The Queen of the Night

Another book I would never have finished had I not consumed it in audio. The life story of an orphan turned circus girl turned courtesan turned opera singer interlaced with seeming mysteries and a doomed love story. It could have been a grand opus - 19th century Paris, filled with emperors, palace intrigue, pretty dresses and multiple operas - but the protagonist never becomes real to me, she rather passively makes her way from one scene to another. The story of her beautiful voice being discovered gets told at least 3 times, in different settings, and feels like a repetition. And then at the end she succumbs martyr-like to the curse that's been looming over her.

It might be better than 2 stars, but I am mainly mad at myself for sticking with it until the end.