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A review by j_ess_reads
The Phantom's Apprentice by Heather Webb
3.0
I am very likely the target audience for this novel. I have read and reread Gaston Leroux’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA so many times my paperback copy is practically worn out, and I probably could still recite the entire libretto of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical after being first introduced to it about 20 years ago. That being said, I have a love-hate relationship with pastiches/retellings/fan fiction. Usually I’m glad to just spend more time in the story. But I have been, dare I say, haunted by some seriously sub-par POTO sequels. I took a chance on THE PHANTOM’S APPRENTICE.
The short version: I had fun reading it! An atmospheric romance with a bit of intrigue, this page turner is easier to navigate than the Gothic horror of the original story. I could easily see this shelved as both adult and young adult fiction.
The longer version: The purist is going to be a little rankled by inconsistencies – which there are bound to be some since the story is based on *both* versions and even those don’t coalesce spectacularly well. The true villain of the story was convenient, and I felt the book needed to be longer; the rising action and conclusion came very quickly. I appreciated that Christine Daae wasn’t simply a paper doll in this version. Her friendship with Claudette was lovely, and her character enriched by some more insight into probable motivations. (If I were to make one change, I would have loved to see how Christine, in all her illusionist training, might outwit Erik’s torture chamber to save Raoul and the Persian. That would’ve been AWESOME.)
The short version: I had fun reading it! An atmospheric romance with a bit of intrigue, this page turner is easier to navigate than the Gothic horror of the original story. I could easily see this shelved as both adult and young adult fiction.
The longer version: The purist is going to be a little rankled by inconsistencies – which there are bound to be some since the story is based on *both* versions and even those don’t coalesce spectacularly well. The true villain of the story was convenient, and I felt the book needed to be longer; the rising action and conclusion came very quickly. I appreciated that Christine Daae wasn’t simply a paper doll in this version. Her friendship with Claudette was lovely, and her character enriched by some more insight into probable motivations. (If I were to make one change, I would have loved to see how Christine, in all her illusionist training, might outwit Erik’s torture chamber to save Raoul and the Persian. That would’ve been AWESOME.)