Absolutely gorgeous. If you are a fan of Phantom of the Opera you will love this book. Describes the background of Erik and a retelling of the classic story from his point of view...then goes beyond and gives an ending to the story that is not at all tacky or pasted-on, but totally plausible. Recommended for even those who are not Phantom fans; a well-written dark story of unrequited love, tragedy and redemption.

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WOW! This was an incredible book. Normally not my style but this book was a page turner. It shows the reader the obstacles, challenges and the hurt of daily existence from the perspective of a brilliant man living with a deformity in the 1800's. The book describes life from his perspective and from the perspective of other people that his life impacted. It shows the need for human contact and the desire to find love. Not sex, not mindless passion but real, true, deep understanding love. This book has made an impact on me and I highly recommend it!

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This book is sensual and beautiful, written in one of the best fashions I've ever read. It totally and completely sucks you into the world of the Phantom of the Opera and his sad and shocking life story. I have cried, laughed, ached, and been amazed beyond my wits all in the course of reading this book. I have fallen in love with the characters and how real they feel, how entirely tangible they are. They are so completely formed it is as if you can feel them in the room, telling you this story first hand.

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Wow! If you're a Phantom of the Opera fan, read this! It was interesting to read this author's take on Erik's life before the opera and the events that made him who he was. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes suspenseful - definitely a page turner. 5 stars!

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I fell in love with this book at the turn of the first page. It is the most complete and imaginative telling of Erik's story that I have encountered so far. Highly engrossing. I became swept up and lost in this world. I adore this book and recommend it to all phantom fans.

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This has become one of my favorite all time books to read. I love the story behind the Phantom of the Opera. This story gives you an insight into why and how Eric became the phantom. This story was fantastically written and was a great retelling of the Phantom of the Opera.

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Phantom reads like fanfiction of the ALW musical. Someone was unhappy with the ending and decided to rewrite it, changing the attitudes and personalities of main players in the original to suit their fantasies. This book was written remarkably well (though, if I read the phrase "beyond imagination" or "beyond comprehension" again. . .) and is a very believable glimpse into Erik's tortured mind. However, Christine and Raoul's characters are completely awful. They are warped beyond recognition from the original and are just stupid and bland and terrible. Kay's Erik works because he is passionate and insane and violent; he's interesting, but he's not a lovable character. He's sympathetic, you want the best for him, and you root for him, but you don't like him as a person. I saw the ending coming from a mile away but it still angered me so much. Erik abused Christine and wanted to "possess" her, and even so she was so in love with him, it was disgusting; I had no idea where she was coming from. I have no problem with the concept of giving Erik a happily ever after, or changing Christine and Raoul's personalities in principle, but I think it was done rather confusingly and poorly.
That being said, this was a really really good book. It was dark, melodramatic, and romantic and obviously well thought out and researched. Honestly I enjoyed it so much that I'm tempted to give it 5 stars, but I don't think I can truly overlook how shallowly Kay portrayed Christine and Raoul.

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Out of all the Phantom of the Opera spin-offs I've read, this is by far the best one. This book really gave a good glimpse into the Phantom's past. The extraordinary amount of detail submerges the reader in Erik's world, from his birth to his death.

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This was a different look to the story of the Phantom of the Opera. It brought in Erik's mothers story and other people who met him along the road to his being at the Opera house. It was a good read.

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