“He saw me. He saw all of me. Every yearning, every impulse. Each soaring joy, each sorrowful regret and smothering shame. He saw my hidden secrets, my darkest desires…I leaned towards him, wondering what things I could uncover there in his shadow.”
🥀 Gothic Romance
🎭 Masked Man (Phantom)
🎼 Love Triangle
RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER:
A reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, spotlighting Christine Daaé as she rises to fame while torn between love, ambition, and the haunting secrets of the opera house from #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig.
Inspired by Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Le Fantôme de L’Opéra, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it.
He falls madly in love with a young soprano, Christine Daaé, and devotes himself to nurturing her extraordinary talents, employing all of the devious methods at his command.
Our Strange Duet centres Christine’s emotional journey and her agency within this sweeping, atmospheric opera.
MY REVIEW:
As a major The Phantom of the Opera fan, there is so much content to consume amidst the 40th anniversary of the musical. Our Strange Duet is one of the best things I have read this year and my favorite release from the 40th anniversary. Immediately, you can tell how much thought and care Erin A. Craig put into telling Christine’s story. She is meticulous with every detail, every thought, every emotion. There was so much research and dedication packed into 370 something pages that I’m surprised she was able to fit this much in the chapters we’re given. I cannot begin to explain how in awe I felt as I journeyed through one of my favorite musicals in novel form. It was absolutely magical! I felt like Christine seeing the Phantom for the first time and being led to his underground lair, mesmerized with every word and description written. I don’t know how she captured the exact feelings I felt when I saw the musical for the first time, but she absolutely did.
I have seen The Phantom of the Opera two times right before reading Our Strange Duet. Then saw Masquerade (the off-Broadway production) and the actual Broadway show (again…for the third time this year) right after reading and let me know, what an experience it was!! Because I have seen the musical multiple times and have been actively listening to the cast recordings as I read, the original story from the musical was very fresh in my mind. That said, there’s a lot of context you have to fill in as an audience member in any kind of stage show, and I won’t lie, The Phantom of The Opera can be a difficult show to follow if you’re not already familiar with the music, lyrics, and/or characters. Erin A. Craig did a phenomenal job at staying true to the original material while also adding in details, background information, and honestly, giving us so much context as readers. You not only understand the story better, but also Christine as a character as you traverse through her thoughts, emotions, and rationale. I feel as though I learned so much about the Phantom world through this book, even if it is just “inspired by”. I also know this musical is infamous for Team Phantom/Erik vs Team Raoul, but after reading Our Strange Duet, I am firmly Team Christine! But tell me why the author had me feeling some kind of way for RAOUL even though I’ve been a Phantom girly through and through. That’s how powerful her writing is!!
And for my audiobook listeners, you are in for an absolutely TREAT because they have a full production going for the audio! I’m talking FULL CAST, music, sound effects, and SINGING!! YES, SINGING!! Erin A. Craig got special permission to use the actual lyrics from the Broadway musical in the book so that means we got each narrator singing some of their most famous songs in the show. Beatrice Penny-Touré makes for a wonderful Christine both on the stage (she’s currently Christine for the 40th anniversary cast in London’s West End) and as a lovely narrator, along with the rest of the talented cast. If you are a Phantom fan, I also need you to look up the entire cast because it is STACKED!!! They literally pulled out all the stops for this audiobook and it shows!
Our Strange Duet is the perfect read for both old and new Phantom fans, and I highly encourage reading the book along with the full-cast audio. Erin A. Craig put her heart and soul into this book and did right by it on so many accounts!! Girl even met with the man HIMSELF (Andrew Lloyd Webber, aka composer/creator of The Phantom of the Opera musical) to go over details and accuracies. Seriously, she did some incredible work in this new Christine POV and I will keep talking about Our Strange Duet for years to come! So please read this book, it’s ALL I ASK OF YOU!
Thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Underlined for an advance copy of this book and audio! All opinions are my own.
Stay Magical,
Eri
Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | Amazon (storefront link)
Genre: YA Gothic Romance
