This book was a 6 star read for me and i loved every single moment of it. The plot twists got me. The romance, the plot, the characters. It was a wild ride and i wish i could reread it again for the first time.

This was a great adult book that I will share with my adult friends! It gave Caraval but more slashery. The setting in the gothic mansion felt new too and I almost wish we had even more time to explore Louisiana! Overall it was a fun time and I’m excited to read the sequel!

I’m going to dive straight into the review for this one, y’all.

Once Ophelia stepped onto the grounds of Phantasma, I was sucked into the story.

Be prepared for gory moments, some gruesome scenes, and high heat.

Yes, there are demons, apparitions, and ghouls, but we also see the darker side of human nature. Most of the contestants don’t make it out alive, after all, and they aren’t only taken out by Phantasma’s residents.

Our FMC also has OCD and experiences intrusive thoughts. If this may be tough for you, proceed with caution.

There are some twists I didn’t see coming and one major one that I did.

I will say—and this is not something I expected to ever say about a book—there are A LOT of intimate scenes—enough for me to be surprised enough to think, “Oh, we aren’t just initiating intimacy and then going to the next scene. We’re experiencing the whole thing again,” multiple times. (And if you follow me, you know that I don’t really shy away from the spicy spice.)

BUT Blackwell is super swoony, and those scenes are quite 🔥🔥🔥.

And we love to see a strong heroine.

I devoured this one and am looking forward to reading Genevieve’s story next.

I received an advance copy of the ebook from Forever. All review opinions are my own.

I went into this with high expectations thanks to all the hype I was seeing.

I liked it, but I wasn't in love. I felt like I kept skimming just to get back to the story. The way that each level was explained I loved, and the games were perfection.

Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the ARC.
And yes, there's spice!

"A house of Devils is no place for an angel like you"

Whenever I was reading Phatasma, I was enjoying myself.
But when I put it down, I didn't have the urge to pick it back up.
Maybe I was feeling slumpy?

Not sure.

I did like the FMC, Ophelia.
I did like the MMC, Blackwell. (yum)

Ophelia is trying to save her sister, and she now has to play these awful games in Phantasma.

-The dark is for people who are too cowardly to face their actions in the light.-

The haunts were horrifying. Especially that bathtub one! Eek! No thank you!
The story itself is good, but I noticed myself drifting away the closer I got to the ending.

If I remember correctly, the games they go through get worse with each level.
In my opinion, the level where her hands get burned badly, is the worst level.
Was that level two? Can't remember.
Maybe it's because of her certain something that made the higher levels not as scary?
I just feel as the levels went on, my fear went down. I wasn't feeling panicky anymore.

At some point I got frustrated with Ophelia and Blackwell.
Like I wanted to put them in timeout haha!

I was really excited about this one, because all my book besties have been rating this five stars.
Sadly, I just couldn't get there with this one.
But, I still enjoyed the read.

Thank you to Second Sky for my copies o this book and for letting me take part in this tour. I was lucky enough to be sent multiple copies of this book. I switched between the e-book and audiobook versions of this book. I am a sucker for a dark romance/fantasy book. I haven't read one like this in a while and I absolutely loved it.

This book is a gothic romance with a fight to the death. Think Hunger Games in New Orleans but with ghosts, devils, magic and a side of steamy romance.

This is my first book by Kaylie and I love her style. Her world building is so vivid and detailed. I could easily imagine the mansion and each of the levels. I was easily immersed in the world.

The narrator, Laura had the perfect voice to convey the gothic element of this book. Her voice was extremely easy to listen to. I found the pace and tone of voice were excellent.

Every moment I had I was eager to return back to this book. I was so glad to have the audio version of the book so I could listen to this book while also doing my chores, driving to work and shopping. I just wanted to return to this story. I needed to know what was going to happen next.

Addictive and sexy it's perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber, Sarah J Maas and Leigh Bardugo, An excellent start to the series. I can't wait to read the next book.

this was kinda everything to me? blackwell and ophelia!!! BLACKWELL AND OPHELIA!!! their banter was so funny and their chemistry was actually next level. i also loved the author's way of portraying ophelia's OCD and how blackwell was always there to support her in whatever she needed.

the structure of the phantasma competition itself was also so intriguing, and each level being based on one of the seven deadly sins made each level more sick and twisted than the last! i cannot WAIT for enchantra!!

*thank you to forever & netgalley for the eARC!

A gothic Phantom and Necromancer romance? (not one that I would normally pick up) How is that going to work? Surely it can’t can it? This isn’t the normal genre that I would read but seeing this stunning cover I wanted to read it. This is a good read to have around Halloween to give you all the spooky vibes. This was a gothic romance that I didn’t know I needed. I really liked how this was like the Hunger Games. I can’t wait to see what other books this author has that I can dive into.

I finished this a while back and you'd think after getting time to ponder about what this fucking shit of a book was it would get even a tiny bit better. Still, BOY, phantasma has me impressed because, with each passing moment, I'm dying from secondhand embarrassment and CRINGE. all that potential was WASTED. All those 4/5-star ratings have me baffled because where was the plot? where was the tension? where was the angst? where was anything? It was just instalust and then fucking and then love in the last chapter. like,e excuse me? I feel like a hamster on a wheel, it's not even funny ✋🏼 I'm genuinely crying at the nonsense these 2 main characters uttered. Why was Ophelia the biggest bitch I've ever met? like ok, u don't socialize but girl you don't have to be so damn arrogant. And don't even get me started on Blackwell. I did love the initial idea and the world, but the execution was an utter flop. In conclusion, I hate the MMC, I hate the FMC and this book was not for me.

4⭐/3🌶️

A dark and delicious romance about forbidden love and the trials one will subject themselves to in the attempt to get what they want.

Phantasma - a competition that, if one, could grant you your greatest wish. Ophelia finds herself entering when her sister goes missing and is subjected to horrors that are unimaginable. These horrors test her skills and strength as she battles not only during the trials, but an internal one as well.

A dark and delicious romance about forbidden love and the trials one will subject themselves to in the attempt to get what they want.

I enjoyed this so MUCH! Ophelia and Blackwell had great chemistry despite the constant push and pull. I definitely understood the tensions between the sisters and glad that it was resolved at the end. I will say that this book wrapped up very neatly although a second one for the sister is on the way.

Plot was a bit predictable, I'm pretty sure I guessed the "reveal' early on, but it didn't lesson how enjoyable it was.

YES YES YES! This is what I needed! Can we all admit that we get into a book slump and it feels like a chore to read sometimes? This was love at first page! There are DEFINITELY some super dark elements so check those triggers first. But, anyone who read this will tell you there is something incredibly SEXY about this story and the characters..necromancer, romance, *bedroom stuff*. This is one you would probably hide form the other girlies who know what it is lol a million times, yes. Is the writing lyrical and poetic? No, but the story is THERE.
Rich, dark gothic...everything your mother warned you about..

Omg this book

This will live in my brain rent free forever and I’m so excited for book 2s release. This was such an imaginative and wonderful world, something I’ve never read before and you felt so immersed in the story at every turn. Phantasma is a unique story with an unforgettable ending. I’m so excited for Enchantra

I requested this novel because I'd read Smith's Heartless Fates series, which was fantastic. While I liked the gothic atmosphere and the premise of the competition in this novel, I'm not the audience it was written for. I did enjoy the characters and their snarky banter and the way the story ended. Romantasy fans will happily devour it, and it's on me for not taking a closer look at the description before requesting it.

"In a different life, in a fair one, I would've kept you until my eternal soul withered away to dust."

I don't often say this, but this book needed to be just a tad bit longer. The ending seemed a bit rushed, and I feel like if the ending had been maybe even another 50 pages, this would have been a five star read for me. Even so, this was a really good book. I loved the tension and flirtation between Blackwell and Ophelia, and even the horror and tricks the Devils get up to. Though I'm not sure what Ophelia's problem was with other women in Phantasma. I'm not sure if she was really just guarding her heart or if it was another form of her anxiety (which I talk about next). But that did rub me the wrong way a bit, even though she did start to warm up to them a bit towards the end.

As for Ophelia's anxiety, I loved the representation of OCD in Phantasma. Though I wasn't sure if that's what it was or if it was going to end up being some type of paranormal thing that affected her. I actually like that it's just normal, human mental illness. And while we do get that paranormal horror in other aspects of the book, we also just get a lot of humans just being horrible because they're human, greedy, etc. Which is a horror in and of itself.

Despite the ending feeling rushed, I still recommend reading this one, because I did really enjoy it. The descriptions do make you feel like you're experiencing these things with Ophelia, which is not fun when it's the haunts or the challenges. I would say it's a slower paced book until the very end (where it feels rushed). But in a way, that kind of makes me feel like how the characters are feeling. Literally being locked in a house with nothing to do except wait to be haunted or wait for another challenge.

This is just the first in a trilogy, and I'm excited to see what happens in the second book. Especially since the MMC of that one is dark, broody, and tattooed. But I really want a sneak peek at book 3 because who the heck is that book going to be about???

This was so swoony?? Ahhhh

It's a necromancer/phantom romance set in a twisty manor hosting a life or death competition, and the necromancer MC strikes a bargain with the phantom to receive his help in the competitions in exchange for freeing him from the twisty manor.

The romance and the banter were absolutely top-tier, I had to put the put book and scream internally every few pages 😭

The MC also deals with severe OCD on page, and as someone who deals with it on a lesser level, I found the representation to be so well written 🥲

I'm insanely excited for book 2 in the series (MC is the sister of the necromancer!!)

TWs - extreme OCD on page, extreme violence, extreme gore, death, murder

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! Some points definitely felt similar to other popular fantasy books but in the best way? I will eat that stuff up EVERY TIME. The gothic vibes were absolutely on point. You will fly through this one guaranteed.

I haven’t been this captivated by a book in a while. The characters, setting, plot, humor, spice— just all of it were absolutely amazing. I was hooked from the very beginning and then couldn’t stop reading until it was over and then I wanted to pick it back up and read it all over again. This is honestly one of my top 5 books of the year. I loved the eerie vibe of it all, and the trials and mystery were so good!

Blackwell was a top MMC and Ophelia was compelling and awesome. The mental health rep was seriously one of the best I’ve read.

I felt like this book did so many things well and I’m grateful I was able to read it!

Thank you to Kaylie Smith, Second Sky/Forever and NetGalley for this arc.

The gothic vibes of this one are what drew me in. I think the world building and the plot was intriguing. The main fmc is definitely flawed, and her interactions with other characters didn't always make her lovable. I know this is the author's debut and I'm pretty sure she will be writing the sister Genevieve's story next. I would definitely willing to give it a try!

I knew I would love this, but WOW it was fantastic! First and foremost, the plot is super engaging. Competition plots lend themselves to fast-paced stories and this was no exception. I anticipated each night of the competition and what morbid task would be thrown at the characters next. I really liked how this world mirrored ours but with magic. Ophelia's magic was SO cool and the rest of the magic was surprising and fun as well.

But what was I truly here for? The romance. And it DELIVERED. It progressed at a realistic pace and there was the perfect amount of spice (which was a lot and I loved it). Did I guess everything that was going to happen? Yes, but I love predictability sometimes because it makes me feel like a god.

I wait with bated breath for Smith's next installment of this series. I have no doubt it will be fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to the book in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this book for sure... but I wasn’t obsessed with it like I thought I would be.

It had an interesting concept and I really appreciate the way the author presented her own struggles with OCD. It was great.

But I found myself struggling to keep with the plot. The trials were AWESOME, but there was kind of a lag in between and the big reveal was sort of lackluster.

Overall, I liked this read, but didn’t LOVE it.