What do you think?
Rate this book
Fantasma: Adventure and Rebellion
Merlin Academy is the most influential school in all of Fantasma and Elsif is a picture perfect student. But when her world begins to crumble, she decides to do something completely out of character. She wants to put school on the back burner in lieu of a grand adventure.
When Elsif, her cousins Ruth, Milly, and Rose, and their new friend Jazzy, think a fellow student stole the infamous Malum’s Staff from the school’s weaponry, they decide to find an even more powerful relic. The Warlock’s Hat has been missing for almost a thousand years, but it is the only magical object in history that has defeated Malum’s Staff.
The girls travel across Fantasma for an impossible task, and fall into a much wider storyline than any of them could have dreamed. Together they must find out who they can trust, uncover secrets of the past, and discover they may not understand the true nature of magic.
When Elsif, her cousins Ruth, Milly, and Rose, and their new friend Jazzy, think a fellow student stole the infamous Malum’s Staff from the school’s weaponry, they decide to find an even more powerful relic. The Warlock’s Hat has been missing for almost a thousand years, but it is the only magical object in history that has defeated Malum’s Staff.
The girls travel across Fantasma for an impossible task, and fall into a much wider storyline than any of them could have dreamed. Together they must find out who they can trust, uncover secrets of the past, and discover they may not understand the true nature of magic.
404 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2025
3 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 11, 2025
I was chosen as one of the many ARC readers. Which I have to thank this amazing writer for the flawless communication to a first time ARC reader. Thank you for allowing me to be apart of this journey.
Overall this was a good book. The characters personalities could be seen and understood. I wish the story line was a little more cohesive. The large time breaks and jumps made it hard to keep up between the Melissa, The Hat, The Staff, and Jazzy. It did all come together at the end but I wish it flowed more.
My only confusion was the time skips, I know there were Asterisk to help break up the time skips but at first I thought they were supposed to be a POV change, like in the first chapter.
I think adding maybe a date/ location/ names may help with the change.
Don't get me wrong I loved the different POV's it just needs a different structure.
The story has strong roots but needs a little more "pause" at certain scenes to give it the impact. Chapter 31 and 32 gave us big news but it wasn't as impactful as it should have been. The final "letter" at the end of the entire book was a nice touch.
Honestly, I am looking forward to the continued development of the story and can't wait for book Two especially after that last detail......
Overall this was a good book. The characters personalities could be seen and understood. I wish the story line was a little more cohesive. The large time breaks and jumps made it hard to keep up between the Melissa, The Hat, The Staff, and Jazzy. It did all come together at the end but I wish it flowed more.
My only confusion was the time skips, I know there were Asterisk to help break up the time skips but at first I thought they were supposed to be a POV change, like in the first chapter.
I think adding maybe a date/ location/ names may help with the change.
Don't get me wrong I loved the different POV's it just needs a different structure.
The story has strong roots but needs a little more "pause" at certain scenes to give it the impact. Chapter 31 and 32 gave us big news but it wasn't as impactful as it should have been. The final "letter" at the end of the entire book was a nice touch.
Honestly, I am looking forward to the continued development of the story and can't wait for book Two especially after that last detail......
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2025
I had the pleasure of reading Fantasma Make a Memory by Ellie Butenuth as an ARC reader. It was such a beautifully written and imaginative story! With characters that feel real and relatable. It was a quick, easy read that I really enjoyed.
November 30, 2025
I received this book as an ARC reader in exchange for an honest review.
Elsif is starting her last year at a magical school and everything has changed. She lost her friend of 10 years to a new group, she is unsure of her future path, and now she has to room with her three younger cousins. Along the way, she makes a new friend, and now the five of them are in for quite the adventure.
This book was ok. There was a good premise, but there were some flaws. Here is my break down.
The Good: The world seems really interesting with all of the different "countries". It would have been nice to have more of a history of each region. The characters individually were also pretty interesting and I did enjoy the different POVs within the book. There were also some good twists.
The not so good: I nearly DNF'd multiple times, but decided to complete the book in order to give a complete review. In the beginning, there is a lot of telling us what is happening, not showing us. Lots of "she said this, she did that". The writing was very basic and boring, though it did get better as the book progressed (Chapter 24 and on is where it gets better). There is also a ton of dialogue, an almost excessive amount in some spots. I also did not enjoy how Elsif and her cousins spoke to each other. I get that cousins pick on each other sometimes, but they did not act like loving family most of the time, they acted as if they all were just tolerating the others. It also made it difficult to remember how old each character was supposed to be because they acted very childish for being mid to older teens (I often thought of them as 10-12 year old, but would have to stop and reset to get back to their real ages) There were also a lot of side stories/quests that did not really relate to the initial problem and more problems/random characters would just randomly pop up. Speaking of side stories, the timeline of this story was all over the place. At the beginning, the initial problem seemed very important and urgent, but it took months before they started even looking into the problem seriously. It was only urgent if it fit into their schedule, which I felt really made the plot unimportant. I think that if the book were structured differently, it would help with the timing issues and help decrease the random side stories that didn't contribute to the overall story. The ending was also fairly anticlimactic due to how drug out everything was, it could have been half as long and achieved the same goal.
Overall, this story was ok. I like the idea, but I think it could have been executed differently to make it more enjoyable. This might be good for the younger half of YA just due to the way the story is written and how the characters act. However, I will not be continuing with the series.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read Fantasma and leave a review.
Elsif is starting her last year at a magical school and everything has changed. She lost her friend of 10 years to a new group, she is unsure of her future path, and now she has to room with her three younger cousins. Along the way, she makes a new friend, and now the five of them are in for quite the adventure.
This book was ok. There was a good premise, but there were some flaws. Here is my break down.
The Good: The world seems really interesting with all of the different "countries". It would have been nice to have more of a history of each region. The characters individually were also pretty interesting and I did enjoy the different POVs within the book. There were also some good twists.
The not so good: I nearly DNF'd multiple times, but decided to complete the book in order to give a complete review. In the beginning, there is a lot of telling us what is happening, not showing us. Lots of "she said this, she did that". The writing was very basic and boring, though it did get better as the book progressed (Chapter 24 and on is where it gets better). There is also a ton of dialogue, an almost excessive amount in some spots. I also did not enjoy how Elsif and her cousins spoke to each other. I get that cousins pick on each other sometimes, but they did not act like loving family most of the time, they acted as if they all were just tolerating the others. It also made it difficult to remember how old each character was supposed to be because they acted very childish for being mid to older teens (I often thought of them as 10-12 year old, but would have to stop and reset to get back to their real ages) There were also a lot of side stories/quests that did not really relate to the initial problem and more problems/random characters would just randomly pop up. Speaking of side stories, the timeline of this story was all over the place. At the beginning, the initial problem seemed very important and urgent, but it took months before they started even looking into the problem seriously. It was only urgent if it fit into their schedule, which I felt really made the plot unimportant. I think that if the book were structured differently, it would help with the timing issues and help decrease the random side stories that didn't contribute to the overall story. The ending was also fairly anticlimactic due to how drug out everything was, it could have been half as long and achieved the same goal.
Overall, this story was ok. I like the idea, but I think it could have been executed differently to make it more enjoyable. This might be good for the younger half of YA just due to the way the story is written and how the characters act. However, I will not be continuing with the series.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read Fantasma and leave a review.
December 11, 2025
thank you to the author for giving me the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest review!
i liked the multiple povs in this book. it had a surprising plot twist as well, and it was fun to read bout a new magical system with a very different geography.
however, the worldbuilding felt very thin, especially when it came to the history and the depth of what we learned about the different regions. the writing style read more like middle grade than young adult and this was mostly because of the many cousins the fmc has. it was hard to tell them apart ot begin with and they were so childish and lacked character development, that i forgot some of them were actually 13yo. i also struggled to like jazzy from the moment she was introduced. she was so naive that it was difficult to connect with her. throughout the book, there were a few time jumps that were quite confusing.
while the book has creativity and some great twists, it needed stronger world-building, better character development, and a more polished structure for me to enjoy it. maybe that kids reading at a middle grade level will like this book !!!
i liked the multiple povs in this book. it had a surprising plot twist as well, and it was fun to read bout a new magical system with a very different geography.
however, the worldbuilding felt very thin, especially when it came to the history and the depth of what we learned about the different regions. the writing style read more like middle grade than young adult and this was mostly because of the many cousins the fmc has. it was hard to tell them apart ot begin with and they were so childish and lacked character development, that i forgot some of them were actually 13yo. i also struggled to like jazzy from the moment she was introduced. she was so naive that it was difficult to connect with her. throughout the book, there were a few time jumps that were quite confusing.
while the book has creativity and some great twists, it needed stronger world-building, better character development, and a more polished structure for me to enjoy it. maybe that kids reading at a middle grade level will like this book !!!
December 9, 2025
I got to be an Arc reader for this book, and I loved it! It was a pretty quick and easy read for me, once I actually started reading. So glad I was able to be an arc reader, and I will definitely find myself rereading it in the future!
November 11, 2025
Having the opportunity to be an ARC reader for Fantasma Adventure and Rebellion was incredible. This book was a quick and easy read, and I did not want to put it down because I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for something quick, easy, and fun to read. The ending made me want to know what was going to happen in the next one. With that being said, fantastic read and can't wait to find out more in the next one.
December 15, 2025
I received this book as an ARC reader in exchange for an honest review.
____________________
Fantasma Adventure and Rebellion by Ellie Butenuth and Tyler Cable is fantasy novel. The authors have listed it as a young adult novel, but I believe it would be better listed as a children’s novel. The plot, development, and characters feel quite juvenile to me, and I did not connect with them very well. There is a lot of info dumping within the first few chapters and yet I feel like I was confused over halfway through the book. Everything was expressed through dialogue or blatantly saying so instead of showing us through characters actions.
____________________
The story is full of contradictions and does not seem to rely on much logic. While I understand it is a fantasy novel, there should still be governing rules to magic and society expressed.
For example, one of main characters, Jazzy, is introduced quite early on. Jazzy is an orphan who gets accepted into a magical school. However, Jazzy has no identification number or last name. When she arrives at the school she meets a friend, Elsif, together they simply manufacture a last name for her. Then they somehow obtain an identification number and get her set up in her classes right away. Finally, they also secure her a room (with Elsif and her cousins). Logically I assume there would be some governmental process to this, but there appears to be none. There is no extra paperwork or real adult required to do any of this which is a massive theme across the whole novel. This may end up being a point of the novel, as it is clear the school is suspect in what and how they are teaching. There is an idea of propaganda and how wars and other historical aspects are controlled in society. Possibly showing their corruption at the onset of the book. However, while that idea is explored it doesn't sit well with me to prove that point.
Jazzy as a character is one that we are still trying to figure out who she is over 75% through the book. We eventually learn that she was orphaned at five years old. However, at five years old she doesn't know her last name or both of her parents' names. A portion of this book is dedicated to figuring out who her parents are, and the reveal of her parentage is important to the plot. I just believe we do not know enough foundationally about what she should reasonably remember at that age. I also wonder how she was raised. We learn her mother left to investigate her father's disappearance when she was five. We are told the village stepped in to raise her. Unless I misunderstood it seems that they did not remove Jazzy from the home but instead stepped in to pay for the housing and her basic needs. What structure is there for the child? This again calls into question the customs and governments of these various kingdoms.
This novel is also wildly contradictory with character descriptions. For example, Elsif, is supposed to be a very type A, goody two shoes, perfect student. However, within three chapters she is fully endorsing stealing from the school. She later calls Rose a nerd in a negative way, while constantly saying all she cares about is school. Elsif is also supposed to be another surrogate parent to her younger cousins. That alone does make sense as she is the oldest girl grandchild in the family. However, on multiple occasions she is incredibly selfish and does not pay the other girls any attention. She forgets their birthdays and their ages, she forgets she talked to them at events and blatantly disregards them doing very dangerous tasks because she deems it not important to her at that moment. It feels throughout the book we lose a lot of the character and she becomes a very 2D caricature of a person.
In that same vein: why in a school environment would adults make students do extremely dangerous tasks? They have Milly (one of the cousins) fight to tame a kraken. A task her parents don’t seem to be too concerned about even though she almost died a few times doing so. They have children riding Wyvern’s which immediately goes wrong and again also almost results in death (and does result in serious injury). The adults in this story seem uninterested at best and extremely negligent at worst.
The relationships the characters developed throughout the novel are also interesting. There is an immediate judgement of trust or distrust that follows the characters no matter their development in the story. For example, when Juniper is introduced everyone except Ruth (another cousin) immediately distrusts him even though they have no real reason to do so. As the story progresses and Juniper is helpful to the girls, even protecting and saving their lives in some areas, they continue is wildly distrust him for an extremely long time. Elsif meets someone we are introduced to as Duke, later clarified to be Will. Will meets Elsif right before there is a shooting, and instead of being weary of this person she just met while working on a secret project she immediately trusts him and forms a relationship. In both situations there is no build up at all in the relationship, they are just immediately infatuated with the other person. Will proposes to Elsif before she even knows his name or quite literally anything about him. It seems to force in an idea of a proper society that is concerned with the virginity or standing of a woman. This is not really brought up again but is extremely odd to just be mentioned in one section. This novel is quite lengthy already and I wonder if the number of characters that are being focused on is creating issues of delving deep into their views, feelings, and relationships. I think if it were condensed down to maybe three main characters and some side characters it would be much more readable. Besides the five main girls, we are introduced to multiple villain type characters, old friends/ enemies, other male cousins, parents, teachers, and other various characters that push side plots.
There is also a point in which the story transfers to the past to tell the backstory of Jazzy's parents. This is not transitioned super well and was a bit confusing at the time. Once I realized what was happening it was a very enjoyable part of the story. Adding more flashbacks that explain how these things progressed could be a super interesting addition as well. Also adding in a family tree to understand the parents in these flashbacks as it relates to their children would be extremely helpful for understanding the relationships.
I could dive deeper into this novel, but I will leave you with one last topic. The way these girls talk and handle each other is appalling to me. They are so mean and intrusive, and while that may be accurate for some families they take it to the extreme. None of the characters were likable to me because they were all exaggerated stereotypes. For example, Rose. At every instance possible she was violent and just plain psychotic. She spends the entire novel trying to fight people, playing with weapons, getting accused of starting fires, excessively lying, etc. I truly think the main characters should have been getting her help instead of taking turns babysitting her so that she would not be able to cause damage to herself, others, and her surroundings. Practical jokes may have been one way to introduce a teasing or trickster character, but there is a section where they reference her bringing hand grandees to a school ran hand to hand combat event.
____________________
Personally, I will not be picking up the rest of the series. As stated, before this may be a good series for children. Possibly ages 10-12. I do feel this book is written too young to be considered young adult. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this book as an arc.
____________________
Fantasma Adventure and Rebellion by Ellie Butenuth and Tyler Cable is fantasy novel. The authors have listed it as a young adult novel, but I believe it would be better listed as a children’s novel. The plot, development, and characters feel quite juvenile to me, and I did not connect with them very well. There is a lot of info dumping within the first few chapters and yet I feel like I was confused over halfway through the book. Everything was expressed through dialogue or blatantly saying so instead of showing us through characters actions.
____________________
The story is full of contradictions and does not seem to rely on much logic. While I understand it is a fantasy novel, there should still be governing rules to magic and society expressed.
For example, one of main characters, Jazzy, is introduced quite early on. Jazzy is an orphan who gets accepted into a magical school. However, Jazzy has no identification number or last name. When she arrives at the school she meets a friend, Elsif, together they simply manufacture a last name for her. Then they somehow obtain an identification number and get her set up in her classes right away. Finally, they also secure her a room (with Elsif and her cousins). Logically I assume there would be some governmental process to this, but there appears to be none. There is no extra paperwork or real adult required to do any of this which is a massive theme across the whole novel. This may end up being a point of the novel, as it is clear the school is suspect in what and how they are teaching. There is an idea of propaganda and how wars and other historical aspects are controlled in society. Possibly showing their corruption at the onset of the book. However, while that idea is explored it doesn't sit well with me to prove that point.
Jazzy as a character is one that we are still trying to figure out who she is over 75% through the book. We eventually learn that she was orphaned at five years old. However, at five years old she doesn't know her last name or both of her parents' names. A portion of this book is dedicated to figuring out who her parents are, and the reveal of her parentage is important to the plot. I just believe we do not know enough foundationally about what she should reasonably remember at that age. I also wonder how she was raised. We learn her mother left to investigate her father's disappearance when she was five. We are told the village stepped in to raise her. Unless I misunderstood it seems that they did not remove Jazzy from the home but instead stepped in to pay for the housing and her basic needs. What structure is there for the child? This again calls into question the customs and governments of these various kingdoms.
This novel is also wildly contradictory with character descriptions. For example, Elsif, is supposed to be a very type A, goody two shoes, perfect student. However, within three chapters she is fully endorsing stealing from the school. She later calls Rose a nerd in a negative way, while constantly saying all she cares about is school. Elsif is also supposed to be another surrogate parent to her younger cousins. That alone does make sense as she is the oldest girl grandchild in the family. However, on multiple occasions she is incredibly selfish and does not pay the other girls any attention. She forgets their birthdays and their ages, she forgets she talked to them at events and blatantly disregards them doing very dangerous tasks because she deems it not important to her at that moment. It feels throughout the book we lose a lot of the character and she becomes a very 2D caricature of a person.
In that same vein: why in a school environment would adults make students do extremely dangerous tasks? They have Milly (one of the cousins) fight to tame a kraken. A task her parents don’t seem to be too concerned about even though she almost died a few times doing so. They have children riding Wyvern’s which immediately goes wrong and again also almost results in death (and does result in serious injury). The adults in this story seem uninterested at best and extremely negligent at worst.
The relationships the characters developed throughout the novel are also interesting. There is an immediate judgement of trust or distrust that follows the characters no matter their development in the story. For example, when Juniper is introduced everyone except Ruth (another cousin) immediately distrusts him even though they have no real reason to do so. As the story progresses and Juniper is helpful to the girls, even protecting and saving their lives in some areas, they continue is wildly distrust him for an extremely long time. Elsif meets someone we are introduced to as Duke, later clarified to be Will. Will meets Elsif right before there is a shooting, and instead of being weary of this person she just met while working on a secret project she immediately trusts him and forms a relationship. In both situations there is no build up at all in the relationship, they are just immediately infatuated with the other person. Will proposes to Elsif before she even knows his name or quite literally anything about him. It seems to force in an idea of a proper society that is concerned with the virginity or standing of a woman. This is not really brought up again but is extremely odd to just be mentioned in one section. This novel is quite lengthy already and I wonder if the number of characters that are being focused on is creating issues of delving deep into their views, feelings, and relationships. I think if it were condensed down to maybe three main characters and some side characters it would be much more readable. Besides the five main girls, we are introduced to multiple villain type characters, old friends/ enemies, other male cousins, parents, teachers, and other various characters that push side plots.
There is also a point in which the story transfers to the past to tell the backstory of Jazzy's parents. This is not transitioned super well and was a bit confusing at the time. Once I realized what was happening it was a very enjoyable part of the story. Adding more flashbacks that explain how these things progressed could be a super interesting addition as well. Also adding in a family tree to understand the parents in these flashbacks as it relates to their children would be extremely helpful for understanding the relationships.
I could dive deeper into this novel, but I will leave you with one last topic. The way these girls talk and handle each other is appalling to me. They are so mean and intrusive, and while that may be accurate for some families they take it to the extreme. None of the characters were likable to me because they were all exaggerated stereotypes. For example, Rose. At every instance possible she was violent and just plain psychotic. She spends the entire novel trying to fight people, playing with weapons, getting accused of starting fires, excessively lying, etc. I truly think the main characters should have been getting her help instead of taking turns babysitting her so that she would not be able to cause damage to herself, others, and her surroundings. Practical jokes may have been one way to introduce a teasing or trickster character, but there is a section where they reference her bringing hand grandees to a school ran hand to hand combat event.
____________________
Personally, I will not be picking up the rest of the series. As stated, before this may be a good series for children. Possibly ages 10-12. I do feel this book is written too young to be considered young adult. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this book as an arc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2025
I was an ARC reader for Fantasma and unfortunately, I DNFed this book at 25%.
The writing:
I went into this book expecting it to be a YA novel but I feel that it read more late elementary to early middle school. I found myself struggling to pick up this book because of that. Then, as I continued reading, a number of more issues arose. The biggest one being that the story-telling and dialogue are very awkward and choppy. There are really weird time jumps for some reason. On top of that, the amount of name and info-dumping in Chapter 2 alone is crazy. And we get random POV switches that can happen every paragraph with no obvious switch. Whose POV are we in? Why do all the girls get a POV in a single chapter? There is also a huge amount of telling and not showing. I felt like I was reading a Dora the Explorer episode. A lot of this book is "this happened and then this happened and then this happened." This also has A LOT of grammar mistakes. Like a lot a lot. Words used incorrectly, whole place names spelled differently throughout the book, misspelled words, punctuation either missing or just misused.
Now we get to the actual plot:
Although I cannot find it in me to finish it, I do want to finish off this review with some positive notes. I originally was super excited to be an ARC reader for this book because I loved the idea of an all girl group going on this adventure. I feel like if this book was shortened by 200 pages and marketed towards elementary and middle school kids, this would make more sense. I'm just 22 years old, and I found this way too juvenile for me.
The writing:
I went into this book expecting it to be a YA novel but I feel that it read more late elementary to early middle school. I found myself struggling to pick up this book because of that. Then, as I continued reading, a number of more issues arose. The biggest one being that the story-telling and dialogue are very awkward and choppy. There are really weird time jumps for some reason. On top of that, the amount of name and info-dumping in Chapter 2 alone is crazy. And we get random POV switches that can happen every paragraph with no obvious switch. Whose POV are we in? Why do all the girls get a POV in a single chapter? There is also a huge amount of telling and not showing. I felt like I was reading a Dora the Explorer episode. A lot of this book is "this happened and then this happened and then this happened." This also has A LOT of grammar mistakes. Like a lot a lot. Words used incorrectly, whole place names spelled differently throughout the book, misspelled words, punctuation either missing or just misused.
Now we get to the actual plot:
Although I cannot find it in me to finish it, I do want to finish off this review with some positive notes. I originally was super excited to be an ARC reader for this book because I loved the idea of an all girl group going on this adventure. I feel like if this book was shortened by 200 pages and marketed towards elementary and middle school kids, this would make more sense. I'm just 22 years old, and I found this way too juvenile for me.
December 5, 2025
I was an ARC reader for this book and while I understand why some readers would really enjoy it, this book definitely was not the story for me. Fantasma: Adventure and Rebellion is a YA fantasy series that follows a group of cousins attending the Merlin Academy in their adventure to discover the secrets of their world. While the premise sounded extremely interesting to me, I found it to be a little too young for my taste. I could see any 7-13 year old really enjoying this book, but would say the writing is too juvenile for any older audience members.
I found the characterization of the cast of students to be quite flat and one-sided, as if they all have these assigned personality traits and don’t develop anything new throughout the book. I found Elsif, the oldest cousin, to be interesting at first but slowly lose herself throughout the story and become a very one sided, selfish character. Her younger cousins, Milly and Ruth, weren’t super impressionable and didn’t get much development and the last cousin, Rose, acted like an immature, annoying little kid. I believe the character ages range from 13-18, but the dialogue and decisions they make seem more like 8-13 instead.
As for the plot, I found the overarching storyline to be quite interesting, but a large chunk of the book veers off course to tell random sideplots and the characters are often too busy with their own sidequests to be focused on the main plot. While this formula sometimes works in fantasy novels, I found the side stories to be boring and unnecessary as they didn’t add anything to the story or to the characterization of the protagonists.
The overall world-building of Fantasma was also confusing to me. I felt as if there was only world building when it was convenient for the plot and the world building that was present focused on minute details instead of giving us a clear picture of the world. The book also spans about 1-2 years throughout the chapters, so there are a lot of time jumps that make the book confusing with little continuity.
Overall, I think the storyline has great potential to be a fantastic YA novel, but in its current form, the writing, characters, and plotline fits a middle grade level reader much more.
I found the characterization of the cast of students to be quite flat and one-sided, as if they all have these assigned personality traits and don’t develop anything new throughout the book. I found Elsif, the oldest cousin, to be interesting at first but slowly lose herself throughout the story and become a very one sided, selfish character. Her younger cousins, Milly and Ruth, weren’t super impressionable and didn’t get much development and the last cousin, Rose, acted like an immature, annoying little kid. I believe the character ages range from 13-18, but the dialogue and decisions they make seem more like 8-13 instead.
As for the plot, I found the overarching storyline to be quite interesting, but a large chunk of the book veers off course to tell random sideplots and the characters are often too busy with their own sidequests to be focused on the main plot. While this formula sometimes works in fantasy novels, I found the side stories to be boring and unnecessary as they didn’t add anything to the story or to the characterization of the protagonists.
The overall world-building of Fantasma was also confusing to me. I felt as if there was only world building when it was convenient for the plot and the world building that was present focused on minute details instead of giving us a clear picture of the world. The book also spans about 1-2 years throughout the chapters, so there are a lot of time jumps that make the book confusing with little continuity.
Overall, I think the storyline has great potential to be a fantastic YA novel, but in its current form, the writing, characters, and plotline fits a middle grade level reader much more.
December 15, 2025
I was chosen as an ARC reader for Fantasma, in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I DNFed this book, and I have not DNFed many books.
Overall,
In my honest opinion, the writing was really bland. It was alot of telling us what's going on and not showing us. This leads to difficulty as the reader to be able to envision and picture what's going on. There is also alot of dialogue. I know some people enjoy that, but personally not my cup of tea.
The book introduces a lot of characters in the beginning right away which got a little confusing trying to remember who's who. The time jumps are okay but I would recommend a different format since there are a lot POV changes using the same format.
However to end this review I would like to take the time to mention the Pros to this story. The intention within the story of a girl group of adventurers is fantastic. The characters have big personalities and a sense of humor that I wish we would of built up more.
Overall for me this book was not my taste.
However, with some tweaking and redirecting the book to a younger crowed I do believe this book will take off and end up in many homes being loved by many children.
Overall,
In my honest opinion, the writing was really bland. It was alot of telling us what's going on and not showing us. This leads to difficulty as the reader to be able to envision and picture what's going on. There is also alot of dialogue. I know some people enjoy that, but personally not my cup of tea.
The book introduces a lot of characters in the beginning right away which got a little confusing trying to remember who's who. The time jumps are okay but I would recommend a different format since there are a lot POV changes using the same format.
However to end this review I would like to take the time to mention the Pros to this story. The intention within the story of a girl group of adventurers is fantastic. The characters have big personalities and a sense of humor that I wish we would of built up more.
Overall for me this book was not my taste.
However, with some tweaking and redirecting the book to a younger crowed I do believe this book will take off and end up in many homes being loved by many children.
December 1, 2025
Huge thanks to the team for sending me an ARC of "Fantasma: Adventure and Rebellion"! I was happy to jump into this world, and I'd call it a solid 3-star read. It's a genuinely good, fun book, but I think it just missed hitting that great mark for me personally.
What I really enjoyed was the pacing. This book moves fast! The "Adventure and Rebellion" part of the title is definitely accurate—the action sequences are exciting and high-energy, making it a total page-turner. If you want a story where the stakes are always high, you'll love that about it.
Where I think there's room for growth is in the details. The core concept of Fantasma is so imaginative, but I felt like we were only scratching the surface of the world-building, and I was hungry for more depth on how everything worked. Also, while I liked the main character, some of the supporting characters felt a little familiar. They were enjoyable, but I hoped for a bit more complexity in their personalities.
In short, this is a strong foundation for an adventure series. It's quick, exciting, and shows great promise. It's a good effort, and I appreciate the chance to read it early!
What I really enjoyed was the pacing. This book moves fast! The "Adventure and Rebellion" part of the title is definitely accurate—the action sequences are exciting and high-energy, making it a total page-turner. If you want a story where the stakes are always high, you'll love that about it.
Where I think there's room for growth is in the details. The core concept of Fantasma is so imaginative, but I felt like we were only scratching the surface of the world-building, and I was hungry for more depth on how everything worked. Also, while I liked the main character, some of the supporting characters felt a little familiar. They were enjoyable, but I hoped for a bit more complexity in their personalities.
In short, this is a strong foundation for an adventure series. It's quick, exciting, and shows great promise. It's a good effort, and I appreciate the chance to read it early!
December 1, 2025
I received this book as an ARC from the author, and unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I struggled to stay connected to the story, and I often had to remind myself how old the characters were, as their voices didn’t always match their intended ages. The writing felt quite basic at times, and certain sections were confusing or underdeveloped.
There is a lot happening in this book, and I personally feel it could have been split into two separate installments—one for each academic year. That would have allowed the characters, worldbuilding, and events to be explored in more depth.
I also found the introduction of multiple characters overwhelming. Several appeared suddenly with little context or background, which made it difficult to connect with them. It felt like too much content was being packed into a single book, leaving some elements rushed or unexplained.
While the premise has promise, this one ultimately didn’t work for me.
There is a lot happening in this book, and I personally feel it could have been split into two separate installments—one for each academic year. That would have allowed the characters, worldbuilding, and events to be explored in more depth.
I also found the introduction of multiple characters overwhelming. Several appeared suddenly with little context or background, which made it difficult to connect with them. It felt like too much content was being packed into a single book, leaving some elements rushed or unexplained.
While the premise has promise, this one ultimately didn’t work for me.
November 24, 2025
I had the pleasure of reading Fantasma as an ARC and was blown away by how imaginative and heartfelt this story is. The world is vivid, the writing flows effortlessly, and the characters have real enough depth to which you can't help but become attached-even though there are times when trying to keep track of who is who gets a little bit tricky. Still, it's such a quick, engaging read that I kept wanting to know what would happen next, and the ending definitely left me reaching for the next book. In general, it's a fun, fast, fantastical adventure that I truly enjoyed and could easily recommend.
November 1, 2025
I was an arc reader for Ellie and enjoyed my time reading Fantasma, I would rate this 5 stars, but unfortunately the amount of characters that are the focus is hard to keep track of. Biggest suggestion is fixing the headers of the chapters by enlarging them, changing their font, and possibly even putting them in the middle, then listing the character of focus under the title so that its easier to tell who is the person of focus will make it a little easier to navigate. Other than that it is a great fantasy read.
November 3, 2025
thank you to the author for providing me with this arc.
fantasma is a fun, easy to read adventure story. if you're a fan of magical schools and like intrigue - go for it. the story keeps you guessing till the end.
there are multiple povs of young girls in magical school, and it does bring a certain level of chaos into the mix.
there is a lot of exploring the magical world, our MC visit many places through the book
Family secrets, magic artifacts,a plotting nemesis, romance and mystery but also a lot of light hearted fun throughout the way.
Perfect for young fans of fantasy
fantasma is a fun, easy to read adventure story. if you're a fan of magical schools and like intrigue - go for it. the story keeps you guessing till the end.
there are multiple povs of young girls in magical school, and it does bring a certain level of chaos into the mix.
there is a lot of exploring the magical world, our MC visit many places through the book
Family secrets, magic artifacts,a plotting nemesis, romance and mystery but also a lot of light hearted fun throughout the way.
Perfect for young fans of fantasy
November 4, 2025
Get ready for a hilarious, cozy, intriguing story of five young women who find themselves thrown into a 2-year adventure where they search for an incredibly powerful magical artifact known as the 'Warlock's Hat.'
Fantasma: Adventure & Rebellion takes us through boy drama, family issues, and school days with Elsif, Jazzy, Milly, Ruth, and Rose all while they are racing against time and their own mysterious classmates to save the world.
If love a good comfort novel that's written towards young adults, you will love this book.
Fantasma: Adventure & Rebellion takes us through boy drama, family issues, and school days with Elsif, Jazzy, Milly, Ruth, and Rose all while they are racing against time and their own mysterious classmates to save the world.
If love a good comfort novel that's written towards young adults, you will love this book.
November 1, 2025
Red this book as an arc reader, The book is full of heart, courage, and sisterhood. Each girl has her own personality and strengths, and together they make such a fun and dynamic team. The world of Fantasma feels vivid and magical, with just the right mix of mystery and danger to keep you hooked.
This is the perfect read for anyone who loves magical relics, epic adventures, and stories about finding your own path.
This is the perfect read for anyone who loves magical relics, epic adventures, and stories about finding your own path.
November 10, 2025
Fantasma Adventures and Rebellion delivers fantasy, rebellion, and emotional depth. The author Ellie builds a vivid world filled with rich detail and memorable characters whose journeys feel both personal and powerful. The pacing stays strong throughout, with well placed twists that keep the reader invested until the very end. I really enjoyed this book from the beginning . Thank you for the opportunity of reading this book as an ARC .
This is my voluntary and honest review of this book .
This is my voluntary and honest review of this book .
December 13, 2025
I had the pleasure of being an Arc reader for this book. This is something I have never done so I didn't quite know what I was getting myself into. This was a great book to start with though! I had so much fun reading it, enough that I've actually read it twice because I thought it was such a great book. This was right up my alley in terms of genre. This is a read that I would definitely reccomend to others! I'm excited for the next book in this series and more from the author!
December 26, 2025
This book is m everything I love. Great characters who are relatable and have amazing charcter growth! A fun school environment that we get to explore and feel like we’re apart of. Gun side quests that eventually lead to to bigger plot points. Overall this book is wholesome but heart felt and I loved every page! I can tell this is just the beginning of an amazing series and I can’t wait to read what’s next!
December 3, 2025
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Fantasma! While the writing style is not something I typically gravitate towards, the story line and adventure were great! Also a plus, multiple POVs (for people like me who eat that up!)!
December 12, 2025
This is a YA book. Definitely in my opinion more for 11-15 year olds. I am enjoying it but it does feel like a slow read. I’m privileged to ARC it. But just wanted to be honest. I will be recommending to younger readers or ones who want to begin to get into fantasy!!
December 16, 2025
A cute YA read with adventure, magic, and learning your school/government is hiding things and rewriting history. We follow Elsif, her many cousins, and new friend Jazzy on their journey. This book was a little too YA for me, but it gave good vibes. Imagine Hogwarts meets the inheritance games.
November 1, 2025
This was the best fantasy book I have read. It had so much to the plot that sucked me in to where I couldn’t put the book down. I absolutely loved every minute of the book
November 1, 2025
It was good, differently enjoy the story, had a lot of different twists that I didn’t expect
November 2, 2025
I was an ARC reader and this was an easy read… I can’t wait for it to come out so that I can get it for my niece. Excellent starter book to get in to the fantasy reads…
November 7, 2025
I had the absolute pleasure of getting to be an ARC reader for Ellie. Fantasma was a fun read. There was a new adventure around every corner.
November 7, 2025
was SO LUCKY to receive this book as an ARC!! 🥹 i loved the magic system in this because it’s not crazy hard to understand! also the multi povs add so much development to the story
November 11, 2025
Loved this magician family adventure! Looking forward to reading other journeys they go on in the future.
November 12, 2025
This book follows 5 girls as they attend Merlin, a magic school. There are adventures and hijinks galore. The book really picks up at the end, and I can’t wait to see what book 2 brings to the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews