The Queen of the Night is one of those books where, to paraphrase R L Stephenson, it's better to travel hopefully than arrive. It's a book I expected to enjoy; I enjoy historical fiction woven around fact. It sounded articulate, intelligent and filled with intrigue. But somehow, it went wrong.

The central premise of a rags to riches female, USA born, impoverished and making good in Europe is intriguing. The central character, Lilliet Berne, is an opera star, lauded and acclaimed. She's a lady with aspirations and secrets. She wants a new lead operatic role and, when offered, she realises that the central character story is based on her own life and secrets. Only a handful of people know her origins and there's a strong sense of betrayal.

The elements of a great story are there; mystery, intrigue, historic context and an operatic setting, for starters. Lilliet has suffered and my real problem with this story is that she remains a victim throughout. Her role is defined by a number of men, some of whom purport to be supportive. Her anguish and struggles are protracted. And overall, the story is dull, drawn out and I struggled to remain engaged. Lilliet never really came to life for me and ultimately, without giving away the plot, I couldn't buy in to the 'resolution'.

I know little about opera; for me, there was too much detail about productions which rather than adding to plot or character development, felt more like padding. Although well written, it's dull. The pace is slow, I struggled to finish the book and overall, I was disappointed.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Liliet Bernet is the queen of Parisian Opera. Famous for the fact that she does not seem to speak offstage in case she harms her wonderful voice, Liliet is aware that her career will be short and that she needs to make the most of it. However when an author approaches her with a libretto that seems to be based on her life Liliet knows that someone is out to reveal the truth and there are only four people it can be.

Having read several good reviews of this book I decided to give it a go. To be honest I wish that I hadn't as the story is like the worst opera - overblown, overindulgent and overlong. I'm sure that was the aim and I'm sure this would be enjoyed by many, unfortunately not me!