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Our Strange Duet: The timeless gothic romance reimagined - from the bestselling author
Christine Daaé. Her Voice. Her Story. As it's never been told before.
Our Strange Duet is a reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, told through the eyes of 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.
She was never just the voice he shaped . . .
A rising soprano with a gift she is only just learning to embrace, Christine Daaé has moved through the glittering world of the Opera Populaire longing to find her purpose. Instead, she finds herself caught between two men who refuse to let her slip quietly into the chorus.
One is Raoul, her childhood friend turned devoted admirer, offering her a future filled with warmth, safety, and a love that feels like sunlight. The other is a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the opera The Phantom. His brilliance, obsession, and dangerous devotion to nurturing Christine’s talents ignites a dark and complicated passion in her heart. As Christine’s star ascends, so does the tension between Raoul and the Phantom. She must decide who she is when the curtain falls – and what she’s willing to risk for the life she wants.
Set against the haunting, romantic world of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, Our Strange Duet allows Christine Daaé to take centre stage to tell her own story.
Erin A. Craig 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Our Strange Duet is a reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, told through the eyes of 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.
She was never just the voice he shaped . . .
A rising soprano with a gift she is only just learning to embrace, Christine Daaé has moved through the glittering world of the Opera Populaire longing to find her purpose. Instead, she finds herself caught between two men who refuse to let her slip quietly into the chorus.
One is Raoul, her childhood friend turned devoted admirer, offering her a future filled with warmth, safety, and a love that feels like sunlight. The other is a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the opera The Phantom. His brilliance, obsession, and dangerous devotion to nurturing Christine’s talents ignites a dark and complicated passion in her heart. As Christine’s star ascends, so does the tension between Raoul and the Phantom. She must decide who she is when the curtain falls – and what she’s willing to risk for the life she wants.
Set against the haunting, romantic world of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, Our Strange Duet allows Christine Daaé to take centre stage to tell her own story.
Erin A. Craig 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Audible Audio
First published September 1, 2026
About the author
Erin A. Craig
10 books7,551 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 532 reviews
November 10, 2025
Wildly excited to welcome you all to the Opera Populaire… it’s stranger than you remember it……
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.
EDIT: Seeing more reviews about how accurate this is to the stage show is taking me out. Did we even see the same show? Stop. You know damn well Raoul was told the backstory by Madame Giry and not Christine. Also, Christine clearly saw the Phantom hang Joseph Buquet. Lets not whitewash his character just to get him to end up with Christine.
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.
EDIT: Seeing more reviews about how accurate this is to the stage show is taking me out. Did we even see the same show? Stop. You know damn well Raoul was told the backstory by Madame Giry and not Christine. Also, Christine clearly saw the Phantom hang Joseph Buquet. Lets not whitewash his character just to get him to end up with Christine.
July 27, 2026
*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review!*
Rtc...
A Phantom of the Opera reimagining by Erin A. Craig... and I already have an advanced copy? This has to be a dream.
Rtc...
A Phantom of the Opera reimagining by Erin A. Craig... and I already have an advanced copy? This has to be a dream.
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 Edelweiss+
*Review to come*
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.
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!!
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.
Want to Read
March 29, 2026ahh so very excited about this 🥀
Want to Read
May 9, 2026Just inject it into my veinsssss
September 10, 2026
stop trying to make Love Never Dies happen!!!!!
(does this book canonize the fact that the phantom drinks black drip coffee? in Paris in the 1800s?)
(does this book canonize the fact that the phantom drinks black drip coffee? in Paris in the 1800s?)
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!
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!
September 16, 2026
Absolutely obsessed with this one on audio! Phantom of the Opera was my first Broadway show experience as a teenager, and this did not disappoint. I LOVED the deep dive into Christine’s psyche by getting to hear HER voice in it. The audiobook production is amazing-it’s a full cast performance with music included and I truly feel like this book should be experienced this way by everyone. If you love Phantom, you need this. If you love immersive audiobook productions but haven’t seen Phantom, go read a synopsis of Phantom and THEN listen to this. So good!
Want to Read
September 18, 2026I looooooooooooove phantom of the opera and I saw this in the story and then the pretty drawings and I had to 😩
September 4, 2026
This is a MUST read for Phantom fans. This was so good I stayed up until 3 reading it and I’ve missed unputdownable books like that! As someone who’s read basically everything Erin has written (I love her brand of dark fairytales) I knew she was perfect for writing Christine’s story. This perfectly captures Christine’s naivety, her innocence, her goodness, her softer and more understated type of strength.
I mean, I have my hyperfixation characters that I don’t stray from. Namely characters I feel like I can relate to. Snow White, Juliet Capulet, Winnie Foster, and yes, Christine Daae. These four characters are somewhat similar, in that they all radiate gentleness, naivety, sweetness, and youthful innocence. And this book brought to life Christine’s persona very well. It felt very much true to her.
I went into this thinking this would make it clear that Love Never Dies is canon in this book’s universe (based on other reviews I read) but after reading the ending, now I’m not so sure. I hope it’s not. Because that would be super depressing. Anyways.
This book makes you feel the same way the play does. The tone, the atmosphere, it’s all so true to the play. Erin captured Phantom’s aesthetic perfectly. I loved getting to know one of my hyperfixation characters even better. I want mooooooore
September 5, 2026
I am really struggling with how to rate this one...
The audiobook was amazing. I loved the full audio production, especially having the songs playing in the background while listening. It really made the experience feel special.
However, I have seen the movie and the stage musical many, many times, and I went into this expecting a retelling with different twists and a fun new take on a story I already love. Unfortunately, I just don't feel like this added anything new for me.
I think Craig is extremely talented, and I have really enjoyed her other books, which is probably why I feel so torn about this one. I wanted to love it more than I did.
3 stars
The audiobook was amazing. I loved the full audio production, especially having the songs playing in the background while listening. It really made the experience feel special.
However, I have seen the movie and the stage musical many, many times, and I went into this expecting a retelling with different twists and a fun new take on a story I already love. Unfortunately, I just don't feel like this added anything new for me.
I think Craig is extremely talented, and I have really enjoyed her other books, which is probably why I feel so torn about this one. I wanted to love it more than I did.
3 stars
June 8, 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.
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.
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.
September 5, 2026
Agh! This is my lowest rated Erin A. Craig and this being 3 stars devastates me.
I have been a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (2004) movie adaption with Gerald Butler for a large portion of my life. I have loved Erin A. Craig's stories since I first read House of Salt and Sorrows in 2021. I own every book with multiple editions.
So imagine my heartache when I got the e-ARC for Our Strange Duet, the book that on paper is 1000% perfect for me, and I struggled to get through the first 50 pages. Craig can write gothic atmosphere like no other and yet I was left wanting more. This particular retelling was said to give Christine Daae her strong feminist story of choice and sadly that was not this story. Christine was equally naive and lacked depth beyond her grief for her father.
Do NOT get me started on these MEN. I have never hated the Phantom more in any piece of media. He was toxic and not in a charming dark romance type of way, just icky every time he was on the page I was annoyed Christine was even the slightest bit into him.
Now for some positives. The audiobook. If you are not an already established Phantom of the Opera fan either from the soundtrack or the movie or the musical production itself, then the audiobook is the way to read this. Even if you are a fan I would still highly recommend this way of reading. When I was reading the e-ARC I struggled picking it up because my thoughts the whole time were "I could just watch the movie instead" because I was lacking enough changes or additions to make this story unique. Once I got the audiobook from Libby on release day, MILES BETTER of an experience. Full cast, sound effects, SINGING the lines. It was a treat to listen to and made me feel less anger while tandem reading.
I enjoyed the scenes we got with Raoul and the Moulin Rouge. I wish we got better for Meg and honestly all of the characters. I hate to say this book disappointed me but I think I went in with such high expectations that I was of course going to be let down by an official retelling authorized by Webber because there's no way Craig could write whatever into this, it had to be approved and follow the cannon events of the musical and it's sequel Love Never Dies which is certainly a choice.
Plenty of readers are going to enjoy this, pick up the audiobook and let the music of the night carry you through your evenings. Now, I must watch the movie to satisfy my soul and move on from this tale that I am sure in a few months time I will remember more fondly than I do in this moment.
I have been a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (2004) movie adaption with Gerald Butler for a large portion of my life. I have loved Erin A. Craig's stories since I first read House of Salt and Sorrows in 2021. I own every book with multiple editions.
So imagine my heartache when I got the e-ARC for Our Strange Duet, the book that on paper is 1000% perfect for me, and I struggled to get through the first 50 pages. Craig can write gothic atmosphere like no other and yet I was left wanting more. This particular retelling was said to give Christine Daae her strong feminist story of choice and sadly that was not this story. Christine was equally naive and lacked depth beyond her grief for her father.
Do NOT get me started on these MEN. I have never hated the Phantom more in any piece of media. He was toxic and not in a charming dark romance type of way, just icky every time he was on the page I was annoyed Christine was even the slightest bit into him.
Now for some positives. The audiobook. If you are not an already established Phantom of the Opera fan either from the soundtrack or the movie or the musical production itself, then the audiobook is the way to read this. Even if you are a fan I would still highly recommend this way of reading. When I was reading the e-ARC I struggled picking it up because my thoughts the whole time were "I could just watch the movie instead" because I was lacking enough changes or additions to make this story unique. Once I got the audiobook from Libby on release day, MILES BETTER of an experience. Full cast, sound effects, SINGING the lines. It was a treat to listen to and made me feel less anger while tandem reading.
I enjoyed the scenes we got with Raoul and the Moulin Rouge. I wish we got better for Meg and honestly all of the characters. I hate to say this book disappointed me but I think I went in with such high expectations that I was of course going to be let down by an official retelling authorized by Webber because there's no way Craig could write whatever into this, it had to be approved and follow the cannon events of the musical and it's sequel Love Never Dies which is certainly a choice.
Plenty of readers are going to enjoy this, pick up the audiobook and let the music of the night carry you through your evenings. Now, I must watch the movie to satisfy my soul and move on from this tale that I am sure in a few months time I will remember more fondly than I do in this moment.
Currently Reading
September 22, 2026💌 — pre-read .ᐟ ⌗
𐔌 ♯┆9.21.26
⤷ happy fall yall!! so happy to be reading this and its out now! thank you underlined 🤞 i def wanna try the movie that this is based off of! (phantom of the opera)
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.
September 8, 2026
3.5⭐️!! phantom of the opera is my favorite story of all time so i was super excited for this one…but unfortunately this book let me down. first, the audiobook was PHENOMENAL!! we get background sounds, sound effects, music both instrumental and sung, and the cast is perfect! it was amazing and gave me chills however i had to keep switching from 1.5x speed during talking scenes and 1x speed when music played (bc the talking at 1x speed was way too slow and drawn out) which took away from my enjoyment.
i love the idea of a book in christine’s pov however i think the changes that had to be made to make christine’s pov work took away from the story. there was a lot of telling and not showing because we couldn’t be in a room christine wasn’t in. some of the new scenes added depth to moments i never thought much about which was so interesting but other added scenes, again, took away from the story and changed it in ways that i didn’t like. a lot of the story of phantom of the opera is open to interpretation and unfortunately i didn’t love the author’s interpretation.
although the included music added to each scene, the moments without the songs took away from the scenes. the music in phantom of the opera adds so much passion and emotion so without that, i felt a lack of passion and emotion in christine’s pov and the dialogue. i honestly struggled to understand christine’s feelings towards erik and raoul in this version.
i wanted to love this because of how much phantom of the opera means to me but sadly this did let me down and didn’t do the story justice in my opinion
i love the idea of a book in christine’s pov however i think the changes that had to be made to make christine’s pov work took away from the story. there was a lot of telling and not showing because we couldn’t be in a room christine wasn’t in. some of the new scenes added depth to moments i never thought much about which was so interesting but other added scenes, again, took away from the story and changed it in ways that i didn’t like. a lot of the story of phantom of the opera is open to interpretation and unfortunately i didn’t love the author’s interpretation.
although the included music added to each scene, the moments without the songs took away from the scenes. the music in phantom of the opera adds so much passion and emotion so without that, i felt a lack of passion and emotion in christine’s pov and the dialogue. i honestly struggled to understand christine’s feelings towards erik and raoul in this version.
i wanted to love this because of how much phantom of the opera means to me but sadly this did let me down and didn’t do the story justice in my opinion
September 9, 2026
Thank you @delacortepress for the gifted copy of this book! After reading a couple of reviews, I decided to grab the audio off of @libby.app (I was the first one 🙌🏻) and I am SO glad I did!
You guys. If you are a musical theater nerd at all or have any positive feelings towards Phantom of the Opera, I need you to prioritize this book immediately! I adore musical theater, but I have admittedly never seen Phantom on the stage—only the movie. So I am by no means an authority on the story; it’s actually been more years than I can count since I’ve watched the movie.
But when I say this might be my favorite audiobook I’ve EVER listened to out of hundreds…yeah, I really think even people who swear up and down they can’t do audiobooks would enjoy this! Not only is it a full cast audio full of sound effects, but the voice actors are literally musical theater stars who have played these characters on stage! Epic doesn’t begin to describe it.
These beloved songs are included in the audiobook, and I’ve had them stuck in my head for days. I honestly had forgotten how much I love this story, and I truly LOVED this YA take on it. Told from Christine’s perspective, it was refreshing to be in her head and experience her thoughts, reactions, emotions, and reasonings for some decisions that without such insight feel…questionable.
This story was so easy to follow even if you aren’t familiar with the original, so if this is new to you and you’ve been wanting to jump in, this is a great place to start. I’m sure some POTO purists might take issue with certain details, but the casual fan will really love the added depth and context to the story. It was really such a joy to be back in this lyrical world again after a long time away, and the audiobook completely swept me away. I plan on listening to it again…soon. It’s its own work of art in addition to the book itself.
So OBVIOUSLY I hiiiiiighly recommend the audiobook, but I think a tandem read would be really fun too! This is not one to miss!
You guys. If you are a musical theater nerd at all or have any positive feelings towards Phantom of the Opera, I need you to prioritize this book immediately! I adore musical theater, but I have admittedly never seen Phantom on the stage—only the movie. So I am by no means an authority on the story; it’s actually been more years than I can count since I’ve watched the movie.
But when I say this might be my favorite audiobook I’ve EVER listened to out of hundreds…yeah, I really think even people who swear up and down they can’t do audiobooks would enjoy this! Not only is it a full cast audio full of sound effects, but the voice actors are literally musical theater stars who have played these characters on stage! Epic doesn’t begin to describe it.
These beloved songs are included in the audiobook, and I’ve had them stuck in my head for days. I honestly had forgotten how much I love this story, and I truly LOVED this YA take on it. Told from Christine’s perspective, it was refreshing to be in her head and experience her thoughts, reactions, emotions, and reasonings for some decisions that without such insight feel…questionable.
This story was so easy to follow even if you aren’t familiar with the original, so if this is new to you and you’ve been wanting to jump in, this is a great place to start. I’m sure some POTO purists might take issue with certain details, but the casual fan will really love the added depth and context to the story. It was really such a joy to be back in this lyrical world again after a long time away, and the audiobook completely swept me away. I plan on listening to it again…soon. It’s its own work of art in addition to the book itself.
So OBVIOUSLY I hiiiiiighly recommend the audiobook, but I think a tandem read would be really fun too! This is not one to miss!
September 15, 2026
THIS AUDIOBOOK!! MASTERPIECE! A full cast of Broadway and West End talent along with performances and the score?? UGH BEAUTIFUL! i can’t recommend listening enough.
I was surprised at just how closely this book followed the story of the Phantom of the opera. Maybe I went in with the wrong expectations, but a “reimagining” led me to believe it would be more loosely inspired rather than almost completely retelling the story, but from Christine‘s point of view. because of this, I am not quite sure how to write it because I definitely feel skewed with how much I loved the production of the audiobook.
SPOILERS BELOW BEWARE!!
The one element that made this not quite a five star read for me was the few “supernatural” moments if you will? I love that at the heart of the original story, the Phantom is just a man who was deeply hurt and longed for connection through his music (not excusing the things he did but yeah). I felt that the moments where it seemed like the Phantom had more “powers” than if he were a mortal man changed this entire narrative for me. The ending was also much more open ended, and leads the audience to believe that Christine will, in fact, choose the phantom. not sure how i feel about that.
I was surprised at just how closely this book followed the story of the Phantom of the opera. Maybe I went in with the wrong expectations, but a “reimagining” led me to believe it would be more loosely inspired rather than almost completely retelling the story, but from Christine‘s point of view. because of this, I am not quite sure how to write it because I definitely feel skewed with how much I loved the production of the audiobook.
SPOILERS BELOW BEWARE!!
The one element that made this not quite a five star read for me was the few “supernatural” moments if you will? I love that at the heart of the original story, the Phantom is just a man who was deeply hurt and longed for connection through his music (not excusing the things he did but yeah). I felt that the moments where it seemed like the Phantom had more “powers” than if he were a mortal man changed this entire narrative for me. The ending was also much more open ended, and leads the audience to believe that Christine will, in fact, choose the phantom. not sure how i feel about that.
September 19, 2026
I mean how can I not love this one with my love of The Phantom of the Opera. The full cast recording was very enjoyable, especially with Sierra Boggess, Jordan Donica, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Norm Lewis, Katrina Lenk and many more Broadway names who I have had the pleasure of seeing live. I appreciate the embellishments and part of the story that were fleshed out, and of course loved hearing the music in the background.
September 10, 2026
More like maybe a 3.5, but rounded up because it's still impressively integrated with the musical and, quibbles aside, I did still enjoy reading it.
A real review will get here at some point, but for now, all I'll say is the Love Never Dies fans are going to LOSE IT at some very specific choices in the epilogue 🤭
A real review will get here at some point, but for now, all I'll say is the Love Never Dies fans are going to LOSE IT at some very specific choices in the epilogue 🤭
September 9, 2026
this was phenomenal.
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