The Phantom Beast

The Seers #1

by K.G. Broas

Part of The Seers Trilogy.
Recovered from the journals of an unnamed boy.

Something is wrong in Watsonville. Jake feels he is losing his mind.

His best friend should be dead.
He watched him fall from the sky.
And some things, once seen, do not let go.

The world cracked that night. It has never been the same.

Johnny survived a cave collapse that killed everyone else. When he came back, he could see strands of energy woven through reality. He insists Jake can learn to see them too.

And now dreams bleed into daylight. Memories shift when no one is watching. Beneath their quiet town, something vast has noticed them. It flickers in the shadows, whispers in their minds, and waits for them to remember.

As Jake and his friends search for answers, they uncover a hidden layer of reality. A place where perception shapes power and every gift demands a cost. Friendships strain. Innocence fractures. Curiosity turns dangerous.

Because seeing too much changes you.
And once you notice the seams, there’s no way to stop pulling.

The truth is not just stranger than he thought. It may cost him everyone he loves.

Early Praise:
“Extraordinary. Written in dream logic and heartbreak.” — The Page Ladies Book Club
“The writing alone makes it unforgettable.” — Reedsy Discovery
“A quiet town hides secrets in the dark. A brilliant read.” — Goodreads ARC Reviewer
“Completely swept me off my feet.” — Goodreads Reviewer

The Phantom Beast is a dark, slow-burn YA paranormal fantasy with crossover appeal, blending science fiction, psychological horror, and coming-of-age themes into a story about friendship, perception, and the moment growing up stops being safe.

282 pages, Paperback

Published April 29, 2025

About the author

⭐ Leave your mark in Dreaming

📖 Let’s keep the magic alive
If you’ve read any of my books — or just left a review here on Goodreads — you can help even more readers discover the series by sharing your thoughts on Amazon too. You can even copy & paste the same review, or simply leave a quick star rating. Every review helps keep the series alive.

Here’s where you can share your thoughts (or just a quick star rating):

The Phantom Beast: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-...
The Dreamer’s Curse: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-...
The Corrupted One: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-...

Your words — or even a simple rating — help other readers find the series and keep me writing the kind of worlds you love disappearing into.

✨ Some readers discovered this story through the special combined Storyteller's Edition. If that’s where you joined the journey, you can share your thoughts here. The Fallen Dreamer: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-...

K.G. Broas is the author of The Seers Trilogy, a genre-defying descent into power, perception, and the thin line between dreaming and madness. His work blurs the boundaries between fantasy and psychological horror, inviting readers to question what’s real—and what they’ve been trained to believe.

He writes stories where the sky feels too close, the mirrors don’t always reflect, and the voices whisper just out of reach. When he isn’t unspooling the threads of memory and myth, he’s probably rewatching The OA, annotating a dream journal, or mapping the hidden logic behind everything we call reality.

The Seers Trilogy is available now in print and digital formats. But be warned: once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Reviews

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is different

Full disclosure: I received a free Kindle copy of this book in return for an unbiased review as a Goodreads Giveaway.


The metaphysics are unique,and the balance of youthful exuberance vs creepiness is compelling. Of the five awakened teens only one seems to take joy from their powers, the rest are terrified from the beginning, but too drawn in to step away.

Curious to see where this goes next.

[Whitney Warrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I freely admit that I was completely lost almost immediately. I checked more than once to be sure I was reading the first book in the series; the opening chapters read like the opening to a second book with zero history or exposition. I'm sure that if I hung on for another hundred pages, I'd figure it out, but I no longer have that sort of patience.

Concept: 4
Execution: 1

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this trilogy felt like falling down a dream you can’t quite wake up from, beautiful, eerie, and unsettling in the best way. From the very first book, The Phantom Beast, I was pulled into Jake’s strange and haunting world where reality bends and dreams bleed through the cracks. There’s this creeping sense that something is off in Watsonville: the nights feel too long, the air too heavy and the deeper Jake digs, the more the familiar starts to rot from the inside out. It’s equal parts mystery, horror, and surreal coming-of-age story, and I couldn’t look away.

Then came The Dreamer’s Curse, which somehow made things even stranger and more intense. The boundaries between dream and waking life completely dissolve, and the rules of the world both the real and the imagined begin to twist. Jake, Brooke, and Emma are desperately trying to hold on to each other and to their sanity, but the story keeps tugging them toward something darker. I loved how this book explored the idea of truth and perception, what we see versus what we believe and how that tension can unravel even the strongest bonds.

By the time I reached The Corrupted Ones, I was both terrified and fascinated. Everything that had been simmering beneath the surface finally explodes. Jake’s journey turns inward, into a war not just against monsters, but against himself. The themes of power, corruption, and identity hit hard. How far would you go to stop the darkness if doing so meant becoming part of it? The emotional weight and psychological tension made this finale unforgettable.

K.G. Broas has created something extraordinary, a surreal, haunting trilogy that feels like Stranger Things meets Pan’s Labyrinth, written in dream logic and heartbreak. It’s about friendship, fear, and the terrifying beauty of waking up to who you really are.

⚡️Thank you K.G. Broas for sharing these books with me!

[Natalie Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Phantom Beast" by K.G. Broas completely swept me off my feet. The story starts subtly, with small eerie details about Watsonville, but soon plunges you into a world where dreams and reality blur in the most thrilling way. I loved how the tension builds gradually, Jake Carter’s perspective makes you feel both his fear and awe as impossible powers awaken and the town’s hidden secrets start to surface.

What really stood out was the way friendships and memories are explored. The fractures between Jake and his friends felt real, and the choices he faces are both heart-wrenching and thrilling. Broas’ writing style is immersive and vivid; you can almost feel the restless nights and the closeness of the sky pressing down on the town. It’s mysterious, suspenseful, and full of emotional depth, definitely a five-star read in my opinion!

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some typical teenage drama with a flare. It has your jock, cheerleader, geek, bully, and freak. The kids have powers. Johnny becomes obsessed with learning how to control his power. They deal with things out there trying to harm them. Johnny continues to try and get stronger. Meanwhile things in his life aren’t going so well and he withdraws. Interesting and definitely different, but not sure if I’m going to keep going.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quiet town has secrets hidden in the darkness and his life is about to become more complicated. He needs to find out what is going on and if he can stop it getting worse for everyone around him. See how he will deal everything
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I was a brilliant read

[Trish]

No rating. I wanted to finish this one and rate it with a review because I won it in a Goodreads giveaway. But, I just wasn’t invested in any of the characters and put it down about halfway through. The book is action packed from the get go, it just isn’t for me, unfortunately.

[Carol]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. I tried really hard to get into the book. I found the writing to be too choppy and was confused often. It feels like a very young YA book. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t capture me. I will pass it along to someone who might enjoy it more.

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

💯💯💯💯💯

[Deanna]

This wasn’t for me. I did DNF

[Robin Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hard to read. It was mostly written in short clips. I'm getting ready to start the 2nd book in the series. I'm curious where it will take me.

[STEPHANIE MALDONADO · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent sci-fi ya book. I would have liked to see more character development to feel a better con action to the characters. This would definitely be ok for a younger reader.