Publication Day: 3rd September 2024
Published by: Second Sky Books
Welcome to Phantasma.
There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.
When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.
Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.
Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.
Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.
Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.
Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart…
MY REVIEW
I need a few minutes to calm down from this book, it needs a HUGE spice warning – colour me flustered. I devoured this book the same way Ophelia was devoured! I LOVED everything about this book, from the gorgeous cover to the words that flowed inside. It had me hooked line and sinker.
Don’t be thinking this was just a spicy book with romance thrown in, no no no no no no, as we travel through the Nine circles of hell, there are some brutal and I do mean brutal deaths! Some were so deserved, there were so many awful creatures (I can’t even think of them as humans) who were trying to win the prize in Phantasma. They made the devils look almost friendly! One word = Cade The descriptions were detailed and the deaths were so creative, I have to say!
This book gave me Big Brother feels, mixed in with Survivor, and Squid Games to say the least, in how the levels progressed. The “tasks” they had to complete, obviously were not in the same capacity – unless we suddenly see people running from swinging axes, or stone columns dropping by. (Well maybe Squid Games) Ophelia mesmerised me, with her backstory, how she ended up in Phantasma, her sister, and the chapter we learn about the “Creator” too.
The narrator was just fantastic, although, how she narrated those scenes – hats off to her!
I was here for all of it! I can’t tell you enough how much I loved this book!
These characters will definitely make you squirm, cheer, and get a little hot under the collar. It is such a wild ride and I was obsessed – I just want to read the next book now!
Until the next time xxx
Thank you so much for Noelle @ Second Sky Books for the tour invite, and a copy of the book in return for my honest and unbiased review.
About Kaylie Smith
Kaylie Smith is a writer and lover of all things magical and fantasy. She grew up in Louisiana where she frequently haunted bookstores and practiced her writing craft. After getting her degree in graphic design, she decided to fully pursue her dream of being an author, and the first book in her YA fantasy series, A RUINOUS FATE, debuts in January 2023 from Disney Hyperion. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found at home with her menagerie of animals, fussing over her houseplants, or annoying people about astrology.
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