Phantasma

Romantasy is a subgenre of both the romance and fantasy genres that blends key elements of both, just as the word is a portmanteau of romance and fantasy. Romantasy as a genre has risen in popularity in tandem with the growing influence of the BookTok community on the social media app TikTok. Readers gather on TikTok to share book recommendations, book reviews, and book hauls, as well as to form communities based on literary interests. As BookTok popularized the romantasy genre, tropes within the genre became more standardized. Some of these tropes include enemies-to-lovers romances, forced proximity romances, and the idea of forbidden love. Each of these tropes makes an appearance in Kaylie Smith’s romantasy novel Phantasma. Ophelia Grimm and Blackwell start in an adversarial relationship, as Ophelia does not trust Blackwell and the blood bargain he offers. They later begin a romantic relationship despite this antagonistic beginning, adhering to the enemies-to-lovers trope. With the blood bargain, they also must remain physically close to each other, illustrating Smith’s use of the forced proximity trope. Phantasma curses any who fall in love during the competition, so their romance is also forbidden, illustrating another common romantasy trope.