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ashction's review against another edition
4.0
I love a good Phantom retelling, and there was a lot here that worked! It was really fun seeing a female Phantom and a wlw take on the friends to lovers of Christine and Raoul. I did think Cadence was a bit weak, but I also think that she's very much like Christine in that sense so it works as a retelling. The magic system evolving from music was really clever, and I loved seeing the power dynamic between Elene and Cadence. However, I found the end to be a bit fast - the rebellion plot comes kind of out of nowhere, and I think the finale was less grand than I wanted. Also, for those looking for romance, it's definitely an afterthought - which isn't a bad thing, but should be known so you don't spend time seeking it! But, for a stand-alone, this overall was a good, quick read with a lot of clever work done to take a timeless tale and breathe fresh life into it.
lassiter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
isabelfisher's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
hannahhew's review against another edition
4.0
The ending was kindof abrupt and the characters were a bit lacking; however, this was surprisingly dark and had a great magic system and worldbuilding for YA. The writing was pretty straight forward in a way that I enjoy and I loved some of the imagery. It wasn't quite as romance focused as I expected but the romance was very sweet.
ektambo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
hannahhbic's review against another edition
4.0
This is the wlw phantom of the opera retelling of your dreams, promise. It's a bit gory in places, and there are definitely some pacing issues. If you can live with that (like I definitely can), please check out Ruinsong!
swampbooks's review against another edition
1.0
Maybe more like 1.5 stars.
Unfortunately, Ruinsong did not resonate with me. The plot felt flat, the romance had no chemistry, and the characters didn't have much depth or personality to them.
The plot was basically circling around the fact that the queen hated rich people. I get that, but her reason for hating them was shallow. She was basically a scorned lover and decided to dedicate her life to ruining every single person who was in the same social ranking as the guy who dumped her, even after he was dead. Makes no sense, love.
The romance felt... awkward. I like the idea of them being childhood best friends and falling in love when they meet again years later, but it still felt like they had no chemistry. It was also weird for the queen to force them to spend time together? The tactic was meant to add ✨spice✨ but instead made things feel uncomfortable. Also I'm SO tired of antagonists being like "I'm going to make you fall in love with them so that I can threaten their life to manipulate you." No thanks.
Some things straight up did not make sense to me. "I curtsy so low my knees brush the snow." Ok, are they broken?? Why are you curtsying that low? It doesn't make you look more respectful, it makes you look like a clumsy flamingo. Please stop.
Unfortunately, Ruinsong did not resonate with me. The plot felt flat, the romance had no chemistry, and the characters didn't have much depth or personality to them.
The plot was basically circling around the fact that the queen hated rich people. I get that, but her reason for hating them was shallow. She was basically a scorned lover and decided to dedicate her life to ruining every single person who was in the same social ranking as the guy who dumped her, even after he was dead. Makes no sense, love.
The romance felt... awkward. I like the idea of them being childhood best friends and falling in love when they meet again years later, but it still felt like they had no chemistry. It was also weird for the queen to force them to spend time together? The tactic was meant to add ✨spice✨ but instead made things feel uncomfortable. Also I'm SO tired of antagonists being like "I'm going to make you fall in love with them so that I can threaten their life to manipulate you." No thanks.
Some things straight up did not make sense to me. "I curtsy so low my knees brush the snow." Ok, are they broken?? Why are you curtsying that low? It doesn't make you look more respectful, it makes you look like a clumsy flamingo. Please stop.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
3/5
I feel this review should be a reminder that reading more then two books at once isn’t always the best idea. Don’t get me wrong this book was entertaining enough for me not to get bored with it, but it was a similar concept to another book I was reading to were I would get the plot mixed up.
I feel this review should be a reminder that reading more then two books at once isn’t always the best idea. Don’t get me wrong this book was entertaining enough for me not to get bored with it, but it was a similar concept to another book I was reading to were I would get the plot mixed up.
smack_books's review against another edition
3.0
The world building in this book was pretty good and interesting to read. I just feel like as a novel that was advertised as a retelling of Phantom of the Opera, it didn’t really follow that musical too much. Of course it doesn’t have to but the way it’s marketed makes it sound like it would be way more similar to Phantom so it could’ve been more clear on that.
The characters were well written and even the antagonist was multidimensional. I wish the mc had more authority to rebel than she did, because it felt like she only did it when she really had to. I feel it would’ve been more satisfying if all the shit she went through finally built up into anger. I was also scared tue author was going to pull a “I’m not gonna kill you cause I’m better than you” and I’m so relieved she didn’t
The characters were well written and even the antagonist was multidimensional. I wish the mc had more authority to rebel than she did, because it felt like she only did it when she really had to. I feel it would’ve been more satisfying if all the shit she went through finally built up into anger. I was also scared tue author was going to pull a “I’m not gonna kill you cause I’m better than you” and I’m so relieved she didn’t