The Phantom's Curse

An old evil threatens to rise from the depths of the warded city… Sixteen-year-old Marianne lives a simple life as a healer in the Link, looking after her younger brother since their parents’ exile. Little does she know how everything will change after attending the blessing in the city of Obanac. After her brother is wrongfully imprisoned, Marianne seeks his release from Crawford Reign, the Lord of Obanac. But she’s faced with an impossible choice—the lord wants her in exchange. To save her brother she turns to the daring outlaw Robbie and his friends for help. Along with the help of Theo, the holy man’s son, a daring rescue soon uncovers rumors of an old sorcerer who may still live and whispers of the phantom’s curse—an evil that requires a host and seeks to destroy the world—threatening to resurface. With the threat of an old evil rising in Obanac and the attacks of the Black Riders throughout the realm, nowhere seems safe. To save the people of the land and everyone she cares about, Marianne must unlock the secret to who she really is and embrace the mage magic that stirs within her.

The Phantom's Curse by Shelley Wilson is a YA fantasy book. I received an ARC from Netgalley. The book comes out on June 11th, 2020.

 Marianne is just a young girl, living her best life in the poor part of town with her younger brother. Their parents have been forcefully taken from them a few years ago, so Marianne had to grow up quick. There is a party for all young people turning sixteen and Marianne is the only one from the poor section, so she's looked down upon. She brings her younger brother because she has no one else. This proves to be a mistake because he is imprisoned, using a pretty obvious trick, and Lord Crawford wants Marianne in exchange.

 At the party, she meets Theo, who is her inside man in the city. He helps not only with the rescue of her brother, but other things that Marianne needs help with inside the city walls. With Theo, Robbie and his crew, she plans a rescue. Then things take an even darker turn. Marianne isn't sure what is happening or why Crawford wants her so badly, but she will soon find out. And, no spoilers, but the situation becomes even stranger towards the end of the book.

 I enjoyed the book quite a bit. It's rather short only about 200-ish pages. It was a nice, quick read. It felt like this book is the start of a series, but it could also just be a one-shot. Hopefully, it is a series because I would like more in this world. An explanation for a lot of magic (especially the Phantom itself) and other stuff would be amazing. The characters were fun and well written. Robbie and his band of outlaws were a nice addition. The romance is light, but obvious to any reader of YA fiction before. All the lovely tropes are there, and I mean that in the best way. Sometimes a tropey, easy read is the best kind of thing, especially in this time of crisis (Yes I am dating this review for future readers!).

 I did like the rescue of Marianne's brother and also the rescue of someone else later in the book. It was full on Robin Hood stuff, which was a lot of fun. I sort of felt this was aimed for kids trying YA for the first time. It's a simple plot, the bad guys are bad, and the story moves quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly. The book could have been a little longer. There wasn't a lot of set up for things, they just happened. But, again, if this is someone's first YA book, then none of these things stand out. Either way, it's a fun read!

 Here's an Amazon Affiliate link, if you'd like to buy it: Will be added when the book releases on June 11th