Welcome to Litsy!

I don't particularly like fantasy OR dark romance, but this wasn't bad.

Phantasma was the only Book of the Year choice from BOTM that I hadn't read, so here we are!

**Husband took the photo. I just can't with snakes 🐍

Half the time I wanted to yell at the MC and the other half I wanted to be like wth such a lucky girl! And to think this book was a cover buy!

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

I have the hard cover of this book. However, I wanted the audio version too so I bought it on Thursday.

100/10⭐️s. I fluctuated between yelling ‘gods damn it Ophelia‘ and screeching about what not to do with the things that go bump in the night, and fanning myself. So I guess one more for the road… GODS DAMN IT OPHELIA!!!

“You are the worst tour guide ever, you know,” she admonished the cat, which was currently bathing itself at her feet.
“Well he is a cat,” a deep, vaguely familiar voice commented from behind her.

The cat is absolutely my favorite character thus far.

“What a phantasmagoria the mind is and meeting-place of dissemblables!” Virginia Woolfe, Orlando.

Respectfully, what the heck does this mean?! It‘s right before chapter 1… I am confused.

This was just ok; the world felt under-developed as did the characters. The romance wasn‘t very believable either. It did move along at a decent pace given the number of pages, so at least there‘s that. #botm

#TulinCat is also skeptical 😺

Ophelia Grimm joins the dangerous games at the Phantasma mansion in order to save her sister.

Gothic ✨ Romantacy ✨ Bloody

Most readers aren‘t here for the plot, but the plot was surprisingly entertaining.

5/ 5⭐️
Absolutely love the game aspect of this book. It give me Caraval vibe by Stephanie Garber.

This book was so good!! Loved the characters and romance in this book. Can‘t wait for the 2nd book to come out. So good!!

What a fitting read for the spooky season! Warning, this book is very risqué. If you don‘t like that sort of thing, don‘t read it. I love the way the author blended romance with horror with drama. I also loved the gothic feel of this book. I‘ve always loved New Orleans and the fact that this story took place there is a huge plus for me. I don‘t think I‘d have survived the phantasma games!

🎃🎃🎃🎃

Gothic paranormal set in New Orleans,a haunted house with creepy trials, spicy romance. The author takes a creative theme for a serious issue with fmc, really enjoyed this one!
#ReadAway2024 book 37

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.

#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.

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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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

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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm starting Phantasma today.💀

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.

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.

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.

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.

Book mail!!❤️

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.

September #BookSpinBingo board is all set.😍

BOTM hasn‘t impressed me recently, until September!

It was a box filler month! These all sound so great!
Phantasma was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024..so HOORAY! 🎊
#botm

My #BOTM choice for September. I wonder is this will be something like A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik.