Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Chanticleer 5 Star Book Review

THE COURTESAN’S DAUGHTER by Susanne Dunlap – Historical Fiction, 20th Century, Family Life Fiction

The Courtesan’s Daughter is a blisteringly smart novel of resilience and the pursuit of one’s dreams, the latest offering by Author Susanne Dunlap.

The year is 1910, New York. It has been ten years since Justine, a French immigrant, fled from her home country with her daughter Sylvie to seek refuge in the United States. As a seventeen-year-old, Sylvie has passionate dreams: to be a star in the new moving pictures just like the Vitagraph girl she admires. However, her mother hopes that she will become a teacher and pull them out of their impoverished life. As Justine ekes out a living as a seamstress on the Lower East Side, Sylvie discreetly weaves a plan to follow her dreams after meeting an Italian boy, Paulo, who encourages her to follow her ambitions.

A man from Justine’s past tries to shatter her hope for a comfortable life.

He haunts her with threats of spilling a secret that involves her previous work as a courtesan, and the crime that forced her to flee. Justine knows that such delicate information could see her sent to prison and even tear apart the fabric of Sylvie’s life.

When Sylvie finds out about her mother’s supposed betrayal, she runs away from home believing it is no longer safe. The glassy perfection and quiet reserve she had long held of her mother is shattered into a million pieces. Endurance, determination, and unusual pacts take center stage in Justine and Sylvie’s lives as they fight for love, which comes at a precious cost.

Susanne Dunlap weaves an impressive duality between two different women and their journey as a family.

Justine’s and Sylvie’s emotional odysseys become progressively aligned, bridging the past and the present. Dunlap offers a bird’s eye view of her two protagonists, showing their thoughts, emotions, and the consequences of their decisions. The book’s neat and lucid prose creates a sense of poise and shows off Dunlap’s mastery as a wordsmith.

At turns poignant and bleak, and at other times pleasant and vibrant, The Courtesan’s Daughter is a triumph both in its construction and content.

The author deftly presents a unique period through rich and vivid descriptions, evoking the mood and atmosphere of this time. She adds an extra repast across the pages that informs in striking ways. Powerful and imaginative, Dunlap’s work is one of optimism that reveals the fortitude of humans to stay afloat even in the starkest circumstances.

The Courtesan’s Daughter draws readers in from the first page with its beguiling beginning. As it hurtles ahead, it holds you rapt up to the last page. Undoubtedly, this story is a tour de force from an author with absolute command of the genre.

January 11, 2023
THE CLAIMING by J.A. Nielsen – Young Adult, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

The illegitimate son of a human king accidentally binds himself to a Fae princess in J.A. Nielsen’s YA adventure, The Claiming. As war bears down on the kingdom of Telridge, can the two of them break the spell in time?

Lord Ferrous, ruler of Telridge, smells conflict coming for his people. Even so, he denies a mysterious request from the king of the Winter Fae, and sets his sons to prepare their land for war. His eldest, Prince Dirk, gathers his knights and begins to evacuate the common people to the protection of Telridge castle. His younger son Spense, born out of wedlock to the castle’s head cook, uses his finicky magic to Claim a bridge over a powerful river. If he succeeds, the passing will be barred to their enemies. But he fails to realize that the powerful living force he encounters isn’t the bridge at all.

Dewy, crown princess of the Summer Fae, is Claimed instead of the bridge. Her aunt, Lady Radiant, must exile her from their lands. While Dewy’s careless spirit chafed under Radiant’s authority, she grieves for her lost home.

Spense resolves to break the Claiming, no matter what it takes.

The two of them journey on a diplomatic mission to the Fae, while Dirk and his knights begin to fight against an army of both humans, from the kingdom of Verden, and Winter Fae. Spense seeks both an alliance with Lady Radiant, and the means to free Dewy of the bonds he put on her. But this journey will ask more of him and Dewy than they know.

Nielsen brings her characters to full and vibrant life.

Dewy and Spense both feel that they’re different from those around them, unsure of their place in the world. Though they’re initially brought together by magic, they begin to form a genuine bond and bring out positive change in one another. They find confidence in their abilities and, as they come to understand each other, share their fears and sorrows.

Even antagonistic characters show their complexity. Lady Radiant, though reserved and steely in diplomatic talks, wants desperately to help her niece. Prince Dirk fights courageously and sees past the social standing of Flora, a farm girl, to realize that she could help his knights to save Telridge. The king of winter himself, Lumine, is driven by an understandable need, even if he keeps his secrets closely guarded.

The battles, both emotional and literal, keep a gripping pace.

Faerie magic, fire-tipped arrows, gunpowder, and even failed alchemy experiments clash in the battle for Telridge. Dewy wields phenomenal elemental power, Spense offers his clever inventions, and Dirk and Flora must devise creative strategies to hold back the army arrayed against them. Exciting, tense scenes play out as knights and faeries fight. All the while, the characters try to weather the mental toll of waging war.

Spense bears responsibility for all of his people as he becomes Telridge’s diplomat to the Fae courts.

Throughout Nielsen’s luminous, intricately-described Fey lands, Spense grapples with the guilt of what he’s done to Dewy, while Dewy herself contemplates what she feels for him, how much of her fondness can be true with the Claiming upon her. The two risk life, limb, and even more for each other as a curious, subtle mystery forms around their meetings with the Winter Fae.

The Claiming is a story of courage, connection, and the responsibility of a person to care for those around them. Fans of fantasy and faeries will love this fast-paced adventure.

January 9, 2023
THE TRUMP DIARIES 2024 by Barry Robbins – Satire, Political Fiction, 2024 Election

Reviewing satire is challenging and so is reviewing diaries. Reviewing a political satire that is written in a diary format is no exception.

However, this reviewer was rewarded for taking on the challenge

The Trump Diaries 2024 by Barry Robbins consists of Donald J. Trump’s Diaries from 2024—the future’s past. The Publisher (a shadowy presence in the book) calls this “The document of the century,” so be sure to read every word from the beginning all the way through the end notes of this unique political satire.

Robbins treats us (particularly those who are not 45 fans) with delicious word twists, double entendre, and not-so-subtle subtext that sings with the sublime. In these 2024 diary entries, The Donald has questions and tries to understand some issues such as the Shakespearean misunderstandings he encounters, etiquette conundrums, and other misadventures with recognizable notables. As you read and digest the “daily diary entries” made by The Donald with the help of his interpreter, The Chronicler-in-Chief, you will find some of The Donald’s entries to be ‘groaners,’ just like this reader’s dear father’s dad puns. And then there are the ones just like the ‘love letter’ from George R.R. Martin to The Donald about the Ice Wall on the northern border of Westeros (of The Game of Thrones fame). Brilliant. Winter is coming.

Just like the ending to It’s a Wonderful Life makes everything better, so does the ending of The Trump Diaries. When The Trump Diaries 2024 comes to the end. Robbins leaves us with feeling good and with the belief that all will end well (at least for a few minutes In Real Life). Nonetheless, just like It’s a Wonderful Life, one must go on the journey to fully appreciate the ending. The insightful and witty Appendices with their wordplay from notable characters should not be overlooked. They are the proverbial icing on the cake that brings it all together in this work.

Robbins gifts readers with the opportunity to snicker and guffaw again and again as points connect through his story, just as they did in this author’s first two works of the four-book The Trump Satire series: Oh Daddy Chronicles, Oh Daddy Chronicles 2: Return of Covfefe, and Scales of Justice: The Trump Trials. You can read these cleverly written, humorous books in any order and still enjoy them.

Political satires and lampoons are often difficult to write. If a work goes too far, it risks its audience’s outright dismissal as nonsense. If it doesn’t go far enough, then you have a milquetoast work. Barry Robbins’s Trump Diaries 2024 brilliantly crafts the voice of The Donald in a genuinely unique manner that captures overtones, challenges, delusions, and his (Trump’s) inner mind workings and perceptions. This zeitgeist can be hysterical and sometimes chillingly scarily on target in its own absurd way which is hard to do when the In-Real-Life Donald Trump makes himself so hard to parody. Just like Sarah Cooper, who did a great job mocking Trump only using his own words and his own voice, or James Austin Johnson’s impersonation of Trump on SNL that reflects who Trump really is, Robbins seems to have some how gotten inside The Donald’s mind to come up with these hilarious parody diary entries from the future that have a bona fide ludicrous ring to them. Enjoy and remember to read to the very end.

January 6, 2023
THE HIDDEN LIBRARY: Book 2 of the Isle of Dragons Series by L.A. Thompson – Steampunk, YA Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Isle of Dragons: The Hidden Library by L.A. Thompson is a breathtaking race to seize the reins of destiny and find a magical library that was once the subject of stories and lore. Jade and Kaylen, once friends, oppose each other in search of this hidden library and its world-changing secrets.

Demoted and dejected, Kaylen reels from her valiant but failed attempt to bring back the final item that King Jarrod needs to fulfill a prophecy. The iconic stone remains out of reach. Kaylen is summoned for an audience with the king. A glimmer of hope for the future flickers, but the king demands an even more ambitious mission of her. He will restore her rank and honors if she finds for him the mysterious hidden library that can open a gateway between worlds. It’s a deadly challenge that will once again pit her against an old friend.

Jade summons all her strength and courage with others who stand against the king who has made her family suffer. When she and Kaylen clash, sparks will ignite as hot as a dragon’s roar.

The king’s final, harrowing order troubles Kaylen as she embarks on her quest. She is to kill her shapeshifter friend Drey after he’s helped her find the hidden library. Is Kaylen willing to sacrifice so much for her king? Can she even find what she seeks for her people and for herself, or will Jade find a key to winning the war against King Jarrod?

The spirit library of The Isle of Dragons was once in water dragon territory, but the guardian spirit has now moved to a secret location on the isle. Jade and her small band search for this new location. They might have to sacrifice the magical stone they use as a tool in taming dragons, but it will be worth the brilliant goal they seek, a better world.

Kaylen hopes to release new magic from the library to birth an era that she believes will be free forever of famine or plague. From two different directions, Kaylen and Jade pursue the vision of a beacon of hope, but at cross purposes how can this quest end?

Author L. A. Thompson tells a soaring adventure on the backs of towering dragons full of personality. This fast-paced story proves a dramatic sequel in the Isle of Dragon series.

Determined, inspiring characters battle on despite their sorrows, setbacks, and weaknesses. They accept terrifying challenges for the good of their people. The Isle and its people are imaginative and fleshed out, bringing the world to life. The characters’ kindness in moments of desperation, and their bravery in facing the unknown will stir empathy and concern in readers. Can these intrepid heroes stay resolute, and unite to see a brighter future?

January 4, 2023
MOROCCAN MUSINGS by Anne B. Barriault – Travelogue, Moroccan History, Multi-Cultural

Anne B. Barriault’s Moroccan Musings is a creative blend of personal journal, travelogue, and historical narrative about an ancient culture and civilization.

The slim three-part volume delivers contemplative vignettes that showcase Barriault’s draw to the intoxicating beauty of this North African country and the openness and sincerity of its people. Early on Barriault relates that her story was born of wanderlust, curiosity, ignorance, yearning, and desperation. In the aftermath of the tragic events of 9/11, her quest for knowledge about the Middle East grew, along with a desire to better understand Islam and the Muslim world.

Inspired by a trip to Italy where Arab-Islamic cultures had been present in the 13th and 14th centuries, Barriault ultimately joined a “Moroccan Discovery” museum tour group. The experience gave a voice to her writing as she described her visit to a region that was “sensuous, intoxicating, spiritual, and earthbound.” From olive groves, cork tree orchards, and dogs rooting for flavorful white truffles, to the contrast of an unremarkable Moroccan home exterior and its interior of marble floors, colorful tiles, filigree arches, silk & brocade fabrics, and calligraphic Koranic blessings, Barriault invites readers along on her excursion.

She reflects on the beauty, friendliness, and curiosity of the young people she meets in a place where adolescent boys are taught the art of selling and trading, as they entice visiting foreigners to speak bits of the Arabic language. Meanwhile, three generations of women in the central marketplace show the changing culture, the covered elders, their daughters in European attire wearing the hijab head scarf, and a granddaughter defying tradition by choosing clothing inspired by pop stars.

In part two of this travel memoir, Barriault showcases her solo journey to Fes.

Here she notes that her first trip to Morocco was “through the lens of a five-star hotel.” “This time around was the lifting of the romantic veil.” She details an ancient city with shops, houses, and astonishing artisanship. Free concerts in the public square, along with a sacred music festival offer enticement with their carnival-like atmosphere. Lunch with a hosting family features an array of delectables from salads and couscous to roasted meat, along with fresh fruit and the ritual of mint tea. Unfortunately, she puts future travel plans on hold due to the restless discontent in the country.

Part three in this trilogy of essays finds Barriault on a family trip to Marrakesh for Christmas of 2018.

With time’s passing, the area is now home to 2 million people. A new museum has opened to preserve the city’s heritage, and the Moroccan King and Queen are now divorced. Barrialult spends Christmas in the desert, artfully describing the beauty of the sand dunes changing color with the light, a flavorful tagine lunch at camp, and a precarious ride aboard a long-lashed camel with its “camelicious thoughts and sideways glance of bemusement.” From the ancient Berber influence that permeates the city and the five times daily call to prayer, to the Western presence that finds Marrakesh a modern-age mecca for the likes of expatriates, rock stars, and hippies, Barriault’s revelations are rich, sensory, and alive.

Moroccan Musings by Anne B. Barriault won First Place in the 2014 CIBA Journey Awards for Narrative Non-Fiction.

December 30, 2022
DRUIDS Of The SKY by Dana Willow – Coming of Age, Steampunk, LGBT+ YA Fiction

A young adult fantasy gem, Dana Willow’s Druids of the Sky, is a story about the power of found family and self-discovery.

On a steampunk version of Earth, humans and druids have tensely coexisted for much of known history. Leah lives a content life with her merchant father aboard Skyport, a giant world-traveling airship held aloft by a metal called Heracleum. Another merchant boards Skyport with the hope of selling his druid creatures to humans as pets, but when one imprints on Leah, she discovers she’s not as human as she thought.

Revealed to be a half-druid, her calm life traversing the human world is about to change forever.

Leah leaves Skyport to seek out a druid community in hopes of finding whatever remains of her infamous family. Leah has a lot to discover about herself and must do so carefully in the face of prejudice against her nature.

After departing from Skyport, Leah comes across a small druid town and meets Aspin, a young druid also struggling to find her place in the world. She is an alchemy school dropout and struggles with insecurity in her magical abilities. Together they embark on a journey to uncover Leah’s family, finding plenty of danger along with small but significant acts of kindness.

Druids of the Sky is a page-turner with a flowing style that fits the young adult genre wonderfully.

Author Dana Willow creates authentic emotional connections among her characters, growing them into complex and dynamic people. At the heart of the book is a romance intolerable to this world of druid and human conflict. This beautiful element of the story adds significant depth to the polarizing races and cultures of human and druid societies.

Throughout Leah’s journey to find her parents, she encounters many who wish her harm, but just as many who hold out hope that one day druids and humans can live in peace. Druids of the Sky is a reminder that we are never alone and that there is always kindness in the world.

This story shows the beauty in a journey shared with others.

Dana Willow writes an ambiguous ending with many questions unanswered. This sly trick leaves readers with plenty of room for personal interpretations and hope that the story will continue well beyond the last page.

Dana Willow’s debut novel Druids of the Sky is a heartfelt and relatable coming-of-age story, a must-read young adult fantasy novel. In a massive and congested genre, Druids of the Sky adds a needed touch of kindness and compassion.

December 28, 2022
THE PROPHECY Of The HERON: Book 2 of The AI Dystopia Series by Craig W. Stanfill – Sci-Fi Dystopia, Artificial Intelligence, Conspiracy Thriller

Shadow people, doppelgangers, and artificial intelligence come together in The Prophecy of the Heron, a compelling dystopian novel by Craig W. Stanfill.

In this future world, love is forbidden and those who transgress are sentenced to the outer Districts, none more violent than District 33. This is where our protagonist, Kim, finds herself at the beginning of the novel. The reader feels Kim’s confusion as arrives on the freezing, squalid streets.

Kim, a former AI “Creator” for The Artificial Intelligence Company, has lost control of her creation “Kimberly” and been cast out of her former job because of a forbidden relationship with her lover Shad. Kim refuses to submit to a procedure to remove her ”Genderist” tendencies, even if it would free her from District 33.

Other rebels include Pretties, Drabs, and Flagrants – the most extravagant of the Genderists. Kim begins to meet Blanks – those who have cut their ID chip from their wrists. These shadow people don’t “exist,” and yet, they play an important role in her survival.

Kim starts to uncover a horrific plan that her former employer is carrying out.

To make enough money to survive, Kim finds a dangerous side hustle with an established gangster running people around in a pedicab. But wherever she goes, trouble is waiting for her – deadly trouble. AI is being manipulated to no longer serve humans, but to target troublemakers, such as herself. When Kim realizes it is her own creation, Kimberly, who is being forced to hunt her, she determines to change her world, starting with Kimberly.

Kim embarks on a page-turning journey through a parallel world, using VR, her knowledge of AI and Kimberly, and her time in District 33 to take on risks that would destroy most people.

The dreary decay and violence of District 33 are reminiscent of 1984 and even that of the Stacks in Ready, Player One.

Like The Hunger Games, this is a world where reality has been manipulated and controlled by a small group of people. The powerful wield AI to control the populace, and anyone who deviates from the “norm” will be cast to the torturous outer districts, as Kim was.

In a world where we can ask Alexa to direct our robot vacuum where to clean, The Prophecy of the Heron serves as a timely warning and an uncomfortably familiar dystopian novel.

Compelling characters grab the reader with relatable pains and desires, making this story difficult to put down.

This novel begins with a note on the translation that lets the reader know the original Panglobal does not easily translate to English “due to the absence of ungendered personal pronouns in English and the absence of gendered ones in Panglobal.” Because of this, “she/her/hers is used throughout so the reader can’t make assumptions as to the gender of the characters.” The use of these pronouns reminds the reader that in this world, even something as personal as gender identity is forbidden to people.

December 19, 2022
TERMS Of SERVICE: Book 1 of The AI Dystopia Series by Craig W. Stanfill – Science Fiction, Dystopia, Artificial Intelligence

“Terms of Service” are those cryptic notes that accompany computer devices and applications, spelling out their rules. The novel, Terms of Service, by Craig W. Stanfill, turns those notices into the foundation of a dystopian horror story where Artificial Intelligence (AI) controls virtually every aspect of human behavior.

Kim works for a giant AI corporation. It’s her task to train AI systems to interface with human beings, even as those systems make life difficult for the average person. AIs are not alive, not sentient, but they provide the precise terms of service under which every person in major metropolitan areas must live.

We see this world through Kim’s life. The food her kitchen authorizes her to eat is mostly kale and grains. We see her wardrobe, with multiple selections of beige. We ride the subway with her, understanding that there are even penalties for violating someone’s airspace. She meets with her friends, all of whom have gender-neutral names. Kim has sex with someone much like her. Every detail of her life is controlled by multiple AI devices that follow her, know her habits, record her, and decide the punishment for any rule she breaks.

Even the sky is full of artificial eyes.

Kim and Shan, her good friend from childhood, decide to go on a bike ride through a local park. They pass warning signs telling them not to proceed onto unauthorized paths, but they push on anyway, showing a spark of rebellion. This fateful ride, which contains multiple infractions, opens a new chapter of life for Kim. Expecting to be punished for her violations, Kim’s masters instead give her a groundbreaking assignment.

Her new role is to train a more advanced AI system with even greater potential to control people. This one will have a face, however – Kim’s face. The AI will know every aspect of her life and will blur the line between creator and creation.

This chilling world, one in which the all-seeing AI knows every aspect of your life, is a half-step away from where we are now.

It’s hard to read this novel without recalling the use of facial recognition, advertising algorithms, and mass sale of personal data that underpin our modern digital world. Artificial intelligence no longer has to be invited into our lives. But Terms of Service, by taking our current world and showing it implemented to the extreme, also urges us to fight back and value our individuality. This story shows that living beings, even under the thumb of machines, can choose what to make of their lives.

Terms of Service begins with a “Note on the Translation” on the first page. It warns readers not to search for the sexual identity of anyone in this book. Character names are carefully genderless. “She,” “her” and “hers” are used throughout. The language of the day is “Panglobal,” in which words like “mother” and “love” are nonexistent. Gender identity is among this world’s most severe crimes.

Anyone worried or fascinated by the rise of AI in the modern world will find a gripping, thoughtful work of science fiction in Terms of Service.

December 16, 2022
HOMEGOING by Toni Ann Johnson – Literary Fiction, Discrimination & Racism, Novella

Homegoing by Toni Ann Johnson is an intimate portrait of a middle-aged African-American woman dragging herself hand over hand out of grief and despair.

This story begins with her aching, echoing pain after the one-two punch of a miscarriage and the dissolution of her marriage. Her journey takes her back to the upper-middle-class white suburb where she grew up, through childhood memories that refuse to be denied and to, of all times and places, a funeral.

Something and someone is supposed to be buried. Certainly the deceased. But quite possibly the woman who has held on to her losses and her grudges long enough to poison her own future.

Homegoing explores two literary tropes about the place called “home.” Thomas Wolfe’s posthumous 1940 novel states starkly in its title, You Can’t Go Home Again. But Robert Frost, in his poem The Death of the Hired Man, says, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in.”

The home that Madeline Arrington can’t truly go back to represents the past and not the present. She remembers her childhood, as one of the very few black children in a mostly-white suburb, being filled with racist taunts and bullying from children who were never held accountable for making her childhood hell. A hell that seems to be remembered by no one but herself – and she can’t let go of either the original memories or the gaslighting that now surrounds them.

While Maddie doesn’t want to go home, she can if she must, as she does for the funeral of her former next-door neighbor. And in that return, she learns that the past is dead except in her own memories and that it’s time to let it go – not for anyone else’s sake, but for her own.

Homegoing offers catharsis.

While Maddie’s memories of childhood bullying revolve around racism, any adult who was bullied as a child will resonate with Maddie’s experiences. Children are often cruel, and the victims remember their treatment much more harshly and in much more detail than the perpetrators.

But the past is another country, to quote another classic novel, and they do things differently there – or did. Maddie’s own healing requires her to leave the past behind, and her ability to do so gives the reader hope for a brighter future for the character, and quite possibly for themselves as well.

Highly Recommended!

Homegoing by Toni Ann Johnson won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Shorts Awards for Short Stories, Essays, Novelletes, and Novellas.

December 14, 2022
UNANIMITY: Spiral Worlds Book 1 by Alexandra Almeida – Science Fiction, Philosophical, Virtual Reality

Alexandra Almeida probes the philosophical and ethical depths of wealth, technology, pop culture, and religion in a world ravaged by global warming through her sci-fi adventure, Unanimity: Spiral Worlds #1.

Readers will delight in the gradual reveal of both the technology within the story and the dramatic history between many of those involved with the creation and evolution of that technology.

Tom, a screenwriter, works with Harry, the genius inventor of the world’s most popular AI (artificial intelligence) app, to create a simulation that will nudge people toward acting morally.

This virtual world consists of multiple layers, each focusing on a different psychological alignment depending on the needs of the person using the program. A lower level, much like Hell, exposes people to horrors and cruelty, while some upper levels focus on order and happiness.

The project becomes more complex when they upload the entire consciousness of people, creating virtual immortality. The story opens with the digital resurrection of Tom, also known as Shadow, long after his death.

With this rise of digital immortality comes an effective replacement for the afterlife of Heaven and Hell promised by Christianity.

Almeida gives readers a glimpse at a world coming to grips with direct access to this afterlife which is completely and undeniably real. Governments as well as popular culture must deal with new questions. Should humans have access to immortality? Who ultimately controls this virtual world? Who acts as God within the machine? This story explores the depths of these questions.

The characters are all delightfully complex.

The name Shadow fits the protagonist, given the corrupting task he undertakes, all with the good intention to understand those he loves more completely. Harry, also known as Twist, lacks social skills and empathy, but he knows this and reaches for help from Shadow. The cast is full of inner conflicts and contradictions. They match the complexities of real people and include LGBTQ+ characters among them, making the story more relatable and universal.

With this breadth of characters, readers might be confused during the early introductions in the book. However, this confusion passes as the story goes on and the characters differentiate themselves.

Unanimity’s technology feels well-researched and thought out.

Throughout the novel, readers get more and more of a view of both the complexity of the story world and the ideology behind the virtual reality system. Almeida does a great job of making everything about this story fully believable, as if this AI afterlife could happen in the real world in the near future.

Overall, Unanimity is a strong read for fans of sci-fi, philosophy, and AI fiction, and a gripping first entry for the Spiral Worlds series.

December 12, 2022