I only knew The Phantom of the Opera by name only, never having read the book or seen any adaptations including the musical. I loved the atmosphere and compared to other classics, this was one of the easier ones to read. Since this felt like it was through Raoul’s POV, I saw this as someone witnessing a close friend/loved one experiencing an abusive relationship. The epilogue felt like a last ditch effort to “humanize” Erik. It was hard to feel sympathetic when throughout the book he was emotionally abusive and literally kidnapped Christine. He’s an interesting villain, but I went in thinking he was a tragic character. I really hate the villain with a tragic backstory trope because nowadays y’all will adore a white man even when he’s a piece of shit.