Phantom (The Dark Musicals Trilogy, #1)

by Laura DeLuca

[Angie]

I was really surprised by Phantom! I figured that I would enjoy it, since I absolutely LOVE The Phantom of the Opera, but I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. The beginning was a little stiff so I was worried. It seemd to be bogged down by explanations of the original story, which I'm sure was for the benefit of those not familiar with it. For me though, I just wanted to get on with the mystery! However, once it got going, I was hooked.

A member of the Ecology Club and an obsessive Phantom of the Opera fan? Is Rebecca me?! Of course not, but I liked her right away because of these two things, despite her being the usual low self-esteemed and clumsy heroine. She definitely grows in confidence as the book goes along though. I also adored Justyn! He's dark and mysterious on the outside, but he's such an sweet and interesting guy, with plenty of surprises to keep you on your toes!

There's a mystery to be solved at the school, complete with strange objects appearing in lockers and a creepy janitor! Yes, the awesomely cliched, creepy janitor! The ultimate red herring, or is it? At first it seems like a harmless prank until the bodies start piling up! I had fun trying to guess the murderer. I was disappointed when my Suspect #1 got killed, but was excited to find that my Suspect #2 was the perpetrator! However, I was entirely wrong about their motive. That one was definitely unexpected!

Phantom was quite a fun read, even though it definitely had it's dark moments (lots of death). I also rolled my eyes at a few scenes, because there's just no way they would ever happen in real life: a teacher allowing a student to just walk out after falling 15 feet, with a bleeding head, and possible broken bones? School newspaper article about a student/faculty affair, with no administrative or parental intervention? No way! But I was able to look past these things for the sake of the larger picture.