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Phantom Heart #1
Phantom Heart
A steamy YA romance inspired by Gaston Leroux's classic The Phantom of the Opera
Seventeen-year-old Stephanie Armand doesn't believe in ghosts or spirits. Despite her six-year-old sister insisting a masked figure is hiding in her closet, and the rumors at school, Stephanie isn't convinced her father's latest renovation project--a crumbling Victorian mansion--houses the soul of a monster. So when the very charming (and paranormal-obsessed) Lucas Cheney takes an interest in both Stephanie and her notorious home, Moldavia, the supernatural and romantic activity escalates to an all-time high. But then there's Erik-- the dashing British boy, seemingly from another era, who's taken up residence in Stephanie's nightly dreams. A boy who may have something to do with the man in the mask, and the strange occurrences taking place at Moldavia.
Seventeen-year-old Stephanie Armand doesn't believe in ghosts or spirits. Despite her six-year-old sister insisting a masked figure is hiding in her closet, and the rumors at school, Stephanie isn't convinced her father's latest renovation project--a crumbling Victorian mansion--houses the soul of a monster. So when the very charming (and paranormal-obsessed) Lucas Cheney takes an interest in both Stephanie and her notorious home, Moldavia, the supernatural and romantic activity escalates to an all-time high. But then there's Erik-- the dashing British boy, seemingly from another era, who's taken up residence in Stephanie's nightly dreams. A boy who may have something to do with the man in the mask, and the strange occurrences taking place at Moldavia.
528 pages, Paperback
First published August 17, 2021
143 people are currently reading
6764 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 462 reviews
February 6, 2021
making a pro/con list as my review because it seems more efficient.
things i enjoyed:
things that bugged me:
so, some more cons than pros, which is why im giving this the rating i did. there are a solid six months before this is released, so i hope some of these aspects are strengthened and/or tweaked beforehand. because honestly, there is a lot of potential for this story here and i think its one many readers will enjoy.
thanks viking books for the ARC!
↠ 2.5 stars
things i enjoyed:
- ive never read a book inspired by ‘the phantom of the opera,’ so i was immediately captivated by the story.
- the spooky gothic ghost vibes are going to perfect for its release later this year.
- you know i love a brooding, tortured boy as a love interest.
things that bugged me:
- this is nothing like ‘twilight’ and it most definitely is not “steamy,” so i have no idea why its being pitched as such.
- the blurb already alerts readers about a love triangle and im not a fan of the trope but, being familiar with the story of ‘the phantom of the opera,’ i was willing to go along with it. however, the author takes many liberties when it comes to romance that i thought were questionable, especially with the ending.
- the whole curse thing is not explained very well.
- the long length and glacial pacing. i kept finding myself looking at the time because i felt like it was taking foreverrrr to read.
so, some more cons than pros, which is why im giving this the rating i did. there are a solid six months before this is released, so i hope some of these aspects are strengthened and/or tweaked beforehand. because honestly, there is a lot of potential for this story here and i think its one many readers will enjoy.
thanks viking books for the ARC!
↠ 2.5 stars
February 2, 2023
I have a thing for masks. I used to collect them growing up, I had so many different styles with beautiful colors and I would place them all over my walls. And even though I have never read or seen Phantom of the Opera I’m drawn to any work that depicts that. So I was curiously drawn to Phantom Heart.
My initial thought-I just wasted several perfectly good days on reading this monumentally useless book.
Stephanie and her family (Dad and her little sister Charlie) move into Moldavia, a crumbling Victorian home. This will be the biggest housing project Charlie’s Dad has renovated yet. This spectacular old house can make a lot of money for their family if the restoration goes right. But there is something in their new home that wants them to leave. And it won’t rest until they do.
Charlie begins to see a masked man with red eyes in her closet. Stephanie has dreams of Erik, a beautiful boy from another century. And then there are the rumors that the house is controlled by a demon. Stephanie enlists the help of Lucas and his paranormal team (the high school equivalent of ghost busters) to see if there really is something in her home.
As Lucas and Stephanie begin to investigate Moldavia two things start to take shape. Stephanie begins a sort of love triangle with Lucas the paranormal hottie and Erik the beautiful but dead boy from the past, and Moldavia steps up its sinister activity against the family. But it’s plans have changed and the house will no longer let them leave. Will Stephanie be able to save her family?
Get ready for my rant in 3..2..1
I can’t believe how utterly boring this book is. I constantly had to go back and rewind because my brain kept thinking of anything else. And by the end I just wanted everyone murdered and to be done with the book!
There is absolutely no chemistry between any of the characters. And speaking of the characters they were very one dimensional with no personality. I could give a rats ass about any of them!
There is a curse behind this whole haunting that confused the hell out of me. Maybe I’m not just smart enough, but something tells me that’s not the case. 🤷♀️
There is one thing that did show some promise and that was the ending..no I’m not being sarcastic. The author actually kind of piqued my interest in setting up the next book. But if it’s anything like this one I’ll skip it, thanks but no thanks.
I’m honestly sad to write this review because I feel like this could have gone so differently! 🤦♀️
My initial thought-I just wasted several perfectly good days on reading this monumentally useless book.
Stephanie and her family (Dad and her little sister Charlie) move into Moldavia, a crumbling Victorian home. This will be the biggest housing project Charlie’s Dad has renovated yet. This spectacular old house can make a lot of money for their family if the restoration goes right. But there is something in their new home that wants them to leave. And it won’t rest until they do.
Charlie begins to see a masked man with red eyes in her closet. Stephanie has dreams of Erik, a beautiful boy from another century. And then there are the rumors that the house is controlled by a demon. Stephanie enlists the help of Lucas and his paranormal team (the high school equivalent of ghost busters) to see if there really is something in her home.
As Lucas and Stephanie begin to investigate Moldavia two things start to take shape. Stephanie begins a sort of love triangle with Lucas the paranormal hottie and Erik the beautiful but dead boy from the past, and Moldavia steps up its sinister activity against the family. But it’s plans have changed and the house will no longer let them leave. Will Stephanie be able to save her family?
Get ready for my rant in 3..2..1
I can’t believe how utterly boring this book is. I constantly had to go back and rewind because my brain kept thinking of anything else. And by the end I just wanted everyone murdered and to be done with the book!
There is absolutely no chemistry between any of the characters. And speaking of the characters they were very one dimensional with no personality. I could give a rats ass about any of them!
There is a curse behind this whole haunting that confused the hell out of me. Maybe I’m not just smart enough, but something tells me that’s not the case. 🤷♀️
There is one thing that did show some promise and that was the ending..no I’m not being sarcastic. The author actually kind of piqued my interest in setting up the next book. But if it’s anything like this one I’ll skip it, thanks but no thanks.
I’m honestly sad to write this review because I feel like this could have gone so differently! 🤦♀️
April 1, 2021
A beautifully written, wholly original retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. I've adored Kelly Creagh's writing ever since Pinfeathers from the Nevermore series stole my heart with his fiendish japes and wry, malevolent charm. So, I couldn't wait to see what dark magic she would unleash with a stand alone gothic-romance centered around a masked and tortured soul who haunts the halls of a decaying Victorian manor. Ms. Creagh fashions incredibly vivid and atmospheric settings for her readers and characters to tumble into, filled with both beauty and dread, and this world of shadowy corridors, whispering walls, and crepitating stairways did not disappoint!
March 16, 2022
two stars. i take back what i said about my last read- THIS is a manipulative relationship. WOW. a friend recommended this to me just so see if my thoughts would be the same as hers, and after checking the reviews i’m shocked that more people aren’t on our side.
recommend: absolutely not. sorry! there are better books out there and this one is 1.) slow, 2.) doesn’t make sense, 3.) is the definition of stockholm syndrome and made my psychologist heart suffer with the romanticization of it all, 4.) doesn’t have a satisfying ending whatsoever. it just made me feel sick.
this hardly counts as a spoiler since it’s spoken about in the first chapters, but just a fair warning: erik (a ghost love interest…) was legitimately part of- no, the LEADER of a victorian cult that worshipped egyptian artifacts and had a mummy-opening-party that killed him and his family and put a curse on him. and when the other theory (that erik killed his family and then himself) is explained, erik is REVOLTED about such claims and denies them. but doesn’t deny that he was the leader of a cult and desecrated a mummy, leading to everything else.
the writing isn’t objectively bad, but everything about this story is so twisted yet idealized that i am giving this a 2.0. don’t read this.
recommend: absolutely not. sorry! there are better books out there and this one is 1.) slow, 2.) doesn’t make sense, 3.) is the definition of stockholm syndrome and made my psychologist heart suffer with the romanticization of it all, 4.) doesn’t have a satisfying ending whatsoever. it just made me feel sick.
this hardly counts as a spoiler since it’s spoken about in the first chapters, but just a fair warning: erik (a ghost love interest…) was legitimately part of- no, the LEADER of a victorian cult that worshipped egyptian artifacts and had a mummy-opening-party that killed him and his family and put a curse on him. and when the other theory (that erik killed his family and then himself) is explained, erik is REVOLTED about such claims and denies them. but doesn’t deny that he was the leader of a cult and desecrated a mummy, leading to everything else.
the writing isn’t objectively bad, but everything about this story is so twisted yet idealized that i am giving this a 2.0. don’t read this.
September 15, 2023
This was just okay for me. I was confused throughout most of it pertaining to the curse and Erik. I just had to roll with the fact that his curse and how he’s tangible and “needs a heart” but it’s just a rose was, just not going to make sense to me.
Most likely I missed parts because I am not a fan of multiple POVs and skimmed over Zedok’s chapters.
The multiple povs just weren’t necessary and added quite a bit of bulk to the book. When Lucas began to have his own chapters, I skipped those too.
I’ve been in a very long reading slump but this book kept my attention rapt enough to finish and lug it around with me. It was almost amazing. Decent for a gothic romance read, almost had the bones for it but just didn’t quite hit that mark. I still highly recommend the author’s Nevermore series, especially if you’re a Poe fan :)
*eeeek*!! I’m sooo excited Ms Creagh has a new title coming out!! I love love love her paranormal works and absolutely adored her Nevermore trilogy!! I can’t wait!!
Most likely I missed parts because I am not a fan of multiple POVs and skimmed over Zedok’s chapters.
The multiple povs just weren’t necessary and added quite a bit of bulk to the book. When Lucas began to have his own chapters, I skipped those too.
I’ve been in a very long reading slump but this book kept my attention rapt enough to finish and lug it around with me. It was almost amazing. Decent for a gothic romance read, almost had the bones for it but just didn’t quite hit that mark. I still highly recommend the author’s Nevermore series, especially if you’re a Poe fan :)
*eeeek*!! I’m sooo excited Ms Creagh has a new title coming out!! I love love love her paranormal works and absolutely adored her Nevermore trilogy!! I can’t wait!!
November 16, 2021
RTC after a re-read but this was a fabulous story that does the original PoTO more justice than truer "retellings" ever have and for that alone I love it.
Want to read
November 21, 2020Update: THE COVER WAS RELEASED IT IS GLORIOUS! THE OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS IS OUT IT SOUNDS EVEN MORE AMAZING! It was pushed back to 2021 though 😢
Phantom of the opera you say?
ANGEL MY SOUL WAS WEAK FORGIVE ME FOR I HAVE JUST DISCOVERED THIS.
WHY IS 2021 SO FAR AWAY I NEED THIS NOW.
"Contemporary retelling of Gaston Leroux's classic The Phantom of the Opera, in which a teen girl finds herself in a complicated love triangle with her high school boyfriend and the eighteen-year-old spirit of a musical prodigy who resides in her family's Victorian home, in a two-book deal."
2 BOOKS?
Phantom of the opera you say?
ANGEL MY SOUL WAS WEAK FORGIVE ME FOR I HAVE JUST DISCOVERED THIS.
WHY IS 2021 SO FAR AWAY I NEED THIS NOW.
"Contemporary retelling of Gaston Leroux's classic The Phantom of the Opera, in which a teen girl finds herself in a complicated love triangle with her high school boyfriend and the eighteen-year-old spirit of a musical prodigy who resides in her family's Victorian home, in a two-book deal."
2 BOOKS?
October 11, 2021
If it isn't completely obvious that Phantom Heart is a retelling of the Phantom of the Opera.. then I don't know what to do. The cover? Obvious. The title? SUPER OBVIOUS! If you thought this was a retelling of something else.. then don't read books anymore. Please.
Now I absolutely adored the heck out of this book. The characters, the story, and the overall atmosphere just completely sucked me in. Each layer that was pulled back kept this a page turner for me. I'll admit that I was a little confused in the beginning but things definitely picked up and got better once little clues clicked into place.
Heck, I'll admit that I was super confused when it came to Erik. And I'm talking about every little thing that revolved the guy. He was a complete mystery to me and once we found out one thing I would develop 900 questions because something would happen next just to confuse me. He was a mind ninja.
Other than that, I just really enjoyed how things happened throughout this. The characters made weird and somewhat realistic decisions at times. Then just make me laugh with their comments about something. It was randomly fun and I just went with it.
In the end, the romance was really something and I thought the overall ending was adorable. Definitely happy that I found the time to jump into this and now I need to watch the movie!
December 11, 2020
I read an early edition of this story and loved it!!!!
September 21, 2021
This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library
I have many feelings about this book.
First of all, I think it did an absolutely wonderful job of telling a tale inspired by Gaston Leroux's beloved gothic classic, The Phantom of the Opera, better known to many people worldwide by the phenomenal West End musical and lesser known from the gorgeous but not quite as good film version from 2004. Many people would be aware of the tale of the disfigured genius living in the catacombs of the Paris Opera House and the ingenue he falls in love with. Creagh reimagines it as a teen love triangle crossing dimensions and involving curses, a girl mourning the absence of her own mother, and a hot jazz-dancing glasses-wearing Captain America nerd.
I remember when I read Creagh's Nevermore (a long time ago) that I loved her attention to detail, which is present again in this novel and might be a Creagh hallmark. I love all the original stuff Creagh wove into this tale so deftly to the point where people unfamiliar with the intricacies of Phantom might think it was wholly original.
I absolutely loved that Montcharmin and Firmin Richard were reimagined as Stephanie's little sister Charlie and dad Richard, together the three of them using the Armand family name. I also loved the absolute chemistry between Stephanie and her Captain American wannabe Lucas, who was so incredibly adorable. They were so cute.
I also loved how the audiobook used sound effects. The first time one was used i think I jumped out of my seat. It was such an effective use of sound that it felt so immersive, and even more like watching a movie in my mind than reading normally does to me.
What I didn't like boils down to inconsistency.
I know this is a reimagining and not a retelling, so I'm not expecting things to be faithful. I really loved how bits and pieces of the original story were used and other original elements were introduced, including the character of the Persian, forgotten in the musical but essential in the book, here playing a clairvoyant medium. What I need someone to explain to me is why, if using Montcharmin, Firmin and Carlotta's names (the latter introduced as Lucas' former flame, Charlotte, and part of the ghost hunting group they formed), why on earth were Christine and Raoul renamed Stephanie and Lucas? I don't get it. What am I missing here? Do they have the same meanings in French? Is Stephanie a derivative of Christine? Erik was still Erik, so I don't understand how Stephanie couldn't have been named something like Christina, and I just have no idea where Lucas came from. Didn't want to call him Ralph?
I also didn't like the use of multiple first person point of view. I really felt that this novel could have been a lot better, tighter, and less repetitive using only Stephanie's point of view, and I really feel like it could have been done. We didn't need to see inside Erik's head, and we didn't get to see inside Lucas' for well over half the novel. There was absolutely nothing that happened in Erik's POV that we couldn't have seen or had recounted to us as Stephanie. And because of the weird use of the POV shift to retell us things we have already seen, it ended up super repetitive, seeing the same scene from different angles without providing anything more than we already knew.
The chapters were very short and often ended in weird places, like spending time building up to a climax only to cut it off, which I found frustrating. And because they were sometimes so short, less than half a page, and the POV changed so frequently without resolving anything, they also seemed redundant.
I also pretty much ended up disliking Stephanie. I can understand the decisions she makes from the point of view of a teenager. It didn't help that although I liked the book, I wasn't really buying the 'romance' between Stephanie and Erik. I think she felt sorry for him, and I have no idea why he liked her at all. There appeared to be nothing deeper beneath their lust. At least Stephanie and Lucas bonded over their ghost hunting. True, the original story was weird, and Raoul was basically abusive towards Christine, and the musical makes it a much better romance and a choice between a mad disfigured genius who wants you to live with him in eternal darkness while he writes you music and makes you famous (and quite the hottie in modern day productions, though he was originally played by 50 year old Michael Crawford in the original West End) or literally a rich handsome boy who loves you wholesomely and would literally die for you, but I just wasn't feeling it. I think maybe because Erik, in Creagh's book, was also handsome? So it boiled down, again, to the choice between two hot guys. Literally neither of them were offering Stephanie anything: she wasn't choosing, for example, to be a vampire or stay human like another famous love triangle this book was for some reason compared to (Twilight). So I think, somehow, the book maybe missed the mark with that?
Overall, despite the technical style that annoyed me, I was really impressed with the audiobook production and the three narrators, each of who did really decent voice changes. I loved how the author wove an original story into a beloved classic with such deftness, and I enjoyed the story overall, though I probably won't reread it.
I have many feelings about this book.
First of all, I think it did an absolutely wonderful job of telling a tale inspired by Gaston Leroux's beloved gothic classic, The Phantom of the Opera, better known to many people worldwide by the phenomenal West End musical and lesser known from the gorgeous but not quite as good film version from 2004. Many people would be aware of the tale of the disfigured genius living in the catacombs of the Paris Opera House and the ingenue he falls in love with. Creagh reimagines it as a teen love triangle crossing dimensions and involving curses, a girl mourning the absence of her own mother, and a hot jazz-dancing glasses-wearing Captain America nerd.
I remember when I read Creagh's Nevermore (a long time ago) that I loved her attention to detail, which is present again in this novel and might be a Creagh hallmark. I love all the original stuff Creagh wove into this tale so deftly to the point where people unfamiliar with the intricacies of Phantom might think it was wholly original.
I absolutely loved that Montcharmin and Firmin Richard were reimagined as Stephanie's little sister Charlie and dad Richard, together the three of them using the Armand family name. I also loved the absolute chemistry between Stephanie and her Captain American wannabe Lucas, who was so incredibly adorable. They were so cute.
I also loved how the audiobook used sound effects. The first time one was used i think I jumped out of my seat. It was such an effective use of sound that it felt so immersive, and even more like watching a movie in my mind than reading normally does to me.
What I didn't like boils down to inconsistency.
I know this is a reimagining and not a retelling, so I'm not expecting things to be faithful. I really loved how bits and pieces of the original story were used and other original elements were introduced, including the character of the Persian, forgotten in the musical but essential in the book, here playing a clairvoyant medium. What I need someone to explain to me is why, if using Montcharmin, Firmin and Carlotta's names (the latter introduced as Lucas' former flame, Charlotte, and part of the ghost hunting group they formed), why on earth were Christine and Raoul renamed Stephanie and Lucas? I don't get it. What am I missing here? Do they have the same meanings in French? Is Stephanie a derivative of Christine? Erik was still Erik, so I don't understand how Stephanie couldn't have been named something like Christina, and I just have no idea where Lucas came from. Didn't want to call him Ralph?
I also didn't like the use of multiple first person point of view. I really felt that this novel could have been a lot better, tighter, and less repetitive using only Stephanie's point of view, and I really feel like it could have been done. We didn't need to see inside Erik's head, and we didn't get to see inside Lucas' for well over half the novel. There was absolutely nothing that happened in Erik's POV that we couldn't have seen or had recounted to us as Stephanie. And because of the weird use of the POV shift to retell us things we have already seen, it ended up super repetitive, seeing the same scene from different angles without providing anything more than we already knew.
The chapters were very short and often ended in weird places, like spending time building up to a climax only to cut it off, which I found frustrating. And because they were sometimes so short, less than half a page, and the POV changed so frequently without resolving anything, they also seemed redundant.
I also pretty much ended up disliking Stephanie. I can understand the decisions she makes from the point of view of a teenager. It didn't help that although I liked the book, I wasn't really buying the 'romance' between Stephanie and Erik. I think she felt sorry for him, and I have no idea why he liked her at all. There appeared to be nothing deeper beneath their lust. At least Stephanie and Lucas bonded over their ghost hunting. True, the original story was weird, and Raoul was basically abusive towards Christine, and the musical makes it a much better romance and a choice between a mad disfigured genius who wants you to live with him in eternal darkness while he writes you music and makes you famous (and quite the hottie in modern day productions, though he was originally played by 50 year old Michael Crawford in the original West End) or literally a rich handsome boy who loves you wholesomely and would literally die for you, but I just wasn't feeling it. I think maybe because Erik, in Creagh's book, was also handsome? So it boiled down, again, to the choice between two hot guys. Literally neither of them were offering Stephanie anything: she wasn't choosing, for example, to be a vampire or stay human like another famous love triangle this book was for some reason compared to (Twilight). So I think, somehow, the book maybe missed the mark with that?
Overall, despite the technical style that annoyed me, I was really impressed with the audiobook production and the three narrators, each of who did really decent voice changes. I loved how the author wove an original story into a beloved classic with such deftness, and I enjoyed the story overall, though I probably won't reread it.
June 5, 2022
My little, Gothic heart is so happy!
I adored this book. The characters, the writing, the atmosphere, all of it was done brilliantly. I was an unnamed character walking through the halls and feeling everything the characters felt. Not all books do that and I am so happily, surprised this book did that for me.
You can see the authors love of Phantom of the Opera in every page and I think her love of that story made me enjoy her retelling that much more. I am so glad this book found me and I would highly recommend it.
I adored this book. The characters, the writing, the atmosphere, all of it was done brilliantly. I was an unnamed character walking through the halls and feeling everything the characters felt. Not all books do that and I am so happily, surprised this book did that for me.
You can see the authors love of Phantom of the Opera in every page and I think her love of that story made me enjoy her retelling that much more. I am so glad this book found me and I would highly recommend it.
December 19, 2022
I'm a sucker for Phantom retellings but this was mid at best, could've used better character development and plot pacing but the writing was decent
July 21, 2023
Well, what a load of tosh! I needed something to listen to on a couple of long journeys and chose this at random, listening via BorrowBox.
This should not have been my choice. The chapters in the first part are told alternately by Stephanie, the 16 year old main character and Zedok, the antagonist. It felt very amateurish: Stephanie goes on and on about how hot Lucas is - the geeky-looking leader of a bunch of high school ghostbusters. It’s excruciatingly cringeworthy, because one minute she’s screaming with fear at discovering the house is haunted, as her six year old sister has claimed, and the next fawning over Lucas. In true YA fashion, she doesn’t tell Lucas the full story, nor even mention the bare bones of stuff to her father.
The Zedok chapters are narrated by the original son of the house whose punishment for unwrapping an Egyptian mummy as part of a cult ritual (yep!) is to have his soul ripped to shreds and never be allowed to go to heaven. All his family are killed as part of the curse. He wears various masks, named after character traits such as Wrath, Valour etc. The boy part can appear in people’s dreams. He’s called Erik and is British in the way only American writers write Brits. These chapters are unnecessarily wordy with some massively overblown navel-gazing. Mind you, Stephanie goes in for lots of atop, entwined, garbed and platters. Also the narrator pronounces the L in words like calm and palm - just the tip of the iceberg in annoying things about this book.
The book is divided into two parts and Lucas gets a turn at narrating here. He, of course, falls in love with Stephanie from the moment he sees her, as does Erik. There’s lots of ridiculous using things like roses to act as a heart for Erik, a little light kidnapping with a heavy dose of Stockholm syndrome and some rescuing by SPOOKY - the backronym for the high school ghostbusters. Big finale, Erik dies, nope, he doesn’t, but the curse is broken and he can play the piano again. He can also touch Stephanie, which I found creepy in the extreme. She decides she and Lucas should just be friends and, while he’s not happy about that, SPOOKY get a chance to go on telly and possibly kickstart their careers in this highly lucrative and kid-friendly business.
It’s all bollocks and I thoroughly recommend you don’t waste your time.
This should not have been my choice. The chapters in the first part are told alternately by Stephanie, the 16 year old main character and Zedok, the antagonist. It felt very amateurish: Stephanie goes on and on about how hot Lucas is - the geeky-looking leader of a bunch of high school ghostbusters. It’s excruciatingly cringeworthy, because one minute she’s screaming with fear at discovering the house is haunted, as her six year old sister has claimed, and the next fawning over Lucas. In true YA fashion, she doesn’t tell Lucas the full story, nor even mention the bare bones of stuff to her father.
The Zedok chapters are narrated by the original son of the house whose punishment for unwrapping an Egyptian mummy as part of a cult ritual (yep!) is to have his soul ripped to shreds and never be allowed to go to heaven. All his family are killed as part of the curse. He wears various masks, named after character traits such as Wrath, Valour etc. The boy part can appear in people’s dreams. He’s called Erik and is British in the way only American writers write Brits. These chapters are unnecessarily wordy with some massively overblown navel-gazing. Mind you, Stephanie goes in for lots of atop, entwined, garbed and platters. Also the narrator pronounces the L in words like calm and palm - just the tip of the iceberg in annoying things about this book.
The book is divided into two parts and Lucas gets a turn at narrating here. He, of course, falls in love with Stephanie from the moment he sees her, as does Erik. There’s lots of ridiculous using things like roses to act as a heart for Erik, a little light kidnapping with a heavy dose of Stockholm syndrome and some rescuing by SPOOKY - the backronym for the high school ghostbusters. Big finale, Erik dies, nope, he doesn’t, but the curse is broken and he can play the piano again. He can also touch Stephanie, which I found creepy in the extreme. She decides she and Lucas should just be friends and, while he’s not happy about that, SPOOKY get a chance to go on telly and possibly kickstart their careers in this highly lucrative and kid-friendly business.
It’s all bollocks and I thoroughly recommend you don’t waste your time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2022
Haunted Houses, Curses, Amateur Ghost-Hunters and Young Love.
This book did not go in the direction I thought... and I'm ok with that, because there was so much more going on.
Phantom Heart takes me back to the Twilight era of paranormal romance. Easy, fun and full of teen-antics. Yes, there is even a minor love-triangle! With 500+ pages, this book is a slow burn. But it's definitely a fun time.
I did have some minor issues; mostly being the vagueness of some of the elements of the curse and I would have loved a flashback scene to the night everything happened to Erik. And I guess, the fact that so much happens in a relatively short amount of time.
But otherwise, I really enjoyed this Phantom of the Opera retelling.
The Moldavia setting was my favourite, especially the parallels between worlds and focus on doorways. Creagh has a real knack for creating romantically-gothic and dreamlike locations. Because that ballroom scene between Erik and Stephanie? Yeah, I felt that.
*chef's kiss*
This book did not go in the direction I thought... and I'm ok with that, because there was so much more going on.
Phantom Heart takes me back to the Twilight era of paranormal romance. Easy, fun and full of teen-antics. Yes, there is even a minor love-triangle! With 500+ pages, this book is a slow burn. But it's definitely a fun time.
I did have some minor issues; mostly being the vagueness of some of the elements of the curse and I would have loved a flashback scene to the night everything happened to Erik. And I guess, the fact that so much happens in a relatively short amount of time.
But otherwise, I really enjoyed this Phantom of the Opera retelling.
The Moldavia setting was my favourite, especially the parallels between worlds and focus on doorways. Creagh has a real knack for creating romantically-gothic and dreamlike locations. Because that ballroom scene between Erik and Stephanie? Yeah, I felt that.
*chef's kiss*
October 19, 2021
I loved this book so much the ending was perfect although I think it will become a series later down the line I still loved how this book ended. I loved the characters so much especially Stephanie and Erik I loved how their relationship developed to become what it became by the end it was a wonderfully written romance I loved it so much. I loved Stephanie for her strength of will and hard she fought for what she cared about. I loved Erik for his tortured soul that found love to ground him he was such a great character to read about. I loved the other characters namely Lucas I hope there is more out there for him also for the group of friends of his also the medium was a great addition to the story I also love Stephanie's family they were all so well written. I loved the plot it was an amazing Phantom of the Opera inspired story I loved everything about it looking forward to more.
April 30, 2022
My favorite book of the year so far. Wow.
February 4, 2022
2.5 stars
When a book has this gorgeous cover and a premise this good, how can it go wrong ?, well, read at your own risk
So the story follows a girl named Stephanie, she is 16 years old and since her mother died she's been the mother of her sister Charlie and her father, they are used to moving around because her father's job is to redecorate old houses, this time they move to a strange house that has a lot of legends around it, mainly it's been haunted by a ghost .. a phantom or as he like to call himself "Zedok", at first Stephanie doesn't believe those rumors until she actually meets him .. and she recruits a team of paranormal investigators (aka. a group of high school kids) to uncover the secret of this phantom
the beginning of the book was really interesting and it gave chills every time I imagine how is Zedok watching Stephanie and her sister, but as the story progressed it became a jumble humble of made up paranormal stuff that barely has anything to do with the story, it's like the author is trying to hard to redeem Erik that she made every impossible scenario to make him " good " I really couldn't buy it .. this was really problematic to me .. and that ending .. really ??, no, seriously really ????
nope this was definitely not my cup of tea
When a book has this gorgeous cover and a premise this good, how can it go wrong ?, well, read at your own risk
So the story follows a girl named Stephanie, she is 16 years old and since her mother died she's been the mother of her sister Charlie and her father, they are used to moving around because her father's job is to redecorate old houses, this time they move to a strange house that has a lot of legends around it, mainly it's been haunted by a ghost .. a phantom or as he like to call himself "Zedok", at first Stephanie doesn't believe those rumors until she actually meets him .. and she recruits a team of paranormal investigators (aka. a group of high school kids) to uncover the secret of this phantom
the beginning of the book was really interesting and it gave chills every time I imagine how is Zedok watching Stephanie and her sister, but as the story progressed it became a jumble humble of made up paranormal stuff that barely has anything to do with the story, it's like the author is trying to hard to redeem Erik that she made every impossible scenario to make him " good " I really couldn't buy it .. this was really problematic to me .. and that ending .. really ??, no, seriously really ????
nope this was definitely not my cup of tea
Currently reading
June 29, 2023Premise: 17 years old Stephanie Armand and her kid sister moved into a historical mansion with their father, but unluckily, their new house was well...haunted.
(1) I like that the girl is still using her brain after she saw this outstandingly handsome, mysterious guy in her dream. I hope she can keep that up...
(2) I kinda like 'Erik'/Phantom's reason to 'haunt' the heroine and her family! At least it isn't a repeat of The Phantom of the Opera!
(3) So what's the deal with the heroine's absent mother? It sounds like the mother is dead but...then why would the heroine and her father behave like there's something about said mother that they must keep secerts from the heroine's kid sister!?
(4) and what's the deal with the heroine's supposedly haunted house!?
(5) I really am not a fan of first-person POV, but I will bear with it for the time being...
(6) Ghost Hunters v.s. the Phantom!? Plus the Phantom guy forbids the girl to invite the other boy over, ha!!!LOL
More to come.
(1) I like that the girl is still using her brain after she saw this outstandingly handsome, mysterious guy in her dream. I hope she can keep that up...
(2) I kinda like 'Erik'/Phantom's reason to 'haunt' the heroine and her family! At least it isn't a repeat of The Phantom of the Opera!
(3) So what's the deal with the heroine's absent mother? It sounds like the mother is dead but...then why would the heroine and her father behave like there's something about said mother that they must keep secerts from the heroine's kid sister!?
(4) and what's the deal with the heroine's supposedly haunted house!?
(5) I really am not a fan of first-person POV, but I will bear with it for the time being...
(6) Ghost Hunters v.s. the Phantom!? Plus the Phantom guy forbids the girl to invite the other boy over, ha!!!LOL
More to come.
July 7, 2025
DONT WASTE YOUR TIME!!! seriously this book was so boring until about 50 pages in and then it was ok. But then the end of the book was HORRIBLE. it was unclear and stupid. Seriously dont waste your time.
October 10, 2021
I can’t tell you how close to the original Phantom of the Opera this is but I CAN say that I really enjoyed it despite it being a little too long. I didn’t quite expect the ending to pan out how it did. The Armand family were credible as characters but the characters I really enjoyed were the members of SPOoKy who were like a teenage ghostbusters, I was quite confused for a while about what was exactly happening with the phantom(s) although it was all explained by the end.
October 28, 2021
I fell in love with Kelly Creagh's writing when I read her Nevermore trilogy years ago, of which the last book was published back in 2015. So it's been quite a while since we got a new book from her but she absolutely crushed it with Phantom Heart. I loved it and I'm sure it's gonna be a forever favorite of mine. Also the main character's name is Stephanie and I really liked that, obviously.
If you hadn't guessed it yet from the title or cover this book is retelling of The Phantom of the Opera retelling. I love The Phantom of the Opera, both the book and the musical. Sometimes with retellings you barely get anything that resembles the original story and sometimes you gets a little too much but I've gotta say that with this one it was a pretty perfect balance. There was enough in it from the original to recognize it but it could also stand completely as its own story as well.
The story starts when Stephanie moves into an old Victorian mansion along with her father who plans on renovating it and her six-year-old sister, Charlie. When Charlie starts talking about a masked man in her closet, Stephanie think it's just an imaginary friend that her little sister has invented. When Lucas Cheney, a cute boy Stephanie who goes to her new high school, approaches her with weird questions about her haunted house, she is intrigued for sure. Both with her new house and Lucas. On top of that Stephanie has been dreaming about a handsome british accented boy named Erik who's urging her to take her family and leave the mansion as soon as possible. It's then that she starts thinking Charlie's imaginary friend might not be so imaginary after all.
There really was so much to love in this book that I'm not sure what to name first, to be honest. It's one of those books that you really have to experience for yourself. The story is told in three different points of view in total, which was another bonus for me because I love multiple points of view. Stephanie's point of view was the one most used, though. The other points of view were of Lucas and the mysterious Zedok. I also really enjoyed getting to know Lucas and his friends Charlotte, Wes and Patrick. They were a fun bunch and had a lot of hilarious banter together. And they form a paranormal investigation team. How cool is that?
My absolute favorite thing about this book was the writing. Kelly Creagh is really one of those authors that have a real knack for writing gothic settings that are both ominous and just delightfully atmospheric. I just couldn't get enough of it. It also looks like it's gonna be a series (a trilogy maybe?) so I already can't wait for the next book. Bring it on, Ms Creagh!
If you hadn't guessed it yet from the title or cover this book is retelling of The Phantom of the Opera retelling. I love The Phantom of the Opera, both the book and the musical. Sometimes with retellings you barely get anything that resembles the original story and sometimes you gets a little too much but I've gotta say that with this one it was a pretty perfect balance. There was enough in it from the original to recognize it but it could also stand completely as its own story as well.
The story starts when Stephanie moves into an old Victorian mansion along with her father who plans on renovating it and her six-year-old sister, Charlie. When Charlie starts talking about a masked man in her closet, Stephanie think it's just an imaginary friend that her little sister has invented. When Lucas Cheney, a cute boy Stephanie who goes to her new high school, approaches her with weird questions about her haunted house, she is intrigued for sure. Both with her new house and Lucas. On top of that Stephanie has been dreaming about a handsome british accented boy named Erik who's urging her to take her family and leave the mansion as soon as possible. It's then that she starts thinking Charlie's imaginary friend might not be so imaginary after all.
There really was so much to love in this book that I'm not sure what to name first, to be honest. It's one of those books that you really have to experience for yourself. The story is told in three different points of view in total, which was another bonus for me because I love multiple points of view. Stephanie's point of view was the one most used, though. The other points of view were of Lucas and the mysterious Zedok. I also really enjoyed getting to know Lucas and his friends Charlotte, Wes and Patrick. They were a fun bunch and had a lot of hilarious banter together. And they form a paranormal investigation team. How cool is that?
My absolute favorite thing about this book was the writing. Kelly Creagh is really one of those authors that have a real knack for writing gothic settings that are both ominous and just delightfully atmospheric. I just couldn't get enough of it. It also looks like it's gonna be a series (a trilogy maybe?) so I already can't wait for the next book. Bring it on, Ms Creagh!
August 14, 2021
[I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book based on uncorrected proof I was kindly given by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
Mar 26, 2021
Oh my goodness you guys, my first Edelweiss ARC!!
May 11, 2021
I had a whole review written - I was literally on the summing up paragraph, but my computer turned off because it's stupid, so you'll have to do with this instead.
Despite my initial excitement over the book, I did not end up on the greatest terms with it. I liked the concept and the mostly realistic representation of music (you know, it is quite important to me as a classical musician) as well as Erik's character. However, things I didn't enjoy were the love triangle, the side characters as well as Lucas, the insta-love and the pacing - this took me a month, for goodness' sake.
If you are thinking about picking this up, I'd say give it a shot. Nonetheless, keep in mind that it is not steamy, not Twilight-esque (and thank God for that) and I'd probably say that except for the two or three kissing scenes could be even classified as Middle Grade. And maybe the most important thing of all, there are many things you can fix in half a year :)
ALERT: this book comes out in three days! so excited for you guys to read it!!
→2.5 stars
Mar 26, 2021
Oh my goodness you guys, my first Edelweiss ARC!!
May 11, 2021
I had a whole review written - I was literally on the summing up paragraph, but my computer turned off because it's stupid, so you'll have to do with this instead.
Despite my initial excitement over the book, I did not end up on the greatest terms with it. I liked the concept and the mostly realistic representation of music (you know, it is quite important to me as a classical musician) as well as Erik's character. However, things I didn't enjoy were the love triangle, the side characters as well as Lucas, the insta-love and the pacing - this took me a month, for goodness' sake.
If you are thinking about picking this up, I'd say give it a shot. Nonetheless, keep in mind that it is not steamy, not Twilight-esque (and thank God for that) and I'd probably say that except for the two or three kissing scenes could be even classified as Middle Grade. And maybe the most important thing of all, there are many things you can fix in half a year :)
ALERT: this book comes out in three days! so excited for you guys to read it!!
→2.5 stars
nevermind
March 11, 2022DNF @ pg. 135 or so
I tried, but I have to admit I can't get into this one. I'm not caring about the characters, even though I'm mildly curious about both Lucas and Erik. Stephanie, unfortunately, doesn't seem like a real teenager to me (more like a 40yo writing about a teenager) and I don't have a good sense of her as a person, outside the ghost mystery of her house. The Zedok chapters are extremely tedious to me. I'm just not invested enough to continue.
I tried, but I have to admit I can't get into this one. I'm not caring about the characters, even though I'm mildly curious about both Lucas and Erik. Stephanie, unfortunately, doesn't seem like a real teenager to me (more like a 40yo writing about a teenager) and I don't have a good sense of her as a person, outside the ghost mystery of her house. The Zedok chapters are extremely tedious to me. I'm just not invested enough to continue.
January 29, 2022
I have to admit that I have some kind of Love-Hate relationship with the Phantom of the Opera. I'm obsessed with every song in the musical, because they're all pretty and beautiful and amazing to sing, but I never really connected much with the story and the characters. However, as a teenager I also read "the man behind the mask" and I loved that book to pieces! I was therefore quite curious to read this YA adaptation of the Phantom!
Let me start my review with stating that if you'd be reading this because you love the original book and original story, you can skip it. However, if you're reading this because you love the musical and most of all the atmosphere of the musical, then you'll love it. Because the atmosphere in this book is amazing! There is this constant tension. There's romantic tension, there's a constant sense of danger and the stakes seem incredibly high.
Creagh's love for the musical is also quite visible in the story itself. It's not a direct retelling, but almost all epic moments and well known elements are present. We have a trip with a boat on a lake. We have the moment of our heroine ripping the mask off. We have another man, some epic fights between the two men and of course there is a point of no return. It were mostly those moments making me smile when reading them.
I have to admit that the true connection with the characters and the plot wasn't there. Especially the mythology, because in this case our Phantom is a literal one, sometimes felt chaotic and hard to truly grasp. But, I think the musical suffers that same fate. The music is wonderful, the tension is amazing, the atmosphere is perfect, but the plot isn't that great. So, when it comes to that, this book does a perfect job honoring it!
Let me start my review with stating that if you'd be reading this because you love the original book and original story, you can skip it. However, if you're reading this because you love the musical and most of all the atmosphere of the musical, then you'll love it. Because the atmosphere in this book is amazing! There is this constant tension. There's romantic tension, there's a constant sense of danger and the stakes seem incredibly high.
Creagh's love for the musical is also quite visible in the story itself. It's not a direct retelling, but almost all epic moments and well known elements are present. We have a trip with a boat on a lake. We have the moment of our heroine ripping the mask off. We have another man, some epic fights between the two men and of course there is a point of no return. It were mostly those moments making me smile when reading them.
I have to admit that the true connection with the characters and the plot wasn't there. Especially the mythology, because in this case our Phantom is a literal one, sometimes felt chaotic and hard to truly grasp. But, I think the musical suffers that same fate. The music is wonderful, the tension is amazing, the atmosphere is perfect, but the plot isn't that great. So, when it comes to that, this book does a perfect job honoring it!
November 17, 2021
3.75🌟 bc it was a bit confusing but also worth a read, esp for phantom of the opera fans like me hehe
November 3, 2021
4.5/5 Stars
Wow, this book absolutely took me by surprise. I honestly didn't have any expectations going into this book. I was merely drawn to the blurb and my mood-reading mode got switched on. I am ever so glad that I took a chance on this book because I was so delighted with it.
As I said, the blurb really drew me in and so did the story. I was transplanted into this story with effortless grace. I felt so at home in the pages of this story. The world-building in this is so atmospheric and consuming. Not simply the world surrounding the characters but what happens within it. The mystery at the core of the story sits inside you and you can feel the emotional tug. It's one thing to simply read a ghost story and another thing to experience it. The plot of this book is clever and compelling. It keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and primed for more. The mystery will get inside your head until you crave this story. Creagh's writing style really impressed me as well. Her words are lyrical and at times very poetic. She has a way with words that really struck a chord with me. I found myself highlighting passages on my tablet continuously because they were just too beautiful or clever not to want to memorialize. The dual narrative worked incredibly well for this book. There are so many layers to this story and the reader gets to see things unfold through more than one set of eyes. The reader gets to peek inside the head of the pivotal character in this story which added a lot of depth to the story. This was almost a five-star read for me but there were a couple of nit-picky things that I felt were left unresolved. Nothing that diminished the story by any means, but enough to make me come back to them in my mind.
I loved getting to know these characters. Even more so because of the central mystery surrounding the story. I was so intrigued to know more. I don't want to get spoilery so I won't go into explicit details about the characters individually. I will say that I felt the characters were extremely well-developed. They each had their own voice and personality with excellent character growth. I loved the secondary characters and I am hoping to see more of them in future books in this series.
The romance in this book was endearing and I enjoyed it very much. It felt very wholesome, which may sound off since this is essentially a ghost story. All the same, the love story felt so special because it truly came from the heart. From getting to know someone and their soul. The romance in this book kind of has a love triangle but also sort of not. You'll just have to read it to see for yourself. And that isn't a spoiler since both boys are mentioned in the synopsis. The way that the romance develops is very organic and has a very star-crossed lovers vibe. The way that the romance was wrapped up is something that I am still pondering over. Overall, I liked everything that happened and the final outcome but at the same time, it wasn't the sparkly rainbows and hearts ending that some may expect. However, it is beautiful in its own way and I actually applaud the author for ending things the way that she did.
Overall, this was a book that totally shocked my senses. I fell so in love with the beautiful storytelling, gripping plot, and relatable characters. I definitely have a new author to stalk. I am looking forward to the next book by Kelly Creagh. If you haven't picked this one up yet then I can't encourage you enough to add it to your collection! This book is truly a little gem!
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Wow, this book absolutely took me by surprise. I honestly didn't have any expectations going into this book. I was merely drawn to the blurb and my mood-reading mode got switched on. I am ever so glad that I took a chance on this book because I was so delighted with it.
As I said, the blurb really drew me in and so did the story. I was transplanted into this story with effortless grace. I felt so at home in the pages of this story. The world-building in this is so atmospheric and consuming. Not simply the world surrounding the characters but what happens within it. The mystery at the core of the story sits inside you and you can feel the emotional tug. It's one thing to simply read a ghost story and another thing to experience it. The plot of this book is clever and compelling. It keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and primed for more. The mystery will get inside your head until you crave this story. Creagh's writing style really impressed me as well. Her words are lyrical and at times very poetic. She has a way with words that really struck a chord with me. I found myself highlighting passages on my tablet continuously because they were just too beautiful or clever not to want to memorialize. The dual narrative worked incredibly well for this book. There are so many layers to this story and the reader gets to see things unfold through more than one set of eyes. The reader gets to peek inside the head of the pivotal character in this story which added a lot of depth to the story. This was almost a five-star read for me but there were a couple of nit-picky things that I felt were left unresolved. Nothing that diminished the story by any means, but enough to make me come back to them in my mind.
I loved getting to know these characters. Even more so because of the central mystery surrounding the story. I was so intrigued to know more. I don't want to get spoilery so I won't go into explicit details about the characters individually. I will say that I felt the characters were extremely well-developed. They each had their own voice and personality with excellent character growth. I loved the secondary characters and I am hoping to see more of them in future books in this series.
The romance in this book was endearing and I enjoyed it very much. It felt very wholesome, which may sound off since this is essentially a ghost story. All the same, the love story felt so special because it truly came from the heart. From getting to know someone and their soul. The romance in this book kind of has a love triangle but also sort of not. You'll just have to read it to see for yourself. And that isn't a spoiler since both boys are mentioned in the synopsis. The way that the romance develops is very organic and has a very star-crossed lovers vibe. The way that the romance was wrapped up is something that I am still pondering over. Overall, I liked everything that happened and the final outcome but at the same time, it wasn't the sparkly rainbows and hearts ending that some may expect. However, it is beautiful in its own way and I actually applaud the author for ending things the way that she did.
Overall, this was a book that totally shocked my senses. I fell so in love with the beautiful storytelling, gripping plot, and relatable characters. I definitely have a new author to stalk. I am looking forward to the next book by Kelly Creagh. If you haven't picked this one up yet then I can't encourage you enough to add it to your collection! This book is truly a little gem!
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August 17, 2021
“The music she had woven for me on the piano, luring and lulling as it has been, was but noise next to that voice. My very bones. They’d reverberated with her refrain. And how my hollow chest had ached from the beauty that had devastated my senses.”
3.75 stars rounded up to 4.
I love Phantom of the Opera and am always looking for a good retelling, so I was very excited to be approved for an arc of Phantom Heart. If you enjoy clever twists on classic stories in your retellings, then this novel is definitely not one to miss. Phantom Heart is told through the multiple perspectives of Stephanie, Erik/Zedok, and Lucas. The setting is moved from a 19th century Parisian Opera House to a proclaimed haunted house in the modern day southern US and follows Stephanie as she tries to solve the mystery of the prescence in her new home.
The prose was often a touch more youthful than I was expecting and wasn’t always my cup of tea, but definitely suited the thoughts and speech of modern teens. I enjoyed reading from Zedok’s perspective best and as the titular Phantom, the reader receives the most backstory, major plot development, and all the great angst from his chapters. In contrast, I almost always found myself wanting to skim through Lucas’ sections, as he tended to be whiny and obnoxious (hmm sounds like another romantic hero I know 😉).
Although the trio in Phantom Heart doesn’t translate exactly to the one in Phantom of the Opera, I loved how the author put in several nods to both the original novel and stage production in her work. Many times I found myself comparing Lucas to Raoul, especially during scenes when he acts childish or in extreme jealousy. Like Erik in Leroux’s novel, Zedok is a master of illusion and trickery and also in line with the original story, music and unconditional affection play major roles in Phantom Heart.
My main complaint is perhaps the pacing was off during several sections of the novel. It was especially slow-going to start and I actually wondered if I was going to have to DNF this. I’m so glad I didn’t though, because once it finally picked up, I was incredibly invested and was constantly flipping those pages to see what happened next. As mentioned before, I did continue to struggle with one perspective in particular, but otherwise Phantom Heart is a very quick read. I also found the romance progression to be a bit strange and insta-lovey on all sides of the love triangle, but I am willing to mostly forgive this since it is a Phantom retelling, after all.
Overall, I’d say Phantom Heart is my favorite Phantom of the Opera retelling so far. The deviations from the original story Creagh took in her novel are brilliant and the vivid descriptions kept me enamored with this world, causing me to thoroughly enjoy this novel, despite it having some flaws. I’m settling on a 3.75 rating and will look forward to revisiting Phantom Heart in the future.
Thanks so much to Edelweiss and Viking Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.75 stars rounded up to 4.
I love Phantom of the Opera and am always looking for a good retelling, so I was very excited to be approved for an arc of Phantom Heart. If you enjoy clever twists on classic stories in your retellings, then this novel is definitely not one to miss. Phantom Heart is told through the multiple perspectives of Stephanie, Erik/Zedok, and Lucas. The setting is moved from a 19th century Parisian Opera House to a proclaimed haunted house in the modern day southern US and follows Stephanie as she tries to solve the mystery of the prescence in her new home.
The prose was often a touch more youthful than I was expecting and wasn’t always my cup of tea, but definitely suited the thoughts and speech of modern teens. I enjoyed reading from Zedok’s perspective best and as the titular Phantom, the reader receives the most backstory, major plot development, and all the great angst from his chapters. In contrast, I almost always found myself wanting to skim through Lucas’ sections, as he tended to be whiny and obnoxious (hmm sounds like another romantic hero I know 😉).
Although the trio in Phantom Heart doesn’t translate exactly to the one in Phantom of the Opera, I loved how the author put in several nods to both the original novel and stage production in her work. Many times I found myself comparing Lucas to Raoul, especially during scenes when he acts childish or in extreme jealousy. Like Erik in Leroux’s novel, Zedok is a master of illusion and trickery and also in line with the original story, music and unconditional affection play major roles in Phantom Heart.
My main complaint is perhaps the pacing was off during several sections of the novel. It was especially slow-going to start and I actually wondered if I was going to have to DNF this. I’m so glad I didn’t though, because once it finally picked up, I was incredibly invested and was constantly flipping those pages to see what happened next. As mentioned before, I did continue to struggle with one perspective in particular, but otherwise Phantom Heart is a very quick read. I also found the romance progression to be a bit strange and insta-lovey on all sides of the love triangle, but I am willing to mostly forgive this since it is a Phantom retelling, after all.
Overall, I’d say Phantom Heart is my favorite Phantom of the Opera retelling so far. The deviations from the original story Creagh took in her novel are brilliant and the vivid descriptions kept me enamored with this world, causing me to thoroughly enjoy this novel, despite it having some flaws. I’m settling on a 3.75 rating and will look forward to revisiting Phantom Heart in the future.
Thanks so much to Edelweiss and Viking Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
October 14, 2020I don’t whether to breathe into a paper bag or screech like a delighted banshee.
The author of probably my favorite YA trilogy is coming out with a new book in 2021? And it’s a Phantom of the Opera retelling, you say?
Excuse me, I don’t think the term “fangirling” is enough for all the emotions I’m feeling.
There’s hope now that 2021 will be a year so much better than 2020.
The author of probably my favorite YA trilogy is coming out with a new book in 2021? And it’s a Phantom of the Opera retelling, you say?
Excuse me, I don’t think the term “fangirling” is enough for all the emotions I’m feeling.
There’s hope now that 2021 will be a year so much better than 2020.
April 1, 2022
At first I was really liking it, a story about a haunted house, spirits and a curse, but then it fell into the same old YA book clichés, I started to find the heroine annoying, and I hated the fact that it turned into a love triangle, so that it ended that way.
September 4, 2021
I should start this review by noting that I came into Phantom Heart with insanely high expectations. The Nevermore trilogy is one of my absolute favorite series, so when I heard Kelly Creigh was tackling a retelling of one of my favorite musicals, I was ecstatic. (I know Phantom of the Opera was a book first, but it’s a musical first and foremost for me.) That level of care and attention to detail, applied to Phantom? Yes, please! Still, I tried to temper my expectations leading up to the release of Phantom Heart - and for the most part, I think I succeeded. I didn't go into it expecting anything more than a good book. Even so, Phantom Heart, well–
It actually gets off to a really good start. I adored the first act; it was everything I expected from a Kelly Creigh novel and everything I wanted from a Phantom retelling: lush, Gothic, a bit swoony, a bit dark. For the most part, I enjoyed the book's last act as well, for all that it felt a bit rushed. But the middle...I'm not sure I've ever gone from loving a book to being tempted to DNF quite so fast.
Gothic Romance or Haunted House Horror
I went into Phantom Heart expecting a Gothic romance of some kind - a fair expectation in a Phantom of the Opera retelling. And at times - primarily the first and last act of the book (aka the parts I enjoyed) - it is that.
But there are also times where Phantom Heart loses almost any semblance of being a Gothic romance and devolves into something like straight horror (of the haunted house variety). I'm generally not a horror fan, so the whole haunted house/paranormal investigator sh** was not interesting to me. At times, it was even off-putting. (And the fact that Zedok had chapters in here that were basically him calling Lucas and co. idiots for their paranormal investigator methods didn't help anything).
Do We Have to Have a Love Triangle?
Look, I know Phantom of the Opera is a love triangle and all, but do we really have to have a love triangle? Cause the thing is, Phantom Heart would have been so much better without one.
For a lot of Phantom Heart, it feels like the book is too focused on the idea of the love triangle to actually develop Stephanie's relationship with either boy. It felt like the basis of both relationships, for long stretches of the book, was just basic lust/physical attraction (which isn't enough to build a compelling love triangle on, for me).
In terms of the two love interests-
When Stephanie and Erik spent extended periods of time together (primarily in the last act), I could almost see the romantic connection between them. The initial spark was there, and with a bit more time/attention, I think it would have burst into the flame of a great love story. As it stands, the intensity of their relationship in the climax of Phantom Heart feels kinda abrupt; they needed more time to get to (and show to the reader they've gotten to) that level of care for each other.
As for Lucas...Lucas sucks. (No real surprise there, given that I generally hate Raoul in Phantom of the Opera.)
Okay, so Lucas isn't actually completely terrible (though he's definitely got some characteristics that grate on me, especially as the book goes on). But a lot of my least favorite aspects of Phantom Heart stem from Lucas and his friends - the whole paranormal investigator/haunted house horror thing, a lot of the ultimately pointless detours from the plot (ex. Lucas' dance competition) - and honestly, I think the book would have been a lot stronger if Lucas and co. had been a less prominent part of it (the way Raoul honestly isn't a prominent part of Phantom).
(Also, there's a really uncomfortable undertone of ownership to the love triangle. There's definitely an aspect of that to the original Phantom, but I was expecting it to be lessprominent in a modern retelling, not more.)
A Missing Heart
Phantom Heart is a great Phantom of the Opera retelling in the sense that it hits plenty of familiar scenes/plot lines from Phantom - the falling chandelier, the boat ride, the duel in the graveyard - but it feels like it's missing the heart of the story.
What is that heart? I couldn't honestly tell you. All I know is as much as Phantom Heart looked like Phantom of the Opera, it didn't really feel like it.
(Probably the biggest place I felt the absence of Phantom's heart was in the relationship between Stephanie and Erik. I feel like so much of the relationship between Christine/Phantom is about their shared passion for music and what they give to each other. They elevate each other and, in some sense, act as a balm for each other's loneliness. And that...depth and consequence and heart just isn't really there in Stephanie and Erik's relationship.)
Misc. Thoughts
- The writing is clunky/inconsistent at times, especially in terms of how modern it sounds. It's also melodramatic in places. (There's a fine line between something being sweepingly Gothic and being ridiculous melodrama, and Phantom Heart periodically fell on the wrong side of that line.)
- It kind of feels like Stephanie loses her agency - or at least her role as the story's primary driving force - somewhere in the middle and never entirely gets it back. She's pretty passive/reactive in the back half of the book.
- Interestingly, a lot of the supporting cast of Phantom of the Opera seems to be absent from Phantom Heart. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's interesting to note that from as many characters as Phantom Heart has, I can really only map our three POV characters onto characters from Phantom.
- There are some really fun little nods to Phantom of the Opera - things like Lucas' last name being Cheney, which is pronounced very similarly to Chagny (i.e. Raoul, Viscount de Chagny - the character whose role Lucas fills).
Overall
I didn't like Phantom Heart nearly as much as I was hoping to - but I ended up liking it a lot more than I expected to in the middle of the book. It's far from a perfect book, but it ends up being a decent one (for all that it struggles to find a satisfying balance between its various elements/genres).
Will I read Phantom Heart again? Eh, probably not. But I most likely would read the sequel - if there is one.
(It's unclear, right now, if Phantom Heart is intended as a stand alone or as the beginning of a series. Goodreads has it listed as Phantom Heart, #1, but doesn't actually have an entry for a sequel and the book itself ends in such a way that it stands perfectly fine on its own - though it also leaves enough open that a sequel isn't out of the realm of possibility.)
3.5/5
It actually gets off to a really good start. I adored the first act; it was everything I expected from a Kelly Creigh novel and everything I wanted from a Phantom retelling: lush, Gothic, a bit swoony, a bit dark. For the most part, I enjoyed the book's last act as well, for all that it felt a bit rushed. But the middle...I'm not sure I've ever gone from loving a book to being tempted to DNF quite so fast.
Gothic Romance or Haunted House Horror
I went into Phantom Heart expecting a Gothic romance of some kind - a fair expectation in a Phantom of the Opera retelling. And at times - primarily the first and last act of the book (aka the parts I enjoyed) - it is that.
But there are also times where Phantom Heart loses almost any semblance of being a Gothic romance and devolves into something like straight horror (of the haunted house variety). I'm generally not a horror fan, so the whole haunted house/paranormal investigator sh** was not interesting to me. At times, it was even off-putting. (And the fact that Zedok had chapters in here that were basically him calling Lucas and co. idiots for their paranormal investigator methods didn't help anything).
Do We Have to Have a Love Triangle?
Look, I know Phantom of the Opera is a love triangle and all, but do we really have to have a love triangle? Cause the thing is, Phantom Heart would have been so much better without one.
For a lot of Phantom Heart, it feels like the book is too focused on the idea of the love triangle to actually develop Stephanie's relationship with either boy. It felt like the basis of both relationships, for long stretches of the book, was just basic lust/physical attraction (which isn't enough to build a compelling love triangle on, for me).
In terms of the two love interests-
When Stephanie and Erik spent extended periods of time together (primarily in the last act), I could almost see the romantic connection between them. The initial spark was there, and with a bit more time/attention, I think it would have burst into the flame of a great love story. As it stands, the intensity of their relationship in the climax of Phantom Heart feels kinda abrupt; they needed more time to get to (and show to the reader they've gotten to) that level of care for each other.
As for Lucas...Lucas sucks. (No real surprise there, given that I generally hate Raoul in Phantom of the Opera.)
Okay, so Lucas isn't actually completely terrible (though he's definitely got some characteristics that grate on me, especially as the book goes on). But a lot of my least favorite aspects of Phantom Heart stem from Lucas and his friends - the whole paranormal investigator/haunted house horror thing, a lot of the ultimately pointless detours from the plot (ex. Lucas' dance competition) - and honestly, I think the book would have been a lot stronger if Lucas and co. had been a less prominent part of it (the way Raoul honestly isn't a prominent part of Phantom).
(Also, there's a really uncomfortable undertone of ownership to the love triangle. There's definitely an aspect of that to the original Phantom, but I was expecting it to be lessprominent in a modern retelling, not more.)
A Missing Heart
Phantom Heart is a great Phantom of the Opera retelling in the sense that it hits plenty of familiar scenes/plot lines from Phantom - the falling chandelier, the boat ride, the duel in the graveyard - but it feels like it's missing the heart of the story.
What is that heart? I couldn't honestly tell you. All I know is as much as Phantom Heart looked like Phantom of the Opera, it didn't really feel like it.
(Probably the biggest place I felt the absence of Phantom's heart was in the relationship between Stephanie and Erik. I feel like so much of the relationship between Christine/Phantom is about their shared passion for music and what they give to each other. They elevate each other and, in some sense, act as a balm for each other's loneliness. And that...depth and consequence and heart just isn't really there in Stephanie and Erik's relationship.)
Misc. Thoughts
- The writing is clunky/inconsistent at times, especially in terms of how modern it sounds. It's also melodramatic in places. (There's a fine line between something being sweepingly Gothic and being ridiculous melodrama, and Phantom Heart periodically fell on the wrong side of that line.)
- It kind of feels like Stephanie loses her agency - or at least her role as the story's primary driving force - somewhere in the middle and never entirely gets it back. She's pretty passive/reactive in the back half of the book.
- Interestingly, a lot of the supporting cast of Phantom of the Opera seems to be absent from Phantom Heart. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's interesting to note that from as many characters as Phantom Heart has, I can really only map our three POV characters onto characters from Phantom.
- There are some really fun little nods to Phantom of the Opera - things like Lucas' last name being Cheney, which is pronounced very similarly to Chagny (i.e. Raoul, Viscount de Chagny - the character whose role Lucas fills).
Overall
I didn't like Phantom Heart nearly as much as I was hoping to - but I ended up liking it a lot more than I expected to in the middle of the book. It's far from a perfect book, but it ends up being a decent one (for all that it struggles to find a satisfying balance between its various elements/genres).
Will I read Phantom Heart again? Eh, probably not. But I most likely would read the sequel - if there is one.
(It's unclear, right now, if Phantom Heart is intended as a stand alone or as the beginning of a series. Goodreads has it listed as Phantom Heart, #1, but doesn't actually have an entry for a sequel and the book itself ends in such a way that it stands perfectly fine on its own - though it also leaves enough open that a sequel isn't out of the realm of possibility.)
3.5/5
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