Title: Our Strange Duet
Author: Erin A. Craig
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 4 out of 5
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 House: 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.
I’ve never read or seen The Phantom of the Opera, so I came to this read with basically zero knowledge of the original story. I’m not sure what to say. This was a very atmospheric read, dark and glittering at the same time. I liked Christine, although the hints of mental health issues were scattered throughout the narrative did seem pretty obvious to me. I loved reading the behind-the-scenes stuff of the opera itself, but Erik was pretty creepy to me. I don’t know. This was well-written, but it was pretty dark.
Erin A. Craig is a bestselling author. Our Strange Duet is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Random House Children’s Books | Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.)
Tomorrow Is Another Day 