In this steamy, dark romantasy we follow our protagonist, Ophelia, into Phantasma- a deadly game where contestants must face their darkest fears and play dangerous games to win the ultimate prize. But the consequences are steep, especially to those who fall in love.

I was sucked into this world instantly and I loved everything about it! This reminded me so much of what I was feeling when I read Once Upon A Broken Heart and A Court of Thorns and Roses for the first time. I love romantasy and this book ties everything together so well!

The scenes were gory and scary and my imagination ran wild. I had nightmares the few nights I stayed up late reading this book LOL. But I loved it all the same. The challenges were so unique and original. As I was reading those scenes, it felt like I was watching a movie, I could see everything that was happening. It felt like I was actually there. Not many writers can make you experience reading this way. It's incredible.

Kaylie Smith absolutely ate with this book and left no crumbs. I wish there was more. I want this to be a series so bad. I need more of this universe. I need more of Blackwell. *sighs*

Rate: Non-negotiable 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

This book left me speechless. It was AMAZING. This book follow Ophelia as she tries to save her home by entering a contest (Phantasma). Phantasma is run by devils with each level being one of the deadly sins. The writing was fantastic, the love story was even better and oh my goodness the plot twist - I can’t even describe it. It was not what I was expecting at all and made the book so much better.
This book has a focus on OCD and does have some smutty scenes so make sure you know your triggers before reading.
I would highly recommend this book especially if you’re looking for a great, spooky(ish) book to kick off fall reading. 5⭐️

This book is one I was looking forward to. However, the writing style felt very overwritten, and it just didn't end up being for me. I stopped at chapter 6, 9% in. I think this is a solid 3-4 stars for the target audience. I agree with the comp to Caraval.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky/Forever for the ARC.

Thank you Secondsky Books & NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was hot, fun and just perfectly bloody!

I loved the take this book had on supernatural beings and the Circles of Hell. It was depicted, amazingly and really had me immersed.

Blackwell? Yeah he's now in my list of favorite book boyfriends. Hell, I loved him.

I have read many books with mental health representation but none have left me almost in tears. Whenever Ophelia was battling with her dark thoughts and "inner demons", I felt seen. They way her brain and mind worked the same way mine does... it really got to me.

This book is great for fans of Hotel Magnifique and Caraval but wanted more spice. The main character after losing her mother and finding out that her and her sister are completely broke due to some dealings that her mother had done, and they must figure out how to save their home before the bank takes it. Her sister signs up for Phantasma, where she must endures horrors like she couldn’t imagine to beat the other contestants and receive a wish. After learning that her sister signed up for the contest she signs up herself, and meets a ghost that becomes her partner in the contest. After surviving multiple dark and haunting trials and learning more of her family history than she ever thought that she would and discovering love in a place that warns of people falling in love. I absolutely loved this book, it’s completely bingeable. I was hooked from page one, and I had a hard time putting the book down, and I know that have been multiple books in this same theme but for me it doesn’t get old for me.

A romantic gothic feast!

I really loved this book. The POV from the MC was so well done. She was sassy, put people in their place when needed and a well rounded and full character.

I have another book boyfriend to add to the roster.

Great book, well written and well edited.

Phantasma is a wickedly dark delight that will hook you and not let you go until you’ve explored all its sinful depths. Be ready to be completely obsessed with this bingeworthy read. To start, this is definitely a dark read, so make sure you’ve checked trigger warnings before starting because it’s not for the faint of heart. Ophelia and Blackwell will capture your heart and mind as you try to decipher the truth of Phantasma’s trials. I am a complete sucker for character banter and these two had some of the best banter I’ve read in a long time. I also really loved the whole premise of the different challenges presented to the participants based on the nine circles of hell and the different skills it took to survive. This is everything I never knew I wanted in a dark romantasy and managed to elicit an extreme range of emotions while I read. I also felt the plot moved along very well with the change in challenges. This also brought forth plenty of absolutely shocking scenes and plot twists to keep you fully invested. I combo read this with the ebook and audiobook and let me tell you that audio is the way to go. Laura Horowitz will lull you in with her expert narration. You’ll tune out the outside world to listen as she takes you through the various levels of Phantasma while really bringing forth the fear, anxiety, and heart pulsing adrenaline that accompanied the story. I was so invested in her narration, that I finished Phantasma in one day. I highly encourage you to check out this story, but especially the audiobook as long as you’re okay with the trigger warnings.

The world building, the challenges based on circles of hell, the gothic romance, the horror aspects, the dark romance lite....I could not put this book down. Ophelia is a necromancer who has just gained her powers earlier than expected and enters a deadly contest to save her sister. Blackwell is a phantom who claims he can help her win the contest for a price. This books will suck you in so fast and won't let you go until you're done so clear your schedule.

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky/Forever for this eARC!

I liked this. I started reading first and then finished with the audiobook. I thought Laura Horowitz did a great job with it. It was a different kind of romantasy but in a good way. I liked the way the author told the story but parts felt a little immature like that miscommunication trope was going on and I loathe that. I’d say it was told like YA novel.
Thanks Bookouture via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I put this book down one day and just didn’t pick it back up. It wasn’t doing it for me, I don’t know if the timing was off or what. The writing was good but I just couldn’t get into it.

Kaylie Smith takes readers to ethereal New Orleans, the perfect setting for a grim competition known as Phantasma. This book had everything I was looking for in a dark fantasy romance: a strong female lead, a flawed love interest, mystery, and high stakes. The imagery developed by Kaylie immersed me into the competition, and I often felt like I was there competing for a favor from the devil myself. I would highly recommend this book to others, and I can't wait to see her future stories!

Wowowowowowow. This is Kaylie Smith's first foray into adult fantasy romance and she does NOT disappoint. I love the New Orleans and haunted mansion backdrop, with all the dark and gothic vibes you could imagine. She also goes fully adult with alllll the spice and blood one can imagine (and more). I loved the dynamic between the the MC and love interest, with the love interest answering all of my Danny Phantom dreams. There were a few points that were a little cliche to me, with the use of "good girl" being just a little much for my tastes. Still, overall enjoyed this book VERY much and can't wait for more from this author!.

Not quite the right timing for me, but I’ll try again near Halloween! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

***ARC REVIEW***

This one definitely had me on the edge of my seat. The spice fell a bit short for me BUT the plot twist at the end was a nice surprise. All in all, this was a great gothic romance novel. Definitely worth a read!!!

Solid solid 4.25 stars.

I am forever searching for the feeling that the last 1/4 of acotar (book 1) gave me. The magic, the competition, the pinning, the stakes. It’s everything to me. And while this didn’t quite achieve that, it did still give me the vibes I was looking for.

This is a perfect gothic fall read full of devils and magic and ghosts set in New Orleans. I didn’t know that I’ve ever read a book about ghosts and phantoms and spectors like this before.

This is about Ophelia as she follows her sister to a deadly carnival type competition put on by Devils based on the 9 levels of Hell. But there’s also so so much to the story beyond just the competition - a quest to break a curse, fighting her inner demons (literally), finding out the truth of her family. Oh and some good smut. Can’t forget about that.

Do I dare say I wish this was longer? I get that there’s 9 levels but I would have loved to spend more time on each one. They were so interesting I wanted to know more about each one. I felt like they went by so quickly the stakes weren’t as high as I wanted them to be. Plus there was so much going on outside of the levels as well I just wanted more of everything.

I also found not a single thing that happened in here surprising - from the locket to reveals about the characters, even down to the cat. Did this affect my enjoyment of the story? No but it was very predictable (sometimes that’s what you need though).

****Spoilers**** I will say this has one of my least favorite tropes of all time (specifically to fantasy romance) and that’s the fmc being “reborn” as the past lover of the mmc with no memory of it. Ughhh!!!!!! Its so frustrating because I loved most of this but this trope infuriates me. Luckily in this the main characters aren’t aware of it but like I know and I don’t like it ****Spoilers****

When I read the premise of this book I immediately knew I needed to read it asap and I’m so glad I did. I feel fortunate to say I am one of the first to read it because oh my, this book is amazing!!! This book has the right amount of spice, romance and dark twists and turns. Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope and this hit the nail on the head. Its perfectly balanced with plots and probably my favorite characters Ive read so far this year.

I read this book in two days because I had work and errands, but would have finished it so much quicker. I need more books! And I’m adding Kaylie’s book to the tbr pile.

I was really excited to read my first supernatural/ghost fantasy book, and I love what Kaylie Smith did with Phantasma. Who knew I’d fancy a ghost so much? The trials/competitions have a Hunger Games vibe but darker; they are potentially deadly in pretty twisted ways. I love the way the book progresses through the trials, and Ophelia develops and grows. Spice was 🌶️🌶️🌶️ The physical bond was strong but I did not feel the emotional connection come through or develop as much as I wanted. The “forbidden” piece of the relationship came from the rules of phantasma (do not fall in love), rather than having much internal conflict.

I felt like the ending was really rushed… there was a whole book full of build up and then within 2-3 chapters everything was wrapped up with a too neat bow. I also noticed a couple of things in the last few chapters that contradicted statements made earlier in the book. It tried too hard to make a clean ending and it did not hit home for me. Up until that point though I was 100% on board and would still read again! Definitely would recommend!

As a final note, I really admire the way that OCD was addressed. As the author mentions in her end notes, many people associate OCD with just being overly neat, but that doesn’t begin to address the compulsions, obsessive/intrusive thoughts, etc. that many experience.

Phantasma is a devilish, creepy game that manages to suck in an older sister trying to find her younger sister. Dark gothic fantasy vibes set in the French Quarter, New Orleans.

I enjoyed the book until around 100 pages or so and then I started to get a bit bored. I didn't really find the MFC enjoyable and her interactions with the MMC were average. It didn't really excite me. For some reason I couldn't really get into any of the characters or their personalities. However, the writing is really good and easy to follow, and the plot is fun.

3.5/5

I really really wanted to like Phantasma, but it just wasn’t for me. It did take a new approach to the trials and ordeals tropes which I did enjoy.

HOLY HECK!!!! ❤️‍🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 this book is amazing!!!!
✔️writing exceptional
✔️story/plot exceptional
✔️characters and their chemistry, again EXCEPTIONAL!!
LOVED IT!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

All the stars!!!
If you read the description of the book and the trigger warnings and you think this book is up your alley, you WILL NOT be disappointed 😉💫