As an early fan of all things Phantom (my first Broadway show when I was 13), I've read the book scores of time and seen the show eight times in five cities. (I've also visited Box 5 in the Paris Opera House.) So, I was eager to read this new retelling of the story from Christine's point of view, and I was not disappointed! As one needs to do with any reimagining, you must suspend an abundance of pre-conceived notions of HOW IT SHOULD BE and appreciate the author's own spin on it. For those who might complain, I would invite you to write your own version as you see it. Until then, I celebrate what each person brings to their love of a story.

Author Heather Webb did an excellent job of giving complexity and drive to Christine, giving dimension to the Phantom's magical abilities, motivation to Carlotta's antics, depth to beloved Raoul, and introducing us to new characters who fill out the story. I would put this among my favorite of classic retellings, a genre I thoroughly enjoy.

I am a huge fan of Gaston Laroux's Phantom of the Opera and I am always wary of re-tellings and spinoffs. This is certainly one of the good ones and does not take anything away from the original tale. An enjoyable read, especially for fans of the original classic.

I caught wind of Heather Webb’s The Phantom’s Apprentice at the 2017 Historical Novel Society Conference in Portland. A devout cover slut, I was immediately smitten with the jacket design, but I was equally intrigued by the premise of the narrative and couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of my own.

Did the novel live up to my expectations? That is an interesting question. The Phantom’s Apprentice exists within Leroux’s canonical universe, but it is independent of his voice which is a fact that initially frustrated me a great deal. When I sat down to collect my thoughts, however, I realized that while Webb’s interpretation of the source material differed dramatically from my own, I quite liked the creativity, ideas, and details of the narrative. For this reason, I encourage fellow readers to approach the novel with an open mind.

Christine is the focal point of the narrative, and I liked how Webb used the book as a platform to flesh out her character. Christine is a passive and easily manipulated individual under Leroux’s pen, but she becomes a far more assertive and astute personality under Webb’s. I didn’t always agree with this version of Christine, but I certainly appreciated the ideas that shaped her make-up and the contemporary relevance those themes afforded.

That said, I am a reader of historical fiction and admit the contextual details of the narrative held great appeal in my eyes. Leroux capitalized on contemporary interest in the spiritualist movement by creating the story around a man who taunts the cast and crew of the Palais Garnier in the guise of a ghost. Webb expands on this idea with further exploration of the emotional landscape of the spiritualist movement and the means by which those emotions were both flamed and exploited.

Webb’s foray into the world of illusion is also worthy of note. The novel takes place during a particularly exciting period where developing technologies allowed for great advances in the field of stage magic. Though the techniques illustrated over the course of the narrative are not refined by today’s standards, I found the descriptions of Erik’s illusionary innovations intensely entertaining and couldn’t help appreciating the effort Webb put into authentically presenting the magician’s craft.

3.5 Stars, rounded up. Solid writing, fairly well-researched. As a major Phantom fan, I was anxious to read this take on the tale, written from Christine’s perspective. I admit to some negative bias...I don’t love Christine or Raoul and am always more sympathetic to Erik. This author took license with the tale, adding characters, history and Christine’s desire to become an illusionist. While I didn’t love this the way I had hoped, it was an engaging read, especially for those enthralled with all things Phantom.

We are all familiar with the story of the phantom of the opera, but we are really only aware of the story as told from the viewpoint of the phantom himself. This book endeavors and succeeds to paint the picture of the tale as told through the eyes of the phantoms protégée, Christine. Having such an intoxicating tale to begin with, ms. Webb wove a fairytale out of Christine’s side of the story. we saw the truth about how the phantom played on her vulnerability and it worked to his advantage. Even though she was never the most sympathetic character, I came to really hate Carlotta after this book. A wonderful insight into another side of a well known and classic tale.

I am very likely the target audience for this novel. I have read and reread Gaston Leroux’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA so many times my paperback copy is practically worn out, and I probably could still recite the entire libretto of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical after being first introduced to it about 20 years ago. That being said, I have a love-hate relationship with pastiches/retellings/fan fiction. Usually I’m glad to just spend more time in the story. But I have been, dare I say, haunted by some seriously sub-par POTO sequels. I took a chance on THE PHANTOM’S APPRENTICE.

The short version: I had fun reading it! An atmospheric romance with a bit of intrigue, this page turner is easier to navigate than the Gothic horror of the original story. I could easily see this shelved as both adult and young adult fiction.

The longer version: The purist is going to be a little rankled by inconsistencies – which there are bound to be some since the story is based on *both* versions and even those don’t coalesce spectacularly well. The true villain of the story was convenient, and I felt the book needed to be longer; the rising action and conclusion came very quickly. I appreciated that Christine Daae wasn’t simply a paper doll in this version. Her friendship with Claudette was lovely, and her character enriched by some more insight into probable motivations. (If I were to make one change, I would have loved to see how Christine, in all her illusionist training, might outwit Erik’s torture chamber to save Raoul and the Persian. That would’ve been AWESOME.)

I had to take some time to reflect upon my feelings after completing this novel. Anytime an author makes an attempt to reinvent a beloved tale it can be disastrous. I have read multiple translations of the original tale, seen the musical on Broadway, watched several movie versions, and seen a non-musical adaption on stage as well. To say I have a love affair with this story is an understatement. This is the first time any interpretation has been told from Christine's perspective. I cannot say in truth that I loved it but I was and am intrigued by it. This retelling grants the reader an opportunity to reevaluate the relationships as introduced by Leroux. I particularly liked the new relationships between Carlotta and Raoul, Christine and Claudette, and the Phantom and Delacroix. Webb provides a wealth of information about the magical arts and this certainly allows the reader to understand the Phantom and his motives a little more. The novel reads very smoothly overall. It is a must read for any Phantom lover quite simply because it provides more insight into that world.

Content note: attempted rape, stalking, mental illness, spiritualism, female protagonist, retelling, mystery,

This was an interesting and engaging take on The Phantom of the Opera, blending elements of Andrew Lloyd Webber with the classic novel by Gaston Leroux, with Christine as a stronger, active, more independent woman rather than the passive damsel. It has been a while since I have read the novel and many years since I saw the stage production at Pantages, but the revenge and fixation storylines felt… overly convoluted, but also in keeping with Gothic style novels.