Marianna Moore's Reviews > Phantasma

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!

Oh my goodness I loved this book! Such and easy fast paced read to get lost in, ate and left no crumbs.

This is a dark gothic fantasy romance with all the spooky fall vibes! Our FMC Ophelia is a Necromancer and she has to enter a haunted house competition and survive the 9 levels of hell!! Yup, trials in a haunted house…. Sign me the fuck up! And in order to survive and save her sister she needs the help from our PHANTOM MMC… who will absolutely have you giggling and kicking your feet the entire time!

I’m this book you get:
- forbidden romance
- Phantom/Necromancer romance
- FMC with OCD
- Trials inspired by the 9 circles of hell
- Haunted house competition
- Forced proximity
- Fantasy version of New Orleans setting

I need to start off with my favorite part about this book that actually brought me to tears on multiple occasions because of how hard it hit home for me. And that’s the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder representation in this book. As someone who has struggled immensely with crippling OCD since the age of 11, I’ve never read a book that articulates so accurately how truly debilitating this mental illness can be. There were so many points where I actually had to take a break from reading because Ophelia’s inner monologue made me feel like someone pulled out the inner workings of my brain and turned them into words on paper. OCD is so incredibly misunderstood and gets thrown around so much in society and I’ve struggled my whole life to properly explain how I feel like I’m a slave to my own mind without people looking at me like I’m crazy. Yet after 16 years, this one book was the first thing to truly make me feel like I’m not alone…. Sappy I know but I feel like I know this author on a soul level now and just want to give her the biggest hug 😭😭

Not only was I able to relate to Ophelia on such a personal level but I also just adored her as a character in general! She goes through so much growth in such a short period of time and is strong and not afraid to speak her mind. Oh and don’t even get me started on our MMC Blackwell…. That man. The mouth on that man!! He is the biggest flirt and had me giddy every time he opened his mouth! I now have a crush on a ghost and I’m not mad about it.

The romance was chefs kiss! The chemistry and tension was immaculate and I absolutely loved their sarcastic dynamic! They both had a sense of humor and don’t even get me started of the BANTER!!!!

The plot was so engaging and had me incapable of putting this book down! I’m a sucker for trials of done right and oh THESE WERE DONE RIGHT!

Why this wasn’t quite 5 stars for me is because of the ending. I felt like it was a bit rushed and everything seemed to be resolved really quickly and easily. It was also a bit predictable but at the end of the day none of that kept me from having the BEST GOD DAMN TIME and I cannot recommend this book enough!

This book is also a standalone!! Though it is going to be a part of an interconnected standalone series you will get this couples completed story from start to finish! it’s perfect if you need a break from a series! And I cannot wait to get Ophelia’s sisters book next year!!