Phantasma was a solid medium ranged novel for me. I struggled a bit with the pacing, it maybe that just the filler information between each trial was not my cup of tea. While I understand why it was there it wasn’t anything that helped the plot for me.
What I did love though, Blackwell, and his alluring character. While the spice was there and a fun break from the competition I think I would have done away with it.. I KNOW it is crazy for me. No spice?

Overall I enjoyed the story. I look forward reading the next novel but I am not craving it like I would if it hit all the marks that I personally love in a novel.

Ophelia’s mom has died, she’s just inherited her own necromancer magic, and her sister has decided to run off to the brand new manor house that’s appeared in the middle of New Orleans to compete in a deadly competition called Phantasma in search of clues about their moms secret past. It’s very Caraval but make it new adult. During the trials, Ophelia has to navigate the other competitors trying to kill her, the tasks almost killing her, and the budding relationship she has with a phantom who is trying to save her from dying from both.

This was fun and a little dark but nothing super crazy. I thought the disability rep was done extremely well. I feel like there were some questions left unanswered but I’m not sure if it was a flaw with the book or just an open storyline for the sequel. In any case, I really enjoyed it and am eager for book two.

“Welcome to Phantasma. There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.”

What to expect:
*paranormal/gothic horror/fantasy
*phantom x necromancer
* powerful/magic-wielding FMC
*trials inspired by 9 circles of hell
*forbidden romance
*forced proximity
*who did this to you
*OCD representation

What I will start by saying is that I am a sucker for romance and that is what intrigued me after hearing about this book on social media. With gothic horror, again, we explored it in Year 9 at school but other than some dissection of poetry written by Edgar Allen Poe and Carol Ann Duffy, it was all pretty mild. I wasn't sure what to expect going into Phantasma, but it definitely did not disappoint as the perfect read for crisp mornings, yellowing leaves and spooky season!

This read was compelling with fantastic world-building, a great introduction to the plot and characters and convincing in how it spun the trials and tribulations of Phantasma. I had no idea about these "9 circles of hell" before I went in but it is not for the faint-hearted, although all were morbid and gruesome in their own way, the author was able to weave the plot within each stage and show significant character growth, the OCD representation was not just a brief mention but a very intrinsic aspect of the central character's thoughts and actions. Here though, I will mention that readers should check the trigger warnings as this read is not suitable for everyone.

The romance was gorgeous - banter, wit, sarcastic FMC and an egotistical, cocky MMC, the dialogue and interactions added to the plotline and the initial sparked made way for a gradual build up but ultimately the chemistry was undeniable. Expect spice and smut - lots of it! I would add that the writer ensured that every sexual encounter in the book was consensual.

This was an enjoyable read for me and I will admit I was a bit hesitant going in, hoping I could handle it as I am not a horror fan and never read books in that genre. If you expect that to be the main premise of this read/you are a horror fan, you might be disappointed for the same reason. That said, for me personally and any other similar readers who don't mind it not being too in your face, there was enough of an element for me to still squirm and yet able to continue reading, enjoy the read and finish the book (phew!) In parts, the read was predictable but it did not take away from my overall experience. This is a standalone and the first in the series but I am already looking forward to the next book!

I am thrilled now that the author has recently announced, Enchantra, set in the same world and due to release in April 2025! Expected more madness, mayhem and a banter-ful romance!

Trigger warnings: horror, gore, blood, injury detail, explicit sexual content. Please see the author's website for a complete list of possible triggers.

Thank you so much NetGalley and SecondSky Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest unedited review.

This story is dark and so so lush! The romance is swoon worthy and mysterious from the start. I really love how the author pulls you into the setting and is very intentional about the word choices to ensure you stay swept up in the setting! I loved this book with every bone in my body.

4 ⭐️ 3🌶 CF-friendly

Phantasma is the first book in the Wicked Games series by Kaylie Smith. This dark fantasy romance has strong gothic vibes and imagery, mixed with life and death games, magic, ghosts, devils, and plenty of death and gore.

Ophelia is the heir to her family's necromancer bloodline after her mother dies suddenly. Her younger sister enters the deadly wish-granting game called Phantasma in order to pay off a family debt, but Ophelia follows after her. Blackwell has been part of Phantasma for as long as he can remember, and he offers a bargain to Ophelia to help her through the dangerous levels and cursed hallways of Phantasma to help her find her sister...for a price of course.

I will admit this book took me quite a while to get into. I really struggled to get through the chapters for quite a while. I had to make it to nearly the 50% mark before I began to actually be somewhat interested in the characters and plot. By the end I was enjoying it, but I still felt like there was just something about this book that wasn't connecting with me personally. I just can't put my finger on what it was. The writing is good, the plot is detailed and well thought out, the characters may be a bit flat at first, but you do see some character growth, in Ophelia more than the others. The spice was descent, nothing crazy or wild there, just decent. The levels she has to get through in her time in Phantasma are quite imaginative, props to the author there.

If you enjoy dark romantasy, gothic vibes, death games, curses, magic, ghosts of all kinds, devils, books with twists, turns and surprises, death and violence, then you will enjoy this book.

this book was perfect. if you loved caraval and hotel magnifique but are getting away from the YA reads, then this is the book for you! the mysterious gothic manor, the deadly trials, the hot romance with a phantom - every bit of this was excellent. i will be raving about this one for a while.

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

Ophelia must enter Phantasma in order to save her little sister. In order to enter, contestants must survive till the end of the competitions to win. Some forfeit, while others might die, can Ophelia be able to find her sister in time?

There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This novel was intense and I loved it. I loved these competitions that got more deadly. I fell in love with Ophelia’s character and she learned to ask for help and not feel so alone.

The romance between these two were spicy 🌶️
I definitely had to take a moment for each of those scenes between these two. I enjoyed their chemistry but in Phantasma you don’t fall in love.. I definitely was waiting for something heartbreaking to happen to these two. But I never expected that ending. I was in so many emotions and was in disbelief when she trusted Blackwell and seeing him trust and love her.

The ending was one of the perfect ways to end this gothic dark fantasy.

Enter if you dare..

<b>Thank you so much Kaylie Smith, NetGalley, and Second Sky for the chance to read and review this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions remain my own.</b>

5🌟

I was absolutely obsessed with this book and I’m not used to reading books written in the third person very often but it genuinely had me hooked from page 1.

It’s a dark romantasy that almost gives thriller horror vibes in parts so it’s PERFECT for spooky season 😍

You’ve got forbidden love, touch her and 💀, trials, demons UGH it’s EVERYTHING

Thank you for the opportunity to read it as an ARC ♥️

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.