She is down on her luck and she is flat broke. Looking for easy ways to make a little extra cash when she visits a friend's art showing an unthinkable solution falls into her lap. She has talked herself out of it completely until things just keep getting worse. But this deal that would give her that financial freedom she is searching for it also wants to take something very important to her and she just isn't completely sure what parts of her she is willing to give up to live a life a little easier.

I absolutely cannot believe where this story took us.

I wasn't the biggest fan of our main character but the plot was what kept me engaged and with a huge urge to need to know. The extra pov thrown in gave the story a very ominous and eerie feeling that I highly enjoyed.

And the perspective this gave us on something that could happen to anyone (sorry keeping it vague here i don't want to spoil anything) was done so uniquely well giving me a sight of body horror I have never read before.

You get serial killers, an investigation, and a huge sense of uneasiness!

A perfect read for the scary season!!

Thank you to Helen Power, CamCat Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy!!

Rating: 4.25 stars

What would you do if your hand might be killing people? Oh and it's not your hand anymore, you sold it.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book and how absolutely bonkers it was. Our main character, Roz, was so unlikeable and highly unreliable, but that only made the story work that much better. It does start off a little slow, but the more you read the further you get drawn in to the chaos.

After Roz sells her hand, she wakes up in excruciating pain. On recommendation of her doctor, she enters a drug trial that should help with phantom limb pain. The drug works wonders so much so that she feels she can't live without it. To stay in the trial, Roz lies to her doctor about her use of this drug as well as the odd side effects she experiences. This all sounds a bit familiar when thinking about drug abuse and what one might do to get more. This story isn't about the dangers of drugs so much as it is about the loss of the limb and what exactly that missing limb is doing on someone else. Phantom, to me, is not a book about mental health and shouldn't be read as if it is. That being said, content warnings about these topics should be included since these are all devices used to carry the plot.

Overall, this was a book I would recommend if you're looking for something a little silly and creepy. I plan to revisit this book again and would love to read more of Power's books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, CamCat Books for an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.

Helen Power's *Phantom* is a captivating blend of mystery and psychological drama that grips readers from the first page. Power’s skillful narrative weaves suspense and emotional depth, creating a hauntingly memorable story. The novel’s intriguing plot and well-developed characters make it a standout in the genre.

This novel starts off slow, but it gets really exciting when you realize how unreliable Roz is.
Reading this book is like being on a rollercoaster. You think you know what's coming, but then it takes a sharp turn and you're completely surprised. Just when you think you've figured it out, it throws you for a loop again. Powers obviously put in a lot of effort to write this intricate story with secret organizations, financial crimes, and characters you can't trust. And it totally paid off! She created this awesome book about a main character who's recently disabled but still has a sharp wit and a knack for getting into trouble.

**SPOILERS, PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK**


This was very silly. It was more fun than I thought it was going to be, and pretty easy to get through, but MAN this protagonist. The very definition of a mess. Bad choices every step of the way, but without her we wouldn't have this sort of fun story I guess! The idea was really good, and the pacing/structure was pretty satisfying, but I do think the ending was a bit flat. Would've enjoyed more of a crescendo and dramatic finish. It would have been AMAZING if the Strangler tried to strangle her properly and she was able to feel her own hand strangling herself, then she could've somehow taken control of the hand and stopped her. Maybe taking more Ryofen gives her abilities to control the hand (at the expense of her sanity).

All in all, I enjoyed more than I thought I would. It's fun to read something so unhinged sometimes!
3 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and CamCat Books for a review arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and CanCat Books for the advanced reading copy of Phantom.

It pains me to say I could not finish this book. Between the extremely unlikable main character, ableism, and outright disrespect for mental illness and health - I didn’t wish to proceed.

The concept is compelling, along with gorgeous cover art, but I found this book to be a bit insulting, with incredibly clunky writing in serious need of an edit.

I’m sure lots of people will enjoy this book, just not me.

Abgesehen davon, dass die Hauptfigur die DUMMSTE PERSON AUF DEM PLANETEN ist, hat mir das Buch wirklich gefallen! Es gab definitiv Situationen, in denen ich die Hauptfigur verflucht habe, aber die Genugtuung darüber, dass ich schon lange vor dem Ende wusste, wer das Phantom ist, war es alles wert

This is a captivating and enjoyable story that was a pleasure to read! The writing is excellent and the pacing is spot on. I highly recommend it! Many thanks to Helen Power, Camcat Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this e-ARC! I do my reviews on my social media platforms. I am currently working on getting through my reviews so stay tuned! Leaving a rating as a placeholder for me and to not effect the books rating in order to post this. Thanks again!

I love weird and creepy books and this just fit in that category so well!

Massive thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC of Phantom, it was such a unique story that was so enjoyable.

wasn’t my cup of tea. it may be a book for someone else though. the cover is beautiful though. i was just bored.

SUCH AN INTERESTING READ I REALLY ENJOYED IT THANK YOU SO MUCH TO NETGALLEY FOR THE ADVANCED READER COPY VERY COOL!

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this ARC!

This was such a wildly original concept that I have to give props on that alone. I REALLY enjoyed this book. I love creepy and weird books anyway but this took it to an entirely new level. It wasn't so much that scary things were happening but just those feelings of existential dread creeping over the main character were enough to chill me to the bone. Kudos to Power for emulating that environment and pulling it off so well.

What a thrill!

We follow 'Roz' our unreliable narrator that is a failing artist barely making payments on her rent and has just been fired. She gets invited to an art exhibition of a woman that she used go to college with. She gets approached by a man that offers her something that she can't refuse.
Roz wakes to find her hand missing and in excruciating pain, on recommendation of her doctor she goes on a drug trial for phantom limb pain but it has a side effect she wasn't warned about.....she can feel what her hand is doing and it's not good.

This is such an interesting concept and was well executed. There was lots going on and twists and turns. Roz at the start is not a nice character and you can't sympathise for her but as the story goes on you start rooting for her.

I would say this is more thriller/mystery than horror. It's a fast paced easy read that will have you hooked.

Phantom is a genre mashup sophomore novel from Helen Power. Selling a limb, which ends up being used by a serial killer. Drug trial and hallucinations. Conspiracy, mystery and romance.

While the concept was interesting, the plot felt too slow for me due to the focus on character while having all of these other genre threads. The plot didn't feel propelled in a natural way and character interactions came off as inconsistent.

I do enjoy a good unlikeable character, but Roz's alcoholism takes precedence over her other more interesting traits and interests. The loss of a hand and how Roz behaved made me feel a little icky - I can't tell if its ableism or if the character is just so unlikeable due to her attitude. The romance felt unnecessary and muddled the storyline. I didn't love the way substance abuse, and mental health was handled as well.

Ultimately, I found Phantom lacked the spark it needed to engage me. I loved Helen's debut novel, The Ghosts of Thorwald Place, so I will still give future books a try.

CW: alcoholism, gore, murder, addiction, body horror, drug abuse, blood, stalking, death, gun violence, medical content, trafficking, death of parent

Helen Power's "Phantom" is a wild mix of thriller, mystery, and horror that kept me totally hooked. The cover is eye-catching, and the blurb reeled me in.

The story moves fast, introducing Roz, our complex and endearing protagonist. Grisly murders and Roz's evolving connection add some serious chills.
The romance subplot, initially iffy, actually grows on you.

The book ends on a satisfying note but leaves room for more—fingers crossed for a sequel! Big shoutout to NetGalley and CamCat Books for the awesome ARC. Excited for whatever Helen Power has up her sleeve next!

A wild and somewhat wacky concept for a book that was actually very fun to read. It was a great blend between thriller, mystery and horror that kept me interested the whole time. I can’t wait to read more by Helen Power in the future.

Physic connection to your missing hand, that’s now being used by a serial killer?!?
Sign me up, such a good premise!

Reading Phantom for me was a bit a of a unrequited labour of love. I love this concept, I wanted this to be my favourite book of 2023, which is probably where I went wrong, to much expectations heaped on.
My downfall with Phantom, was the length, it took to long to get into the good stuff, and then there was just to much in-between for me. I think I’m definitely going to be in the minority, and I’m sure I did it to myself. I could have done without half the characters, I’m also not really interested in hetro normative love stories in my horror, so I do usually checkout around them.

I think had this been a punchy novella or just a shorter novel, it would be on my top of 2023. It’s still going to hold the cool concept award

I think this is going to be a favourite, for many, the concept is just to hard to not love.
Ill still be checking out Powers other books for sure.

*totally calling this becoming a very cool tv series or something too*

I really enjoyed this book from the very beginning! However, there is a lot going on! #thanksnetgalley

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. The downfall was that I requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before the book was archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!