Absolutely deranged. My students love dark, spooky stuff, especially when it's got a hint of mythology about it. This was great fun and completely demented. Excellent.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This book was a bit hit and miss for me. Overall it was enjoyable and an ease read but I felt a little like I was reading bits of other books all put into one place and nothing stood out as being unique.

This review is long overdue. First, I want to thank Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book in the first place, but let's get on to it.
The first thing that drew me to the book was the cover, I'm happy to see they stuck with it. Now the book itself is about the underworld, but author Liz Kerin took this idea and spun it so beautifully. My heart had butterflies, not my stomach. You could immediately tell there was a heavy greek influence on the story. All I can truly say is read it for yourself, you will not regret it.

Wasn’t my favorite, seemed like a lot of the tropes were similar to other books that have been published recently.

I didn't know what I was getting into when I finally picked up The Phantom Forest, all I knew was that it was a mythological like fantasy and according to my friends--I had to read it. Set in a spellbinding world, the story tells the tale of three lives that are entwined in ways they never expected as each go on a journey of not only self discovery but of change. 

I genuinely don't know how to put into words how beautiful this story was. The way Kerin weaved the different layers of emotions and philosophical views and questions of not only what the afterlife may look like but also of religion and the cultural impact it has--was completely and utterly poignant. I was captivated by Seycia's journey into the "underworld" and her determination to keep her brother safe even in death. But the one character that stood out the most to me and the one I wanted to protect at all costs, was Haben. Dark, brooding, and deprived of life itself, Haben was someone I genuinely loved reading and getting to see on the page. His arc development, is probably one of the more refined ones in this debut novel--leaving Miko and Seycia's for the following novel, I presume. 

Like any other fantasy novel, this story does take some time getting used to, but gosh dolly when it delivers--it delivers. There are so many layers to this, that I could take years combing through it all. Kerin does an outstanding job with this story and I honestly can't wait to see how everything plays out in the next book. With lyrically rich worldbuilding, and riveting characters, this story is something not easily put down, and even harder to forget. If you are in the mood for a nice dance into the afterlife, I highly suggest you grab yourself a copy of this one. 10/10 would recommend this book to everyone and their mother. It's that good.

This had fabulous writing, it was moody and atmospheric right from the outset. I really enjoyed reading the apocalyptic scenes. Liz Kerin's writing is rich with descriptions. If you enjoy books with worldbuilding and plot that could drive the book regardless of the characters. Check this out.

A fascinating premise but I found this book ultimately disappointing. The characters and setting were ambitious but perhaps too much so - they could have been much better developed. If this is to be a series, as it seems, then this could be somewhat rectified in a second volume

I love post apocalyptic stories. I love stories surrounding death. I love fantasy stories. So naturally I loved this one! It was fresh and kept me interested. I loved the characters and the setting. I am looking forward to book number two!

I gave this such a red hot crack, think I got nearly halfway through, but something about this was lacking for me- I was trying to persevere but really, reading should be a relaxing enjoyable experience and I just had to let this go- there were many interesting elements to this but they just didn't come together for me.

This debut novel was full of action/adventure and excitement. I enjoyed the world building and hope for other books to be added to this series.

I received an ARC from the publishers via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t like this book. The writing style wasn’t for me and the story just fell flat. The story had so much potential but alas, it didn’t fully live up to its potential.
The concept of the story was what drew me in and I was thoroughly disappointed.
The world building was rushed and underdeveloped.
All I can say is: it could’ve been better...

It was... okay.

I went into this really wanting to love this book. The summary immediately caught my attention and I went in eager despite not really enjoying the authors' previous work. I think this was a case of "it's me, not you" when it comes to this book. The style simply wasn't for me and the characters felt a little too flat. I think some readers are going to love the writing style and the characters, but I just... couldn't connect with them.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I didn't connect to the story or the characters. The writing style was okay, but not for me.

I liked the plot and the world that was created for this story. It was an interesting play on a dystopian future that incorporated concepts of faith and a sense of magic. It had multiple layers that all played off one another. It kept me interested enough to keep reading until the end. I was somewhat frustrated by the character development. Some of the key characters felt a bit flat and reacted to situations in ways that seemed out of character. Overall, decent read.

I liked the writing style and thought that the author did a good development with the characters. I also enjoyed the pacing and thought the story was very interesting.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I loved the storyline surrounding The Savage and his history. He is one of those enigmatic characters that you just want to keep reading about. I also loved how the author did not change the theme of the story in to a love angst storyline between the two characters, and kept it subtle to the main plot. I also loved how the story is told in multiple perspectives which is so refreshing because it never makes the story dull or boring. Overall, I loved reading this book and it was much better than what I expected it to be!

A really enjoyable read! Flew threw this one, very captivating and thrilling. I love the premise of this and thought it was a unique and interesting storyline.

This was a moderately engaging tale that kept my interest at times and lost my interest at others. I'm usually a speed reader who can get through a book in a day or two, but I bounced back and forth to this one several times over many weeks before finishing it. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with the book or the writing style, it just didn't quite resonate with me as much as I'd hoped.

I think part of the issue is that I often have to read in short spurts, but many of the chapters in this book were too long to allow for that. The author did a fine job, though, and I could see this being a favorite for many YA readers who love fantasy.

I received this as an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If I could, I would have given this a 3.5 but I rounded it up to a 4.

This was a really cool concept for a book but it took me awhile to get into it, and even then, I’m not sure how attached I am to the characters. It takes place on a post apocalyptic earth after humans have discovered what really happens when we die. After tunnelling through the earth, and slicing through the veil to reveal the beyond, total chaos has ensued and utterly destroyed the concept of religion as we know it. Then there’s a series of wars, and voila, a couple hundred years later, we have the setting for our story.
There are a few main characters, primarily a brother sister combo, Mika and Seycia, accompanied by your not so friendly demon, aka the Savage, aka Haben. After being targeted by the governing general Simeon, Seycia is sacrificed to the demon and ends up in the underworld, while her brother Mika remains up top with the humans. Each fight their own battles from their own realms with some very interesting consequences.
I’m thinking this might turn into a series because it was left a bit open ended with more questions and possible chaos. If there is another book, I’d definitely check it out.