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.
Phantom Heart
By kellycreagh
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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So, where to begin? This was truly a very unique rendition of the Phantom of the opera. It’s told from the vantage point of 18 year olds. There is a lot of fun and also a lot of sadness. There is most definitely a spooky vibe going on. There’s also a love triangle which, if I had thought about it, totally makes sense since it is a retelling of the Phantom of the Opera.
Erik aka Zedok is a tortured soul who, having made terrible choices in his young life, has been cursed permanently. He is basically a fractured dead being left to haunt his childhood home, with the many parts of himself being represented as personified masks. “Wrath” is a particularly scary one but there are many others. He is a gifted musician… A prodigy… who is unable to any longer make music.
Stephanie moves into this Victorian home, Moldavia, with her father and younger sister. They are a fractured family still reeling from the death of Stephanie’s mom some years ago. Stephanie‘s mother was a talented musician and Stephanie herself is a gifted vocalist. However, there is no music or singing in their lives since the death of their mother.
Stephanie‘s younger sister, Charlotte, begins to talk about the monster in her closet but only Charlotte sees it so this is attributed to her imagination initially.
Lucas is a classmate of Stephanie‘s who approaches her with his interest in Moldavia. He and his friends are a sort of Ghostbusters team. As Stephanie begins to question what is going on in her home, she reaches out to Lucas and his group of paranormal “investigators.” Romance definitely begins to bloom between Lucas and Stephanie.
However, as Stephanie begins to meet “Erik” in her dreams, a connection definitely grows between the two of them. In Erik’s fractured state, he is unpredictable at best. It always depends on which mask he is wearing and he does not always have control over that. But in dreams, their relationship grows. A major crux in the story is when Stephanie discovers a composition written by Erik/Zedok, and quietly sings to it in his presence. From this point on, Erik is torn because, on the one hand, he seems to now truly love her, but on the other hand this very love makes him unable to release her from his own prison.
Raston, a well-known psychic, who has had contact with Erik previously, is also a part of the story as he has a great desire to somehow break this curse and release Erik. Ultimately Lucas and Raston work together in an attempt to rescue Stephanie and break the curse on Erik. Things are much more complicated both emotionally and “paranormally.”
I could not have predicted the ending and I must say I wish there was more story to be told. But this was an amazing story and the depth of emotions were intense. The characters were great and the story was unforgettable. I read it as well as listened to the audiobook and both were extremely well done.
If you love the Phantom of the Opera, you do not want to miss this book.