Book Reviews: The Most Dangerous Dream by Kelsey Brickl

Warning: The book featured in this review, The Most Dangerous Dream by Kelsey Brickl, contains depictions of sex, sexual situations, and other sensitive matters. If you wish to avoid such depictions or are under the age of 18, proceed with caution.

Another hectic week is underway, and I’m here to bring you another book which I’m particularly excited about. The first reason is that it’s a retelling of a well-known work. (I am rather find of using things like fairy tales to jump-start my own stories.) The other reason is that it is very well-written, titillating yet also classy. Today I will be reviewing The Most Dangerous Dream by Kelsey Brickl.

History is full of what if’s. What if Alexander the Great had not died young? What if Henry VIII had not divorced Catherine of Aragon? What if the United States had not successfully built the atomic bomb? Even fiction from bygone eras contain unexplored avenues, and it is such an avenue which Brickl postulates in her reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera.

What if Christine had not been repulsed by the deformed Erik? What if she actually decided to get to know him and, through this bonding, falls in love with the man who has been her secret singing coach for all these years?

When Brickl explores this possibility, what we get is not a deranged, deformed man holding people hostage for the love of a woman who will never love him back. Instead, Brickl shows readers the softer side of the Phantom, the human side which is loving, jealous, possessive, and passionate. More than that, she reveals a new side to Christine, one which is sexual, untamed, and, at times, lacking in good judgment and care for female virtues. Their story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, sensual and thrilling, a love story which at times does not seem meant to be, only to have our expectations subverted. Will love prevail? Or will Erik’s–the Phantom’s–possessive, manipulative, and secretive nature get between them enough for Christine’s childhood friend Raoul to swoop in?

I hate to admit it, but I’ve never read The Phantom of the Opera. I’ve never seen the Broadway play, and I’ve only seen snippets of one of the later movies. Still, we all know the gist of the story, and I believe that Brickl’s The Most Dangerous Dream did it justice. In fact, I may not be able to watch or read anything related to the original in the same light as I would have without reading this first.

Brickl turns a classic story about a deformed and desperate maniac into a man in love who has been dealt a bad hand in life, including a physical deformity. It’s a struggle to find and keep love in the face of nonconformity in a time when normality was key to thriving in the social world. There’s tension and emotional upheaval to spare, and no character is either entirely likeable or entirely despicable. Even Erik and Christine, as the star-crossed lovers in this tale, have plenty of flaws and strengths, moments when you want them together and moments when they seem better off going their separate ways.

I can’t really say that any character was my favorite for this very reason. Erik was too jealous, possessive, and manipulative, sometimes downright creepy. Yet he is also sweet, caring, protective, passionate, and a gentleman. Christine is beautiful, kind, talented, and a little stubborn. Still, she’s also rather impulsive and naïve. It was hard not to find fault in their actions and question the validity of their relationship, but that just made it feel all the more real.

Of course, the time period and country in which the book takes place makes for a more challenging read than modern romances. The speech pattern is somewhat antiquated and there are references to many foods, operas, and aspects of Parisian high society which not every reader will immediately recognize. However, these are the same sorts of issues often encountered in historical fiction, and they’re nothing that an enthralled reader cannot overcome.

I anticipate readers having a problem with the premise for this novel. For one thing, it’s a reimagining. Those are always received critically in the literary and entertainment worlds. More importantly, though, is the fact that the relationship between Erik and Christine borders on emotionally abusive. After all, Erik follows her in the shadows and manipulates everything around her to make things how he wants them to be. It is also creepy that he has been watching her since before she became a woman, which indicates that he has been essentially stalking her since childhood and he is much older than she is.

These concerns and more are addressed in the forms of Meg, Christine’s internal struggles, and even Erik’s internal struggles. I would not stand by if I was these red flags in a friend’s romance or my own, but Erik only wants what is best for Christine; his methods are questionable but he learns from mistakes, as we all do. While this story does not depict the ideal relationship, it depicts a realistic ones with ups, downs, happiness, and regrets, and its romantic arc is very much in line with this genre and the time period, albeit a little more sweetly and happily than the original.

I found a few typos, such as “robe” when Brickl meant “rope,” but they were not so prominent or frequent as to ruin the novel. I was surprised by how well Brickl maintained the feel of the time period while not losing my attention. Even at 400+ pages, the book is so gripping and compelling that it makes for a quicker read than you would think. A word of warning: some of this illusion of speed is due to steamy scenes between Christine and Erik. If you’re turned on by intellectual and/or artistic activities and people, you’ll especially appreciate those scenes.

Overall, The Most Dangerous Dream is an exciting and intellectual read. It is truly for romantic (in the traditional sense of the term). If you are a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera, you might have mixed feelings about Brickl’s reimagining. However, if you want a new perspective on the infamous Phantom, you will love it. Brickl is a wonderful writer, and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. If she does more in this genre (historical romance and reimaginings), I’m sure it will be a hit like this one.

It’s currently unavailable, but you will be able to snag a copy of The Most Dangerous Dream by Kelsey Brickl on Amazon.

Do you know of any books I should read? Want your work reviewed on this blog? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or message me on Fiverr and we can arrange something.