Kaylie SmithRomantasy · Fantasy
Phantasma
Synopsis
To save her younger sister, Ophelia Grimm must survive Phantasma — a deadly, ever-shifting haunted mansion that appears for one week each year and challenges the desperate to clear nine terrifying trials. Clear all nine and any wish is granted; fail, and the house keeps you.
A necromancer who has spent her life hiding her powers, Ophelia isn't sure she can survive the game alone. Then she meets Blackwell, a maddening, seductive stranger who offers to help her through the trials — in exchange for ten years of her life. As the challenges grow bloodier and the line between ally and enemy blurs, Ophelia realizes the greatest danger in Phantasma may be losing her heart.
Kaylie Smith's dark fantasy romance is a gothic, competition-driven romantasy full of ghosts, bargains, and slow-burning temptation.
How it reads
- Writing4.0
- Impact3.0
- Characters3.0
- Plot5.0
- Atmosphere5.0
Prose complexity 1/10
Spice level
5.0 avg spice
Content warnings (5)
Graphic ViolenceGoreTortureSexual ContentDeath Of A Parent
Readers say (1)Heartwarming · Dark · Tense · Forbidden Love · Survival
Readers flagged (4)
GoreSexual ContentViolenceDeath Of A Parent
- I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Phantasma by Kaylie Smith will immerse readers in a dark fantasy world. A world that is atmospheric and gothic and that forces one into high stake game of survival. A game where one needs to stay alive and most of all do not fall in love. Phantasma is a game with two outcomes, survival or death. A game that takes place in a haunted mansion and uses your greatest fear against you. Winning requires surviving the nine levels of the game centered around the seven deadly sins. Upon completion of the nine levels, the lucky winner's wish is granted. Ophelia Grimm wished to find her sister and so began her journey in the high stakes game of Phantasma. After the sudden death of their mother, Ophelia and Genevieve faced eviction from the only home they knew. As the eldest, Ophelia inherited her mother's necromancy magic which worsened her current situation. While grappling with the changes in her life her sister went missing. While trying to figure out where she could have gone, Ophelia learned that she went to take part in Phantasma. Therefore, finding her sister meant her participation in this high-stake game where survival is not guaranteed. Prepare for a world where magic and danger abound. A world where only the mentally strong and fittest stands the chance of survival. The trials Ophelia faced tested her physical and mental capacity. Despite the dangers she faced her venture into this world brought out her inner strength and helped in honing her magical powers. She did have help though. Help that came from a phantom, (Blackwell) a resident of the haunted mansion. Despite her initial distrust of him, Ophelia depended on his protection. This dependence would later lead to her breaking the rule of not falling in love. The story was captivating from the intense trials faced by the participants to the romance between the main characters. Ophelia and Blackwell were an interesting pair. Their interactions delivered some interesting and intense moments. I loved the world building and how the rules of Phantasma worked. I found it unique and engaging. The secondary characters, from the mortals to the supernatural beings added to the excitement. Phantasma ended on a high and surprising note. While unexpected it left this reader happy with the outcomeThis review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
- Obsessedddddd. I really loved the dark gothic ghostly vibes from this book which I was not expecting. Ophelia also gave some neurodivergent baddie realness which I appreciated. Others may not agree but I liked the personalities of all the main characters and was rarely annoyed by their actions which is always a pleasant reading experience. Some things were pretty predictable but overall I enjoyed the little twists in the plot. The New Orleans setting was perfect for this story and I would love for her to incorporate more of its history with magic/witchcraft into the books. I think there could be a little more depth to the storyline but I'm excited to see how Echantra follows this up. I have high hopes for the character and plot building to follow. I love a strong female main character and a good bff/sister storyline. (4.5 rating)
- DNF at 60%. I read this as an experiment. Never read dark spicy romantasy, or romantasy...or spicy books, so this book was a combination AND a standalone. I wanted to know what the booktok girlies keep talking about. Now I know, and it's not my cup of tea. I have a lot of criticism about this book, but for what it is, it was entertaining to a certain extent. I don't care about the story, I don't care about how it ends, it's just a genre off my TBR.
- Rich and sumptuous. Loved the setting and the overall story. Ophelia and Blackwell are so good. I liked how Kaylie took a lot of care in writing a character with OCD. Cannot wait to read the sequel about Genevieve. She seems really interesting. Something was missing that stopped it being a full five star read but I can’t put my finger on it to explain it. However I did really enjoy reading this though. It’s so well written
- HOLY F••• BLACKWELL 🖤🖤🖤🖤