What happens to the Phantom after the tragedy at the Paris Opera House is the basis for this fantastic tale of The Phantom Diaries, loosely based on Gaston Leroux's classic, The Phantom of the Opera, but with a new tale and a modern twist. This new series for older teens and young adults is told through the eyes of 18 year-old Annette Binoche, who lands a job at the New York Metropolitan Opera House as a seamstress' assistant only to become the lead singer of the Opera House, with the help of the mysterious, yet highly-seductive Phantom.I grew up loving The Phantom of the Opera and have dragged my family and friends to see it on Broadway more times than I'll admit out loud, so getting the chance to read Kailin Gow's new twist on my old favorite was very exciting for me. I wasn't sure what to expect but once I opened to the first page and dug in I couldn't put it down. It had all the old romance, mystery, tension and wonder that I was hoping for and have come to expect when dealing with this classic. Gow's writing was quick, relatable and not bogged down with unnecessary details or insignificant points of reference.
Her characters were original in their owns ways but still stayed true with their classic predecessors. The phantom by far and away was of course my favorite character, but I must admit that the sweet and innocent Chase also gave him a run for his money. I couldn't blame Annette for not being able to decide between them half the time when I couldn't figure out how I could love one the one minute and the other the next. I was flitting back and forth all the time. Annette was a wonderful character to follow and her diary entries were fascinating to read. I'll admit at times I wanted her to wake up and take a look around her, she was too naive in parts, but aren't we all at some point in our lives?
But without a doubt the ending of the book took my by complete surprise, I was just blown away and not expecting anything of the sort. I was shocked long after I closed the book. I was not aware that this was a series and did not appreciate the unexpected cliffhanger, but now that I've calmed down and reigned in my dissapointment, I'm counting down until I can get my hands on the sequel to find out what happens next. I'm going to have to do more research before I pick up any book to see if it's a stand alone or intended to be a part of a series so I'm not so disappointed the next time I'm expecting a clean wrap up and instead have a bomb dropped on me.
I gave The Phantom Diaries 3 shamrocks!!!
Sounds really good, I'm going to add it to my list. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI've been really curious about this book, but now I think that it might be worth picking up! Great review!
ReplyDeleteI love Phantom of the Opera so this sounds intriguing! And I hate unexpected cliffhangers! We were talking about this on the blog after on of our reviewers read My Name is Memory. She didn't realize that it was part of a planned series and was confused about the ending. I think an ending like that is much easier to handle when you KNOW that is part of a planned series.
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