got the musical in book form.
You could argue we got more of Christine’s actual thoughts but I feel like that is portrayed when actress act the part of Christine. You SEE her indecision. Her hesitation. Every production I have seen has portrayed Christine’s complexity perfectly. I have felt like I understood her thoughts.
I just wish this book added something that changed the story, making me think a different way about the musical. But it didn’t.
You could argue we got more of Christine’s actual thoughts but I feel like that is portrayed when actress act the part of Christine. You SEE her indecision. Her hesitation. Every production I have seen has portrayed Christine’s complexity perfectly. I have felt like I understood her thoughts.
I just wish this book added something that changed the story, making me think a different way about the musical. But it didn’t.
preorders
August 19, 2025I have been waiting to add this book to my TBR on here since she announced the book on IG
August 14, 2026
I absolutely loved Our Strange Duet by Erin A. Craig! As someone who loves The Phantom of the Opera, I was so excited to read a reimagining that puts Christine Daaé at the center of the story, and this book did not disappoint.
I loved getting to experience the story through Christine and seeing more of her thoughts, emotions, dreams, and ambitions. Instead of simply being caught between Raoul and the Phantom, Christine truly feels like the heart of the story. Her complicated feelings toward both men made the romance even more interesting. Raoul represents warmth, safety, and the possibility of a happy future, while the Phantom brings this darker, mysterious, obsessive connection that makes their relationship so fascinating.
The atmosphere was probably one of my favorite things about the book. The Opera House felt beautiful, glamorous, mysterious, and haunting all at once. Erin A. Craig really captured that gothic feeling I wanted from a Phantom of the Opera retelling. There were moments where I could practically picture the stage, the costumes, the candlelight, the hidden passageways beneath the Opera House, and of course, the Phantom lurking somewhere in the shadows.
I also really enjoyed watching Christine grow throughout the story. She isn’t just someone’s love interest or the beautiful soprano with an incredible voice. This is her story, and I loved watching her discover what she wants for herself while dealing with love, ambition, fame, and everything happening around her.
One thing I highly recommend is listening to The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack while reading this book! It made the entire experience so much better for me. Having songs like “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You,” and “The Point of No Return” playing while I read made certain scenes feel even more dramatic and emotional. It almost felt like I was watching the musical while reading the book.
Our Strange Duet was romantic, gothic, emotional, atmospheric, and beautifully haunting. I really loved and enjoyed this book, and I didn’t want to leave the world of the Opera House when it was over. If you’re a fan of The Phantom of the Opera, gothic romance, or retellings that give familiar characters a chance to tell their own story, I definitely recommend picking this one up.
An easy 5 stars for me!
I loved getting to experience the story through Christine and seeing more of her thoughts, emotions, dreams, and ambitions. Instead of simply being caught between Raoul and the Phantom, Christine truly feels like the heart of the story. Her complicated feelings toward both men made the romance even more interesting. Raoul represents warmth, safety, and the possibility of a happy future, while the Phantom brings this darker, mysterious, obsessive connection that makes their relationship so fascinating.
The atmosphere was probably one of my favorite things about the book. The Opera House felt beautiful, glamorous, mysterious, and haunting all at once. Erin A. Craig really captured that gothic feeling I wanted from a Phantom of the Opera retelling. There were moments where I could practically picture the stage, the costumes, the candlelight, the hidden passageways beneath the Opera House, and of course, the Phantom lurking somewhere in the shadows.
I also really enjoyed watching Christine grow throughout the story. She isn’t just someone’s love interest or the beautiful soprano with an incredible voice. This is her story, and I loved watching her discover what she wants for herself while dealing with love, ambition, fame, and everything happening around her.
One thing I highly recommend is listening to The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack while reading this book! It made the entire experience so much better for me. Having songs like “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You,” and “The Point of No Return” playing while I read made certain scenes feel even more dramatic and emotional. It almost felt like I was watching the musical while reading the book.
Our Strange Duet was romantic, gothic, emotional, atmospheric, and beautifully haunting. I really loved and enjoyed this book, and I didn’t want to leave the world of the Opera House when it was over. If you’re a fan of The Phantom of the Opera, gothic romance, or retellings that give familiar characters a chance to tell their own story, I definitely recommend picking this one up.
An easy 5 stars for me!
April 17, 2026
DRC via Edelweiss
If you know me, then you know how much I love Phantom of the Opera (in all its forms—musical, movie, novel), so it should be no surprise that I downloaded this ARC as soon as it was available.
The prose was lush and extravagant, exactly what the story deserves. One of the main focuses of this adaptation was Christine’s agency, which felt successful without being forced or unnatural. I also liked how Raoul and Christine’s love story was given more care.
While I anticipate there will be discourse about the “lack” of deviation from the original story (musical/movie, less so novel), I personally thought it was a good balance of faithful interpretation. I would have found more issue with unnecessary additions than I do with the story following too closely. I could see specific scenes from the movie in my head and hear the songs while reading, which I thought was perfect.
It felt like reading a Phantom fanfiction in the best way possible. Though I don’t subscribe to the Love Never Dies cannon, I would happily read a sequel. Can’t wait to grab my copy of OSD when it comes out!
If you know me, then you know how much I love Phantom of the Opera (in all its forms—musical, movie, novel), so it should be no surprise that I downloaded this ARC as soon as it was available.
The prose was lush and extravagant, exactly what the story deserves. One of the main focuses of this adaptation was Christine’s agency, which felt successful without being forced or unnatural. I also liked how Raoul and Christine’s love story was given more care.
While I anticipate there will be discourse about the “lack” of deviation from the original story (musical/movie, less so novel), I personally thought it was a good balance of faithful interpretation. I would have found more issue with unnecessary additions than I do with the story following too closely. I could see specific scenes from the movie in my head and hear the songs while reading, which I thought was perfect.
It felt like reading a Phantom fanfiction in the best way possible. Though I don’t subscribe to the Love Never Dies cannon, I would happily read a sequel. Can’t wait to grab my copy of OSD when it comes out!
August 20, 2026
I’m feeling a little conflicted on my rating here because it was an easy 5 star right up until the literal epilogue in which it immediately lost a full star just for making me live with the implications of the words “beneath a moonless sky (if you know you know). But I’ve decided that’s not Erin Craig or this book’s fault so I’m not gonna hold it against it enough to fully lower my rating.
As someone who has been in love with Phantom of the Opera for over a decade– who once had a shrine to the musical in my room, who’s read the Leroux novel countless times and seen nearly every adaptation, who used to have a top 10 list of performers who’d played each character, who once performed the entire musical with my friend in her basement complete with costumes and backdrops to livestream on twitch, who has written Phantom fanfics that had hundreds of thousands of reads, who once ran an instagram account literally called “ourstrangeduet,” I feel uniquely qualified to review this book. I am so, so grateful to have been chosen to receive the arc from NetGalley.
Although this is certainly not the point of the book I want to say that Erin Craig understands the character of Raoul in a way that VERY FEW people do. I mean, in a way that I truly thought only me, my group chat, and one Mr. Jordan Donica did. I went into this book expecting to eye roll at the Raoul portrayal because he’s such a widely misunderstood character, but he was written perfectly, with every complex facet of who he is but the loving and heroic heart of gold at the center of it. As someone who has always loved Raoul, it made my heart so happy to see him handled with so much care when it would’ve been much easier to villainize him.
The portrayal of Erik in this book was also extremely spot on. Erik is a hard character to portray well– he’s extremely complex, and most people fall into the trap of leaning too far into either romanticizing him or villainizing him. The only proper way to pull him off is to land in the gray area in the middle, to use enough nuance that both things can be true at once. Erin Craig MASTERED this in this book. I spent so many moments thinking and feeling that he truly was just purely evil, in ways that weren’t even in the musical, but in the end– you really can’t hate him, can you? I often think back to Leroux’s words, “Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him?… Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera Ghost.” You just can’t help but love him and want to root for him, no matter how much he messes up. I really think Erik, when handled well, is one of the most complex and interesting characters ever written, and I loved getting to dive into that in this book, written by an author who clearly understands him.
And of course, the real star of the show, the reason for this book, is the ingenue herself, Christine Daaé. I have always, always adored Christine. Her strength is often overlooked, but she is really one of the strongest people, and she’s not a wide-eyed little damsel the way a lot of people seem to mischaracterize her. Christine is a character who demands agency over her own actions and her own life and gets what she wants. She’s a character with dreams and ambitions and a character who fights to make her own choices and I think it’s so beautiful. This book really leaned into that, taking the strength her character has always had and elevating it. My favorite thing about her though has always been her kindness. She’s kind in a way that IS her strength, not her weakness. She sees Erik for who and what he really is, and in the face of that, CHOOSES compassion for him anyway. Not fear, not hate, not blind devotion; compassion. I think she’s largely a very unique character in that aspect. To be blind to someone’s flaws and care for them because you’re choosing not to see them is one thing, but to face those flaws head on and stand your ground and care for them anyway is different, and it’s beautiful.
I also really appreciated the fact that this book shows Christine as a victim of grooming. I was really afraid the book was going to lean too much romanticizing the relationship between Christine and Erik– and it DOES, to an extent– but it really lets you see the effects of Erik’s grooming (and that’s what it is!! He pretends to be a literal angel sent to her by the father she’s grieving to get her to do what he wants!!! That’s literally grooming!) and how that is affecting her choices, her mind, her feelings. It does this in a way that doesn’t make her seem naive or unintelligent but just genuinely someone who’s been groomed. And even with that, still manages to keep her strength and her agency, which is the core of the story. It’s a very hard balance to write a character who is a victim of something like that but also someone who takes control over their own story, but it’s done perfectly here.
Genuinely, this was such a beautiful read and I think anyone who is a fan of Phantom of the Opera should pick it up once it releases. Particularly with the star studded cast of the audiobook– I’ll be giving that a listen even though I’ve already read the book, if for no other reason than to hear the incomparable Sierra Boggess as Carlotta (who had some absolutely beautiful moments in this book, surprisingly? I know Ms. Boggess is going to actually have me in tears in that audiobook).
I truly loved everything about this book right up till the epilogue, and again, that’s not the author or the book’s fault. It’s just the unfortunate state of the Phantom of the Opera canon, and I’ve been living with it for all these years, I can live with it now too.
If you love Phantom of the Opera, please give this a read. It’ll give you a beautiful new perspective on this beautiful, timeless classic.
Thank you once again to the NetGalley and the folks at Random House Children’s Books and Delacorte Press for allowing me the great privilege of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who has been in love with Phantom of the Opera for over a decade– who once had a shrine to the musical in my room, who’s read the Leroux novel countless times and seen nearly every adaptation, who used to have a top 10 list of performers who’d played each character, who once performed the entire musical with my friend in her basement complete with costumes and backdrops to livestream on twitch, who has written Phantom fanfics that had hundreds of thousands of reads, who once ran an instagram account literally called “ourstrangeduet,” I feel uniquely qualified to review this book. I am so, so grateful to have been chosen to receive the arc from NetGalley.
Although this is certainly not the point of the book I want to say that Erin Craig understands the character of Raoul in a way that VERY FEW people do. I mean, in a way that I truly thought only me, my group chat, and one Mr. Jordan Donica did. I went into this book expecting to eye roll at the Raoul portrayal because he’s such a widely misunderstood character, but he was written perfectly, with every complex facet of who he is but the loving and heroic heart of gold at the center of it. As someone who has always loved Raoul, it made my heart so happy to see him handled with so much care when it would’ve been much easier to villainize him.
The portrayal of Erik in this book was also extremely spot on. Erik is a hard character to portray well– he’s extremely complex, and most people fall into the trap of leaning too far into either romanticizing him or villainizing him. The only proper way to pull him off is to land in the gray area in the middle, to use enough nuance that both things can be true at once. Erin Craig MASTERED this in this book. I spent so many moments thinking and feeling that he truly was just purely evil, in ways that weren’t even in the musical, but in the end– you really can’t hate him, can you? I often think back to Leroux’s words, “Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him?… Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera Ghost.” You just can’t help but love him and want to root for him, no matter how much he messes up. I really think Erik, when handled well, is one of the most complex and interesting characters ever written, and I loved getting to dive into that in this book, written by an author who clearly understands him.
And of course, the real star of the show, the reason for this book, is the ingenue herself, Christine Daaé. I have always, always adored Christine. Her strength is often overlooked, but she is really one of the strongest people, and she’s not a wide-eyed little damsel the way a lot of people seem to mischaracterize her. Christine is a character who demands agency over her own actions and her own life and gets what she wants. She’s a character with dreams and ambitions and a character who fights to make her own choices and I think it’s so beautiful. This book really leaned into that, taking the strength her character has always had and elevating it. My favorite thing about her though has always been her kindness. She’s kind in a way that IS her strength, not her weakness. She sees Erik for who and what he really is, and in the face of that, CHOOSES compassion for him anyway. Not fear, not hate, not blind devotion; compassion. I think she’s largely a very unique character in that aspect. To be blind to someone’s flaws and care for them because you’re choosing not to see them is one thing, but to face those flaws head on and stand your ground and care for them anyway is different, and it’s beautiful.
I also really appreciated the fact that this book shows Christine as a victim of grooming. I was really afraid the book was going to lean too much romanticizing the relationship between Christine and Erik– and it DOES, to an extent– but it really lets you see the effects of Erik’s grooming (and that’s what it is!! He pretends to be a literal angel sent to her by the father she’s grieving to get her to do what he wants!!! That’s literally grooming!) and how that is affecting her choices, her mind, her feelings. It does this in a way that doesn’t make her seem naive or unintelligent but just genuinely someone who’s been groomed. And even with that, still manages to keep her strength and her agency, which is the core of the story. It’s a very hard balance to write a character who is a victim of something like that but also someone who takes control over their own story, but it’s done perfectly here.
Genuinely, this was such a beautiful read and I think anyone who is a fan of Phantom of the Opera should pick it up once it releases. Particularly with the star studded cast of the audiobook– I’ll be giving that a listen even though I’ve already read the book, if for no other reason than to hear the incomparable Sierra Boggess as Carlotta (who had some absolutely beautiful moments in this book, surprisingly? I know Ms. Boggess is going to actually have me in tears in that audiobook).
I truly loved everything about this book right up till the epilogue, and again, that’s not the author or the book’s fault. It’s just the unfortunate state of the Phantom of the Opera canon, and I’ve been living with it for all these years, I can live with it now too.
If you love Phantom of the Opera, please give this a read. It’ll give you a beautiful new perspective on this beautiful, timeless classic.
Thank you once again to the NetGalley and the folks at Random House Children’s Books and Delacorte Press for allowing me the great privilege of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Want to Read
November 10, 2025Oh my goodness this is so exciting! I loved every book I've read of Erin's so far, and Phantom of the Opera holds a special place in my soul. How lovely of a surprise!
Want to Read
August 4, 2026If Erin A Craig writes it, I shall read it
August 22, 2026
Overall Rating: 2 stars
Characters: 3 stars
Setting: 2.5 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Themes: 2 stars
Personal Enjoyment: 2 stars
Emotional Impact: 2 stars
Would I recommend this book? No
As a huge fan of the stage production and the 2004 Phantom of the Opera film, I was convinced this retelling was going to feel like it was made for me. I am so disappointed to report that I was wrong in that assumption. Though I pictured Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, and Patrick Wilson in my head for much of the book, even that could not keep me invested in this story.
Unfortunately, my biggest struggle with “Our Strange Duet” was the pacing. Too much time was spent on Christine's internal monologue and there were numerous scenes that didn't feel as though they advanced the plot in any meaningful way. Much of the new material also felt like filler between recognizable moments from the original story, which made it increasingly difficult for me to maintain interest. I found myself struggling to pick the book up, and by the final quarter, I was skimming simply to reach the conclusion.
The retelling itself was a mixed experience. The familiar pieces worked largely because I already loved the source material. The author successfully recreated or borrowed enough recognizable moments that I could easily picture the stage production and the 2004 film playing in my head as I read. Unfortunately, the adaptation felt strongest when it was leaning on the story I already loved, while the newly developed material wasn't compelling enough to make me invested in this particular interpretation of it.
The romance was similarly complicated for me. Christine and Raoul's lack of chemistry didn't necessarily bother me on its own, since the story clearly intends for their relationship to contrast sharply with Christine's connection to Erik. Raoul and Christine's history stems largely from a brief summer romance when they were teenagers, and their relationship felt appropriately surface-level as a result. The book was very clear about how differently Christine felt about Erik, describing the way he could set her aflame in a way Raoul never could. Their shared love of music, emotional intimacy, and Erik's intense obsession with Christine were all intended to create that sense of a powerful, almost consuming connection. I understood what the story was trying to establish, but unfortunately, knowing Christine was supposed to feel that intensity didn't always make me feel it alongside her.
I also struggled to connect with Christine as a character. At times, her decisions felt irrational, naive, or inconsistent, and while the story generally provided explanations for her motivations, I didn't always find those motivations emotionally convincing. I could understand why Christine was making a particular choice without necessarily understanding why she would feel compelled to make it, which made it difficult for me to be invested in her journey.
On a more positive note, I don't think the author's writing style itself was the issue for me. On a sentence-by-sentence level, I found the prose perfectly readable, and there were certainly moments where the writing was effective. My problem was that the storytelling never managed to hold my attention. I was rarely eager to find out what would happen next, rarely felt a sense of urgency, and ultimately found the reading experience much more of a chore than I had hoped.
By the time I reached the end, I felt both relieved and disappointed. Relieved to finally have reached the conclusion, but disappointed that so much of the story ultimately led to such a lackluster payoff. Most notably, Christine's ending did not feel particularly satisfying to me. Even while contemplating wedding flowers, she was still looking for Erik everywhere she went, which made it difficult to believe that she was genuinely content with the life she had chosen. Rather than feeling like a meaningful resolution to the emotional conflict at the heart of the story, the ending left me feeling that Christine was settling rather than finding happiness.
Ultimately, I think this book simply wasn't the Phantom retelling I was hoping it would be. There are elements here that I appreciated, particularly the recognizable moments from the original story and the author's ability to recreate some of that familiar atmosphere, but they weren't enough to overcome the pacing and characterization issues that made this such a difficult read for me. As someone who came into this with a deep love for the story and film that inspired it, I truly wanted to fall in love with this interpretation. Unfortunately, I spent far more time trying to get through it than enjoying the journey.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Special thanks to Random House, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing an eARC.
Characters: 3 stars
Setting: 2.5 stars
Plot: 3 stars
Themes: 2 stars
Personal Enjoyment: 2 stars
Emotional Impact: 2 stars
Would I recommend this book? No
As a huge fan of the stage production and the 2004 Phantom of the Opera film, I was convinced this retelling was going to feel like it was made for me. I am so disappointed to report that I was wrong in that assumption. Though I pictured Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, and Patrick Wilson in my head for much of the book, even that could not keep me invested in this story.
Unfortunately, my biggest struggle with “Our Strange Duet” was the pacing. Too much time was spent on Christine's internal monologue and there were numerous scenes that didn't feel as though they advanced the plot in any meaningful way. Much of the new material also felt like filler between recognizable moments from the original story, which made it increasingly difficult for me to maintain interest. I found myself struggling to pick the book up, and by the final quarter, I was skimming simply to reach the conclusion.
The retelling itself was a mixed experience. The familiar pieces worked largely because I already loved the source material. The author successfully recreated or borrowed enough recognizable moments that I could easily picture the stage production and the 2004 film playing in my head as I read. Unfortunately, the adaptation felt strongest when it was leaning on the story I already loved, while the newly developed material wasn't compelling enough to make me invested in this particular interpretation of it.
The romance was similarly complicated for me. Christine and Raoul's lack of chemistry didn't necessarily bother me on its own, since the story clearly intends for their relationship to contrast sharply with Christine's connection to Erik. Raoul and Christine's history stems largely from a brief summer romance when they were teenagers, and their relationship felt appropriately surface-level as a result. The book was very clear about how differently Christine felt about Erik, describing the way he could set her aflame in a way Raoul never could. Their shared love of music, emotional intimacy, and Erik's intense obsession with Christine were all intended to create that sense of a powerful, almost consuming connection. I understood what the story was trying to establish, but unfortunately, knowing Christine was supposed to feel that intensity didn't always make me feel it alongside her.
I also struggled to connect with Christine as a character. At times, her decisions felt irrational, naive, or inconsistent, and while the story generally provided explanations for her motivations, I didn't always find those motivations emotionally convincing. I could understand why Christine was making a particular choice without necessarily understanding why she would feel compelled to make it, which made it difficult for me to be invested in her journey.
On a more positive note, I don't think the author's writing style itself was the issue for me. On a sentence-by-sentence level, I found the prose perfectly readable, and there were certainly moments where the writing was effective. My problem was that the storytelling never managed to hold my attention. I was rarely eager to find out what would happen next, rarely felt a sense of urgency, and ultimately found the reading experience much more of a chore than I had hoped.
By the time I reached the end, I felt both relieved and disappointed. Relieved to finally have reached the conclusion, but disappointed that so much of the story ultimately led to such a lackluster payoff. Most notably, Christine's ending did not feel particularly satisfying to me. Even while contemplating wedding flowers, she was still looking for Erik everywhere she went, which made it difficult to believe that she was genuinely content with the life she had chosen. Rather than feeling like a meaningful resolution to the emotional conflict at the heart of the story, the ending left me feeling that Christine was settling rather than finding happiness.
Ultimately, I think this book simply wasn't the Phantom retelling I was hoping it would be. There are elements here that I appreciated, particularly the recognizable moments from the original story and the author's ability to recreate some of that familiar atmosphere, but they weren't enough to overcome the pacing and characterization issues that made this such a difficult read for me. As someone who came into this with a deep love for the story and film that inspired it, I truly wanted to fall in love with this interpretation. Unfortunately, I spent far more time trying to get through it than enjoying the journey.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Special thanks to Random House, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing an eARC.
May 18, 2026
My very first ARC! So glad I was able to snag a copy at BookCon.
If you love Phantom of the Opera, this is a must read. Even knowing the story I felt I couldn’t put it down as it was great to read from Christine’s POV.
If you love Phantom of the Opera, this is a must read. Even knowing the story I felt I couldn’t put it down as it was great to read from Christine’s POV.
July 17, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, which I was so excited for!
Unfortunately, the way this book is being marketed is doing it a huge disservice. Our Strange Duet is billed as a reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera from Christine’s perspective, except it’s actually just the musical in written form. If you’ve already seen The Phantom of the Opera, there’s no need to read this book. You already know the entire story. There’s nothing reimagined about it except for a little more (incredibly dull) backstory on Christine. But even those things are things that are already hinted at in the musical.
It’s also not nearly as compelling as the stage show. It’s categorized as YA but the writing level feels middle grade and frankly I was bored. I’m so so bummed because I thought this had so much potential based on how it was described. Feels like a big bait and switch.
Unfortunately, the way this book is being marketed is doing it a huge disservice. Our Strange Duet is billed as a reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera from Christine’s perspective, except it’s actually just the musical in written form. If you’ve already seen The Phantom of the Opera, there’s no need to read this book. You already know the entire story. There’s nothing reimagined about it except for a little more (incredibly dull) backstory on Christine. But even those things are things that are already hinted at in the musical.
It’s also not nearly as compelling as the stage show. It’s categorized as YA but the writing level feels middle grade and frankly I was bored. I’m so so bummed because I thought this had so much potential based on how it was described. Feels like a big bait and switch.
June 27, 2026
I normally love Erin Craig’s books but this one just fell flat for me. Of course it’s a good plot(phantom of the opera) but the characters just felt a bit whiny and I really didn’t feel drawn to either of the two male protagonists. Christine constantly felt uncertain and it’s understandable since she’s going through turmoil and change but instead of feeling some yearning,angst, frustration on her end it just felt a bit pathetic. It seemed a bit harder to empathize with her character. Overall it had the makings to be a fantastic retelling but I just didn’t love it.
August 20, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with an advance reader copy of Our Strange Duet in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to love A Strange Duet. As someone who has loved The Phantom of the Opera across multiple adaptations, the promise of experiencing this familiar story through Christine Daaé’s perspective immediately caught my attention. And for roughly the first 40-45% of the novel, I thought it was going to deliver exactly what I had hoped for.
The story was familiar, certainly, but familiar wasn’t a problem. There were enough changes, additions, and new character interactions to make the retelling feel promising. The atmosphere felt appropriately Gothic, and I enjoyed watching Christine navigate a story I already knew from a perspective that had historically been given far less attention than the men surrounding her.
Unfortunately, somewhere around the 45% mark, my experience began to change.
For much of the middle of the novel, the similarities to the 2004 film became so pronounced that I increasingly felt as though I were reading a novelization of that adaptation rather than a retelling substantially transformed by Christine’s perspective. There were still additions I enjoyed, particularly the expanded role given to Meg, but they weren’t enough to sustain my earlier investment. By roughly two-thirds of the way through, I was no longer reading because I was eager to discover what came next. I was reading because I wanted to finish.
This may affect readers very differently depending on their familiarity with Phantom. Someone encountering this story for the first time, or with only passing familiarity with it, may have an entirely different experience. The prose is strong, the story itself remains compelling, and many of the familiar revelations will actually be revelations. My disappointment came largely from approaching this specifically as a longtime Phantom fan excited by the possibilities of a Christine-centered retelling.
What made that disappointment particularly frustrating was that the final portion of the novel demonstrated just how effective that perspective could be.
Some of the strongest character work appears very late in the story. Christine begins interrogating not only Erik’s behavior but her own complicated feelings toward him. Her attraction is allowed to exist separately from her willingness to accept his actions. Her relationship with him as an artist and teacher gains greater complexity. She begins more seriously examining manipulation, consent, choice, and what it means to possess a voice while other people continually attempt to determine how that voice should be used.
There is also some wonderful late character work involving Carlotta and the realities of aging as a woman in the performing arts. Meg remained one of the additions I most enjoyed, particularly because her friendship with Christine offered a relationship in Christine’s life that was not built around romantic desire.
For a brief stretch near the end, I felt I was finally reading the Christine-centered retelling I had been waiting for.
And, unfortunately, that made the preceding portion of the novel more disappointing rather than less. I could suddenly see how much depth Christine’s perspective was capable of adding to this familiar story, and I wished that same level of introspection and character development had been present throughout.
The final pages ultimately left me even more conflicted. So much of the novel discusses Christine’s agency and her desire to make choices for herself, yet I never felt the story explored her identity outside Erik and Raoul as deeply as its themes seemed to invite. Romance and female agency are certainly not mutually exclusive, nor do I believe Christine choosing love or marriage inherently diminishes her independence. My frustration was that so much of her internal journey continued to revolve around which man she loved and which man she would choose.
For a story about a woman finding her voice, I wanted to know more about what Christine had to say when neither man was the subject.
That became especially difficult for me in the closing pages. Just as I felt Christine had begun developing a stronger sense of herself, the ending returned the narrative once again to the romantic triangle. Rather than leaving me excited about what might happen next, it made much of the growth I had finally seen in Christine feel frustratingly unsettled.
And perhaps that’s ultimately the best way I can describe my experience with A Strange Duet: technically good, emotionally disappointing.
This is not a poorly written novel. Quite the opposite. The prose is often beautiful, the source material is treated with clear affection, and there are moments of genuinely thoughtful characterization. I can easily imagine readers less familiar with The Phantom of the Opera, particularly the 2004 adaptation, enjoying this considerably more than I did.
But a retelling through Christine’s eyes made me hope that seeing the story through her perspective would fundamentally change my understanding of the woman at its center. Instead, too often I felt that I was experiencing a story I already knew with Christine serving as its narrator rather than truly discovering Christine herself. That being said, I can recognize the quality of the writing even while acknowledging how disappointed I was by the reading experience.
Christine was finally given the narration. I only wish she’d been given more of a voice.
I wanted to love A Strange Duet. As someone who has loved The Phantom of the Opera across multiple adaptations, the promise of experiencing this familiar story through Christine Daaé’s perspective immediately caught my attention. And for roughly the first 40-45% of the novel, I thought it was going to deliver exactly what I had hoped for.
The story was familiar, certainly, but familiar wasn’t a problem. There were enough changes, additions, and new character interactions to make the retelling feel promising. The atmosphere felt appropriately Gothic, and I enjoyed watching Christine navigate a story I already knew from a perspective that had historically been given far less attention than the men surrounding her.
Unfortunately, somewhere around the 45% mark, my experience began to change.
For much of the middle of the novel, the similarities to the 2004 film became so pronounced that I increasingly felt as though I were reading a novelization of that adaptation rather than a retelling substantially transformed by Christine’s perspective. There were still additions I enjoyed, particularly the expanded role given to Meg, but they weren’t enough to sustain my earlier investment. By roughly two-thirds of the way through, I was no longer reading because I was eager to discover what came next. I was reading because I wanted to finish.
This may affect readers very differently depending on their familiarity with Phantom. Someone encountering this story for the first time, or with only passing familiarity with it, may have an entirely different experience. The prose is strong, the story itself remains compelling, and many of the familiar revelations will actually be revelations. My disappointment came largely from approaching this specifically as a longtime Phantom fan excited by the possibilities of a Christine-centered retelling.
What made that disappointment particularly frustrating was that the final portion of the novel demonstrated just how effective that perspective could be.
Some of the strongest character work appears very late in the story. Christine begins interrogating not only Erik’s behavior but her own complicated feelings toward him. Her attraction is allowed to exist separately from her willingness to accept his actions. Her relationship with him as an artist and teacher gains greater complexity. She begins more seriously examining manipulation, consent, choice, and what it means to possess a voice while other people continually attempt to determine how that voice should be used.
There is also some wonderful late character work involving Carlotta and the realities of aging as a woman in the performing arts. Meg remained one of the additions I most enjoyed, particularly because her friendship with Christine offered a relationship in Christine’s life that was not built around romantic desire.
For a brief stretch near the end, I felt I was finally reading the Christine-centered retelling I had been waiting for.
And, unfortunately, that made the preceding portion of the novel more disappointing rather than less. I could suddenly see how much depth Christine’s perspective was capable of adding to this familiar story, and I wished that same level of introspection and character development had been present throughout.
The final pages ultimately left me even more conflicted. So much of the novel discusses Christine’s agency and her desire to make choices for herself, yet I never felt the story explored her identity outside Erik and Raoul as deeply as its themes seemed to invite. Romance and female agency are certainly not mutually exclusive, nor do I believe Christine choosing love or marriage inherently diminishes her independence. My frustration was that so much of her internal journey continued to revolve around which man she loved and which man she would choose.
For a story about a woman finding her voice, I wanted to know more about what Christine had to say when neither man was the subject.
That became especially difficult for me in the closing pages. Just as I felt Christine had begun developing a stronger sense of herself, the ending returned the narrative once again to the romantic triangle. Rather than leaving me excited about what might happen next, it made much of the growth I had finally seen in Christine feel frustratingly unsettled.
And perhaps that’s ultimately the best way I can describe my experience with A Strange Duet: technically good, emotionally disappointing.
This is not a poorly written novel. Quite the opposite. The prose is often beautiful, the source material is treated with clear affection, and there are moments of genuinely thoughtful characterization. I can easily imagine readers less familiar with The Phantom of the Opera, particularly the 2004 adaptation, enjoying this considerably more than I did.
But a retelling through Christine’s eyes made me hope that seeing the story through her perspective would fundamentally change my understanding of the woman at its center. Instead, too often I felt that I was experiencing a story I already knew with Christine serving as its narrator rather than truly discovering Christine herself. That being said, I can recognize the quality of the writing even while acknowledging how disappointed I was by the reading experience.
Christine was finally given the narration. I only wish she’d been given more of a voice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2026
I want to thank Netgalley for letting me receive an ARC. When I heard about this book, I was excited to read a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. However, I will sadly be DNFing this book. I am sad that it has come to this, but I simply do not want to continue this book. However, there are positivities to this as well.
First off, the prose was not bad in a sense. This is my first book by this author so I’m a little disappointed; but the prose wasn’t bad or anything like that. I absolutely loved the idea of being back in this world since I am a fan of the first PotO. The book’s title, cover, and sprayed edges along with the book art that is on the end pages are absolutely STUNNING. That is what drew me in. I also enjoyed some the new moments in the story (up to the point of where I read). I also enjoyed the fact that the author just simply wrote the singing/dialogue moments as DIALOGUE, and not simply outlining as a song unless the characters were actually at the opera.
Now, for my cons: this book is pretty much just like the movie or play. I know…shocking…but I was thinking since it was a retelling, I thought it would be a little bit different but kept the main idea of the story. I have seen multiple reviews that this is basically the play/movie in book form. However, there were some moments that were new that I enjoyed. Next, the characters felt totally different from what I remember. In my humble opinion, retellings still follow the integrity of the original source material. I think the author brought in some elements from Love Never Dies (and I’m not the hugest fan of that sequel). I also came across a review that discussed the ending, and I was very disappointed honestly. I skimmed and saw what they were talking about, and I was a little confused and surprised. I also think that the pacing was a little different too.
However, yeah. I sadly DNF’d this book. There some good elements but then some so/so and not my favorite.
First off, the prose was not bad in a sense. This is my first book by this author so I’m a little disappointed; but the prose wasn’t bad or anything like that. I absolutely loved the idea of being back in this world since I am a fan of the first PotO. The book’s title, cover, and sprayed edges along with the book art that is on the end pages are absolutely STUNNING. That is what drew me in. I also enjoyed some the new moments in the story (up to the point of where I read). I also enjoyed the fact that the author just simply wrote the singing/dialogue moments as DIALOGUE, and not simply outlining as a song unless the characters were actually at the opera.
Now, for my cons: this book is pretty much just like the movie or play. I know…shocking…but I was thinking since it was a retelling, I thought it would be a little bit different but kept the main idea of the story. I have seen multiple reviews that this is basically the play/movie in book form. However, there were some moments that were new that I enjoyed. Next, the characters felt totally different from what I remember. In my humble opinion, retellings still follow the integrity of the original source material. I think the author brought in some elements from Love Never Dies (and I’m not the hugest fan of that sequel). I also came across a review that discussed the ending, and I was very disappointed honestly. I skimmed and saw what they were talking about, and I was a little confused and surprised. I also think that the pacing was a little different too.
However, yeah. I sadly DNF’d this book. There some good elements but then some so/so and not my favorite.
August 18, 2026
If you thought Love Never Dies was good, you’ll probably like this.
What was the point of this? It’s a novel based on a musical that’s based on a novel, and doesn’t come close to the magic and mystery of either. I am perhaps overqualified to review this, given a long history with Phantom adaptations (to include multiple books, movies, and the musical).
The author does little to distinguish this novelization from the musical, indeed even including MANY lyrics from the show as lyrics in the book, or adapted into dialogue. The plot follows the musical almost exactly, with only a few additions, and no deviations.
This centers Christine’s emotional journey in that it is written in first person from Christine’s point of view, but has little to add or say to the original narrative. I think the musical does a decent job to begin with, and there was nothing particularly surprising here.
There was a decent moment with Carlotta toward the end, and I enjoyed Christine’s moments with Raoul that were additives to the story. However, the retelling element fell flat for me. It would have been better had the author changed elements and told a new story.
Honestly, just go watch the musical.
My thanks to the author, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.
What was the point of this? It’s a novel based on a musical that’s based on a novel, and doesn’t come close to the magic and mystery of either. I am perhaps overqualified to review this, given a long history with Phantom adaptations (to include multiple books, movies, and the musical).
The author does little to distinguish this novelization from the musical, indeed even including MANY lyrics from the show as lyrics in the book, or adapted into dialogue. The plot follows the musical almost exactly, with only a few additions, and no deviations.
This centers Christine’s emotional journey in that it is written in first person from Christine’s point of view, but has little to add or say to the original narrative. I think the musical does a decent job to begin with, and there was nothing particularly surprising here.
There was a decent moment with Carlotta toward the end, and I enjoyed Christine’s moments with Raoul that were additives to the story. However, the retelling element fell flat for me. It would have been better had the author changed elements and told a new story.
Honestly, just go watch the musical.
My thanks to the author, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.
July 22, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
As a huge Phantom of the Opera fan, I was super excited to see this pop up and even more excited when I saw it was by an author I really like. However, while I did enjoy parts of this, overall it fell a little flat for me. I think the problem is I went in expecting something different or fresh, but this is really just the musical/movie told from Christine's perspective. Basically the movie in novel form, with a few extra Christine scenes written in. I did love how the author painted the atmosphere, and all of the gothic imagery. What continually kept pulling me out of the story, though, was the dialogue. A lot of it is directly quoted from the movie but it doesn't have the same effect without the music behind it. It felt a little stilted and awkward at times, because unless someone is singing the line, it really sounds silly (ex: "you will curse the day you did not do all that the phantom asked of you" is a mouthful when it's just being spoken at you). And it really made me feel bad for Raoul. I mean we know from the musical that she has a unique and complicated relationship with the phantom but reading all her internal dialogue took a lot of the mystery and thrill out of it. It's a toxic relationship, absolutely, but in the musical it feels very dark and forbidden and alluring. I just felt the toxicity here. Christine seemed much more on the fence than I originally considered her, and overly forgiving of him because he was her 'angel'. Meanwhile, here's Raoul ready to give you the world. And he doesn't even live in a cave! Girl wanted her cake and to eat it too. Still an interesting read and one I would recommend to super fans!
As a huge Phantom of the Opera fan, I was super excited to see this pop up and even more excited when I saw it was by an author I really like. However, while I did enjoy parts of this, overall it fell a little flat for me. I think the problem is I went in expecting something different or fresh, but this is really just the musical/movie told from Christine's perspective. Basically the movie in novel form, with a few extra Christine scenes written in. I did love how the author painted the atmosphere, and all of the gothic imagery. What continually kept pulling me out of the story, though, was the dialogue. A lot of it is directly quoted from the movie but it doesn't have the same effect without the music behind it. It felt a little stilted and awkward at times, because unless someone is singing the line, it really sounds silly (ex: "you will curse the day you did not do all that the phantom asked of you" is a mouthful when it's just being spoken at you). And it really made me feel bad for Raoul. I mean we know from the musical that she has a unique and complicated relationship with the phantom but reading all her internal dialogue took a lot of the mystery and thrill out of it. It's a toxic relationship, absolutely, but in the musical it feels very dark and forbidden and alluring. I just felt the toxicity here. Christine seemed much more on the fence than I originally considered her, and overly forgiving of him because he was her 'angel'. Meanwhile, here's Raoul ready to give you the world. And he doesn't even live in a cave! Girl wanted her cake and to eat it too. Still an interesting read and one I would recommend to super fans!
Did Not Finish
August 24, 2026Thank you to Random House Children's Books and NetGalley for the ARC!
About four years ago, I read The Phantom of the Opera. I loved the premise and the atmosphere, but the book itself just didn't click with me. So when I saw what Erin’s new release was about, I wanted to get my hands on it right away!
But alas, as soon as the phantom showed up and started interacting with the fmc, I lost all interest. Yes, it was beautifully written, with rich details and haunting descriptions of the music.
I really tried to push through, but I just couldn't... This book was definitely not for me. The fmc annoyed me, and the phantom storyline was so irritating that it felt a bit repulsive to me. I simply couldn't force myself to finish it.
About four years ago, I read The Phantom of the Opera. I loved the premise and the atmosphere, but the book itself just didn't click with me. So when I saw what Erin’s new release was about, I wanted to get my hands on it right away!
But alas, as soon as the phantom showed up and started interacting with the fmc, I lost all interest. Yes, it was beautifully written, with rich details and haunting descriptions of the music.
I really tried to push through, but I just couldn't... This book was definitely not for me. The fmc annoyed me, and the phantom storyline was so irritating that it felt a bit repulsive to me. I simply couldn't force myself to finish it.
July 30, 2026
Review of ARC provided through NetGalley
As a lifelong fan of Webber’s Phantom of Opera, this book was treat. I loved the incorporation of the lyrics, and found myself singing along as I read. I appreciated the treatment of Christine and the Phantom’s relationship, showing how her feelings were conflicted—caring for him but also recognizing, and fearing, his darkness. It was fun having the “intermission” story of Christine and Raoul in Deauville and their engagement. The one thing I wished we had gotten was to bring the prologue story back around for some closure there. I would reccomend this for older teens as there is some suggestive language regarding desire, but it’s fairly mild not inappropriate for the YA category. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.
As a lifelong fan of Webber’s Phantom of Opera, this book was treat. I loved the incorporation of the lyrics, and found myself singing along as I read. I appreciated the treatment of Christine and the Phantom’s relationship, showing how her feelings were conflicted—caring for him but also recognizing, and fearing, his darkness. It was fun having the “intermission” story of Christine and Raoul in Deauville and their engagement. The one thing I wished we had gotten was to bring the prologue story back around for some closure there. I would reccomend this for older teens as there is some suggestive language regarding desire, but it’s fairly mild not inappropriate for the YA category. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.
August 6, 2026
AHHHHHHHHHH *haunting pipe organ playing* AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
4.5🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
Erin Craig, what a wonder you are. I’m obsessed, as always. Our Strange Duet carries all the hallmarks of Craig’s enchanting and unsettling writing, combined with her incredible ability to craft a delicious gothic atmosphere. Christine Daaé is a character you can relate to and a young woman you want to root for. This story is a beautiful depiction of girlhood and growing up, themes that most may not attribute to the Phantom of the Opera. As a fan of the musical, this book weaves in all the magic that makes the show adored worldwide. Erin Craig pays homage to all that makes Phantom the unique and captivating story audiences crave while also providing a new take on the beloved tale. I truly believe no author could have been a better choice to bring this story to life!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the lovely people at Net Galley, Random House Children’s Books, and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this early!!!
4.5🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
Erin Craig, what a wonder you are. I’m obsessed, as always. Our Strange Duet carries all the hallmarks of Craig’s enchanting and unsettling writing, combined with her incredible ability to craft a delicious gothic atmosphere. Christine Daaé is a character you can relate to and a young woman you want to root for. This story is a beautiful depiction of girlhood and growing up, themes that most may not attribute to the Phantom of the Opera. As a fan of the musical, this book weaves in all the magic that makes the show adored worldwide. Erin Craig pays homage to all that makes Phantom the unique and captivating story audiences crave while also providing a new take on the beloved tale. I truly believe no author could have been a better choice to bring this story to life!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the lovely people at Net Galley, Random House Children’s Books, and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this early!!!
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