I Wanted to Love Phantasma by Kaylie Smith, But Here’s Why I Didn’t

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith seems to be everywhere on BookTok and well loved on sites like Goodreads, with people absolutely raving about it. Now that I’ve read it, I feel like I picked up a completely different book than everyone else.

The premise of the novel surrounds the main character trying to save her sister by entering the same supernatural/macabre competition in order to win a wish, which sounds amazing, in theory. But in execution? It fell flat for me.  

I’m not even exaggerating when I say the instant romance/connection/lust in this book was completely over the top. Remember how she’s supposed to be saving her sister? Yeah, that plot point basically gets forgotten the second the love interest shows up. Instead of focusing on that goal, the whole book becomes about sexual tension, constant innuendos, and insta-love. It’s like the author completely forgot what the story was supposed to be about. 

Maybe I went in with too high expectations because I read and loved The Forbidden Game when I was like 13 and loved it (very similar concept), but these games based off of the levels of hell felt boring and underdeveloped. There wasn’t enough complexity or intrigue to keep me interested. There were violent scenes that felt like they were just there to be edgy rather than actually serving the plot. It came across as gratuitous instead of meaningful. 

The main character’s attitude really grated on me, and when you combine that with a romance I couldn’t get behind, it just ruined any dark, atmospheric vibes the book could have had. Instead of actual character development, we got endless sexual innuendos and smut scenes. 

Phantasma did not meet my expectations and I would consider it way overhyped. When a book gets so focused on the romance that it abandons its original plot, and when that romance is built on nothing but physical attraction and sexual tension, it just doesn’t work for me.