Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

Book 1

Welcome to Phantasma—where the rules are brutally simple: survive the house… and don’t you dare fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister vanishes without a trace, she discovers the unthinkable truth: the only way to bring her back is to enter Phantasma, a treacherous competition within a sentient, haunted mansion—and win its ultimate reward: one wish.

Inside, nothing is constant. Phantasma is a decadent nightmare of shifting corridors, opulent ballrooms, seductive illusions, and lurking demons. To earn her wish, Ophelia must conquer nine escalating trials, each more harrowing than the last. Only a single victor will make it out alive, and the other contestants are willing to spill blood—hers included—to ensure it isn’t her.

As the house births new horrors every dawn, Ophelia’s resolve begins to crack… until a stranger emerges from the shadows with an offer she never expected.

Blackwell is maddeningly charming, smugly self-assured, and far too beautiful for someone so clearly dangerous. He promises protection and guidance through the deadly maze, but his price is steep: ten years of her life. Ophelia knows she can’t trust him—yet she finds herself drawn to his dark magnetism, the spark between them growing hotter with every step deeper into the mansion’s clutches.

But in Phantasma, desire is just another trap.

With her sister’s life hanging in the balance and her own heart becoming a liability, Ophelia must decide who to outsmart, who to outrun, and who might ruin her in ways the house never could.

A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Caraval in this intoxicating fantasy adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Enchantra. With a morally gray heartthrob, slow-burn steam, OCD rep, and twists sharp enough to draw blood, Phantasma is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Nisha J. Tuli, and Carissa Broadbent.