This journal is absolutely gorgeous! I purchased it as a gift for my husband who has recently gotten into reading. The cover, the sprayed edges & interior artwork are all beautiful. There are plenty of different sections for challenges, reviews & keeping track of whom you loan books.
4.5/5
Ada Byron is a noble lady, but she is different than her peers. She wants more than just to be a wife, she loves science and math. But she also has a lack of understanding of anything emotional. Her father has always kept her from needing to be sent to an Institution, but her father has died and her mother is trying to marry her off and be rid of her. After visiting the Opera House, she decides to run away and work there while hiding from her family and the engagement her mother tricked her into. Eric Asher is a young man who has taken on the role of bread winner in his family after his mother has died and his father spends all his money on alcohol. His sister, Lily, has consumption and needs to be cared for in a sanatorium. Eric loves singing, but working in a club singing and swindling women isn't what he wants to do anymore. When he finds out there is an audition to train at the new opera house, he jumps on the chance. But will their chance at happiness be shattered by the curse of the Opera House?
The characters in this book are definitely complex. Ada is what people consider different in the time this book was written to be in. She knew it and while she embraced herself, she managed to find a way to blend in with her high society "peers". She is an independent person and hard working. Eric is a young man who takes advantage of women and uses his looks and charm to get money to take care of his sister. Even though he has some loose morals, his heart is in the right place. His character also goes through some development in this book as well. Then we have Marian, the reclusive and never seen owner of the Opera House. She seems at first as very philanthropic but when jealousy strikes she becomes someone else.
I have never read or seen any version of Phantom of the Opera (I know I know), so I am not sure how true to the original this is. But I love the way this opera house reminds me of the Chicago Murder House and the way the author uses the mirrors is very interesting. The world building was wonderful and I loved all the Gaslamp elements as well. It was a bit spooky and had the perfect amount of tension. When I started the book, I was unsure how I was going to feel about this book, but I was definitely pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. Once it got going, I was definitely pulled in. I know there is a sequel in the works and I am looking forward to that.
Love the beauty and the drama - wonderful art
Beautiful book. Love that the digital copy was also included. Looking forward to reading!
It's so nice to get back to Razor's universe, except in London and with Priscilla, Apiya's best friend.
And it takes only a few minutes to wear a toothy smile when getting acquainted with Pree and her non conventional family.
The story unfolds exactly like Pree : full of surprises, puns and banter.
If you love pets like I do, you'll also be happy : as did Api, Pree rescues a poor animal ... but that's Pree, in impro mode, so it's quite funny.
And then, Pree is a peace lover. So of course it gets her into trouble ...
I just can't say more, you have to read it by yourself !
Can't wait to start the next book of London's Edge Chronicles, with still that silly grin on my face from the first one.
Such a unique and fabulous story! The characters, the world and the rules and regulations surrounding being a “proper princess”, I loved every second of it!
Celine Jeanjean develops a story with enough mystery and suggested potential romance to keep the reader awake all night long. She's visibly worked a lot to document and render the musical part and spirit, as well as to put us in the shoes of an autist lady in victorian London.
Although it takes a bit too long to get acquainted with the main characters - the story starts to unravel only in chapter 5 - that gives the reader ample time to try to guess how the 3 protagonists we first follow will eventually meet.
Once in the opera, you get captivated, all the more so if you like classical music and science infused with mystery.
I give it only 4 stars because of the too lengthy introduction in the Music & Mirrors world.
Apiya's search for her ancestry leads her into peril again from fierce forces aligned against her as well as an overpoweringly benign influence for which she needs all the help she can get from her friends. Another cliffhanger, things are moving forward - what next?
For Ada the opera house represents escape from a world she doesn't fit. For Eric it is where he finally belongs.
A captivating tale, thoroughly engaging. Recommended...
Adrianna is a Princess, but not a very good one. She hasn’t managed to be saved by a Prince and her evil stepmother and stepsister aren’t actually evil. After one of the numerous balls she attended, Prince Charming comes calling but not on her, on her stepmother Petunia. With their storyline in danger of going off the rails, Adrianna must figure out a way to marry a prince or rush her stepsister, Alinore being rearranged. When she finds a stable hand to help her steal a dragon egg, will her storyline have a chance at righting itself or will they all be doomed?
Adrianna is not the typical princess. She enjoys playing, running, drinking wine with her fairy godmother, Mirabelle - all things a princess should never do. She only looks for a prince bc it was what she was born to do. Alinore is the sister who is true princess material, right down to being kind to all living things even spiders. They have a silly, barely functioning castle and no real money on hand. They definitely go against the grain in Once Upon Thyme. But my favorite has to Mirabelle. She is not what you expect a fairy godmother to be. She likes drinking, being bawdy and terrorizing the gardener.
This was a fun twist on fairytales. It pokes fun at and holes into the fairytale theme. What happens after the Happily Ever After? No one knows and sometimes, it seems, it may be better that way! It was humorous and entertaining while adding a dash of danger towards the end. It’s a fast paced book and such a quick and easy read as well. And now that their story story has been rewritten, I wonder what will come next!
I’ve read the Viper and the Urchin series and thought I would give this a go.
Thoroughly enjoyed it a nice relaxing book to read but with enough going on to keep you reading it.
Enough action and humour for our heroine to encounter set in the mystical Asian environment that links the old superstitions in a modern world. This sets the up for what the future lies ahead for our heroine and only a year to save things.
Looking forward to the next read
I loved every bit of this book! I enjoyed how Celina had Adrianna call out how ridiculous the typical fairy tale is. I would truly love to read a "fairy tale" about a mid-life spinster princess living her own life on her terms. I would tell this fairy tale over the typical fairy tale to my children.
A super smashing and magical book I flew it so fast I couldn't stop reading it was brilliant and the characters so original
More action and further intriguing revelations into Apiya's background and potential powers in this 3rd instalment. The tale had a lot of momentum but I felt it lacked the depth of the earlier books and stopped too soon, leaving a need to read the next book.
Both Ada and Eric leave unhappy homes and they find each other in the Grand Opera House. While pursuing their individual happiness while working and studying, murders of their coworkers take place around them. Story is a retelling of Phantom of the Opera, but HEA at end.
Gorgeous book! The story is riveting and well written.
This is an amazing retelling of the phantom.of the opera with the gender roles reversed I absolutely loved it loads
Enjoyable combination of action with South Asian mythology and magic together with modern ethical problems being solved on the Apiya's journey of self-discovery. This second stage brings a dangerous new foe and an intriguing new alliance - looking forward to the next book!
Adrianna's quest to solve her Princessly woes start to raise hackles when she rejects The StoryLine...
A fun tale, kept me reading.
Fun story. Very good illustrations that identify the characters and really help the story along.
This book was a delightfully enjoyable read, and the artwork and extras in the bundle made it so much more special! I regret nothing and would absolutely buy this again if I had to... but I don't, because I now have this book forever.
Great characters and unique storyline. Made me even more excited for my copy of music & Mirrors!
I purchased this book as a Christmas present for my daughter. Will borrow it once she has read it .
Beautiful book , the artwork and quality are amazing. Cannot wait to read .