In this gothic paranormal fantasy world set in New Orleans, Phantasma intertwines a competition inspired by the nine circles of hell with a captivating tale of forbidden romance.
Ophelia embarks on a journey into Phantasma to find her missing sister and ends up navigating mind-bending challenges that test her strength of mind and character while battling her own struggles with OCD.
The story began with a strong start, drawing me in with its intriguing premise. However, the pacing slowed in the middle, causing some boredom as I hoped for a faster plot progression. Fortunately, the narrative regained momentum towards the end, unveiling an unexpected and well-crafted twist.
Overall, this was an engaging read filled with secrets, challenges, high stakes, danger, and romance – delivering everything I had hoped for from Caraval but didn't find.

Absolutely obsessed!! This book is fantastic!!!
I loved everything about it! Reviews are linked below but honestly I can’t say a bad thing about this book!
It had everything I love. The magic, the gothic vibes, ghosts and deadly trials AND an irresistible romance! I will forever recommend!

internally and externally screaming. screaming into the void. screaming in a corporeal plane. screaming in a parallel universe. legend has it, she is still screaming to this day.

✧ infinity (okay fine, 5) stars, because what in the devil did I just read

thank you Second Sky/Forever for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Welcome to Phantasma! To win you must be the last person to leave alive after completing all 9 levels. Most importantly fall in love within Phantasma at your own risk”

Ophelia’s mother has just died, leaving nothing behind but her necromancy powers, a set of rules on how to deal with devils, and a load of debt. To make matters even worse Ophelia’s sister sneaks off to enter the Phantasma competition, leaving Ophelia with no choice but to follow her there. Should be easy though! All she has to do is win all 9 levels and not fall in love with the very handsome Phantom that’s helping her!

I’m gonna say it! This is my favorite Romantasy I’ve ever read! It’s very obvious @kaylsmoon put her whole heart into this novel, and it makes for a very special read!

I love any book with death games and this one was extra fun for me! All the levels of the competition is based on Dante’s nine circles of hell, which I rarely see used in this way! And all the competitions were super unique and interesting! Also incredibly anxiety inducing!!!

The tenseness and horrors from the competition is so beautifully balanced out by the romance between Ophelia and Blackwell! It’s also one of the hottest romance I’ve read in a long while! They are actually the definition of soulmates, and every interaction they have is incredible!

Blackwell is also just the hottest man ever! The Danny phantom type man that adult me needed! I never realized how much I love a sexy man who is big on verbal consent, and has a god complex about how good he is in bed until this man walked on the page!

Ophelia is the perfect MC and I couldn’t possibly love her more! Especially when she starts getting more and more feral (Cade got what he deserved 🤷🏼‍♂️) ! I also really loved her magical abilities and learning more about them with her! She also has OCD and its a very central part of her character! This is handled in such a haunting but raw and at times beautiful way, and Kaylie drew from a lot of her own experiences with OCD when writing it.

This is perfect for anyone who loves deadly trials, a spooky time and a very hot romance! Or if you also had a crush on Danny Phantom as a kid!

If Caraval and Alice in Borderland had a spicy gothic vibe baby...

Phantasma is a fun dark fantasy romance for those who enjoy haunted houses, deadly competitions, gothic creatures, and forbidden romance. The horror elements were fun and bloody, and the competition propelled the story along.

I enjoyed Ophelia's motivation to discover her family's secrets, as well as her relationship with her sister. I didn't completely believe in Ophelia and Blackwell, though with Ophelia's lack of world experience, her actions make sense.

I found the novel to be unfocused between the family secrets, sisterly relationship, Ophelia and Blackwell, AND Phantasma's competition. To be honest, I could've done without the majority of the sex scenes because then we could've focused more on the horror and fantasy. The worldbuilding is light (I assume this was set sometime between the late 1800s and early 1900s due to carriages and cars), but I did enjoy the New Orleans setting and the mansion Phantasma.

Phantasma didn't wow me, but was entertaining enough. I may or may not continue on with the series.

Thank you for an arc of this book. The writing was captivating from the very start. It gave caraval vibes and that's one of my favorite series. Really enjoyed this!

5/5 ⭐️
🌶️🌶️.75

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

This book was an absolute masterpiece. The magical aspect of this was brilliantly done and had me sucked in everytime i opened this book up. Ophelia being a fmc with a difficult mental illness made her character very interesting to see develop throughout the book and seeing her stop allowing it to win every single time. Blackwell? my god that man 😮‍💨 I absolutely loved him from the very beginning and it never waivered. This is one of those books that's perfect for the fall season or even just for those who love a good game the fmc has to compete in and try not to die but she gets some good sexy time in.

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky/Forever Pub for the e-arc in exchange for my thoughts!

A Dark, gothic romantasy perfect for lovers of Caraval and the macabre

A game only one can win, there are 9 parts to the games, which reflects the 9 circles of hell. The winner gets one wish.

Our main female character, Ophelia, who has inherited Necromancy from her late mother, has no interest in competing in these games. But after finding out her younger sister wishes to compete, she finds herself thrust into the competition herself.

———————————————————————
I enjoyed this first book of the series so much. It blended a lot of the things I enjoy about different genres of book together to make a well written and unique gothic fantasy.

What pulled me into this was the cover, which made me think more horror, but it did not disappoint.

If you love demons, ghosts and hell you will love this!



Thank you to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC

This was such a great adult dark fantasy romance debut from Kaylie Smith! I enjoyed her previous YA work, and was excited to see her delve into a more gothic fantasy world. I really enjoyed following Ophelia and Blackwell through the horrors of Phantasma. Each of the trials had me on the edge of my seat, and the romance between Ophelia and Blackwell was so captivating! I adore how protective and loving Blackwell was throughout the novel. The way he cared for Ophelia and was so gentle with her as she dealt with her OCD was everything. Speaking of which, I though Kaylie Smith did an excellent job of portraying OCD in a fantasy setting. The connection as to which Ophelia calls Blackwell and the tics she has because of her OCD was also perfect! My only qualm was that the ending was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed this novel very much. I'm sad that it's a standalone, because I'd truly love to read more about these characters, but I'm super excited for Kaylie Smith's next adult fantasy standalone that she announced! I'd rate this book 4.5 stars.

Adult | If this were a movie it’d be rated: X

This spooky gothic book is DRIPPING WET 🩸 with BANTER 🤬, TENSION 😶‍🌫️, and world building 🧟‍♂️

I just finished Phantasma, and I’m hooked! Guard your heart to be the last one standing 👀. Set in Louisiana, the book followed a necromancer making tough choices in a world where paranormal beings make deals. I enjoyed the main characters and their interactions around the house. The games where given enough detail that I could understand what was happening without just being told X, Y, and Z were going on. I'm always a fan of third person limited stories and this one absolutely did not disappoint.

Thanks for the early copy— this comes out tomorrow. It’s also been announced that in 2025 there’s going to be an another book released in this universe!

Just finished *Phantasma* by Kaylie Smith, and wow—what a ride! Imagine *Hunger Games* colliding with dark romance and horror. The MMC is deliciously wicked, but his true nature shines through as the story unfolds. The FMC’s journey of discovering her strength is so powerful, especially as the trials expose the grimmest sides of human nature. Each trial is a sin-filled, twisted masterpiece, and the plot twist? Completely unexpected. The spice? 🔥🔥🔥 It’s perfectly blended into the dark, sinful atmosphere. Highly recommend if you love dark romance with an edge!

My sincerest apologies for not finishing this one in time for pub. day but oh my gosh I am OBSESSED. Life has been hectic and stressful and this was the perfect escape and a fantastic read I can’t wait to recommend to everyone and work into all the fall/Halloween displays at the bookstore I work at. This is perfect for fans of Carval and dark/gothic romances filled with incredible characters, a great magic system, and compelling plot. 10/10 no notes this is one of my best reads of 2024.

This was like an adult, horror version of Caraval with a much less annoying main character. Phantasma is a competition of sorts, where many people enter to play but only one can win. There are 9 levels (compared to the Nine Circles of Hell), and in each level you either beat it, make a bargain with a devil to escape, or you die. Last person standing basically gets a wish.

Ophelia has no interest in Phantasma, seeing how her mother has just died and she has inherited her necromancer powers. All Ophelia wants it to figure out how to keep the family business going. But when she discovers that her younger sister Genevieve has run off to join the game, she feels like she has to follow and convince her to leave. Maybe she *should* accept the help of the mysterious Blackwell....

I enjoyed this much more than I expected to. I liked how their family history was used, and the different competitions they had to do were creative. There are good gothic vibes, and the push and pull between Ophelia and Blackwell was nice. It might have been nice to have spent more time with Genevieve before she disappears into Phantasma, but then we get to learn things about her along with Ophelia. I look forward to picking up the next book!

This Romantasy book is everything!!

This is book 1 in a series but this book is a stand alone that has an HEA. This book was fast paced and full of action, tension, chemistry, and a story that had me on the edge of my seat from page one to the very last page. I devoured this book. I didn't want to put it down because I had to find out what was going to happen next.

Ophelia finds her mom's body and immediately has to take on the family's necromancy powers. Then things get worse when she learns her and her sister are about to lose the house because of a loan her mom took out and never told them about. When Ophelia realizes her sister went to Phantasma (A spooky manor full of devils and ghouls that is set up like the circles of hell), she decides she has to enter the competition to the death to try and protect her sister. Once inside Phantasma, Ophelia has a run in with Blackwell who wants to help her with the tasks and challenges in exchange for her finding the key that will release Blackwell from the prison that is Phantasma.

Book 2 of this series is Ophelia's littler sister, Genevieve's story and I can't wait. The writing was phenomenal. I also did a tandem read with the audiobook (Purchased myself) and the e-book (ARC provided by Second Sky Publishing and NetGalley) and I highly recommend the audiobook as well. The performances by the narrators was phenomenal!

If you like dark fantasy, fantasy romance, tension, and books that include deadly trials, I highly highly highly recommend this book!!!

I loved two big elements of this book but they just didn't connect together to bring home a 4th star. The atmosphere created and the spicy relationship was excellent, but the plot of the Phantasma games fell through.

Ophelia has entered a magical competition hosted by a mansion of devils called Phantasma. Each night, the competitors enter a game based on one of the 7 deadly sins. In between each level, Ophelia and the others are contained within a haunted mansion where their greatest fear are brought to life. Whoever survives all the haunting and levels will win the Devil's promise to grant any wish. Everyone else either dies or sell their soul to the Devil to be spared.

Ophelia is only there to find her impulsive sister and escape. She makes a bargain with a Phantom to help him escape this purgatory if he helps her cheat through the levels. But this is no Casper, the friendly ghost. Blackwell is hot as hell, and as tensions rise the pair become far more familiar with each other than anticipated.

There is a lot of lore: necromancy (similar to Ghost Whisperer), ghosts and devils. The variety in tests was really creative. I also loved the characters. Ophelia and Blackwell have very well developed personalities. Their interactions were snarky, filled with lust and felt very much like true love.

Unfortunately, these great elements felt very disconnected. The first part is written like a horror novel, then it switches into a romantasy style. And the ending was softer than I expected.

Because Blackwell is helping Ophelia, most of the plot development is him explaining things to her. He's not a mansplainer, but it made the story more passive.

All in all, a fun romantasy-esque read with a horror-inspired ambience. I would like to see the next book be more solidly in the soft or edgy side of romance and maintain that level of angst throughout.

Phantasma had me from the cover, stunning! We follow Ophelia immediately after the death of her mother, her sister disappears. Immediately Ophelia seeks to find her any way possible. She quickly finds her way to a cursed manor, in which she must compete in order to find her sister. What will happen in this deadly competition, if you dare to enter.

This story had me from the first page. I highly recommend going in this story blind, as I did. This story had such a fast pace that had me turning pages and not wanting to put this book down. Such a great atmospheric spooky vibe with mysteries and terror on all sides. I was drawn in with the high stakes and deadly competition. I was immediately drawn into Ophelia’s personality and her dark shadow, dare I say relatable. The relationships in this were relatable and very cut throat while others were bleeding heart enthralling. This story had it all and found it to be such a fun ride. I squealed, laughed, gasped, and cried. I immediately bought a copy for myself and pre-ordered the next in the series. Thank you to Netgalley and Forever publisher.

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

4.5 STARS

This one is PERFECT for spooky time, aka right now, it’s got ghosts, a gothic mansion and the levels of Hell. And the plot! Who doesn’t love a deadly game…?

SIGN ME UP!!

I really enjoyed the writing and story that Kaylie told. It gave me everything that I didn’t know I wanted and I was EATING it up. Perfect for those paranormal lovers with ghosts and demons. And if you want a standalone with a HEA this one is it! I do wish that it was a series but only because I want more but at least a character in this one gets their own story in the next one.

AND I CANT WAIT FOR APRIL!!

(arc review)

Phantasma is hands down the best book I’ve read this year! I binged the audiobook because I literally could not stop—it was so gripping. The dark, sexy romance between Ophelia and Blackwell had me hooked from the start. Their chemistry was off the charts, and the spice? Absolutely perfect! As someone with OCD, I was blown away by the amazing representation of Ophelia’s struggle with the shadow voice, which added so much depth to her character.

Set in the cursed world of Phantasma, where not all is as it seems, the stakes are as high as the twists are wild. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story pulls you deeper. “The only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart,” and I lost mine to this book. Hold on for the ride of your life—this romantasy is achingly beautiful, sexy, and full of surprises!

Yes, yes, 100% yes! Just chef’s 💋 Absolutely unique take on the whole trials type genre. A paranormal house with a game each level representing the 9 levels of hell run by devils. Cutthroat contestants, wicked scheming devils. Strong FMC. I’ve never seen a necromancer character presented in this way. Plenty of angsty hot spice & a jaw dropping ending that had me kicking my legs and pounding my chair like WHAT! This is a darker romantasy, so as always check your triggers. As for me I can’t wait to see what else is in store for this series!

I need a few minutes to calm down from this book, it needs a HUGE spice warning - colour me flustered. I devoured this book the same way Ophelia was devoured! I LOVED everything about this book, from the gorgeous cover to the words that flowed inside. It had me hooked line and sinker.

Don't be thinking this was just a spicy book with romance thrown in, no no no no no no, as we travel through the Nine circles of hell, there are some brutal and I do mean brutal deaths! Some were so deserved, there were so many awful creatures (I can't even think of them as humans) who were trying to win the prize in Phantasma. They made the devils look almost friendly! One word = Cade The descriptions were detailed and the deaths were so creative, I have to say!

This book gave me Big Brother feels, mixed in with Survivor, and Squid Games to say the least, in how the levels progressed. The "tasks" they had to complete, obviously were not in the same capacity - unless we suddenly see people running from swinging axes, or stone columns dropping by. (Well maybe Squid Games) Ophelia mesmerised me, with her backstory, how she ended up in Phantasma, her sister, and the chapter we learn about the "Creator" too.

The narrator was just fantastic, although, how she narrated those scenes - hats off to her!

I was here for all of it! I can't tell you enough how much I loved this book!

These characters will definitely make you squirm, cheer, and get a little hot under the collar. It is such a wild ride and I was obsessed - I just want to read the next book now!