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The Phantom Forest by Liz KerinPublished by Inkshares on July 16, 2019
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Every tree in the sacred Forest of Laida houses a soul. Though each of those souls will return to the mortal world for many future lives, not all of them deserve to.
Seycia's father told her this story as a child -- a story of the most holy place in the Underworld, The Forest of Laida, where all souls go to rest before embarking on a new life. But Seycia's father is dead now, and his killer has put a target on her back.
After being chosen for her village's human sacrifice ritual, Seycia is transported to the Underworld and must join forces with Haben, the demon to whom she was sacrificed, to protect the family she left behind from beyond the grave. In this story of love, survival, and what it means to be human, Seycia and Haben discover that the Underworld is riddled with secrets that can only be unlocked through complete trust and devotion, not only to their mission, but also to one another.
A copy of the book was provided for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore does not affect the opinion or content of the review.
So when I sat down to write my review for The Phantom Forest, all I wanted to write is this:
- Protect this character
- Seriously, protect this character
- Take them away from Liz Kerin; it’s the only way to protect them
But uh, that doesn’t work as a review (maybe one day). Anyways.
The Phantom Forest is haunting.
Kerin’s debut is creepy, everyone. The world here is atmospheric and brings a chill or two, even when the story isn’t in the Underworld. In a world ruled by the Coalition where one practicing their belief in gods or superstition results in death, General Simeon overlooks a village with tight control. He keeps the people under his authority by taking a religious ritual where only criminals are sacrifices to one where anyone can be chosen.
I wanted General Simeon to choke on sharp pineapples* while reading.
*This phrase came to be from starting the Meteor Garden 2018 reboot
Since her father died, Seycia lives in hiding with her younger brother Miko in the village. It’s not long before General Simeon makes her a target and she becomes the next village sacrifice, sending her to the Underworld where she joins forces with Haben.
Interesting Characters Arcs
I find myself most invested in Haben’s story and wanted to keep reading to find out what happens to Seycia and him as they journey across the Underworld. While The Phantom Forest has a multitude of POVs, most are from Seycia, Haben and Miko.
The story seems to focus on one character with the others sitting in the backseat, undergoing the most development. However, I do feel this is only the beginning, and there is more to come for both Seycia and Miko. Their story seems to stand in the back of the room, but they’ll likely develop in future books. I want to see what Kerin has in store even if I only want to protect Haben.
There are slow moments in The Phantom Forest
Kerin builds a world and plot that captures my attention from early in the novel. However, there are moments where I felt the scenes were maybe irrelevant and unnecessary. While it was a rough patch to go through, it was well worth it. I wanted to see to the end of the story, and I had a lot of questions that won my curiosity. By the end of The Phantom Forest, I still have plenty of questions, but I’m sure there will be answers eventually.
Sophia started blogging in February 2012 for the hell of it and is surprisingly still around. She has a GIF for nearly everything, probably listens to too much K-Pop and is generally in an existential crisis of sorts (she's trying her best). More of her bookish reviews and K-Pop Roundups can be found at The Arts STL.
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I definitely agree that there was a bit of a slow patch or two, but I did love this book! Seriously, protect the characters lol. I think that her world descriptions were probably my favorite part!
I enjoyed the world descriptions as well! They were so breathtaking at parts along with being creepy and haunting; Liz really draws us into the story.
Sharp pineapple. Still hilarious.
Great review, and I am so glad you enjoyed the book. Protect Haben. PROTECC
YES. He must be protected. AT ALL COSTS.
“I wanted General Simeon to choke on sharp pineapples while reading.”
Okay, this cracked me up.
I only aim to amuse!
I feel like this is exactly what I would have said if I read this book. My gut pretty much decides if I’m going to read a book early or not and mine said iffy. I do really love an atmospheric story but want the POVs to really matter in each book (as this is a main story element in my own writing!)
Your gut is completely right! I generally go with my gut as well when choosing books, though sometimes I request books if it’s saying this book might not be the right book for you. I think The Phantom Forest was one of those though. I’m hoping the POVs will make more sense and matter more if and when the sequel comes out.
I hadn’t heard of this one, but it seems intriguing. I can totally get behind creepy! Hopefully the next book will answer more questions for you.
-Lauren
Hopefully! (Assuming the next book does get published, which I really hope so.)
I hadn’t heard of this book before, but I love a good creepy fantasy. And it’s good to know that the characters arcs are interesting!