WHAT IT’S ABOUT:

Caraval meets Throne of the Fallen in this spicy dark romantasy where a necromancer needs help from a dangerous phantom to win a deadly competition, only to find their partnership puts her at risk of breaking the game’s most vital rule: don’t fall in love.

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.

MY THOUGHTS (spoiler-free):

“In a different life, in a fair one, I would’ve kept you until my eternal soul withered away to dust”

THIS WAS EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED TO ROUND UP MY HALLOWEEN SEASON. But also, wow, I LOVED this book. While I do believe this will not be everyone’s cup of tea, it definitely was mine! And here are a few reasons why:

A deadly competition set in a haunted manor with trials based on the nine circles of hell

I know the bookish world has its fair share of deadly competitions, but does that mean I’ve had enough of them? Not nearly! Especially when along comes Phantasma: a unique, eerie and gothic competition. I mean, survive a week in a haunted mansion where devils and ghouls roam free? And then every night, survive a new trial based on the nine circles of hell? When only one person can be the winner and get a wish granted as their price? How amazing does that sound? (Well, to read about at least)

A necromancer main character with OCD rep

I loved our main character Ophelia. She’s been training all her life to become a necromancer, which unfortunately she can only truly become when her mother passes away and her powers are passed to her. So when it does happen, poor Ophelia is not only grieving and under pressure to carry on the family legacy, but also still trying to figure out exactly what she can do (because training without any actual magic only gets you so far) and reeling from the shock that her mother actually left them in great debt. Add to that the fact that she has severe OCD and suffers from intrusive thoughts (she calls them “the shadow voice”) and our girl definitely doesn’t have it easy. But I loved that despite everything, she has an inner strength and bravery, and of course a deep love and caring for her sister, that keeps her fighting and carrying on.

A flirty phantom

Meet Blackwell, the flirty phantom that is sure to win many readers’ hearts! (He sure won mine as he’s one of my new favorite fictional characters!) Blackwell has been trapped inside Phantasma for a long time and is also suffering from major memory lapses. He’s been trying to get out by making deals with competitors: he protects them throughout the trials, and in exchange they help find a way to free him. If they fail, he gets 10 years of their life. So when he comes upon Ophelia, he offers her the same deal. Except, she’s definitely different from any participant before her…

A steamy, forbidden romance

One rule in Phantasma: never fall in love during the competition, or you will end up cursed. So whatever they do, Ophelia and Blackwell must never fall in love. Despite their amazing chemistry and banter. Despite the fact that they make each other feel safe and seen. Despite the way they keep looking out for each other, deal or no deal.

Look, I’m a big romantic, and this romance was everything I want in a story. The vibes were vibing, the banter was on point, the chemistry was abundant and the steam was … very steamy. Though the spice does happen relatively quickly, I personally didn’t think it was too much (and I’m not usually a fan of too much-too soon spice, but here I was all in from the get go). If you’re a fan of “Who did this to you” and “Good girl”, you’re in for a treat…

Sisterly love

While yes, the creepy, gothic competition and the doomed romance between a necromancer and a phantom are definitely the highlights of the story, I simply can’t end this review without mentioning the sisterly bonds in this one either. I mean, the whole reason Ophelia even enters Phantasma is to try and save her sister, who entered as a way to try and pay off their debt. While we don’t have too many scenes of the sisters together, their love and connection is abundantly clear in every scene we do have.

One nitpick

So why not the full five stars if I loved this so much? Unfortunately, I felt that the ending was a tad rushed. While I like the ending in itself, the pacing felt a bit off compared to the rest of the novel and I wish it would have been worked out just a bit more.

Overall, I LOVED this book and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a dark, gothic romance read with a deadly competition set in a world with necromancers, devils, ghouls, ghosts and phantoms and a steamy, forbidden romance.

Tell Me:
Have you read Phantasma or will you be reading it?