58 pages • 1 hour read
Kaylie SmithPhantasma
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Sacrifice for the Sake of Survival
Survival is something tenuous in the dangerous world of Phantasma. The titular game offers a massive reward, a Devil’s Grant that allows the recipient to request anything they want, but it also comes with an enormous degree of risk and danger. Ophelia Grimm does not enter Phantasma to win the Devil’s Grant; she enters to find her sister Genevieve, who in turn entered to find their father and save their home, Grimm Manor, from demolition. Ophelia’s desire to survive stems from not only the innate human instinct to preserve her own life, but also from her urge to save her sister.
Because of this motivation, Ophelia is willing to make numerous sacrifices to survive Phantasma. Firstly, she agrees to a blood bargain with Blackwell, making a deal her mother Tessie consistently advised against. Ophelia thinks about the deal, “If he really could help her survive this Hell house and make sure she didn’t have to deal with any more demonic surprises coming out of her bathtub, she could hardly put a price on the value of that” (84). The blood bargain puts Ophelia at risk, as she stands to lose a decade of her life, but it also offers her a better chance to walk out of Phantasma with Genevieve alive.
Another sacrifice Ophelia makes is hardening her heart during the competition. In Phantasma, Ophelia expresses her unwillingness to kill anyone. Blackwell cautions her against compassion and empathy, saying, “‘Soft hearts don’t survive here.’ ‘What kinds of hearts do?’ He leaned down until their eyes were level. ‘Hearts with teeth’” (131). Ophelia’s kindness and desire to help others fades throughout the game. She helps another contestant survive in the Limbo level, but after nearly dying at the hands of the Hellhound and the large serpent, she begins to prioritize her own safety over that of others.
This culminates in her killing Cade intentionally. She killed Eric in a previous challenge, but she was trying to avoid him actively killing her. In the eighth level, she has to choose a fellow contestant to fight to the death. She fights Cade and kills him, and “when she looked down at her hands, she found them covered in scarlet. But unlike with Eric, the shame and guilt was not immediate” (340). Her heart is hardened against the negative feelings associated with taking another life, illustrating the aspects of herself that she’s given up in order to succeed in the competition.
The Burden and Blessing of Legacy
Legacy is a key concept in Phantasma, especially as it relates to Ophelia Grimm and her character arc. Once Ophelia’s mother Tessie dies, Ophelia feels intense pressure to carry on the Grimm family legacy and assume her mother’s place as a Necromancer. Though Ophelia has spent her entire childhood training and studying for this role, she still feels unprepared, as she tells Genevieve that she feels unsure how Tessie expects her to succeed: “I will never be as good as her. I’ve only gotten half the training she did when her own mother died” (13). Tessie died younger than Ophelia thought she would, cutting her preparation time short. This shock, mixed with the grief of losing a parent, causes Ophelia a great deal of stress that exacerbates the Shadow Voice’s presence in her mind, as it tells her, “You’re failing your family’s legacy already, and you haven’t even begun” (34). Ophelia shoulders an immense burden, and this burden shapes her outlook on the world and on herself.
Ophelia sees herself as both a failure and an outsider. She worries she’s failing to meet her ancestors’ expectations, but she also laments that she will never have the same opportunities in life as Genevieve. She explains their complex dynamic to Blackwell, saying, “Genevieve and I had an understanding. She got to be the one society considered normal. And I would never once complain about having to take over our family’s legacy if she would just let me live that sort of life through her” (224). Ophelia lived vicariously through Genevieve, as she could not have the same freedom to live an unencumbered existence as her sister. The Grimm legacy takes over Ophelia’s entire existence, keeping her separate from “normal” society while denying her opportunities to pursue her dreams.
However, the burden of legacy lifts as Ophelia competes in Phantasma. She begins to think about what she truly wants in life, and Tessie gives her permission to pursue those dreams. When they reunite in the Whispering Gate, Tessie tells Ophelia, “I want you to know that you must carve your own path in life, Ophie. Our family legacy meant a lot to me, yes, but it’s your turn to make your own legacy. Do not live your life according to what you think would have pleased me” (305). This exchange gives Ophelia the permission to do what she wants in her life, which inspires her to use her Necromancer powers and Grimm Manor to help other paranormal beings in need, which aligns with her compassionate desire to help others. She crafts her own legacy, a legacy that comes without the weight of centuries of history and responsibility.
Romantic Love as a Source of Strength
Phantasma is a romantasy novel, meaning that romance and romantic relationships play a central role in the narrative. The romantic relationship between Ophelia Grimm and Blackwell allows both to develop and grow. When they first meet, Blackwell is flirtatious, but Ophelia does not take him seriously as a romantic option. She finds him attractive and even contemplates kissing him, but she does not venture into an emotional connection with him. However, as the competition continues, they grow more emotionally intimate, with Ophelia even confiding in Blackwell about the Shadow Voice. After they are physically intimate, Ophelia realizes that their connection is more than just carnal, thinking, “Something forbidden unwittingly began to take root inside of her. And soon enough she’d find that she wouldn’t be able to stop it from growing” (220). The use of the term “forbidden” in her thoughts is significant. Phantasma curses those who fall in love during the competition, so Ophelia’s feelings for Blackwell are forbidden, unless she wants to meet a fate similar to that of her parents.
Blackwell reciprocates Ophelia’s attraction, falling in love with her in return. However, he recognizes the threat that their love poses, especially to Ophelia. Though he is initially reluctant when she asks him for space, as his feelings grow deeper for her, he realizes that he needs to prioritize her safety over his desires. However, this is not an easy decision, as he tells her, “In a different life, in a fair one, I would’ve kept you until my eternal soul withered away to dust” (330). The intensity of his language mirrors the intensity of his feelings. Even though these feelings are forbidden and dangerous, he cannot stifle them fully.
However, at the end of the novel, Ophelia confesses her feelings for Blackwell in order to save him:
I love you so much. You saved me. So many times, in so many ways, and it barely took you a week to change me so intrinsically. I may never be rid of my inner demons, but for this single sliver of time, whenever we were together, you made them quiet. I was able to hear myself for once. And I want you to know that I will gladly take on whatever this place is going to curse me with knowing you will finally get out of the Hell you’ve been trapped in for so long (397).
Ophelia’s language is highly significant. She says verbally that she loves Blackwell, outright challenging the curse by saying the forbidden words verbatim. She also illustrates why she loves Blackwell. He was able to help her quiet the Shadow Voice and find the confidence within herself to accept who she truly is. The Shadow Voice will always be with her, but it’s more bearable when Blackwell is near. She also loves him in a selfless way, as she’s willing to accept the consequences of the curse if it means freeing Blackwell from Phantasma. She’s willing to do this even after the revelation of Blackwell’s true identity, demonstrating the depth of her feelings for him. Regardless of the threat to her safety that her feelings cause her, she is willing to face the danger for a chance at a future with Blackwell.
The Importance of Family Bonds
Ophelia Grimm values family above nearly all else. Alongside the pressure she exerts on herself to honor the Grimm family legacy, she also feels pressure to protect her younger sister Genevieve. Ophelia and Genevieve share a close relationship, but that relationship is tested by their mother’s death and by Phantasma. Genevieve knew more about their mother’s secrets than Ophelia, and she did not share this information with Ophelia. This, coupled with the secret friends that Genevieve did not tell Ophelia about, makes Ophelia doubt their relationship, as she explains to Blackwell, “I don’t know when she stopped telling me everything. And it hurts to think that all this time I thought I knew exactly where we stood, and she was somewhere else completely” (224). Ophelia feels betrayed by Genevieve’s secrets, as she believed they were open and honest with each other, which wasn’t true. This feeling of betrayal illustrates the depth of their bond and the degree to which Ophelia values their relationship: enough to experience intense emotional pain when that relationship is threatened.
Even though Ophelia feels hurt by Genevieve, she still yearns for her presence intensely, thinking, “The worst part was that right now, Ophelia wanted nothing more than to just speak to Vivi. Despite the secrets, their fight, or the ire Ophelia had for Genevieve’s impulsive nature, she desperately wanted to know that her sister was safe. And to tell her everything” (184). Ophelia succinctly outlines the issues in her and Genevieve’s relationship, but she quickly illustrates that even with the ups and downs in their sisterly bond, she loves Genevieve deeply. Ophelia follows Genevieve into Phantasma to ensure her safety, demonstrating her dedication to Genevieve. Ophelia also wants to tell Genevieve “everything” about her experience with her new magic and her time in Phantasma, even though Genevieve kept so much of her life secret from Ophelia. She’s willing to forgive Genevieve, which she does after the sisters reunite in the competition.
Both sisters apologize for the hurt they have caused each other, and this reconciliation gives Ophelia the confidence and motivation to continue in the competition and free Blackwell. Ophelia and Genevieve’s closeness is also essential in the Fraud level of the competition. Unlike their father, whose failure to pass the level resulted in their mother’s death, Ophelia’s intimate knowledge of Genevieve allows her to realize that neither apparition is truly her sister, allowing Ophelia to move forward in the competition and saving Genevieve’s life.
