I adored this book. The strong female lead was relatable and so brave. The love of family was a strong component. Battling demons of one’s own self and the battle of good versus evil. Fun to read!

3.5/5
This is an enjoyable read for fantasy lovers! The author gave the world building lots of thoughts, and if you're willing to enter you'll have a good time.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy!

What I liked most is the afterlife and what the people believe in. A war broke out and now in a post-apocalyptic world, Seycia and her brother Miko live in a village where they sacrifice people, usually young boys, to a creature known as the "Savage."

In the Underworld, a demon named Haben must go through a painful transformation into the Savage as ordered by the ruler, Dohv, to consume souls as payment for what the humans did before the war.

When Seycia is put up as a sacrifice and survives, she and Haben have to figure out why and how she survived, what power she holds with a tooth from a creature her father killed years ago, and how she can kill her enemies through The Forest of Laida, where souls go after they die.

I admire Seycia's determination. She never gave up, whether it was on her goal or her brother. Miko learned enough from Seycia to survive on his own after she's gone but still needed help. When the story switched to his point of view, I wasn't AS interested, but things did pick up as the story went on.

I enjoyed the world-building and the characters, but some things felt a bit rushed (like Haben and Seycia's feelings for each other.) I kind of wish it was built up more but I liked exploring the world with her and Haben and am looking forward to what's next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkshares for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seycia lives in a world where the afterlife isn't up for speculation. It is well known that in the Underworld there is a forest full of trees that house the souls of the dead before they move on to another life. There are a few exceptions to this(those who have sold their soul to the ruler of the underworld and sacrifices do not return to their trees) and as a sacrifice, Seycia takes it upon herself to journey through the Underworld to find and destroy the tree of the man responsible for her and her parents deaths.

Seycia is one of those characters who has her head on straight. She knows what she wants and is unwilling to compromise. She has good ideas and is not afraid to fight back when things aren't going her way. I wish the book had followed her story a bit more closely as I really liked her character and her growth through the book.

Along the way, Haben is her guide in the Underworld. She is sacrificed to him and as such has a connection with him that deepens as they journey to the forest. They meet many other characters along the way, but few of them are given enough depth to talk about. Haben has a wonderful and heartwrenching backstory that is revealed at the perfect time.

Seycia's little brother Miko is thrown into a revolution after the death of his sister. He is very Katniss Everdeen about it, only he doesn't actually possess(in my opinion) what it takes to be a Mockingjay caliber of a character. Perhaps this would change if there is to be a sequel.

Sadly, the rest of the pacing in this title left me a bit bored. The chapters could have been sorted differently to break up unnecessarily long ones while the shorter ones could often have been left out all together. The ending came at break neck speed and was forced to a conclusion. I almost wish there would have been a cliffhanger about 85% in and we could have gotten a fully finished thought in the next installment. I don't think I would find myself going back to this world for anyone but Haben. The premise might be enough to entice you in, but be willing to read other books along side it. I found myself diving into other books for a quicker pace in order to not put this one on my DNF shelf.

3.5/5 stars

The pacing of this is actually really nice! Not too fast but not too slow, so it felt like a nice balance. Even though there were parts that I personally didn't enjoy, mostly Miko not gonna lie, it was steady. The actual story and the events that take place were actually really fascinating and tense to read, some even borderline scary. Only main problem I had, which is actually a big problem, is that I couldn't connect to the characters. They just felt lackluster to me and didn't have any dimension to them. Didn't really care who they were, why they did what they did, and what their goals are. So when I reached the ending...I was pretty much meh about it.

Overall, good story and world events, but the characters are just not it. I'd 0robably still say to give it a shot though, but characters could definitely have more to them.

The writing flew quickly making it an incredibly fast read, but I found myself not as connected to the characters as one would hope. I think it was my lack of connection to the characters that made the tale feel a tad not immersive.

The fantasy elements really fit with the story and felt completely believable. The world building was nicely paced as well and did a great job of explaining without dragging. I cannot wait for book two!

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book on Netgalley and I know I'll be eagerly anticipating the second book when it's released. This story was completely original and the characters and plot fit together seemlessly. The only reason I'm giving this book only 4 stars instead of 5 was because it was just a little too simple. The characters were a little flat, and the events took place flawlessly. I wanted to know more about many of the characters and understand more about their motivations. Perhaps those things will be explained in the next book. This really was a wonderful book, and I am grateful to netgalley for allowing me to read this early.

I enjoyed the book and really liked it. Waiting to hear more from the author. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This read takes you on a thrilling journey about a post-apocalyptic Earth.

I absolutely loved the world building in this book and the style that the book was written in.

If you are a fan of fantasy, then this is a book for you. It's set in a post-apocalyptic Earth and features a coming of age story as well.

The book also has elements of the supernatural and romance so if you are a fan of any of those, this book will appeal to you.

The book is haunting and whimsical at the same time and action-packed and romantic at the same time so this will be able to appeal to a wide range of readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two hundred years ago, humans discovered something they were not supposed to find out: what happens to our souls when we die. After the apocalyptic war that followed this event destroyed the majority of the planet, a bunch of survivors had rebuilt a society, controlled by a tyrannical government. Once a year they select a victim for a sacrifice to the Underworld, but when Seycia, a 19 year old orphan who takes care of her younger brother, gets involved, things don't go as planned. Who is the Savage? What really happens in the Underworld? And what is so special in the weapon she inherited for her father, that looks just like an animal fang?

Phantom Forest is a wonderful, dark and incredibly rich dystopian/fantasy novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, the characters and yes, even the slow-burn romance 🔥 ...

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building, as complex as it is, never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind.

The characters are well-rounded, developed and realistic for the most part. The female protagonist is a lovely young adult, strong, independent and responsible but without ever being cocky. The male characters are less developed and, in general, more cliché, but I absolutely adored the love interest, his personality and his background story. The characters of this book all feel plausible, all have a mission in life and their perspective in the book are all equally interesting. And oh, the creatures, the creatures! 😍

I don't know what else to say about this book, if not that it's one of the best young adult/new adult novels I ever read... And I can't wait for the sequel!!!

My highly anticipated books for 2019 have been bumming me out and then this guy shows up out of nowhere and completely blew me away!

“The Phantom Forest” drags us into the Underworld when a sacrifice manages to survive and finds herself face to face with a demon who feds on those sent to him by the General in order to maintain power. With her fall, Seycia fights to save her brother from a similar fate and restore order to a world that has succumbed to the darkness.

I took a chance on this book and I’m so glad I did it starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up the entire way through! The blending of different point of views was one of my favorite things as each character had their moment to shine and though this is a short book and rather quick read I feel as though we learned a lot about who these characters are and what each of their roles were in this world.

I adored the entire mythology around The Savage and how he came to be and what he wished to become. His struggle was one that was so well written because we had those moments of terror as well as those of understanding as we learn what happened to the world to make it what it is and the rewards and consequences of trying to protect or honor your family.

I’m not sure if there needed to be a romance element and I’m willing to ignore it especially as it’s so minimal but the dynamic between our two leads was one of my favorites because of how innocent it was despite the circumstances of their meeting and everything that followed and I can’t wait to see where it goes should the series continue!

This was such a great read and perfect for fans of Peadar Ó Guilín who may want a little more bite out of their books.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Haunting and creepy! Interesting read... wasn’t what I’d expected but was pleasantly surprised and couldn’t put the book down. Review will be up on release.