I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

This was a fun read. It gave darker/gothic Caraval vibes and having to summon Blackwell by saying his name three times reminded of Beetlejuice lol. I enjoyed the world and the characters. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

This book changed me as a woman. Absolutely obsessed with the dark gothic vibes, with the tinge of fantasy and paranormal. Blackwell will forever be my love because this man made me become someone differnt. He was absolutely ravishing.

This plot in the story had me hooked from the beginning. Like REALLY hooked. I love stories where charcaters are playing games, and Ophelia and her sister Genevieve reminded me of scar and tella from Caraval and it made me love this book that much more. I love how this book ended, but it made me wonder…will there be more?

I have been now completely intrigued by Sinclairs charcaters and can’t wait to see more!

Thank you, netgalley, for this advanced read! All I have to say is damn. Lol. It's such a wild ride of a book. Blackwell and Ophelias epic love story is the middle of a hellish game was amazing! All the gothic New orleans vibes are my favorite vibes! 100% recommend this book if you like a good thrilling, spooky romance!

I'm so happy we're getting more adult fantasy romance! This was such a fantastic read--spicy, spooky, and oh so swoon-worthy. I loved the gothic atmosphere of this book and how it bordered on horror at times. I'm a sucker for trials in any fantasy, it's one of my favorite tropes, and I enjoyed how this one was done. We know from the very beginning that not all is what it seems in Phantasma, but there were twists and turns in this book that I never saw coming that blew me away.

I loved Ophelia and Blackwell's relationship so much. The banter, the chemistry, the build up to their relationship--everything about it was *chef's kiss*. I'm also really glad this seemed to be a standalone as we got a happy ending for everyone, but I wouldn't mind getting Genevieve's book next (;

This book is my new personality, I loved it so much! Ophelia was the perfect FMC, she had a lot of growth and went from being timid due to only knowing what her mother taught her to opening up and discovering more about herself. Ophelia also suffers from OCD and I think it was a great representation, and how Blackwell talked her through some of it to help calm her down. Blackwell was immediately loved from the first introduction, he was supportive gentle swoony but still kept things spicy with Ophelia. For a brief moment I didn’t like Ophelia’s sister but once they reunite she redeems herself. I loved that this was set in New Orleans and focuses heavily on Devils/Phantoms/Necromancy and the trials Ophelia went through were so unique! After the first few chapters I was hooked and didn’t put this book down, can’t wait to see what else the author releases!

I am going to give this a four star rating. Based on the writing itself which was good. The story structure seemed good. I should have done more research before I requested this book becasue this type of romance isn't really my cup of tea. I wish it was. more of a slowburn. Just not my genre of book. I loved the cover and I think if you are a fan of dark romance you will totally enjoy this one.

This was my first time reading anything from Kaylie Smith, both it won't be my last. Dark, fun, and a little spicy 2.5 🌶️.
Phantasma had me excited right from the start. A deadly game trope turned enemies to lovers had me from the start. A dark fantasy that will have you holding your breath until the very end.
Phantasma is a deadly game that lures you in with the promise of your wish coming true. But what is the catch? You must survive, and you must not fall in love. When Ophelia's sister goes missing she must enter Phantasma to find her. A maze with 9 challenges, where contestants will do anything to win, fighting a new monster at each level, killing their rivals, and even making deals with a devil. As Ophelia struggles to face each challenge she is offered a bargain for her help, and ten years of her life, he will help her clear the levels all she has to do is call his name Blackwell 3 times and he will help her clear the level. Blackwell is charming, attractive, and doesn't seem dangerous. But in Phantasma things aren't always what they seem, and losing her life isn't her only concern.
Wow this book was disturbing and delicious, one of my favorite reads this year!
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review,

It might just be me but I didn't realize that this one would be super dark. I'm not in the mental headspace to want to try to read this. This isn't a genre I usually get into and now I see why. If dark romance is your thing, I'm sure you will love this. I just had to DNF this one and it wasn't for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review.

Oh Kaylie, where do I even begin? First off, let me just say that this book vastly exceeded any expectations I had for it (and TBH they were high because of how much I loved your other books).

Gothic NOLA holds a special place in my heart and you brought out all of the beautiful spooky pieces with such perfection I felt myself immersed from page one.

Ophelia, oh how I love you. As an anxiety ridden human who’s had a voice similar to the shadow’s I love how that was represented in such a way to show the battle that truly goes on inside someone’s head.


Without giving every single character my praise and love (except Cade- screw you) I will end my review by saying that once again Kaylie hit this one out of the park and into the stars.

Truly the best book I’ve read in a very long time. Thank you #netgalley for the ARC, #phantasma needs to be on everyone’s shelves this fall.

I was drawn in by the cover and when I saw A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Caraval  I knew I had to read it and it did not disappoint.

This book had everything I love in it – forbidden romance, creepy Gothic atmosphere, banter between characters, deadly competitions, spice, and over coming personal demons.

I highly recommend this book

https://www.instagram.com/karen.holding.92/
https://www.goodreads.com/karenh77

This was a really unique and interesting concept, it had everything that I was hoping for based on the Phantasma element. It had that horror feel that I wanted and enjoyed getting to read this. It worked with everything that I wanted and thought the romance element worked overall in this story. Kaylie Smith has a great writing style and wrote the characters perfectly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

⭐ 3.5

This book entertained me when I needed the most (my phone broke)
This was a lot of fun! I love the atmosphere I liked the writing and I love deadly games, especially when it's not just people-trying-to-kill-eachoter and actually has some different dynamics. I would be excited and curious to see what the next level would be like.

However, the romance (as always, lately) was disappointing. One of the reasons I wanted to read this was because I've always wanted to see a romance with a ghost but I needed more emotional connection before anything. I need authors to care about emotional connection like they used to, I don't care if there's destiny involved, I need to know how and why they love each other. I don't think it was instalove though, but it was a fastburn imo. They did have a nice dynamic so I wasn't so mad, I just didn't feel anything.

And about the main character, I liked her most of the time but she annoyed when she went from being too innocent for the place she chose to be to being rude to Luci unprovoked because she apparently was being too innocent (?)

Overall, like I said, it was such a fun book and I loved the ending! I will keep an eye on whatever the author writes next!

Overall, it was a slightly disappointing read. I believe I hyped it up too much in my head. It had such a fantastic premise but the execution lacked a little bit. It was too smutty for me (and especially, it happened way too quickly for me to enjoy what came after). The plot was quite interesting (though something happens at the end and I don’t know if it was supposed to be a big reveal or not but I guessed it very early on) and the universe was definitely the best part of the novel. But I did not particularly love the characters — Ophelia was a bit too naïve and reliant on Blackwell. Nevertheless, I recommend this novel, and its universe will probably stick with me for a little while.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I found myself unable to put down this gothic fantasy. A bit gruesome and steamy, I was enthralled by the mystery and the romance. Definitely one I plan to own for my book shelves. Highly recommended.

This review does contain spoilers.

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

This book is Kingdom of the Wicked meets Caraval. It sucks you in from the moment you read it and has you eager to keep turning the page.

When I tell you that I read the first page and was instantly hooked, I was hooked. This book grabbed me from the very beginning. I was constantly dying to find out what happened next in this thrilling story. The book offers romance to a deadly competition that has something for everyone who enjoys dark fantasy romance books. The main love interest had a choke hold on me as soon as the words "angel" left his mouth. His character reminds me of Jack Prince of Hearts from Once Upon a Broken Heart. He is mysterious, protective and extremely witty. In simple terms I would go into any deal with Blackwell. "If there were ever a divine entity I'd worship" he murmured, "it'd be you". I WAS UNWELL AFTER THIS.

While I did think that the locket was the key, and while I did think that Blackwell was the Prince of Hell, none of that ruined the book for me. I wanted to keep turning the pages and find out more. Even when those two predictions proved to be true I still found myself a little shocked and not going "well yah I saw that coming". This book really was phenomenal and is one of my top reads of the year so far.

Hot ghosts and trails literally made for hell are an excellent combination. This book is the definition of atmospheric, and the blood-soaked ambiance was the perfect backdrop to the romance that burnt white hot.

Phantasma has two rules: 1. Stay alive. 2. Don’t fall in love.

I’m UNWELL with how much I loved this book. I’m in deep, y’all. I don’t know if there’s anything out there currently that can cure the book hangover I’ve got after finishing this. Halfway through the book I found myself immediately signing up for the author’s newsletter, following her on Instagram (along with the publishers), and obsessively scouring the internet for fan art for a book that isn’t available to the general public for four more months. Good news, I found some. Bad news, I’m borderline feral for Blackwell.

*Deep breath*

I probably should wait longer to post a review, that way I can form coherent thoughts, make intellectual comments, and keep the fangirling to a professional level. But here I am. I’m just a girl, standing in front of the internet, begging everyone to read this book.
Phantasma is a collection of all the best things. We’ve got gothic vibes, necromancers, devils, deadly contests, A HOT ASS GHOST, amazing OCD rep, a steamy romance, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Also, as a treat, we’ve even got a “Who did this to you?”.
Friends. The scream I scrumpt.

Ophelia is an amazing FMC, her constant battle with her inner voice was heartbreaking and real. It was so rewarding to see her confidence grow as well as her magic. And Blackwell? If you’ve ever had a crush on a ghost in any form of media, this will hit home. It’s honestly everything you hoped for and more. The story is so rich and elaborate, I kept checking my progress to make sure there was more to read!

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I must go back and reread this while I count the days until I have a physical copy I can mount on my wall like a trophy.

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️.5

Hello angel...
WHAT A RIDE! My thoughts are all over the place but I will do my best to collect them before I forget them. This book had me in an absolute chokehold at the beginning. I scare (way too) easily, I hate horror and gore freaks me out BUT I was so excited to read this. This is like Caraval and A Court of Thorns and Roses but darker... and spicer (I'm just saying, we all deserve a Blackwell that knows his tongue is not just for talking 🥵). My rating to start was 5 stars, immediately, no questions asked. I was confused in the best kind of way. Literally nothing else mattered until I had answers.

The middle bit lost me. The story was good, it's there but I was bored. As someone who does not like gore and steers away from horror and any aspect of it, I found myself wanting more! It was sprinkled in during the first portion and I felt teased - this to say, I enjoyed the way Kaylie wrote these elements... The book centers around, what is essentially, a haunted house. A group of participants partake in a game that focuses on the Nine Circles of Hell. The players stay in the house until the game is over. During their stay, as an added element of terror, they can experience 'haunts'; again, supposed to add to the overall gothic horror vibes. We are giving a taste of what one could expect from a haunting two or three times BUT the handsome, mysterious phantom that our girl Ophelia makes a deal with, takes it upon himself to "take care of the haunts" so dear Ophelia NEVER HAS TO DEAL WITH THEM AGAIN.
“There’s another scheduled haunt going on right now,” he explained. “I took care of yours before you woke up.”
It felt anti-climatic. I want the drama, the chaos and the unexpected and unforeseeable elements that the hauntings brought. Alas, the plot felt predictable and a bit boring. By 60% I felt this was maaaaybe a 3.5 star read (unfortunately). BUT THE SPICE DURING THIS PORTION OF THE BOOK WAS HAWT... 🥵

“If there were ever a divine entity I’d worship,” he murmured, “it’d be you.” “My body, your altar,” she offered.

THE ENDING! Did I predict what was going to happen? Without a doubt. Absolutely (but this is also why I do not read a lot of mystery or thrillers because I have a knack for figure out what happens. Please take this with a grain of salt as it might not be an obvious conclusion for most!!) My jaw was still on the floor when the big reveal happened and the way that Kaylie delivered it was perfection. I said this in an update and I will say it again: I am a I'm a simple soul with simple wants and am entertained easily. I jumped, squealed and giggled from pure enjoyment reading the aftermath of these games. And for that, simple scene alone, my rating went up.

“In all the darkness, in all the loneliness, you have been my one source of light,” he lamented as she began to come undone. “My soul will go to its grave with your name echoing in my mind.”

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
I was a little nervous to start this one, due to the fact that I’m a scaredy cat and tend to not read horror that often, but this was such a beautiful read! I loved the lore and mysticism behind Ophelia’s family. The story was incredibly well written and hard to put down. I decided on four stars because some of the OCD rep was a little triggering for me and difficult to read; I also have OCD. But still would recommend it to everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this was a DNF at the 30% mark. Ophelia has a lot of potential as a protagonist and I loved the concept and setting, but the writing was repetitive and confusing and the pacing was really bizarre; too slow where action is needed and too quick where readers need more context to understand the scene.

Ultimately I just got frustrated trying to follow what was happening and felt that there was no tension or suspense as a result. We are expected to care about the characters from page one, before we know anything about them, and not enough work was done to build that connection before they are thrown into danger. I have decided to put this one down for now as I am not feeling invested.

The romance has potential and I think the gothic manor is a fun location for a tournament plot, but the writing was not for me.

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My rating system:
✧✧✧✧✧ - loved it, no complaints
✧✧✧✧ - loved it, some technical flaws
✧✧✧ - liked it
✧✧ - disappointing
✧ - unenjoyable