I started my week off strong with a book recommended to me by someone with whom I share many book opinions. So when she tells me I need to read something, I do it. And, as always, she did not disappoint.
This book is a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, but the key changes are that instead of taking place in an opera house, it’s set in a dilapidated Victorian house. It is also set in the modern day, which is made very apparent through the book with many popular references. Beyond these changes, the spirit of The Phantom of the Opera shines through the story. A tortured ghost-like creature haunts Stephanie’s home, but at first, he is only able to be seen by her sister, Charlie. As Stephanie tries to make sense of what’s happening, she stumbles upon the help of a group called SPOoKY through meeting Lucas, an undeniably sexy boy at her school. These characters take place of the opera staff/cast and Raul.
One thing I was very impressed by in this book was the ability to keep the charm and beats of Phantom of the Opera while still making a story that can stand on its own. The Phantom in Phantom Heart bears a lot of similarities to the tortured ‘Opera Ghost’, but the author also gives him more of a past to understand why he is the way he is now. Instead of one mask, he hides behind several, each a different aspect of himself. I thought this was a beautiful way not only to make the reader understand him as the broken person he’s become, but it also felt very relatable for someone who has gone through any trauma. The author did a great job of humanizing a creature who has done terrible things because you can understand why. When someone goes through the unimaginable, we can’t always decide which part of ourselves comes out to protect us. This psychology was relayed beautifully in the book.
At the end of this book I realized that it gave me everything I had wanted from the original Phantom of the Opera, while also delivering a great story that stood on it’s own.
The reason I did not give it a higher score was because it did read somewhat immature at times. Although it is marked as YA, I’ve read many YA books that are still written with a mature voice. There was quite a bit of Stephanie’s focus that was pulled just by the attractiveness of characters, and that felt unnecessary to the story as a whole. I also felt like, although the mystery was very interesting, I didn’t get enough understanding of what actually happened to curse Erik. I kept waiting for the reveal of why exactly it had happened, and how, but instead much of the book was only focused on what was happening now. The last problem I had getting through was pacing. About halfway through I couldn’t understand how I was only half way through. I think this book could have been better as a duology, to provide more information that we were missing with Erik’s history while also adding more to the plot outside of just what was happening with Stephanie herself. All around, I gave it 3.5 stars.
As soon as I finished Phantom Heart, and learned there was a Jane Eyre retelling by the same author, I picked it up immediately. I love Jane Eyre. I feel like it is one of those stories that tickles every one of my book needs. Jane herself is just my kind of Literary woman. She has a tragic past, but continues to keep pushing forward. She sees herself as plain, but decides that it doesn’t mean she isn’t a human, so she stands up for herself. I also love her relationship with Fairfax. He’s this broody man (totally my type) but she gets through to him by being herself. I like their story. I like that they don’t live happily ever after, not at first. I like that it’s closer to a real love story. They have to keep fighting to get back to each other, even if they’re fighting themselves. And then the ghost story and plot twist on top of it all? *Perfection*. So, with all of this, I thought Strange Unearthly things would be an absolute hit. Sadly, it wasn’t further from the truth. As much as Phantom Heart gave me everything I needed from Phantom of the Opera, this book was missing everything I needed from Jane Eyre. For one thing, the story takes place over a very short amount of time. That was one thing I loved about Jane Eyre. There was no instant love story. They took time to get to their happily ever after. In Strange Unearthly Things, I believe the whole book took place over a week. There seemed to be undertones of reincarnation that should have made it more believable, but this was another piece of the puzzle that was never truly explained. Kelly Creagh seems to do a great job of creating these interesting and complex mysteries to build her books around, she just struggles to bring the reader with her. The rest of my issues with the book are centered around the same issue of timing. The book happens so fast that we don’t get enough character development for anyone, which felt like a huge disservice to characters that were interesting and had a good dynamic together. It was so quick, the hauntings in the house don’t have the same slow build and tension that it lends to the original. Instead, it felt like a rollercoaster. They get to the house. All the scary things happen and they leave. The worst injustice I felt was the plot twist. In the original Jane Eyre, the reveal of the haunting leaves your jaw dropped. I won’t give too much away, but that moment when Jane faces the reality of the hauntings, and Fairfax’s past is one of the best literary moments I can remember. Strange Unearthly Things fails completely to capture this level of plot twist. There are reveals, absolutely, but nothing that turns the game on it’s head. It’s nothing that made me have to put the book down for a moment and just *process*. For the most part it seemed almost predictable. I think, on it’s own, I may have given it a higher score, but putting it next to Jane Eyre set me, as a reader, up for disappointment through the book. I give it 3 stars.
Instead of a review, this is a plea. GO READ THIS BOOK. It is one of the most original and well-written pieces of fiction I’ve read in a LONG time. The story follows Iris Strange, who, along with her three sisters, went missing when they were children only to reappear a month later. Now Iris, a senior in high school, and her sister Vivi set off to find their sister Grey after she goes missing. The synopsis is enough to catch anyone’s attention, but the authors way of weaving subtle hints about the mystery and the characters had me hooked from the first page. Each character and the way they interact with each other is so well written. It’s so complex, but also realistic after everything this small family has gone through. Iris need for normalcy was so visceral as I read about the way her sister’s moved through life. The suspense? Amazing. The pacing? Magnificent. The plot twists? INCREDIBLE. I really can’t talk enough about the characters in this book. There were so many times the characters surprised me with their choices, but each time it made sense. I just love it when authors can do that. When it feels like these are real people who are making real choices. It was amazing to read. The magic system was incredibly interesting as well, although it isn’t explained super well. Usually this would frustrate me, but at all times I, as the reader, only knew as much as the characters. If they don’t have the answers, I can’t be too bothered that I don’t either. I want to write more on this, but I don’t want to give away spoilers.
The only thing I wanted from this book and didn’t get is MORE. By the end of the book there are pretty big questions without answers. They don’t leave the story incomplete, but I am just ravenous to understand more of the dynamics of their world. So, overall, this gets 4.5 stars.
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