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Tower Knights #1
Music of the Night
A haunted tower, a mysterious instructor and the lure of the music of the night. . .
After the death of her father, Aria is left penniless and destitute. To avoid working the streets she becomes the ward of a Count and moves to a remote town called High Tower.
High Tower is a gloomy place with one vivid attraction: the theater. Lords and ladies come from afar to be seduced by a night of unforgettable entertainment.
Many are warned to stay away from High Tower’s dangerous enchantments, but it’s a warning Aria is forced to ignore. Determined to take her life back into her hands, she and the Count make a deal. She can avoid an arranged marriage if she learns to sing for him.
When Aria stumbles across a mysterious man in a dark tower, she begs to learn the power of song from him. Although reluctant, the man agrees to teach her the music of the night. Between midnight meetings and emotional singing lessons, Aria falls in love with her alluring instructor despite his shadowy past.
But something deadly stirs, awoken by the desire of its master.
Evenings reveries become haunted with terror, blood and murder. Rumors claim the man in the tower in behind the madness that haunts High Tower, a truth Aria is loathe believe. For she just gained the desire of her heart.
What she doesn’t know is that her haunted instructor intends to use her for his own purposes. . .
Music of the Night is a complete, stand-alone novel inspired by Phantom of the Opera. Perfect for fans of dark and steamy fantasy romance.
After the death of her father, Aria is left penniless and destitute. To avoid working the streets she becomes the ward of a Count and moves to a remote town called High Tower.
High Tower is a gloomy place with one vivid attraction: the theater. Lords and ladies come from afar to be seduced by a night of unforgettable entertainment.
Many are warned to stay away from High Tower’s dangerous enchantments, but it’s a warning Aria is forced to ignore. Determined to take her life back into her hands, she and the Count make a deal. She can avoid an arranged marriage if she learns to sing for him.
When Aria stumbles across a mysterious man in a dark tower, she begs to learn the power of song from him. Although reluctant, the man agrees to teach her the music of the night. Between midnight meetings and emotional singing lessons, Aria falls in love with her alluring instructor despite his shadowy past.
But something deadly stirs, awoken by the desire of its master.
Evenings reveries become haunted with terror, blood and murder. Rumors claim the man in the tower in behind the madness that haunts High Tower, a truth Aria is loathe believe. For she just gained the desire of her heart.
What she doesn’t know is that her haunted instructor intends to use her for his own purposes. . .
Music of the Night is a complete, stand-alone novel inspired by Phantom of the Opera. Perfect for fans of dark and steamy fantasy romance.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2021
About the author
Angela J. Ford
49 books945 followersAngela J. Ford is a bestselling author who writes epic fantasy and steamy fantasy romance with vivid worlds, gray characters and endings you just can’t guess. She has written and published over 20 books.
She enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing World of Warcraft with her husband. First and foremost, Angela is a reader and can often be found with her nose in a book.
Aside from writing, she enjoys the challenge of working with marketing technology and builds websites for authors.
If you happen to be in Nashville, you’ll most likely find her enjoying a white chocolate mocha and daydreaming about her next book.
She enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing World of Warcraft with her husband. First and foremost, Angela is a reader and can often be found with her nose in a book.
Aside from writing, she enjoys the challenge of working with marketing technology and builds websites for authors.
If you happen to be in Nashville, you’ll most likely find her enjoying a white chocolate mocha and daydreaming about her next book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 430 reviews
September 27, 2023
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MUSIC OF THE NIGHT has been on my to-read list forever because I heard it was a Phantom of the Opera retelling, and I'm fucking obsessed with that whole franchise, but I kept putting it off and putting it off, and to be honest, the Goodreads reviews were a little daunting. When it showed up as a freebie on Stuff Your Kindle Day, it felt like kismet.
The writing in this book is great and it reads like it was professionally edited (even if it wasn't). I also really liked the cover, although the cover makes it look like it's YA and it does contain explicit sex scenes. This feels more like a new adult title, kind of like ACOTAR, rather than something that is for younger teens. I mean, it uses the words "cock" and "cum."
I actually think it's better than the ratings would indicate. The atmosphere is broody and alluring, and I loved the idea of a small kingdom built around a haunted tower shrouded in mist where bad things happened years ago. The problem comes with the heroine, who feels like a Mary Sue and lacks adequate motivations for the things she does. In her haste to get the heroine to meet the hero, Ford employs some very questionable decision making. Instead of having her drive the plot, the plot drives her, and it shows, because none of what she does really makes rational sense.
The hero, Uriah, was fine. I'm not a fan of his name but we stan a morally gray man in a mask with dubious motives who's good in bed. I wish his character had been fleshed out a little more, too. If you're going to hint and tease at the potential for betrayal and then not deliver, that's pretty frustrating. What this ultimately ends up feeling like is a dark romance for people who want the fancy trappings but hate the core of what dark romance actually represents.
2.5 stars
March 4, 2021
This book is confusing as fuck and as a Phantom of the Opera fan I'm just ... annoyed with it.
What is with these half-baked kindle unlimited books? Here we have a story about some girl who lives in a castle and she performs for an audience every night as a ballet dancer. One day she hears some creepy music and decides to go investigate some tower off in the forest and low and behold finds the Phantom character. He decides to teach her to sing with him and meanwhile is doing some sort of sinister plot behind her back?
Okay. So, we got a story that follows beats of Phantom, and then in the last chapter we get some weird info dump/second story that was HARDLY obvious while reading the book.
These characters are also void of any personality and or feelings. The problem with a lot of Phantom fanfic or inspired fiction is that the author is too focused on hitting the plot points of the novel/musical. So they never have time to really map out or embellish their character. So you get this story with the characters just on autopilot.
There is a reason why this book is called "Tower Knights", and again, it links with the weird ass second story that you find out in the last chapter.
Just, don't and move on.
What is with these half-baked kindle unlimited books? Here we have a story about some girl who lives in a castle and she performs for an audience every night as a ballet dancer. One day she hears some creepy music and decides to go investigate some tower off in the forest and low and behold finds the Phantom character. He decides to teach her to sing with him and meanwhile is doing some sort of sinister plot behind her back?
Okay. So, we got a story that follows beats of Phantom, and then in the last chapter we get some weird info dump/second story that was HARDLY obvious while reading the book.
These characters are also void of any personality and or feelings. The problem with a lot of Phantom fanfic or inspired fiction is that the author is too focused on hitting the plot points of the novel/musical. So they never have time to really map out or embellish their character. So you get this story with the characters just on autopilot.
There is a reason why this book is called "Tower Knights", and again, it links with the weird ass second story that you find out in the last chapter.
Just, don't and move on.
February 17, 2021
3 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Music of the Night is a gothic romance inspired by the Phantom of the Opera.
My fingers moved, catching the cadence of the wordless song as though it were the wail of a creature in profound anguish, crying for what it suffered, yearning for solace just out of reach. It tugged on my heartstrings, as though the call were for me and me alone, as though I could answer it and bring it comfort.
The story follows Aria, daughter of a wealthy merchant whom went from riches to rags after they lost their wealth and her father passed away.
She was homeless until she was welcomed to High Tower Castle, the main domain of her distant relative Count Zorik,who ran a thriving theatre within High Tower.
Aria had become a connoisseur of the Music of the Night, but Zorik has enough dancers that he needs one more singer.
Madness lurks in the tower and whispers of an evil spirit haunted all who have known of it.
A melancholic music emits in the night reaching the ears of Aria, the music that ties her to a masked lonely man whom may save her from her fate of being married off and transform her into a singer with a beautiful melodic voice.
“Are you real?” I whispered. “If so, come to me, send me a sign, teach me the music, your music of the night and I will sing, I will sing for you.”
This book was fast-paced and I liked the writing style of the author.
I was excited to see how the story will unfold since it is a retelling of Phantom of the Opera, and I found myself absorbed throughout the story.
However, my main issue was the romance.
I expected some build-up and some slow-burn romance but I was left underwhelmed.
I was slightly gripped by how the events unfolded towards the end of the book but at the end of it I wasn't particularly attached to the charcaters or the story.
Music of the Night is a gothic romance inspired by the Phantom of the Opera.
My fingers moved, catching the cadence of the wordless song as though it were the wail of a creature in profound anguish, crying for what it suffered, yearning for solace just out of reach. It tugged on my heartstrings, as though the call were for me and me alone, as though I could answer it and bring it comfort.
The story follows Aria, daughter of a wealthy merchant whom went from riches to rags after they lost their wealth and her father passed away.
She was homeless until she was welcomed to High Tower Castle, the main domain of her distant relative Count Zorik,who ran a thriving theatre within High Tower.
Aria had become a connoisseur of the Music of the Night, but Zorik has enough dancers that he needs one more singer.
Madness lurks in the tower and whispers of an evil spirit haunted all who have known of it.
A melancholic music emits in the night reaching the ears of Aria, the music that ties her to a masked lonely man whom may save her from her fate of being married off and transform her into a singer with a beautiful melodic voice.
“Are you real?” I whispered. “If so, come to me, send me a sign, teach me the music, your music of the night and I will sing, I will sing for you.”
This book was fast-paced and I liked the writing style of the author.
I was excited to see how the story will unfold since it is a retelling of Phantom of the Opera, and I found myself absorbed throughout the story.
However, my main issue was the romance.
I expected some build-up and some slow-burn romance but I was left underwhelmed.
I was slightly gripped by how the events unfolded towards the end of the book but at the end of it I wasn't particularly attached to the charcaters or the story.
March 3, 2021
"Sing. Lady Aria. Sing for your life."
Music of the Night is an alluring and seductive retelling of The Phantom of the Opera that had me longing to be able to sing. The dark and mysterious Uriah hides many secrets that had me flipping pages eagerly to find out more about him. A powerful curse is in play, and Aria of Solynn finds herself entangled with not only the curse but also the fascinating Uriah.
After the death of her father, Aria who was once a lady with many friends and luxuries has her world turned upside down. She was thrown to the streets with nothing left. A distant family member, The Count, takes her in as a dancer for his theater however she must learn how to sing in other to have her freedom. Aria is a very courageous character, riding alone in the night to a mysterious haunted tower in hopes she would find the owner of the amazing voice that had her captivated.
The story has a dark atmosphere full of secrets: murders, bodies found clawed to death, creatures of the night, tunnels with crystals, a powerful spell... All of this combined with the seductive Uriah had me binge reading throughout the night! One of the elements that completely enchanted me while reading was the detailed description of Aria and Uriah while singing, I felt like I could actually hear them and feel the emotion they were going through.
Uriah hides dark and dangerous secrets from Aria, but does she love him enough to trust him? There is a reason High Tower is gloomy and hidden away... Aria starts to look for answers, and what she finds out could be the death of her.
Thank you so much to the author for gifting me a copy for review!
Music of the Night is an alluring and seductive retelling of The Phantom of the Opera that had me longing to be able to sing. The dark and mysterious Uriah hides many secrets that had me flipping pages eagerly to find out more about him. A powerful curse is in play, and Aria of Solynn finds herself entangled with not only the curse but also the fascinating Uriah.
After the death of her father, Aria who was once a lady with many friends and luxuries has her world turned upside down. She was thrown to the streets with nothing left. A distant family member, The Count, takes her in as a dancer for his theater however she must learn how to sing in other to have her freedom. Aria is a very courageous character, riding alone in the night to a mysterious haunted tower in hopes she would find the owner of the amazing voice that had her captivated.
The story has a dark atmosphere full of secrets: murders, bodies found clawed to death, creatures of the night, tunnels with crystals, a powerful spell... All of this combined with the seductive Uriah had me binge reading throughout the night! One of the elements that completely enchanted me while reading was the detailed description of Aria and Uriah while singing, I felt like I could actually hear them and feel the emotion they were going through.
Uriah hides dark and dangerous secrets from Aria, but does she love him enough to trust him? There is a reason High Tower is gloomy and hidden away... Aria starts to look for answers, and what she finds out could be the death of her.
Thank you so much to the author for gifting me a copy for review!
March 8, 2021
MUSIC OF THE NIGHT is a real treat for fans of The Phantom of the Opera in all its renditions and for fans of retellings in general. It follows Aria, the daughter of a wealthy merchant left penniless after her father’s death. She is taken in by Count Zorik, a distant relative and owner of an exclusive theater. Though the Count could secure her a good marriage, Aria’s heart is in music, and she is able to secure a deal which grants her a year to work in the theater and nurture her singing talent before finding a husband. Living in High Tower, Aria hears stories about the ghost who haunts the night with his song. Desperate to improve her singing in order to take control of her life, Aria follows the music to its source, meeting the dark and mysterious Uriah, who begrudgingly agrees to teach her the Music of the Night and who may have a secret agenda of his own. Want to find out more? Well, you’ll have to read the book!
This book was incredibly fast-paced, and mostly character-driven. There isn’t much world-building, and a lot of the focus was on the mystery of High Tower and Aria and Uriah’s romance, which, if you know me, you know I didn’t mind the slightest bit! Aria is a well-rounded protagonist. I felt her strive for independence and her passion for art, which hit very close to home (though I sadly have no musical bone in my body, but hey, singing and writing can be interchangeable in the name of passion!) Uriah remained more mysterious, but that added to the charm and allure of the novel and fit well with the dark atmosphere of the book. There were many moments that had my heart stopping and me questioning who I could or couldn’t trust—which was especially painful when those doubts reflected on Uriah.
I very much enjoyed the romance. Aria was no blushing maid. She knew exactly what she wanted and the romance was sizzling. I do wish we’d gotten a few more scenes where Aria and Uriah got to know one another, but I felt their attraction and the steaminess of their passion just the same.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy to review!
This book was incredibly fast-paced, and mostly character-driven. There isn’t much world-building, and a lot of the focus was on the mystery of High Tower and Aria and Uriah’s romance, which, if you know me, you know I didn’t mind the slightest bit! Aria is a well-rounded protagonist. I felt her strive for independence and her passion for art, which hit very close to home (though I sadly have no musical bone in my body, but hey, singing and writing can be interchangeable in the name of passion!) Uriah remained more mysterious, but that added to the charm and allure of the novel and fit well with the dark atmosphere of the book. There were many moments that had my heart stopping and me questioning who I could or couldn’t trust—which was especially painful when those doubts reflected on Uriah.
I very much enjoyed the romance. Aria was no blushing maid. She knew exactly what she wanted and the romance was sizzling. I do wish we’d gotten a few more scenes where Aria and Uriah got to know one another, but I felt their attraction and the steaminess of their passion just the same.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy to review!
February 22, 2021
2.5 rounded 3
The premise of the book is great and the first chapters are interesting. The plot becomes more and more predictable (I knew about the grand secret since the first chapters). The pace is too fast, I didn't have time to connect with the characters and the story itself developed in a way that didn't give me the time to enjoy everything that was happening.
The main problem for me has been the world building. We only know about the palace and the tower, but nothing about the kingdom or city or world the book is set in.
The premise of the book is great and the first chapters are interesting. The plot becomes more and more predictable (I knew about the grand secret since the first chapters). The pace is too fast, I didn't have time to connect with the characters and the story itself developed in a way that didn't give me the time to enjoy everything that was happening.
The main problem for me has been the world building. We only know about the palace and the tower, but nothing about the kingdom or city or world the book is set in.
April 3, 2021
Seeing as this is a Phantom of the Opera retelling, I'm biased. I love the story so much, reading any kind of retelling was going to get me excited.
That said, this book came up a bit short for me. I enjoyed the fantasy behind it with the magic, monsters, and murder, but I felt like we never went deep into what was really going on and got minimal descriptions.
The magic itself felt really confusing until around the last 10 pages of the book when all was revealed. It felt like I was getting surface-level information throughout. I would've loved more world-building. This has been the one instance where I've wanted a book to be longer just to give me better world-building.
Overall I the book was a good read. I enjoyed the characters' interactions. The steamy scenes were a nice touch. I liked being back in The Phantom of the Opera world and I'm happy I managed to finish it all in a day.
That said, this book came up a bit short for me. I enjoyed the fantasy behind it with the magic, monsters, and murder, but I felt like we never went deep into what was really going on and got minimal descriptions.
The magic itself felt really confusing until around the last 10 pages of the book when all was revealed. It felt like I was getting surface-level information throughout. I would've loved more world-building. This has been the one instance where I've wanted a book to be longer just to give me better world-building.
Overall I the book was a good read. I enjoyed the characters' interactions. The steamy scenes were a nice touch. I liked being back in The Phantom of the Opera world and I'm happy I managed to finish it all in a day.
April 17, 2021
Y’all this book was so good i loved it so much and the fact that there Will be a second book makes me even more excited 💜💜💜
April 1, 2021
I loved this book finally a Phantom of the Opera retelling that has a really good ending I loved all aspects of this book. I really liked the characters especially Aria and Uriah they had such great chemistry and they fit so well together it really made this book a really good read. What I liked about Aria was her determination to do what she wanted which was to sing although along the way of learning that she fell in love. I really enjoyed the plot of this book it had your Phantom of the Opera plot points that were actually better executed in this story. So overall I really loved this book I will be reading more by this author in the future.
February 17, 2021
A lovely story and I like the MCs. Its safe and the story is interesting. I was a little confused but it makes more sense towards the ending of the book.
February 20, 2021
"Do not hesitate to follow your heart, to find the music that will set you free."
A gothic retelling of The Phantom of The Opera musical that swept me off my feet. And I admit I loved it even more than the original tale.
In Music of the Night, Angela Ford managed to not only capture the heart of the original tale, but also bring it to life with music. Poignant and powerful music, hushed and sweet, yet filled with a desperate longing, just as the tale itself.
After the death of her father, Aria is left penniless and destitute and becomes the ward of a Count - owner of a theater in a remote gloomy place called High Tower.
The count had made it clear he was in need of another singer and if Aria could not fulfill that duty, he'd arrange a marriage and send her away. So Aria must learn to sing well. And who better to teach her than the one whose haunting music seem to call her at night? The spirit who haunted the tower.
“Are you real?” she whispered. “If so, come to me, send me a sign, teach me the music, your music of the night and I will sing, I will sing for you.”
Despite everyone's warnings, Aria follows the music, answering it's call and meets Uriah. A ghost, a spirit or a madman - this is what Aria had be told he is. And yet, it is clear there's power in his music and Aria would give anything to learn.
Uriah knows that, learning the music of the night would destroy the girl, but it was a chance he had to take. Because he would move heaven and earth to earn a chance to live life, like the mortals. And Aria could be the singer he needed for his song. So he agrees to teach her, at a price. One that Aria may regret agreeing to pay.
And this is how their tale begins, with midnight meetings and singing lessons. Uriah guides Aria with his voice, 'his warm tones beautiful and intoxicating like the sweetest wines.' And for the first time since her father's passing, she has something to look forward to, someone who brought her joy. Her mysterious and alluring music instructor. And slowly but surely, she falls in in love.
But something deadly stirs, awoken by the desire of its master.
Evenings reveries become haunted with terror, blood and murder. Rumors claim the man in the tower in behind the madness that haunts High Tower, a truth Aria is loathe believe. For she just gained the desire of her heart.
"You are mine" he whispered. "My angel of music, my savior and I will ruin you for all others."
Set on a vivid and delightfully creepy gothic background and told in a beautiful writing style with a lovely cadence and rhythm that practically bleeds feelings and emotion from the pages, Music of The Night is one tale that any fan of romantic fantasy and music is bound to love. Longing, desire and raw passion, they are all exquisitely described, just like the characters and their music - poignant, powerful and full of feeling.
We get a few hot steamy scenes as well, where passion and chemistry is off the charts and yet, the sweetness, gentleness and heartfelt feeling not only remain but are also amplified.
All in all, because I already held you too much, Music of the Night is a MUST READ if you like steamy romantic fantasy and music. Poignant, powerful, sweet and full of feeling!
Just give it a try and you'll see. :)
Happy reading everyone
and remember:
"be strong, be bold and follow your heart"
A gothic retelling of The Phantom of The Opera musical that swept me off my feet. And I admit I loved it even more than the original tale.
In Music of the Night, Angela Ford managed to not only capture the heart of the original tale, but also bring it to life with music. Poignant and powerful music, hushed and sweet, yet filled with a desperate longing, just as the tale itself.
After the death of her father, Aria is left penniless and destitute and becomes the ward of a Count - owner of a theater in a remote gloomy place called High Tower.
The count had made it clear he was in need of another singer and if Aria could not fulfill that duty, he'd arrange a marriage and send her away. So Aria must learn to sing well. And who better to teach her than the one whose haunting music seem to call her at night? The spirit who haunted the tower.
“Are you real?” she whispered. “If so, come to me, send me a sign, teach me the music, your music of the night and I will sing, I will sing for you.”
Despite everyone's warnings, Aria follows the music, answering it's call and meets Uriah. A ghost, a spirit or a madman - this is what Aria had be told he is. And yet, it is clear there's power in his music and Aria would give anything to learn.
Uriah knows that, learning the music of the night would destroy the girl, but it was a chance he had to take. Because he would move heaven and earth to earn a chance to live life, like the mortals. And Aria could be the singer he needed for his song. So he agrees to teach her, at a price. One that Aria may regret agreeing to pay.
And this is how their tale begins, with midnight meetings and singing lessons. Uriah guides Aria with his voice, 'his warm tones beautiful and intoxicating like the sweetest wines.' And for the first time since her father's passing, she has something to look forward to, someone who brought her joy. Her mysterious and alluring music instructor. And slowly but surely, she falls in in love.
But something deadly stirs, awoken by the desire of its master.
Evenings reveries become haunted with terror, blood and murder. Rumors claim the man in the tower in behind the madness that haunts High Tower, a truth Aria is loathe believe. For she just gained the desire of her heart.
"You are mine" he whispered. "My angel of music, my savior and I will ruin you for all others."
Set on a vivid and delightfully creepy gothic background and told in a beautiful writing style with a lovely cadence and rhythm that practically bleeds feelings and emotion from the pages, Music of The Night is one tale that any fan of romantic fantasy and music is bound to love. Longing, desire and raw passion, they are all exquisitely described, just like the characters and their music - poignant, powerful and full of feeling.
We get a few hot steamy scenes as well, where passion and chemistry is off the charts and yet, the sweetness, gentleness and heartfelt feeling not only remain but are also amplified.
All in all, because I already held you too much, Music of the Night is a MUST READ if you like steamy romantic fantasy and music. Poignant, powerful, sweet and full of feeling!
Just give it a try and you'll see. :)
Happy reading everyone
and remember:
"be strong, be bold and follow your heart"
February 6, 2021
Oh boy I read that entirely too fast lol.
Thank you thank you so much to Angela Ford for gifting me a copy of this book early so that my impatient, Karen ass didn’t have to complain all the way up until the release date about not having one🤣.
Moving on to the actual review...
I went into Music of the Night not really remembering the synopsis because I read it the once and moved on with my life. I think going into this with little to no knowledge was actually a good idea, however, because it allowed me to be even more surprised when things started to reveal themselves.
I think this books reminds me a lot of A Deal With the Elf King in that it’s one of those books you read simply for the romance, though I will say this one had a bit more plot than Elf King. Aria actually had a plan to free herself from Zorick and she sought help from Uriah to fulfill that particular goal. All the while she was a dancer trying to not to get murdered by the creatures of the night—which was probably my biggest let down.
The creatures who were never really present? Even when the castle was attacked it didn’t feel like the imagery was that good? Like they were there but it felt like Angela was just simply telling us that rather than us experiencing Aria getting attacked by a monster. But that’s just one thing that honestly didn’t really bother me considering I read this for the romance 😁.
Shifting back to that, I really did like the dynamic between Uriah and Aria. I liked that they basically met up to have singing lessons. That’s rare between two love interest to meet up and bond over music 🥺. I thought it was so fun! And Angela did such a wonderful job of making the music come alive and evolve into something magical.
I will say on the....sexier side of things 🥵.. . I wasn’t ready for the amount of DETAIL we got when things turned steamy. Some of the language was a bit jarring but overall this is what I came here for and I got exactly what I wanted from it. So no complaints from me.
I can’t wait to own a copy of this wonderful quick and magical read! 🖤
Thank you thank you so much to Angela Ford for gifting me a copy of this book early so that my impatient, Karen ass didn’t have to complain all the way up until the release date about not having one🤣.
Moving on to the actual review...
I went into Music of the Night not really remembering the synopsis because I read it the once and moved on with my life. I think going into this with little to no knowledge was actually a good idea, however, because it allowed me to be even more surprised when things started to reveal themselves.
I think this books reminds me a lot of A Deal With the Elf King in that it’s one of those books you read simply for the romance, though I will say this one had a bit more plot than Elf King. Aria actually had a plan to free herself from Zorick and she sought help from Uriah to fulfill that particular goal. All the while she was a dancer trying to not to get murdered by the creatures of the night—which was probably my biggest let down.
The creatures who were never really present? Even when the castle was attacked it didn’t feel like the imagery was that good? Like they were there but it felt like Angela was just simply telling us that rather than us experiencing Aria getting attacked by a monster. But that’s just one thing that honestly didn’t really bother me considering I read this for the romance 😁.
Shifting back to that, I really did like the dynamic between Uriah and Aria. I liked that they basically met up to have singing lessons. That’s rare between two love interest to meet up and bond over music 🥺. I thought it was so fun! And Angela did such a wonderful job of making the music come alive and evolve into something magical.
I will say on the....sexier side of things 🥵.. . I wasn’t ready for the amount of DETAIL we got when things turned steamy. Some of the language was a bit jarring but overall this is what I came here for and I got exactly what I wanted from it. So no complaints from me.
I can’t wait to own a copy of this wonderful quick and magical read! 🖤
March 8, 2021
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Check my fan. I think I’m overheating. (If you got the Iko reference, I love you.)
I have found the perfect read to feed my romance-loving heart. Music of the Night intrigued me since I first saw the artist share the cover on her page. The artwork is stunning, and artwork plus the mention of mysterious men in the synopsis are enough to sell me on a book. Furthermore, this book is a Phantom of the Opera retelling, and though it’s been a long time since I last saw the movie, I remember I loved it! Needless to say, I was excited to start this.
And I was not disappointed.
The story follows Aria, a young woman left orphaned after her father’s passing. Orphaned and with no money to her name. A distant relative, Count Zorik, takes Aria in, and Aria moves to High Tower. Zorik would very much like to have Aria marry, but Aria has dreams she’d like to nurture and no intention of marrying. Zorik and Aria reach a compromise: Aria will work a year in the Count’s theater and marry once the year is up. But Aria hears stories of a ghost who haunts the night with song, and seeing as she’s desperate to take control of her narrative, Aria follows the music and finds Uriah, the mysterious “ghost”. Uriah agrees to teach Aria the Music of the Night, but he may have his own reasons for agreeing…
The story of the Phantom of the Opera has always fascinated me. The figure of the Phantom is so dark, mysterious, unhappy. My heart breaks for him. What I liked about this book is that it shines a spotlight on his figure, giving him the story he deserves. Uriah is exactly the kind of character that stays with me long after a story is over, and his chemistry with Aria—a passionate and determined leading lady—was off the charts. I loved their romance, and I wish I could have had another one hundred pages of them.
The plot was fast-paced and at parts thick with tension and mystery. I enjoyed the dark atmosphere of the book that fit Uriah so well. (Can you tell I’m in love?) My only issue with this book was that it ended too soon. *sobs* Perhaps if it had been a little bit longer, we could have had the opportunity to see a tiny bit more build up between Aria and Uriah.
*sings* I want more.
I highly recommend this to everyone. Lovers of fantasy, retellings and romance will surely enjoy this gem. I cannot wait to shove it in every one of my photos. (The hardback, by the way, is gorgeous! The naked cover has a design that is to die for.)
Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy to review.
Check my fan. I think I’m overheating. (If you got the Iko reference, I love you.)
I have found the perfect read to feed my romance-loving heart. Music of the Night intrigued me since I first saw the artist share the cover on her page. The artwork is stunning, and artwork plus the mention of mysterious men in the synopsis are enough to sell me on a book. Furthermore, this book is a Phantom of the Opera retelling, and though it’s been a long time since I last saw the movie, I remember I loved it! Needless to say, I was excited to start this.
And I was not disappointed.
The story follows Aria, a young woman left orphaned after her father’s passing. Orphaned and with no money to her name. A distant relative, Count Zorik, takes Aria in, and Aria moves to High Tower. Zorik would very much like to have Aria marry, but Aria has dreams she’d like to nurture and no intention of marrying. Zorik and Aria reach a compromise: Aria will work a year in the Count’s theater and marry once the year is up. But Aria hears stories of a ghost who haunts the night with song, and seeing as she’s desperate to take control of her narrative, Aria follows the music and finds Uriah, the mysterious “ghost”. Uriah agrees to teach Aria the Music of the Night, but he may have his own reasons for agreeing…
The story of the Phantom of the Opera has always fascinated me. The figure of the Phantom is so dark, mysterious, unhappy. My heart breaks for him. What I liked about this book is that it shines a spotlight on his figure, giving him the story he deserves. Uriah is exactly the kind of character that stays with me long after a story is over, and his chemistry with Aria—a passionate and determined leading lady—was off the charts. I loved their romance, and I wish I could have had another one hundred pages of them.
The plot was fast-paced and at parts thick with tension and mystery. I enjoyed the dark atmosphere of the book that fit Uriah so well. (Can you tell I’m in love?) My only issue with this book was that it ended too soon. *sobs* Perhaps if it had been a little bit longer, we could have had the opportunity to see a tiny bit more build up between Aria and Uriah.
*sings* I want more.
I highly recommend this to everyone. Lovers of fantasy, retellings and romance will surely enjoy this gem. I cannot wait to shove it in every one of my photos. (The hardback, by the way, is gorgeous! The naked cover has a design that is to die for.)
Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy to review.
September 14, 2021
Interesting.
I think I may have enjoyed this more if I didn’t listen to the audiobook. The narrator was extremely dramatic and the three minutes pauses at the end up every sentence had me going crazy.
It’s definitely not YA though and the smut is there for anyone looking for that lol.
I think I may have enjoyed this more if I didn’t listen to the audiobook. The narrator was extremely dramatic and the three minutes pauses at the end up every sentence had me going crazy.
It’s definitely not YA though and the smut is there for anyone looking for that lol.
January 30, 2024
3.5 stars
I was deciding between three and four stars, because I wanted to like this book, but three things got in the way.
One: The writing was beautiful, but at times it became too beautiful. I know. it's supposed to be whismical but it became purple prose and the littlest things were described in such a weird way.
Two: I love Uriah and Aria, but I feel like they fell in love too quick, or we didn't get to see enough scenes of them together. They saw each other only for times a month for like five months, which isn't that long and if it was, why did it feel so short?
Three: The plot of the book was so well-thought out until the last third part.Using songs to keep monsters at bay was such a good concept, why did Ms. Ford Have to ruin it. :(
I was deciding between three and four stars, because I wanted to like this book, but three things got in the way.
One: The writing was beautiful, but at times it became too beautiful. I know. it's supposed to be whismical but it became purple prose and the littlest things were described in such a weird way.
Two: I love Uriah and Aria, but I feel like they fell in love too quick, or we didn't get to see enough scenes of them together. They saw each other only for times a month for like five months, which isn't that long and if it was, why did it feel so short?
Three: The plot of the book was so well-thought out until the last third part.Using songs to keep monsters at bay was such a good concept, why did Ms. Ford Have to ruin it. :(
February 5, 2021
I absolutely enjoyed this book which has a theme very similar to The Phantom of the Opera but with extra fantasy aspects added to make it even more interesting. Aria is left destitute when her father dies, and from a pampered life of a rich young girl she finds herself penniless and homeless. A distant relative, Count Zorik turns up and saves her by offering her a home in his castle if she earns her keep by working in his theatre. She is chosen as a dancer but her heart is not in it as she would love to sing for the audience. However her voice has had no training and she is afraid that if she does not do her best the count would marry her off in an arranged marriage. She hears music coming from what is known as the haunted tower on the shore, and though warned to stay away she ventures to look into this as the music calls to her. Upon arrival at the tower she meets a man in a mask which covers half his face but who sings so beautifully that he gives life to flowers and plants. She is immediately enchanted by Uriah who accepted to train her voice and she starts to go for lessons at night. With every visit she becomes more emotionally attached to Uriah and the feelings seem to be mutual however dark things are afoot and fingers are pointing towards Uriah who everyone refers to as the ghost in the tower. I love the sense of mystery in the book and the beautiful romance and the enchantment of the music of the night. I love the courage Aria shows when she decides to follow her heart and her dream, she never wavered in her love for Uriah even when all others reviled him. The magical aura of the book is amazing and this is a story not to be missed.
February 24, 2023
More fantasy than gothic, but this was a light and enjoyable read.
February 13, 2021
Oh my goodness. WOW.
This book was INCREDIBLE. And if you've read any of my other book reviews, you know I don't go around blowing smoke. I'm a harsh reader. It takes a really incredible book for me to want to gush about it the way I want to gush about this book.
First of all, let's take a second to swoon over that beautiful cover.
That dress! That embrace! The handsome male lead and the ephemerally beautiful female lead, with her dark wavy locks flowing behind her. So pretty! And the glossy gold font! I received this book in ebook format as an arc for a blog tour through Silver Dagger. So, I have the digital book already. I still need to get my hands on a paperback or hardcover copy. It's so beautiful and would look gorgeous on my romance bookshelf <3
Angela J. Ford legit took everything wonderful about Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical and added smut, magic, and monsters, and yes, I am here AF for it!
The book manages to capture the exact tone and atmosphere of the beloved musical, infusing every scene with the essence of it, yet the book is truly transformative and stands on its own as something new and special.
What really sets the darkly sensual tone of this book is the writing style. Ford's writing style is so gorgeous. It's like a cozy blanket, like a dark fog rolling over the mists to wrap you up in midnight decadence. She brings this lush world to life. It's one of those books I just wanted to live inside of. I wanted to spend forever with Uriah and Aria, watching her learn to sing in a haunted tower in the dead of night. It's the epitome of gothic romance, both creepy and seductive. Ford has a way with words that crafts an atmosphere that will give you tingles and shivers. This is gothic romance done so right.
Then there was the romance and sex scenes. Gah! So soooo good!
A romance needs a great first kiss scene, but not every romance novel pulls it off. Ford pulls it off so well. We can feel the sexual tension, the longing, the emotion flowing between the two of them. It was so masterfully done and gave me all the feels!
Then there were the sex scenes. You know, I always said Phantom of the Opera would be better if there were actual sex scenes in it. Because Phantom of the Opera makes women horny. I don't know why women are so weird. Men just need to see a person they find hot and they're ready to go. Women, however, we need a whole tragic backstory, a phantom, a labyrinth, a full musical score! So Andrew Lloyd Weber went and gave us all that, but no sex scenes.
Well, Angela J. Ford went and took care of that. We now have all the mystery and gothic atmosphere, but with smut! That's exactly the POTO-inspired fantasy I needed in my life.
And these sex scenes are HOT.
What really makes or breaks a sex scene is the dialogue. The words the characters say to each other adds a whole other level of emotion and fizzling chemistry. The dialogue in 'Music of the Night' is so perfect, so heart-wrenchingly romantic and steamy all at once.
Here is my favorite line from a sexy scene: "Uriah," she whispered, breathless. "I'm going to save you."
Aria says this in a scene where SHE takes the lead (so you know that scene was already one of my favorites). She pushes him down onto the bed and rips his clothes off, all while Uriah is super turned on by how bold and confident she is, taking charge in the bedroom. Then she looks down at him, as they're both naked and she's about to mount him and says 'Uriah, I'm going to save you.'
AH! Literally just....my goodness, that line did it for me.
She's talking about saving him from the magic that keeps him bound to the tower, where he has to play music to keep the monsters of High Tower at bay. She's talking about saving him from his dark past and his own pain.
All of that context and the heightened, erotic emotions of the scene, it all just REALLY worked for me. I found it so sexy, so sweet, so romantic. That has got to be my favorite line of sexy dialogue from the whole book.
But every sex scene is full of amazing dialogue like this. It increases the fizzling sexual tension and the emotion. For me, I can't be turned on by sex scenes in a book unless I can feel the love and emotion between the characters. That was never a problem with this book. I could feel the deep river of emotion flowing between these two characters with every page.
Lastly, I want to rave about the monsters in this book. The addition of monsters brought the gothic vibe up to a whole other level. The monsters were incredibly creepy. Each time they are described, it gave me such a visceral reaction, such shivers.
Now, I do have a few criticisms of the story. I still absolutely adored the book, but no book is perfect and after all that raving, I think I need to point out a couple of the book's problems.
Uriah's character was not developed in a satisfying way that made sense. While the chemistry and romance between Uriah and Aria was beautiful and deeply romantic, Uriah as a character never came to life for me in the way that I need a romance hero to come to life. We never get a real sense of who he is or what drives him.
Yes, we know that he wants to free High Tower from the monsters and defeat his enemy (who his enemy is, I will keep secret, as that's a major spoiler). But WHY is it important to him to save High Tower? Is he an altruistic person?
Well, but then late in the book, as he explains more of his backstory to Aria, we learn that he did some truly horrible things that led to him ending up in High Tower. So is he actually an evil person? We're told that he did those horrible things because the power and magic went to his head. So...he's a cocky and arrogant person? He's a cruel person? Or he WAS those things and he has changed? None of it is ever really explained.
A good deal of the time, it felt like Uriah was simply a mish-mash of traits used to drive the plot forward. If he underwent some massive transformation that led him to realize his past actions were wrong, we should have some sense of that.
Even without the backstory bit, we never get a sense of WHY he wants to save High Tower. It seems that would come from a place of altruism. Yet, he is willing to trick Aria into a contract that could drive her mad or end her life. He feels somewhat conflicted about this, but it wasn't explored enough for me to really understand him.
Most of the time, Uriah felt like a talking plot device.
One example of Uriah's motivations not making sense is the "meet cute" between him and Aria. They first meet when Aria decides to find the source of the lovely music that comes from the abandoned-supposedly haunted-tower. She enters the tower and Uriah rushes out of the darkness to grab her, clamp a hand over her mouth, push her up against a wall, and say, "If you promise not to scream, I will release you."
But like...WHY does he care if she screams? He's up in this abandoned tower already being loud AF with his music. Everybody can hear him. Who is he worried about hearing her scream? What was the point of saying that? What would happen if she did scream? The people of High Tower already won't go near the place and he's magic.
To be honest, I think this part was added simply for the sexual tension. I think the author wanted to have their first scene be a highly erotically-charged scene, with Uriah being all dominant, grabbing her and pushing her up against a wall. But you can't just have characters do things for plot reasons. If their actions and motivations don't hold up to scrutiny, then the characters never really come to life. They never feel real. what would have made this book better for me is if Uriah had actually felt real, not this ever-changing character that we never come to understand.
Then there is a major plot hole with Count Zurik. Aria originally comes to High Tower after her father dies and she finds herself homeless and destitute. She writes to her distant relative Count Zurik and he rescues her, bringing her to High Tower to dance (and eventually sing) in his theater. But (without giving any major spoilers) there is a plot twist at the end, where some interesting backstory elements of Count Zurik are explained. After we learn where Count Zurik came from and his true motivations for bringing hopeless people to his theater, we realize there is no way Aria could have known about his existence. This plot hole could have been easily fixed by taking out the part where Aria writes to him. The author could have had all the same plot beats, with Aria becoming destitute, but then Count Zurik shows up, introduces himself and saves her. As the book is, Aria writing to him does not make sense.
Despite the few issues I had with the book, I still loved it. Every book can be improved upon, but this was a book that I couldn't put down. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of the book.
A resounding 5 stars!
This book was INCREDIBLE. And if you've read any of my other book reviews, you know I don't go around blowing smoke. I'm a harsh reader. It takes a really incredible book for me to want to gush about it the way I want to gush about this book.
First of all, let's take a second to swoon over that beautiful cover.
That dress! That embrace! The handsome male lead and the ephemerally beautiful female lead, with her dark wavy locks flowing behind her. So pretty! And the glossy gold font! I received this book in ebook format as an arc for a blog tour through Silver Dagger. So, I have the digital book already. I still need to get my hands on a paperback or hardcover copy. It's so beautiful and would look gorgeous on my romance bookshelf <3
Angela J. Ford legit took everything wonderful about Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical and added smut, magic, and monsters, and yes, I am here AF for it!
The book manages to capture the exact tone and atmosphere of the beloved musical, infusing every scene with the essence of it, yet the book is truly transformative and stands on its own as something new and special.
What really sets the darkly sensual tone of this book is the writing style. Ford's writing style is so gorgeous. It's like a cozy blanket, like a dark fog rolling over the mists to wrap you up in midnight decadence. She brings this lush world to life. It's one of those books I just wanted to live inside of. I wanted to spend forever with Uriah and Aria, watching her learn to sing in a haunted tower in the dead of night. It's the epitome of gothic romance, both creepy and seductive. Ford has a way with words that crafts an atmosphere that will give you tingles and shivers. This is gothic romance done so right.
Then there was the romance and sex scenes. Gah! So soooo good!
A romance needs a great first kiss scene, but not every romance novel pulls it off. Ford pulls it off so well. We can feel the sexual tension, the longing, the emotion flowing between the two of them. It was so masterfully done and gave me all the feels!
Then there were the sex scenes. You know, I always said Phantom of the Opera would be better if there were actual sex scenes in it. Because Phantom of the Opera makes women horny. I don't know why women are so weird. Men just need to see a person they find hot and they're ready to go. Women, however, we need a whole tragic backstory, a phantom, a labyrinth, a full musical score! So Andrew Lloyd Weber went and gave us all that, but no sex scenes.
Well, Angela J. Ford went and took care of that. We now have all the mystery and gothic atmosphere, but with smut! That's exactly the POTO-inspired fantasy I needed in my life.
And these sex scenes are HOT.
What really makes or breaks a sex scene is the dialogue. The words the characters say to each other adds a whole other level of emotion and fizzling chemistry. The dialogue in 'Music of the Night' is so perfect, so heart-wrenchingly romantic and steamy all at once.
Here is my favorite line from a sexy scene: "Uriah," she whispered, breathless. "I'm going to save you."
Aria says this in a scene where SHE takes the lead (so you know that scene was already one of my favorites). She pushes him down onto the bed and rips his clothes off, all while Uriah is super turned on by how bold and confident she is, taking charge in the bedroom. Then she looks down at him, as they're both naked and she's about to mount him and says 'Uriah, I'm going to save you.'
AH! Literally just....my goodness, that line did it for me.
She's talking about saving him from the magic that keeps him bound to the tower, where he has to play music to keep the monsters of High Tower at bay. She's talking about saving him from his dark past and his own pain.
All of that context and the heightened, erotic emotions of the scene, it all just REALLY worked for me. I found it so sexy, so sweet, so romantic. That has got to be my favorite line of sexy dialogue from the whole book.
But every sex scene is full of amazing dialogue like this. It increases the fizzling sexual tension and the emotion. For me, I can't be turned on by sex scenes in a book unless I can feel the love and emotion between the characters. That was never a problem with this book. I could feel the deep river of emotion flowing between these two characters with every page.
Lastly, I want to rave about the monsters in this book. The addition of monsters brought the gothic vibe up to a whole other level. The monsters were incredibly creepy. Each time they are described, it gave me such a visceral reaction, such shivers.
Now, I do have a few criticisms of the story. I still absolutely adored the book, but no book is perfect and after all that raving, I think I need to point out a couple of the book's problems.
Uriah's character was not developed in a satisfying way that made sense. While the chemistry and romance between Uriah and Aria was beautiful and deeply romantic, Uriah as a character never came to life for me in the way that I need a romance hero to come to life. We never get a real sense of who he is or what drives him.
Yes, we know that he wants to free High Tower from the monsters and defeat his enemy (who his enemy is, I will keep secret, as that's a major spoiler). But WHY is it important to him to save High Tower? Is he an altruistic person?
Well, but then late in the book, as he explains more of his backstory to Aria, we learn that he did some truly horrible things that led to him ending up in High Tower. So is he actually an evil person? We're told that he did those horrible things because the power and magic went to his head. So...he's a cocky and arrogant person? He's a cruel person? Or he WAS those things and he has changed? None of it is ever really explained.
A good deal of the time, it felt like Uriah was simply a mish-mash of traits used to drive the plot forward. If he underwent some massive transformation that led him to realize his past actions were wrong, we should have some sense of that.
Even without the backstory bit, we never get a sense of WHY he wants to save High Tower. It seems that would come from a place of altruism. Yet, he is willing to trick Aria into a contract that could drive her mad or end her life. He feels somewhat conflicted about this, but it wasn't explored enough for me to really understand him.
Most of the time, Uriah felt like a talking plot device.
One example of Uriah's motivations not making sense is the "meet cute" between him and Aria. They first meet when Aria decides to find the source of the lovely music that comes from the abandoned-supposedly haunted-tower. She enters the tower and Uriah rushes out of the darkness to grab her, clamp a hand over her mouth, push her up against a wall, and say, "If you promise not to scream, I will release you."
But like...WHY does he care if she screams? He's up in this abandoned tower already being loud AF with his music. Everybody can hear him. Who is he worried about hearing her scream? What was the point of saying that? What would happen if she did scream? The people of High Tower already won't go near the place and he's magic.
To be honest, I think this part was added simply for the sexual tension. I think the author wanted to have their first scene be a highly erotically-charged scene, with Uriah being all dominant, grabbing her and pushing her up against a wall. But you can't just have characters do things for plot reasons. If their actions and motivations don't hold up to scrutiny, then the characters never really come to life. They never feel real. what would have made this book better for me is if Uriah had actually felt real, not this ever-changing character that we never come to understand.
Then there is a major plot hole with Count Zurik. Aria originally comes to High Tower after her father dies and she finds herself homeless and destitute. She writes to her distant relative Count Zurik and he rescues her, bringing her to High Tower to dance (and eventually sing) in his theater. But (without giving any major spoilers) there is a plot twist at the end, where some interesting backstory elements of Count Zurik are explained. After we learn where Count Zurik came from and his true motivations for bringing hopeless people to his theater, we realize there is no way Aria could have known about his existence. This plot hole could have been easily fixed by taking out the part where Aria writes to him. The author could have had all the same plot beats, with Aria becoming destitute, but then Count Zurik shows up, introduces himself and saves her. As the book is, Aria writing to him does not make sense.
Despite the few issues I had with the book, I still loved it. Every book can be improved upon, but this was a book that I couldn't put down. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of the book.
A resounding 5 stars!
Want to read
February 7, 2022Usually, I tend to stay away from books like this.
BUT...
1. It's a reimagining/retelling of The Phantom of The Opera
2. The cover is gorgeous
3. The guy and the girl are giving me bi panic
4. It's probably gonna be a guilty pleasure
5. Sometimes, I feel like reading a super tropey YA/NA book and this kinda fits the criteria
6. My sicko ass heard there's sex scenes
BUT...
1. It's a reimagining/retelling of The Phantom of The Opera
2. The cover is gorgeous
3. The guy and the girl are giving me bi panic
4. It's probably gonna be a guilty pleasure
5. Sometimes, I feel like reading a super tropey YA/NA book and this kinda fits the criteria
6. My sicko ass heard there's sex scenes
December 5, 2023
*Sigh* Reality is boring. Give me flower blooming music sorcery any day
The Phantom Of the opera captivated me as a child and quite possibly nothing could live up to it. The entire time I read this I kept humming the songs and found myself randomly singing the chorus.
The author definitely uses this call and response phrase that is evocative of Loyd Webber's Phantom "....Of the night" it is often the end of a sentence at the end of a paragraph and it is an effective tool.
Romance Plot/Storyline/Themes:
The worldbuilding is atmospheric, misty and foggy and feels like you aren't seeing something that's right infront of you.
I enjoyed how music was so integral to the story it was literally magic. I also loved how there were no lyrics, you could hear your own song in the moment and not have to read cringey lyrica. I haven't found magic in lyrical music in such a long time but just imagining the phantom singing siren songs sensually brought about all the blushes.
Ford uses some clever euphemisms to describe people and things. One of my favorite is the description of Madame Blu:
"Her stature was generous, and she often lamented about how much she loved the sweets from the kitchen," which is so much better than saying she was overweight or fat or voluptuous etc and so forth.
A couple of missed spelling errors and misused words and an actual missed word somehow do not take away the enjoyment from this story.
Character Development/Favorite Character (-1) :
Uriah' pov is so scarce, perhaps a 60:40 ratio would have been better. He either needed more chapters in his pov but really it would have been alright if the chapters he had were fleshed out more.
As a wonderful character he deserved the 3 dimensional treatment. As it stands it feels as though he is not quite full of his story and is just beyond 2 dimensional.
Favorite/Curious//Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Uriah and Aria on stage together finally
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
●“You are mine,” he whispered. “My angel of music, my savior and I will ruin you for all others.”. (Uriah on Aria)
●“Oh. I was in trouble. I wanted, craved, needed him in a way I’d never desired a man
before. (Aria on Uriah)
●"Never make a promise without knowing the details" (Sage advice from Aria's father )
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts: Music as a Weapon
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Romance books by 2025
The Phantom Of the opera captivated me as a child and quite possibly nothing could live up to it. The entire time I read this I kept humming the songs and found myself randomly singing the chorus.
The author definitely uses this call and response phrase that is evocative of Loyd Webber's Phantom "....Of the night" it is often the end of a sentence at the end of a paragraph and it is an effective tool.
Romance Plot/Storyline/Themes:
The worldbuilding is atmospheric, misty and foggy and feels like you aren't seeing something that's right infront of you.
I enjoyed how music was so integral to the story it was literally magic. I also loved how there were no lyrics, you could hear your own song in the moment and not have to read cringey lyrica. I haven't found magic in lyrical music in such a long time but just imagining the phantom singing siren songs sensually brought about all the blushes.
Ford uses some clever euphemisms to describe people and things. One of my favorite is the description of Madame Blu:
"Her stature was generous, and she often lamented about how much she loved the sweets from the kitchen," which is so much better than saying she was overweight or fat or voluptuous etc and so forth.
A couple of missed spelling errors and misused words and an actual missed word somehow do not take away the enjoyment from this story.
Character Development/Favorite Character (-1) :
Uriah' pov is so scarce, perhaps a 60:40 ratio would have been better. He either needed more chapters in his pov but really it would have been alright if the chapters he had were fleshed out more.
As a wonderful character he deserved the 3 dimensional treatment. As it stands it feels as though he is not quite full of his story and is just beyond 2 dimensional.
Favorite/Curious//Ludicrous/Unique Scene::
Uriah and Aria on stage together finally
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
●“You are mine,” he whispered. “My angel of music, my savior and I will ruin you for all others.”. (Uriah on Aria)
●“Oh. I was in trouble. I wanted, craved, needed him in a way I’d never desired a man
before. (Aria on Uriah)
●"Never make a promise without knowing the details" (Sage advice from Aria's father )
Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts: Music as a Weapon
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Romance books by 2025
April 6, 2021
➳ Rate: 5/ 5 stars
The fact that this was compared to the Phantom of the Opera is what made me want to read this book in the first place. I loved PotO and any music related book in general so of course I had to read it and it did not disappoint one bit! It was so good and steamy (for a fantasy book), and just so entertaining. I loved that there was a mystery surrounding the tower and what was happening at the theatre! It was all so compelling and just made the read incredible!! And it was a pretty fast read too! You won’t be able to put it down. And the romance was so good!! Their connection, the way they sang together oof. It was amazing and hot!!
I called one of the plotlines early on but was still so surprised in the end when all the story was told! It was so interesting and kind of insane ahah. I highly recommend this one to be fantasy and romance reads because there is both and it’s so damn amazing!!
➳ Physical copy provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.
➳ Order at: Amazon US
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The fact that this was compared to the Phantom of the Opera is what made me want to read this book in the first place. I loved PotO and any music related book in general so of course I had to read it and it did not disappoint one bit! It was so good and steamy (for a fantasy book), and just so entertaining. I loved that there was a mystery surrounding the tower and what was happening at the theatre! It was all so compelling and just made the read incredible!! And it was a pretty fast read too! You won’t be able to put it down. And the romance was so good!! Their connection, the way they sang together oof. It was amazing and hot!!
I called one of the plotlines early on but was still so surprised in the end when all the story was told! It was so interesting and kind of insane ahah. I highly recommend this one to be fantasy and romance reads because there is both and it’s so damn amazing!!
➳ Physical copy provided by the author in exchange for a honest review.
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September 6, 2024
Well, I was hoping these low ratings were wrong.
But I sadly concur.
2 stars
1.5 on the spice scale
But I sadly concur.
2 stars
1.5 on the spice scale
April 1, 2022
I…had a lot of problems with this book. There’s the unnecessary and often out of place purple prose, the unfortunate lack of character development, poor and repetitive writing, the choppy and convoluted plot structure, painful to read exposition, excessive summarizing relating to poor pacing, insta-love, and the most excruciatingly cringy dialogue and inner thoughts.
Oh, and those sex scenes? Often disturbing (the man was lying to this poor woman for SO long) and thoroughly out of place to the point that it felt like the author forced it into the story for her own desires even though they just weren’t working.
But, despite the author’s clear attempts to revamp the Phantom’s character so that he is more forgivable, one of the most frustrating aspects to this retelling is something I unfortunately see as a disturbing trend with these stories: the Phantom is somehow always this paragon love interest for whom we excuse every horrible past action of his. And while this is the first I’ve seen where this push has been almost done well, it still bugs the hell out of me.
The Phantom was always a misguided and immoral character. He was always selfish, jealous, and cruel. To strip that away because you grew attached to him and felt bad that Christine chose the kind, albeit somewhat boring, man in the end completely eviscerates the truth of his character. And I just don’t get why so many romanticize the man lead to murder by his heinous jealousy and desire for control.
So, all that said, Ford has the best workaround for this issue I’ve seen in any Phantom retelling…however, it’s overshadowed by a plethora of unfortunate writing and plot/character decisions.
Oh, and those sex scenes? Often disturbing (the man was lying to this poor woman for SO long) and thoroughly out of place to the point that it felt like the author forced it into the story for her own desires even though they just weren’t working.
But, despite the author’s clear attempts to revamp the Phantom’s character so that he is more forgivable, one of the most frustrating aspects to this retelling is something I unfortunately see as a disturbing trend with these stories: the Phantom is somehow always this paragon love interest for whom we excuse every horrible past action of his. And while this is the first I’ve seen where this push has been almost done well, it still bugs the hell out of me.
The Phantom was always a misguided and immoral character. He was always selfish, jealous, and cruel. To strip that away because you grew attached to him and felt bad that Christine chose the kind, albeit somewhat boring, man in the end completely eviscerates the truth of his character. And I just don’t get why so many romanticize the man lead to murder by his heinous jealousy and desire for control.
So, all that said, Ford has the best workaround for this issue I’ve seen in any Phantom retelling…however, it’s overshadowed by a plethora of unfortunate writing and plot/character decisions.
May 4, 2023
A fun and fantastical retelling of The Phantom of the Opera with elements of Beauty and the Beast, making it a different sort of gothic romance.
I was expecting a fantasy when I started reading this, but I definitely enjoyed it, it seemed to raise the stakes and added to the intrigue. Definitely worth checking out.
I was expecting a fantasy when I started reading this, but I definitely enjoyed it, it seemed to raise the stakes and added to the intrigue. Definitely worth checking out.
February 16, 2021
2*
Please don't be fooled by the beautiful cover like i was, it isn't worth it. If you like insta love, neatly wrapped up endings and very very cheesey predictable plotlines with sex scenes mixed in here and there then go for it
Please don't be fooled by the beautiful cover like i was, it isn't worth it. If you like insta love, neatly wrapped up endings and very very cheesey predictable plotlines with sex scenes mixed in here and there then go for it
July 3, 2023
This was a major disappointment. :/
Another review said it best; this book suffers much the same as other Phantom of the Opera retellings. The author was so focused on tying in all these bits to the original material she never developed her original aspects. Like the character's do and say things but I never got a sense of individuality or any sort of personality from any of them. Aria is a wet blanket and the world she operates in is a confusing one that wasn't well explained...things were just revealed with no real explanation. The Phantom is Uriah but he's not even in the Opera House sooo? He's in a Tower. And he's got magic. And there was insta-love. And a bunch of other random things.
Unfortunately, not for me.
Another review said it best; this book suffers much the same as other Phantom of the Opera retellings. The author was so focused on tying in all these bits to the original material she never developed her original aspects. Like the character's do and say things but I never got a sense of individuality or any sort of personality from any of them. Aria is a wet blanket and the world she operates in is a confusing one that wasn't well explained...things were just revealed with no real explanation. The Phantom is Uriah but he's not even in the Opera House sooo? He's in a Tower. And he's got magic. And there was insta-love. And a bunch of other random things.
Unfortunately, not for me.
January 23, 2024
Para ser libro corto está perfecto, algunos acontecimientos pasan muy rápido pero pues es literatura para leer en un día o dos máximo. Me encantó 👌🏽❤️
Ya he leído 3 retellings del fantasma de la ópera incluyendo a este, cada uno tiene su toque y es distinto.
Ya he leído 3 retellings del fantasma de la ópera incluyendo a este, cada uno tiene su toque y es distinto.
August 9, 2022
2 STARS
RTC
“You are mine,” he whispered. “My angel of music, my savior and I will ruin you for all others.”
RTC
January 30, 2021
*I received an e-ARC copy for an honest review*
Music of the Night is definitely a book that caters to my taste. It has Phantom of the Opera vibes, it's sexy, and it's a pleasant read for one sitting. I binged this book in one night, and loved it.
I thought it would be darker than it was, but it was still a charming love story with magical elements, music, and immortality. Aria and Uriah were charming through and through. I loved Uriah's struggle between freeing himself and trying to not fall in love with Aria.
Aria herself is a character that knows what she wants, and was willing to follow through with loving Uriah after finding out his secrets.
I definitely recommend as a quick read with charming characters, and musical aesthetics. My only wish is that it was longer, and that we had more time in this world. I'm very intrigued by the magical elements and the consequences of using magic for selfish reasons. I'm glad I bought the paperback. The cover art alone is worth the purchase.
Music of the Night is definitely a book that caters to my taste. It has Phantom of the Opera vibes, it's sexy, and it's a pleasant read for one sitting. I binged this book in one night, and loved it.
I thought it would be darker than it was, but it was still a charming love story with magical elements, music, and immortality. Aria and Uriah were charming through and through. I loved Uriah's struggle between freeing himself and trying to not fall in love with Aria.
Aria herself is a character that knows what she wants, and was willing to follow through with loving Uriah after finding out his secrets.
I definitely recommend as a quick read with charming characters, and musical aesthetics. My only wish is that it was longer, and that we had more time in this world. I'm very intrigued by the magical elements and the consequences of using magic for selfish reasons. I'm glad I bought the paperback. The cover art alone is worth the purchase.
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