Genre: Horror, Mystery, Romance
Key Stage: Year 8+
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (1909)
Plot: This is a classic novel about a mysterious phantom that is “haunting” a Paris Opera House. It is also a part romance story as the phantom falls in love and starts an obsession with Christine, a beautiful and talented singer.
Positives: The Phantom of the opera was mainly enjoyable because of the atmosphere and setting at the Opera house as well as the baffling puzzle of who the Phantom was and why he was terrorizing the opera. The phantom was a complex character that ended up being more than just a terrifying supernatural. I understood his desire to be loved and the comfort of hiding his identity and face even though he committed awful crimes.
Negatives: The main characters were hard to sympathize and connect with. Their actions were confusing at times, so the love triangle didn’t really influence me as I wasn’t bothered with who Christine would end up with, but I cared more for the phantom, Erik.
Reviewer: Rose, Year 9