4.75⭐️/ 4🌶️

Welcome all to, Phantasma! The scary, spooky competition in which people everyone join to compete to win the ultimate grand prize, but in order to do so, you’ll have to face the nine trials, and face your darkest fears. For Ophelia Grimm, the last place she imagined doing was entering Phantasma, but when she finds out her sister, Genevieve has entered the competition, Ophelia goes after her, and hopes she can save her before anything happens to her. As they say, not everyone survives Phantasma. This dark fantasy romance has all the makings of a spooky, creepy, gothic vibe with a deadly competition, a necromancer/ phantom romance (imagine Danny Phantom vibes), forced proximity, and more! 

From the moment I read the synopsis and how it was comparable to, “A Court of Thorns and Roses”, elements of, “Caraval”, as well as having the male love interest like Danny Phantom, I wanted to read this immediately! I really loved how the story really pulled me into Ophelia’s story, and I was hooked right away. Between the passing of her mother, and taking on the new responsibilities of being a necromancer, Ophelia was adjusting to a new life, one she felt she wasn’t necessarily ready yet, but nonetheless took it on. When Ophelia’s sister, Genevieve runs off, Ophelia is left to believe that her sister might have entered Phantasma, the deadly competition that arrived in New Orleans. When faced with the possibility of danger lurking in any corner, Ophelia decided she too would enter Phantasma, and upon entering she came across a mysterious figure who would later become a… “helpful” guide throughout the trials. 

If you grew up in the generation of watching, “Danny Phantom”, then I think it’s safe to say we all had a crush on him! To read this book was not only amazing, but it was like we had a bit of that Danny Phantom vibes but he was morally gray, dark, and mysterious, and obviously a phantom. Blackwell was a man (phantom) that kept things close to the vest or in his case, his past was a big mystery that he needed help uncovering. With Ophelia entering Phantasma, she found herself alongside Blackwell, and the two helped each other out. Blackwell was an intriguing character who I never really knew what he was going to do next, but I also enjoyed his occasional flirtatious comments to Ophelia and being a bit of a sarcastic person who pushed Ophelia’s buttons. 

I don’t think I’ve ever read a story that had a character who had OCD before, and with Ophelia having OCD, it was eye opening to see how she dealt with it. For Ophelia, she referred to her OCD as the, “Shadow Voice”, the one that told her to do certain things like, knock three times on the headboard or else someone you love will die. I don’t think Ophelia necessarily knew she had OCD more so that she often had this compulsive need to do as the “Shadow Voice” said. I also think that with the story being set in a different time period, the disorder that Ophelia had wasn’t widely known so it makes sense as to why Ophelia often referred to the “Shadow Voice”.

Wow, I’m blown away by the way this story unfolded. This story had a deadly, spooky, dangerous competition that not only illustrated the different trials each contestant had to participate but also trying to stay alive! Ophelia went into Phantasm trying to save her sister, but came out of it knowing more about her family, herself, and obviously falling in love! This story consistently kept me hooked, and I absolutely loved both Ophelia and Blackwell! This story delved into Ophelia’s story as one where she literally and physically faced her inner demons. In addition, Ophelia found herself joining forces with an unlikely partner in Blackwell, the Phantom who mysteriously was tethered to Phantasma. This book was honestly amazing, and I loved every single moment of it! I can definitely see this being the fall/ Halloween pick of the year or even if you’re in the mood for something spooky with the gothic fantasy elements too. The plot twists in this story were ones that I didn’t see coming, and my goodness it added layers upon layers to the characters stories! Blackwell was indeed a morally gray man *ahem Phantom, but OH BOY DID I LOVE HIM! Ophelia was an intriguing character who I grew to love over the course of this story, and by the end I was wholeheartedly happy for her! I cannot express how much I truly enjoyed and loved this book! I could keep going, but suffice it to say, I will be eagerly waiting for the next book, and I love Blackwell and Ophelia so much! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!