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A review by bookishspy
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Maybe don't read this if you're a Stephanie Garber fan...
Firstly, I want to say I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was absolutely fantastic, I'd actually highly recommend it if you are going to read this book
Now, as for the book itself, this actually just *was* Caraval but with anticlimactic trials and ghosty devil thingys. Like, it was the same. Just different. I don't know how I feel about that.
The characters were essentially the same, just less fleshed out. There was the whole sister running away to the show thing.There was the ending revelation that I was all too prepared for. And lastly, there was the momentary "other man" aspect but with sooooo much less tension than Jacks ever created with his mere mention...
I feel like my problem is almost that this was *too* similar to Caraval in all the ways that mattered, but so dissimilar in the writing and attention to detail that it was disappointing
Plus side, there was banter, and there was spice. The spice was good. The banter was good. I did not find either of these to be cringe or disappointing. In fact, the banter is what kept me reading, and the spice was just a little bonus 😏
Overall, this was a decent read with a very predictable plot twist, and if you were going into it without Caraval knowledge, it'd probably be an alright time
➛ 𝟐.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
P.S. Was it just me and my spy abilities, or was the cat just so obvious 🐈⬛️
Firstly, I want to say I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was absolutely fantastic, I'd actually highly recommend it if you are going to read this book
Now, as for the book itself, this actually just *was* Caraval but with anticlimactic trials and ghosty devil thingys. Like, it was the same. Just different. I don't know how I feel about that.
The characters were essentially the same, just less fleshed out. There was the whole sister running away to the show thing.There was the ending revelation that I was all too prepared for. And lastly, there was the momentary "other man" aspect but with sooooo much less tension than Jacks ever created with his mere mention...
I feel like my problem is almost that this was *too* similar to Caraval in all the ways that mattered, but so dissimilar in the writing and attention to detail that it was disappointing
Plus side, there was banter, and there was spice. The spice was good. The banter was good. I did not find either of these to be cringe or disappointing. In fact, the banter is what kept me reading, and the spice was just a little bonus 😏
Overall, this was a decent read with a very predictable plot twist, and if you were going into it without Caraval knowledge, it'd probably be an alright time
➛ 𝟐.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
P.S. Was it just me and my spy abilities, or was the cat just so obvious 🐈⬛️