The Phantom of the Opera is one of my favorite musicals, I love historical and gothic fiction, so, of course, I absolutely had to read The Phantom's Apprentice. It was such a great reimaging of the beloved play, I enjoyed it immensely. The writing is exquisite, the descriptions of Paris and the Opera House are so vivid, I could easy picture the gorgeous setting and feel immersed in the story. 

Christine was an interesting and complex heroine, the Angel of Music was a lot more disturbing than his original counterpart, and Raoul was a lot more swoonworthy. When I watched the musical I didn't find Raul's character very interesting and didn’t really care about their relationship. In The Phantom's Apprentice, Heather Webb finally does justice to Christine and Raul's love story. I was finally convinced that these two belong together. I also loved Christine's journey from a young impressionable girl to an independent woman who didn't want any men to decide her fate. 

If you love historical fiction with an atmospheric setting, interesting characters, and beautiful writing, The Phantom's Apprentice is for you.

The Phantom's Apprentice is the beautifully written story of Christine Daae told in three acts. I loved watching the transformation of Christine from shy, naïve girl to a lead singer and illusionist who was not afraid to stand up for herself and those she loved. Even though we didn't learn all that much about Madame Valerius, I feel like her relationship with Christine helped her become the person she wanted to be. 
I would recommend this intriguing story to fans of historical fiction who enjoy a dramatic twist on a classic story.

Being a fan of the Phantom of the Opera I was skeptical when I started reading this.  I usually don’t like retelling or reinventing a beloved tale but the cover on this book made me take a chance.  I am glad I did. I enjoyed that this was not written from the Phantom’s perspective but his protégé. It was nice to see another side to this wonderful tale.  Even with the added characters and inconsistencies I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I would definitely recommend reading this book but also you must have an open mind.

This book is beautiful and enchanting! All of the elements from the classic take are still there but with a new unique spin from Christine's point of view. As a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera, I can assure you that this novel is just as haunting and romantic as the classic novel, movie and musical. If you too are a fan you will not be disappointed. I'm completely overwhelmed by the sheer perfection of this beautifully written story. Webb deserves nothing more than the highest of praises for this work.

A truly magical fictional book based on The Phantom of the Opera. I was pulled in from the very first page and did not want to put this one down. Fascinating characters with a touch of mystery. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys  historical fiction with a touch of romance and a hint of mystery.

The Phantom's Apprentice was an interesting book. I love everything to do with The Phantom of the Opera and I love mysteries, so I was really excited to read this book. It was a bit different than the mysteries I tend to gravitate to, but it was an enjoyable read. All of my prior knowledge of the characters kind of detracted a little bit from the experience, but I thought the author didn't a fairly good job of making them her own. I definitely recommend this book to Phantom fans, as well as lovers of historical mysteries.

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.

A masterful suspense with a twist on a classic that draws in readers to the magic, the secrets, the lies, the illusions and the spirits and souls that have departed. Or have they?
During the 1840-1920's spiritualism took hold and many believed that souls could communicate to the living, evolve in after life, and be felt and heard here on Earth.
Gothic novels gained precedence and focused attention upon our loved ones and their souls.
In this well crafted, diverse, complex, and beautifully paced novel Heather shows us that women need not stand in the shadows of men.
She uses Catherine as the heroine who seeks out to right the wrongs from her family's past in becoming a master illusionists and not just an accomplished singer in the opera of her own merit.
Mademoiselle Daae as she was known when singing was full of mystery, intrigue, and tenacity. She was to become a successful master but on her own terms .
To do so is to risk her life, steal secrets from her master (who is terrifying) and survive treachery and even murder all while forging a life full of freedom and love.
It begs to ask , " What if all we had was the here and now?" Or "Tragedy has a way of shaping a person."
All these exquisite performances were held at the Opera House and the setting began in NYC 1891 progressed nicely to Paris 1877 and went back for the final curtain in NYC . Much like life going full circle so too does this wonderful work of art.
Taking secrets to the grave let's hope is not how this will all play out but the cast is superbly crafted and you'll just have to trust me that it's quite the masterpiece.
The strong cast of characters allows the reader to play along and it truly feels like we are on some sort of magic carpet ride not sure where or when to get off but damn sure we don't want too.
How far will one go to protect secrets? How much backstabbing and lies can one endure? What is the ultimate price to pay for love , fame, and fortune?
All of these questions are asked and all are provided responses that satisfy the hunger in us all.
"Conjuring spirits might be an illusion, but souls were not." 
Can the Angel of Music help us here as surely things may not be as they appear. 
Will the so called ," Opera Ghost" ever be wrangled up and caught or will he simply stay in the dark shadows of the basement?
Will the Professor Delacroix the student Catherine and the cast all receive what they desired?
A very well done performance and I was happy to stand up and applaud this one ! The End was dynamite! 
Thank you Heather Webb for providing me this e-read copy on Netgalley. 
Highly Recommend!

I'm a major fan of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. I'm a major fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's movie version. And I'm sure I'll be a major fan of the musical, as well, once I've seen it. 

So to be able to read a re-telling, a re-imagined version of a favorite classic? I was in!

I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I'll keep it pretty vague. 

Had it been the same old, same old, it wouldn't have been as good. Christine is definitely not what a young adult her age should be like in that time period. 19th century France wasn't really the age for the open-minded - especially when it came for women to do things out of the norm. 

Let me elaborate. As we know, Christine and her father have traveled and played music in different places. They have had it rough, many times. They were poor. No fortune, no title. Christine was bound to never marry someone with a title. She was supposed to sing. That's it.

But this Christine wanted more than that. She was fascinated by conjurers, illusionists. It was the period when everyone tried their hand at such things; when everyone tried doing magic tricks. Some succeeded, others failed. Christine was a novice in magic tricks, so a future of her doing such things was out of the question. 

This was one of the twists this story had. One of the many others. Twists I didn't see coming; regarding events, but characters, as well. Especially characters. Nobody was what they seemed. Maybe Raoul. Okay, so Raoul was pretty swoon-worthy. 

The Phantom. Erik. Oh boy. Just like Christine, I didn't know whether to love him or hate him. Feel sorry for him or think him a lunatic. Thing is, if you read the book, you'll see the twist the author has put on his story, how he became a passionate but very dangerous man. He was a lunatic. I've felt conflicted, all throughout the book, but I think pity won out, by the end of it. 

There were times I wanted to shake some sense into Christine because of some things she did, but she was young, she was just trying to flip everyone off, to defy them. 

I'm pretty sure I'll be rereading this one, as well as the classical version. I wish to congratulate Ms Webb for weaving a story of romance with the macabre and sprinkling it with Gothic elements. 

I voluntarily agreed to read an early copy of this book and my rating is 4.5 stars.

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.