Book Review: The Monster of Music

Disclaimer: I received this book as an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I feel like I should start by saying I’ve never watched the Phantom of the Opera. I know very little beyond the mask. But, I am obsessed with retellings and reimaginings so when I was approached about this book, I was incredibly curious. So, of course, I said yes and oh man am I glad I did. I loved it! I honestly binged it and stayed up until 2 am to read it I couldn’t put it down!

But, before I get too hype, let’s look at the summary and then I’ll tell you why I was obsessed.

Summary

A darkly romantic gender-swapped modern retelling of The Phantom of the Opera, with a scarred Muse girl, a rock-star boy, and a singing competition. For fans of The Wicked Deep (Ernshaw), Wintersong (S. Jae-Jones), American Idol, or The Voice.

Mel must share her creative magic or be driven mad by it. But finding her first protégé isn’t as easy for her as it is for most Lianhan Sídhe (muses of Celtic myth). Though the women of her race are naturally beautiful, she carries horrifying scars across one side of her face, inflicted by her mother’s obsessive boyfriend. And Mel isn’t only interested in pouring her creative energy into a man; she wants to use her musical genius herself, too. But the laws of the Lianhan Sídhe, and her own savage appearance, stand in the way of her ever singing onstage.

To relieve the painful pressure of her magic, Mel latches onto Kiyoji, a boy with a beautiful voice, and coaches him through a televised singing competition. But neither of them are prepared for the power of their connection, or for the new kind of magic that happens when the two of them sing together.

The Monster of Music by Rebecca F. Kenney

My Review

First of all, you all know how much I love the supernatural. So, the fact that our wonderful main character, Mel, is a muse, I loved it. Another thing that I love is that Mel is not always right. She is conflicted and she does a lot of bad to get what she wants. She is truly an interesting character and I love that about her. I think the fact that she isn’t necessarily ‘good’ but instead, she’s incredibly ambitious makes me adore her so much more.

Honestly, I think the writing of this was really good. It pulled me in and I was lost in it for hours. It felt almost like a movie, not rushed in any sense, but as if it was ‘go, go, go’. There wasn’t ever a good stopping place and that’s truly something I crave in books. I always miss that ‘one more page’ feeling and this book brought me back to binge-reading through the night in middle school.

This story goes generally into the Fae and while I would’ve loved to learn more, I think this story gives just enough details about them to keep you curious while not bogging down the entire story. Since I know the author has another fantasy series, it made me really want to check those out because if this story is any indication, I’m sure her other books are amazing as well.

Overall, I really liked this book. I liked that it wasn’t really about romance, but instead, it was about people and the bond they share. It was about magic as much as it was about music. Honestly, I recommend grabbing it for yourself and binge-reading it over the weekend.

Best of all, it’s coming out really soon! Pre-order your copy on Amazon by clicking here so that you can see it in your Kindle library on October 30th.

If you want to see more of my book reviews, click here!