Author: Jessica S. Olson
Genre: Fantasy
Series: No
General Overview:
The book is a retelling of Phantom of the Opera...with a unique twist. The 'phantom' in this case, is 17-year old Isda, a young girl who is forced to hide away deep in the belly of the Opera House because society wants her dead. In fact, it is only through the timely intervention of her patron and mentor, Cyril Rodin, that the girl is alive at all. He rescued her when she was but a few hours old, left to drown in an icy grave by the midwife who delivered her, at her mother's command. Isda had the misfortune of being born a gravoir, one who has the unique ability to manipulate a person's memories when they sing. Though she uses this talent for good, under the direction of Cyril, to ensure successful performances at the Opera House each night, her very existence is against the law. Due to an unfortunate incident years ago, when three gravoir sisters used their power to destroy a whole town, those like Isda are considered vile, twisted monsters, both due to their misshapen and oddly colored faces and the deep fear that their power evokes.
Music is Isda's heart, and she longs to break free of her prison to perform openly on the opera stage. Even though she knows this can never be, she still dreams. And then, as in all good stories, there was a boy...
Once Emeric enters her world, her life is never the same. Even her loyal devotion to Cryil cannot keep her hidden anymore. But the world is more than music and pretty melodies, and she trades her safe gilded prison for a fleeting moment of glorious freedom wrapped in terrible danger. Nothing is what it seems, and no one is to be trusted. The girl is forced to become the monster that society deemed her to be in the first place, much to her everlasting regret. Isda , the gravoir monster, is out of the shadows..and no one is safe.
Here is what GoodReads has to say:
My take:Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house.
Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house’s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she use her power to keep ticket sales high—and that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives.
But Isda breaks Cyril’s cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet, solitary life out of balance. His voice is unlike any she’s ever heard, but the real shock comes when she finds in his memories hints of a way to finally break free of her gilded prison.
Haunted by this possibility, Isda spends more and more time with Emeric, searching for answers in his music and his past. But the price of freedom is steeper than Isda could ever know. For even as she struggles with her growing feelings for Emeric, she learns that in order to take charge of her own destiny, she must become the monster the world tried to drown in the first place.
In a word...WOW. Granted, I have always loved Phantom of the Opera, so it came as no surprise to me that I enjoyed this book immensely. What I totally did not count on was the emotions that this book would evoke. I kid you not, I actually found myself openly sobbing at points. The writer has the talent to really draw the reader into the story, making the characters seem like old friends. You can actually feel Isda's pain and Emeric's heartache, and you are entwined in their story each step of the way. The best of books are much more than a story, they are an experience, and this definitely fits the bill.
