A couple years ago, I received a free Kindle copy of Krissi Dallas' Windchaser: Phantom Island Book 1 to review. Originally published in 2009, the author was able to finish the five-book series in 2020, which was when I received Book 1 to review. And here I am four years later posting my review of the book.

This is a pretty cool young adult novel about high school camp counselors and a mystery land across the river from the camp. Whitnee. Morgan, and Caleb all became best friends when they attended Camp Fusion as kids after going through terrible personal tragedies. For Whitnee, it was the strange disappearance of her father. Now that she's back at Camp Fusion as a counselor and mentor to other kids whose shoes she was once in, she starts having strange dreams about her dad and then actually seeing him watching her from across the river. Campers are forbidden to cross the river, for reasons unknown to Whitnee and her friends. But how bad can it be, especially if it leads Whitnee to her dad?

Crossing the river might not give Whitnee the answers she needs. Instead, it might open up a whole new can of questions as she's transported to a new and magical island.

Originally Book 1 and Book 2 were published together, but I guess the publisher thought it was too long, so after the first year of publication, the one book was split into two. And you can tell because now Book 1 ends on a total cliffhanger! I have to find Book 2 so I can continue Whitnee's journey through the White Island.

I think this book contains a lot of elements that will resonate with today's teens: friendship, family issues, crushes, changing bodies, growing up. If you've got a teen who likes to read (or if you yourself like to read YA), then you'll want to check out this book.

This was really disappointing. This book doesn't know what it wants to be. The first 50% was about returning to camp after many years. The three main characters met at a camp for troubled kids after each experienced a horrible death of someone close. They've been inseparable since then. actually up until then the book was interesting and if the authored made this about the trauma and coming to terms with it, even if something else bad happened in the present day, it would have been a thousand times better than what actually happened. I stopped at 54% because it took a strange and absolutely ridiculous turn. I tapped out when the giant flying insects made an appearance and there was magic water, while no one in the book immediately recognized the big name clue. This is not well thought out nor did the plot make any sense after the 50% mark. It's sad because the writing is good.

I found this really difficult to read. I would struggle through a few chapters and then put it down for ages before struggling through another few.

I have the impression that there will be more books but I shan't be reading them.

This was fantastic. The world building, the characters, everything kept me turning the page and left me sad that it was over.

this was a great start to the Phantom Island series, the characters were great and I loved the storyline in this book. The world was really interesting and I wanted to go on more adventures.

Switching it up a little bit with Windchaser, we have a book from an author unknown to me until now, about teens at a camp who stumble upon something more than a good vacation.

Whitnee lost her dad when she was young, and it’s something that still effects her to this day. But after going to a troubled youth camp when she was a child, she returned with two new best friends, Morgan and Caleb. But will they stay best fr5iends when they come back to the camp as teenage mentors to a whole new set of trouble kids?

The book begins with a lot of reminiscing about their previous camp experience as children, which really reminded me of my own school camp experience. Although Whitnee and Morgan are more interested in meeting cute guys than actual camping. Under no circumstances are they supposed to cross the river. However, after thinking she sees someone on the other side, Whitnee just has to go and check it out for herself.

A fair warning, this book contains a lot of teenage boy drama. Just the hard part of being friends with boys, I guess. But despite all of that, Whitnee is determined to go find out what’s really going on, on the other side of the river. With or without her friends. And what she finds will change her life forever.

Overall I really enjoyed this unique story. I liked the characters, and the setting, and just the book in general. It’s something that I would love to continue reading, seeing as it’s a series. The story was just very different from the things that I’ve been reading lately, and it was needed. It’s not my new favourite, but not every book can be a new favourite, you know? Definitely check it out if you get the chance and you like teen books about camps with a fantastic twist!

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I enjoyed this book and was happy to read it as an advanced reader copy for my honest review. I think this series has great promise and I expect really great things from the author in the future. The story is full of fantasy, secrets, relationships, and friends. I liked how the author portrayed the emotions of the characters and think that will be very relatable with young adults. I recommend this book and I think it is a good read and look forward to more in the series.

First I want to say that I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I have to say that overall I did enjoy this book, I did have a rather hard time getting into it. There is no particular reason for this and it certainly is not because of the writing style. Dallas does an absolutely amazing job in both the creation of characters and the depth of them. She creates fantastic people that you get to know and feel a connection to.
The story itself was rather interesting though it took me quite a few chapters to really get drawn in.

I really liked Whitnee and Caleb;s characters. I think that they were interesting, unique and well written. I also loved the interactions between all the main characters. In addition to the characters, the setting was very intriguing. The island that interwove the fantasy with reality was exceptionally well done and is what finally sucked me fully into the book.

Would I say its my favorite book ever? No. But it is a book that I will remember and very much so enjoyed. It is absolutely worth getting and reading.

Whoa, what a great story/ride!! Love how the first part talks about three best friends who meet at Camp Fusion; Whitnee, Morgan and Caleb. They each have suffered a death in the family at a young age and were sent to Camp Fusion to deal with that grief, get counseling, get assigned to a mentor who is like a camp leader that listens and spends one-on-one time with them, and meet other campers who are experiencing the same or similar losses. She has brought together pieces from series like Avatar(the cartoon not the movie), Percy Jackson, and Harry Potter and managed to create something that feels fresh and new, not rehashed. The characters have depth, are fleshed out nicely, and the dialogue is completely believable. The romance elements are done tastefully and didn't leave me feeling like I was reading the diary of a teenage girl. Overall, I am very happy that I picked up this book and can't wait to learn more about the mystery of the island and how it ties in to all the main characters. I am eagerly awaiting the kindle release of the next installment in the series. Bring on Windfall!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF.

I unfortunately had to stop reading this book. I think the target audience is for the younger side of YA and that is my fault for requesting something out of my age range.

The world building and magic seems interesting! It was just a bit too young for me.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Very cool, and very well written. Can't wait to read others in the series, and by this author. Would tell my friends and family to look out for this book and this author. Loved the world building, The style of magic, and the way in which things were described.

In this exciting novel we follow Whitnee and her friends to Camp Fusion, a camp for troubled kids who suffer from life changing events. They once met there and are now back as mentors. There they not only find teen love and heartbreak but as well mysterious incidents.
Theo story is told in a very exciting way and I was well entertained. The characters with they background stories and the relationships between them are also entertaining and captivating. A great mix of interactions between people and they mysterious setting and events make this book a great read and reader want for sure more.

I didn’t have much expectations going in this book. And even so i came out of it disappointed.

Ill start off with the good bits, i like the premise, i like the magic system, yes i know the elemental magic system is VERY tropey but hey done right, i’m a sucker for those types of magic systems. And it was cool to see these characters with these elemental powers. Plus world building wasn’t non-existent unlike most ya books these days that somehow only focuses on romance.

As for the characters, ehh they were boring. I wish they had more depth oh were more realistic, they were just, bland. A lot of the book felt unhappening and there was no tension, romantic or plot vise or stakes to keep me as a reader, invested in following the plot. We only reach the phantom island around what felt like the halfway mark and everything before that didn’t add to the story or move the story forward.

This also comes down to the fact that i’m not the demographic the book is intended towards, so without my personal preferences, i would give it a three stars, because at the end of the day the book wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t to my taste. And i feel like ya readers would enjoy this!

I received an ARC from Thunderfly Productions in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley

A really great true YA book. Through no fault of its own, this book wasn't exactly what I had thought it was going to be.

The story is well written and will, no doubt, touch many of those in it's audience deeply. I was invested in Whitnee and what comes of her.

Whitney has come back to Camp Fusion to be a mentor. She wants to pay back Camp Fusion for the help she received at this summer camp. Six years ago, Whitney’s father disappeared, Whitnee had the help she needed to deal with her feelings. She also made friends with two others — Morgan and Caleb. They are all at Camp Fusion for the same reason — to help the kids. Something strange is happening to Whitnee which makes her wonder why is she having her illusion of seeing her dad on the other side of the river and in her dreams. She decides that she must go to the other side of the river even though it is forbidden. Why is it forbidden? Morgan and Caleb go with her as well two campers. When they reach the other side, there is a strange orange mist swirling on the ground. Whitnee disappears when the orange mist has contact with her. Where did she go? Will she be able to get back? Will she find her father?

In the novel, there are secrets to be discovered, adventures and some romance. It’s not a perfect but the magic and romance do help. I think that a book that holds my attention as this one did is fantastic. My only problem with the book was the beginning as it seemed slow. I must admit that I can’t wait to read the next book!

(I was provided with a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own).

OOOH I was so keen to get back into some YA and I am SO GLAD this was the book I chose. It's my first read by Krissi Dallas and I would recommend to any YA fantasy lover- It's technically high fantasy but set in modern day (involving an alternate worldscape). Super appropriate for middle class reading levels but also, I am 28 and loved it.

SYNOPSIS:
Windchaser follows Whitnee- a high school senior and mentor at Camp Fusion; a camp for healing for children who have experienced trauma. Camp Fusion hold a special place for Whitnee as well as her two best friends; Caleb and Morgan. Whitnee first attended the camp when she was six, shortly after her father mysteriously disappeared off the shores of Hawaii.

As she returns to Camp Fusion as a mentor the camp is not exactly how Whitnee remembers it- She is flooded by vivid hallucinations and haunting nightmares that have one thing in common- the forbidden land on the other side of the river. Her idea to explore leads her and her band of friends in an unknown world. This book explores trauma, grief, friendship and teen romance so beautifully!

What I loved:
I LOVED Whitnee's emotions as a teenager were portrayed- I loved the complex relationships she developed between her and the other characters and I especially loved the dynamic between Whitnee, Gabriel and Caleb.
The author has built an incredible world that is original and so enticing. I want to know EVERYTHING about White Island. I was lore of the different tribes, I want fan fiction. I want it all. I am so excited for this to be a series and for us to know more about it.

What I didn't love as much:
To be honest there isn't much to critique about this book. It is well written, the dialogue flows nicely, I loved the descriptive nature of the writing. I will say that one of my book gripes is when a book seems like the ending is "unfinished." I understand it's a series and we will have questions answered in the next book but I think it's important the book still has it's own start-middle-end, and I don't think Windchaser had this. I turned the last page and was a little dumfounded to find I had reached the end.

However, this has had the positive effect of making me extremely keen to read the next book in the Phantom Island adventure!

Windchaser is a great new YA fantasy book about some teenagers who cross a river and end up in a place called White Island. The characters are very well-written, however, I found most of them unlikable, except the characters from the White Island. I loved the world-building, it has some serious potential. As far as the mysterious island, the inhabitants follow the 4 elements trope that seems popular nowadays. I am curious to see what happens next as the book basically ends mid-sentence. It makes for a great read for YA fans.

I received an eARC from Thunderfly Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.

This story follows Whitnee and her 2 best friends, Caleb and Morgan. They meet in 6th Grade while attending Camp Fusion. This is a camp for kids who have suffered a life altering event.. Each friend has a tragic story that they have a difficult time dealing with. They all become very close friends and remain so after the camp is over. Fast forward to High school where they all head back to camp and become Camp Mentors to children attending the same camp. What follows is Mystery, teen love and heartbreak.

This book was fun and intriguing. Their is a mystery through the first part of the book that will hook you and make you read into the night.. I enjoyed how the author combined the the teens heartbreak and their love for each other to cement their relationships. You will feel invested in their stories and want to continue this story.

This book is a 5 parts series with the 6th book coming soon . Fans of teen romance, fantasy and mystery will love this story. I wish I had book series like this when I was in Schoo.l

DNF at 25%. Unfortunately just could not get into this book. Just not a style of writing that I enjoy reading. Best wishes to the author.