Phantasma (Wicked Games, 1)

AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER & BOOKTOK SENSATION

Welcome to Phantasma. There are only two rules to the game: Stay alive. And don't fall in love.

When Ophelia's sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize--a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia's fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn't trust him. Blackwell doesn't seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart . . .

A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Caraval in this seductive fantasy adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author of Enchantra. With steamy romance, a sexy morally gray love interest, OCD rep and jaw-dropping twists, Phantasma is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Nisha J. Tuli and Carissa Broadbent.

The print edition includes custom gold foiling on the cover!

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Published Sep 3, 2024

512 pages

Average rating: 7.66

1,196 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Phantasma* captivates with its dark, spooky atmosphere and intense, feral romance set in eerie New Orleans. Fans applaud Ophelia’s growth...

Karla
Apr 10, 2026
10/10 stars
This reminded of Caraval except spicy.
I’m not even kidding it’s almost the same plot.
Girl decides to play deadly game at haunted house bc her sister goes in, trying to find her sister in said game, she meets a hot ghost guy, her and hot guy do crazy kinky stuff together and he helps her with the game.
Finds out a bunch of secrets that her family had.
BUT it was still a really fun read.
The games were a lot more gorey than Caraval, I think I read about blood was splattered on her 17 different times.
Either way it was a good read, wish I would’ve read it in October for the spooky vibes but it was still interesting to me.
fromlizaslibrary
Jul 29, 2025
10/10 stars
This book has a little bit of everything from fantasy to suspense to romance. The New Orleans setting gives spooky vibes that I thoroughly enjoyed and the family secrets made everything mysterious. It took a little bit to start picking up on the concept but once we are about to start the competition I was so excited to see what was going to happen. I really enjoyed Ophelia’s character and I enjoyed seeing her grow into herself. The challenges are disturbing but in a way that I oddly enjoyed. Blackwell was an amazing morally grey MMC and i loved the connection between him and Ophelia. One of my favorite things though is the twists because I thought I knew what was going to happen and I still somehow got surprised. Ultimately, I am a HUGE fan of this book!
Kristin Rose
Jun 24, 2025
10/10 stars
"In all the darkness, in all the loneliness, you have been my one source of light, my soul will go to its grave with your name echoing in my mind.”
Kristin Rose
Apr 01, 2025
10/10 stars
"In all the darkness, in all the loneliness, you have been my one source of light, my soul will go to its grave with your name echoing in my mind.”
Annie.S
Mar 03, 2025
9/10 stars
This book had spice, phantoms, devils in the best way. I was so entertained!

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