If you love dark fairy tale retellings with gothic atmosphere and emotional romance, The Musician and the Monster by Megan Van Dyke is a haunting Beauty and the Beast–inspired novel worth adding to your reading list. With music, magic, mystery, and a brooding protector, this story blends classic fairy tale elements with Phantom of the Opera tones and gaslamp fantasy worldbuilding.
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The Musician and the Monster — A Gothic Beauty and the Beast Retelling
Music, monsters, and a lonely protector — a dark romantic fantasy with fairy tale roots.
About the Book
The Musician and the Monster is a gothic fantasy romance by Megan Van Dyke that reimagines Beauty and the Beast through a darker, more atmospheric lens. Set in a gaslamp-style fantasy world, the story blends music, magic, grief, and longing with a slow-building emotional connection between two wounded souls.
- Hardcover release: May 7, 2024
- Author: Megan Van Dyke
- Also available in paperback and Kindle
- Gothic fairy tale retelling
- Beauty and the Beast + Phantom of the Opera themes
Story Overview (Spoiler-Free)
Ceridwen Kinsley plays music each night on her rooftop for the spirit of her mother — a quiet ritual of remembrance — until one night she witnesses a murder committed by something not entirely human. That moment pulls her into the orbit of the city’s troubled protector, Lord Drystan Winterbourne.
Drystan is tasked with defending the city but is losing control over a dangerous force tied to his own magic. When he realizes Ceridwen’s music soothes the strain of his condition, he offers her a bargain: come play at his manor in exchange for the money her struggling family needs.
What begins as a tense arrangement slowly turns into something deeper — but secrets, monsters, and political danger threaten both their lives and their hearts.
Why Readers Love Gothic Retellings
- Darker emotional stakes
- Moody, romantic atmosphere
- Familiar fairy tale bones with new twists
- Morally complex characters
- Beautiful, lyrical themes like music and memory
- Perfect for cozy-dark reading moods
If you enjoy authors like Hannah Whitten, Tessonja Odette, and Stephanie Garber, this book fits beautifully into that shelf of romantic, magical retellings with dramatic flair.
Perfect For Readers Who Enjoy
- Beauty and the Beast retellings
- Phantom of the Opera inspired romance
- Gaslamp and gothic fantasy
- Music-themed storytelling
- Slow burn emotional connection
- Moody, magical settings