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A review by theladysparks
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
5.0
When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia’s sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma—a competition where most contestants don’t make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish.
The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win... if her fears don’t overtake her first.
When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister’s life on the line, Ophelia can’t afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together.
Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.
The problem with secrets was that they festered and tore open wounds that were starting to scab.
Phantasma was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it was so satisfying to read it because I knew that it would end up becoming one of those books that I wish I could give more than just five stars too. Kaylie Smith wrote the perfect atmospheric, gothic romantasy set in the intriguing time period of historical New Orleans. Within the pages of Phantasma you'll find every single thing you could ever want from a novel like this. There was wonderful banter, not only between the two main characters but with side characters as well. There was yearning and a lot of almosts that had you desiring for more but also packed the punch with a really hot forbidden romance that you desperately wanted to have a happy ending. There were times when I was reading this book that I physically had to stop myself because I knew that without taking a breather, I would end up having nightmares but simultaneously never wanting to put it down because the twists and turns are so unpredictable that you just want to know what's going to happen next. I can say confidently that this is not only one of the best books that I've read this year but honestly in my entire time as a reader. I'm honestly having a really difficult time moving away from it because of how much I ended up enjoying myself reading this book.
The idea of Phantasma (the trials and not the book itself) was so interesting to me and I loved every moment of it. A traveling competition set in a house that basically felt like if Howl's Moving Castle were filled with nightmares instead of cozy things with each trial (or night) based off of one of the nine circles of Hell was everything I didn't know that I needed. It was whimsical but in a very dark and twisted sort of way. Kaylie Smith definitely didn't hold back the punches when it came to gore, the grotesque, and the macabre which I think makes this book the perfect read for the fall months, especially around Halloween, despite that not being a theme within the pages. The added element of unraveling the story as it goes and all of the secrets we uncover as we read made it seriously impossible to put down and with the added eeriness of the book itself made it so easy to loose myself among the pages. It played out like a movie much in the realm of genre of Crimson Peak (said in the highest compliment ever).
Ophelia is very special to me, as someone who is going through the process of a potential OCD diagnoses, because I've never seen that part of me seen in a way that moved me. The Shadow voice was an entire character itself and the way that these interactions play out on the page felt so real to me. I think that Kaylie did a really phenomenal job showcasing that without vilifying it, which is often done in literature and media. I also felt Ophelia's desire to not want to disappoint her family and her role as the oldest sister. She's probably one of my favorite female main characters and I hope that we get to see her again as a side character in the upcoming book. (Which is her sister's book, and I absolutely loved her and highlighted so many of her quotes because she holds absolutely nothing back!)
And, of course, I can't mention my love for Ophelia without talking about the love of my life, Blackwell. If you're a fan of Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I think that you'll find that Blackwell is 100% for you. He is also said to be inspired by Danny Phantom and I can also see a bit of Howl Pendragon in there as well! His character was impossible not to love from the very first interaction. The way that he speaks feels like a Hozier song or lyrics in a Sleep Token song, which meant I was destined to be down bad. His dynamic not only with Ophelia but with the devils throughout the story and the plot itself was one of my favorite parts of the book. I'm absolutely obsessed with him. (And Poe, can't forget Poe.)
This book has reignited my love of gothic romantasy books just in time for the fall, where I feel like I can fully submerge myself into the genre. If you see this review, I hope that it convinces you to pick this one up. I am predicting really big and wonderful things for and from Kaylie Smith in the future and I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next.
A few quotes I loved:
"I am not your angel, but I will be your nightmare. I will find a way to haunt you until every single one of your inner demons looks like me. You will never know a moment of peace again."
"In all the darkness, in all the loneliness, you have been my one source of light. My soul will go to its grave with your name echoing in my mind."
"I want you to let me see you. All of you. There is nothing I have seen yet that has made me look away. No atrocity you could commit to make me not want you like this. No matter how forbidden. I want to know everything. I want to see all the darkest corners of your mind. I want to taste your sins."
"You don't need to fix yourself. You're not broken."
"If there were ever a divine entity I'd worship, it'd be you."
"In a different life, in a fair one, I would've kept you until my eternal soul withered away to dust."
"I think you might be the closest to heaven I'll ever get."
"I am honored that I have gotten to spend this time with you. I only wish we had more."
"For the first time in so long, she felt like a child standing there, not angry but disappointed at the realization that parents are fallible too."
Read if you like: music by hozier, howl pendragon, buffy & spike's banter, the lyrics of a sleep token song, howl's moving castle and it's every shifting ways, gothic atmospheric romances, a bit of gore and horror, women coming into their own, slowly unraveling secrets, stories full of twists and turns, all things paranormal romantasy, an older sister/younger sister complex dynamic, "you came" "you called", a special bond, raphael in baulder's gate 3
- fantasy au set in historical new orleans
- fmc with ocd
- gothic and atmospheric
- haunted house competition based on the nine circles of hell
- forced proximity
- forbidden romance
- she's a necromancer
- he's a phantom
- open door