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PHANTASMA
PHANTASMA: A Dark Fantasy Romance | KAYLIE. SMITH
17 posts | 10 read | 4 to read
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
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CloakNQuill
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Pickpick

WE DID IT!! 🎉 🎉 🎉 @TheAromaofBooks #bookspinbingo

#19 Sleep Tight 4.0 ⭐ 25 Sept
Finding a serial killer with an unreliable MC involving a house of horrors in a town called Twisted Tree. Checked all the boxes for me. Strong writing that brought further the atmosphere.

#20 Phantasma 4.5 ⭐ 28 Sept
The horror, Ophelia's development, adrenaline rich high stakes competition & we can't forget the 🌶️🌶️🌶️. Probably one of my favorites of the year.

CloakNQuill Only reason it didn‘t get 5✨ was because I DESPISE a hot/cold relationship. It doesn‘t add much to the romance & has me dislike the characters. 11h
TheAromaofBooks Yay!!!! Fabulous progress!!!! 6h
14 likes2 comments
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CloakNQuill
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#WeeklyForecast Since I had a good reading week, going to push myself to four books.

#wrapup I reread Frankenstein, finished Blood Orange (Halle,K), Darkest Night (Thorn,A) and The Dream Haunter's (Mary,M) an audiobook arc. Completely using all of my free spaces for #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks In the process, I cleaned up my #netgalley shelves.

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 4d
19 likes1 comment
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Twainy
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Ophelia & Genevieve‘s mom passed away & Grimm manor is being foreclosed in 60 days.

The younger sister disappears after an ominous promise that she‘ll fix things. This is a story of Ophelia‘s search for Genevieve & the gorgeous phantom she encounters in a 10 level crawler game where there can be only 1 winner who will get 1 wish from the devil.

Great characters! A cat named Poe! Action, GORE, mystery, humor, horror & extra spice.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TheSpineView Sounds good! 6d
Twainy @TheSpineView I didn‘t realize it was ummm romance. Dark romance. Sort of like Leather & Lark meets errrr Dungeon Crawler Carl & Fourth Wing? I liked the writing, the gothic feel & the horror was horrific. Beware Ophelia & Blackwell have a lot of explicit sex. 6d
TheSpineView @Twainy Love spice. Now I need to move this to the top of my list. 6d
24 likes3 comments
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ICantImReading
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The delectable, gothic atmosphere of Phantasma was a delight to be immersed in as I sink into fall reading! The authentic OCD representation added an extra layer to a fun and spicy read. I would have loved to think or feel more, but it was definitely entertaining and I appreciate it for what it is. #BOTM

TheBookDream Ok, question: When I see OCD I think Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Is that correct for this book? 6d
ICantImReading @TheBookDream yes, correct! There is an author‘s note at the end where she talks about her own journey with obsessive-compulsive disorder and how she drew from her own experiences to inform the story 🖤 6d
52 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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nitalibrarian
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Pickpick

This was fun. It takes place in a historical, magical New Orleans, but the majority of the book takes place in a hunted mansion. Ophelia follows her younger sister into this deadly competition featuring the different levels of hell. There is a love interest of course. And this one is adult for sure, if you know what I mean. It also is a bit gruesome at parts. It's a stand alone, so no cliffhanger. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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nitalibrarian
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I'm starting Phantasma today.💀

TheSpineView Can't wait to hear your thoughts. It was my #BOTM choice too. I haven't read yet. 2w
23 likes1 comment
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guinsgirlreads
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Pickpick

Another one that I absolutely loved and now have to wait until April for the next one 😩! OCD is real in this one. Great characters (good and evil), and a few jaw-droppers thrown in.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Love this cover 💀❤️ 2w
21 likes2 comments
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guinsgirlreads
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wanderinglynn What a great dedication. 💜 2w
18 likes1 comment
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GerardtheBookworm
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Pickpick

Take a fanfic of Gaston Laroux's The Phantom of the Opera and mix in Dante's Divine Comedy and you have a spicy dark romantasy that is an epic brain candy. A New Orleans magic user investigates the murder of her mother and the disappearance of her sister in the deadly supernatural contest known as Phantasma. As she endures Hunger/Squid Games challenges, she gains the aid of a mysterious stranger who awakens her sexuality and power.

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LittlebearReads
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This one was a pleasant surprise! I got it from BOTM because it looked the most like a quick, mindless, read, and it is. What I didn‘t expect, though, was the very self-aware own voices OCD representation and the genuinely compelling plot.

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DestinyMorna
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Wow! This was my September #BOTM pick and I loved it! 5 stars- I couldn‘t stop reading about Ophelia and her sister Genevieve as they enter a devils competition called Phantasma. 9 levels of games with deadly consequences and a charming stranger who makes Ophelia a bargain she can‘t turn down.

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ladym30
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Book mail!!❤️

Gissy I picked that one too😃love that cover😍 3w
ladym30 @Gissy I know, it is hard to resist!❤️ 3w
24 likes2 comments
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OutsmartYourShelf
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Pickpick

Soon after the unexpected death of their mother, necromancer Ophelia Grimm‘s sister disappears & to save her, Ophelia must enter & win Phantasma, a deadly contest held inside a haunted mansion. Nine levels of the players' worst fears have to faced alongside deadly temptations offered by the resident devils. Ophelia is offered help by a Phantom named Blackwell - he will help her pass the trials if she will help him escape from Phantasma for good.

OutsmartYourShelf Great concept - I absolutely loved the idea of the creepy mansion & the trials being linked to the seven deadly sins. I also liked the descriptions of the fashion although I'm not sure what time this is set as the clothes suggested 19th century, but the language & behaviour seemed more modern. I didn't like that the trials soon became a backdrop to the romance & feel there should have been a better balance. 3w
OutsmartYourShelf For me, there wasn't enough build-up to feel the chemistry between Ophelia & Blackwell, it was very much instalove, or I should say, instalust. Now, a well-written spicy scene can complement a romance plot but for me this was too much. After the third or fourth very graphic sex scene, it all became just a bit tedious. I felt like the kid in 'The Princess Bride' complaining “They're kissing again!“ 3w
OutsmartYourShelf I just wanted to get back to the trials but then it all just fizzles out with no real “ta-da“ ending & the twist was obvious to me from the start.

The author can write & the trials plot could have been perfection, but I felt short-changed with how it took such a backseat to the romance. I seem to be an outlier though & most readers really enjoyed the book so if you don't mind spicy scenes then don't let me put you off.
3w
See All 8 Comments
OutsmartYourShelf It just sneaks in as a Pick as I really liked the concept & the cover. 3.5🌟

My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, Second Sky/Forever, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6496730407
Read 1st - 4th Sept 2024

#ReadAway2024 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
3w
DieAReader Sry to hear it fell flat🙁 Hopefully ur next read is so much better🤓 3w
marleed I decided this summer that I like romance books and fantasy books and even some spice - but spicy romantacy is just not my thing. And for me I think that more in a fantasy than any other spicy romance, In fantasy I almost feel like I‘m reading porn that gives me the ick. No judgement there but not my preferred reading material. 3w
OutsmartYourShelf @marleed It's not my preferred genre either but I liked the sound of the premise (which turned out to be good but could have been better). They're not romantasy but I like the JD Robb 'In Death' books precisely because, whilst there are a couple of spicy scenes in each book, they don't overpower the main plot. This book was spice at the expense of the plot. 3w
marleed @OutsmartYourShelf I think that‘s the key to when the pointy tips of stars rapidly fall of my liking of a book - when spice consumes plot. 3w
30 likes1 stack add8 comments
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nitalibrarian
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September #BookSpinBingo board is all set.😍

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looks fantastic!! 3w
20 likes1 comment
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guinsgirlreads
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BOTM hasn‘t impressed me recently, until September!

SilversReviews Which was September‘s book? I honestly wasn‘t impressed with THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM. 4w
guinsgirlreads @SilversReviews the night we lost him was my add-on, the rest were picks. And that‘s disheartening, because I really liked The last thing he told me! 😚 4w
SilversReviews @guinsgirlreads It was confusing and just not interesting for me. 4w
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guinsgirlreads @SilversReviews I don‘t like confusing ones either 4w
Avanders You already got yours!! I‘m eagerly awaiting mine 😁{Mr Burns hands} 4w
guinsgirlreads @Avanders 😁 Same state, so they never take long 😊 4w
Avanders So nice 😄♥️ 4w
24 likes7 comments
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brittanyreads
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It was a box filler month! These all sound so great!
Phantasma was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024..so HOORAY! 🎊
#botm

Sace Glad I‘m not the only one with a full box. 😂 1mo
brittanyreads I'm surprised at how many I chose this month! The last two months I've almost skipped and have considered cancelling my membership! @Sace Very happy to see several that I was interested in this time! 😁 1mo
41 likes2 comments
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TheSpineView
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My #BOTM choice for September. I wonder is this will be something like A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Amazing cover 🖤 💀 ♥️ 1mo
TheSpineView @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks IK! Hope it is good! 🤞 1mo
61 likes1 stack add2 comments