Phantasma

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

This was a fun read. It gave darker/gothic Caraval vibes and having to summon Blackwell by saying his name three times reminded of Beetlejuice lol. I enjoyed the world and the characters. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

The social media hype over this book got me to stray from my end of year TBR (shocker, I know), and it was time well spent! It seemed appropriately hyped to me and felt plenty adventurous. I found myself really wanting to know what happens next.

The depictions of OCD and anxiety were done decently and added tension to the story. At times I was thinking I could really relate to the anxiety. The world overall is basic for fantasy- basic magic, devils, ghosts, etc. Very simple and easy to wrap my head around. Not a lot of exposition either.

I got Kingdom of the Wicked crossed with Caraval vibes from this book so if you liked one or both of those, this will be a fun read!

Definitely for the romantasy girlies.

Phantasma starts off with promise, drawing you into its intriguing world and setting the stage for what seems like a captivating dark romance. However, as the story unfolds, the plot twists become painfully predictable, and the narrative takes on the vibe of an underdeveloped Wattpad story. While the smut is present, it feels lackluster compared to the vivid and engaging scenes you’d find in more popular BookTok recommendations. The pacing falters toward the end, and the characters lose some of their earlier appeal. Overall, it’s a decent read, but it doesn’t live up to its initial potential or stand out among its competitors.

3-3.5 it was fun

Super fun!

DNF 22%

I'm pulling alternate universe Danny Phantom fanfic off my bingo card. No thank you.

I enjoyed the idea here, it was different enough and interesting. This was fun, I'd suggest it if you like spooky, trials, discovery kind of vibes.