3.5 stars

I enjoyed this one, for the most part! It was unique among its YA fantasy contemporaries, while still being familiar to fans of the genre. It did get a bit draggy in the middle and I think the book could have been cut down a little bit (probably by about 50 pages or so), but I was intrigued by the overall plot. I thought it would more closely follow the plot of The Phantom of the Opera, but maybe that will become more clear in the sequel.

I am curious to read the follow up mostly because the first book ended on a cliffhanger. I'm not sure that I would if it hadn't just because this book felt too long, but I do want to know what happens to Kallia and Jack!