Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Young Adult

DANTE ROSSETTI 2017 Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction Slush Pile Survivors
The Dante Rossetti Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works of Young Adult Fiction. The Dante Rossetti Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Reviews International Book Awards.

The following titles and their authors have made it past the initial “Slush-Pile Rounds” and will compete in the next rounds to see which titles will be Short Listed for the 2017 Dante Rossetti Book Awards.

Good Luck to All!
- Susan Faw – Soul Sanctuary
- Philip P. Carlisle – The Paradox of Jayne Le Faye
- Brittany Evans – Unlocking Olympus
- S.V. Mitchell – The Noble Noggin
- JL Morin – Nature’s Confession
- Alex E. Carey – Fire’s Love
- Richard Mann – Wasted in Waldport
- DJ Munro – Slave to Fortune
- Jan Von Schleh – But Not Forever
- Mario Loomis – Primordium
- Elise K. Ackers – One for the Road
- John Foley – One For The Team
- Isaac Fozard – Coalheart
- Tim Lee – High Heels and Horsepower
- Jean Gill – Fortune Kookie
- Laurel Anne Hill – The Engine Woman’s Light
- Judith Sanders – Star Finder: The First Book in the Diamond Island Saga
- Deen Ferrell – Cryptic Spaces: Dark Edge Rising
- Gregory Saur – Panterror!: The Epic Babysitting Adventures of Rachel Pugsley
- Anne Donaghy – Raven, Tell A Story
- John A. Vikara – My Lonely Room
- Kathy L. Greenberg – The Bully Solution
- Edward Stanton – Wide as the Wind
- Rebekah N. Bryan – Track Two on Repeat
- PJ Devlin – Becoming Jonika
- Taylor Caley – Ice Cold – Part One: The Dark Zone
- J. L. Skirvin – Snow Now Sizzling in Soleil
- Lynn Yvonne Moon – The Tower
- Zoe Kalo – Chameleon
- Lynette Cabrera – Just For Now
- Samantha Crouch – Onyx
- Julian North – Age of Order
- Brittany Evans – Unlocking Olympus
- Alisse Lee Goldenberg – The City of Arches
- Robert Wright Jr – Ruby Red and the Wolf
- Dara Lyons – Twinlove
- Robert D. Calkins – Digger
- Michelle Rowe – Emma Beware
These titles will compete to be SHORT LISTED in the next rounds.

We are accepting entries into the 2018 Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction.

To compete in the 2018 Dante Rossetti Book Awards or for more information, please click here.

Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media, L.L.C. retains the right to not declare “default winners.” Winning works are decided upon merit only. Please visit our Contest Details page for more information about our writing contest guidelines.

CBR’s rigorous writing competition standards are why literary agencies seek out our winning manuscripts and self-published novels. Our high standards are also why our reviews are trusted among booksellers and book distributors.

Please do not hesitate to contact Info@ChantiReviews.com about any questions, concerns, or suggestions about CBR writing competitions. Your input and suggestions are important to us.

Thank you for your interest in Chanticleer Book Reviews International Writing Competitions and Book Awards.
October 3, 2017
Building Your Readership Community – Not Just for YA Authors

#SocializingWithInternetStrangersForTheWin

Dear YA Writer,

You know that moment right before you hit “Post”? The seconds seem to still, like a roller coaster summiting a steep incline. Click. Movement. A loading bar appears. Aaaaand, plunge. Self-promotion rockets into cyberspace on the wings of a WiFi prayer to the cat gods of the interwebs.

Then the wait.

Refresh! And still no notification. Doubt creeps in and whispers error messages from your social media past. But you’ve changed. You no longer join the horde of desperate town criers who scream into the void “buy my book!” with every tweet. Your contribution is now a diverse portfolio of hooks and calls to action with appropriate yet ironic hashtags.

A notification pops up. Someone has engaged! Impressions increase.

Inhale relief. You did it! Exhale negativity. Whew, you spelled there/their/they’re right.

Yeah, that moment.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

This is authordom. This is #amwriting about #writerslife and #writerproblems. Because, let’s face it. For all our word-slinging bravado, marketing via social media is not our best use of wordsmithery. OK, some of you are seriously boss when it comes to online engagement. Most of us, though, are introverted, please-dear-god-don’t-make-me-have-small-talk-with-strangers types who require naps to recharge our social anxiety batteries. Shooting proverbial fish in a cyberspace barrel cuts into our writing time. <<inserts angry eyebrows>>

So what do we do? We sin against the Internet by cluttering newsfeeds with our amateur attempts at marketing. Why talk with strangers when we can talk at them?

No, YA Writer. Just, no. Better to not Internet at all.

I know, I know, I know… You’ve changed. A reformed self-promotion junkie. I believe you. But revision is the theme song of writing, amirite? And when it comes to engaging young adult readers, one thing is critical.

Socializing.

Yeah, you read correctly. I said socializing. Some of you just cringed. Sorry-not-sorry. Strange as it may sound, social media is designed for community and relationship building, not marketing. The kind of place where you talk with people, not at them. YA readers (especially actual YA-aged YA readers) are sensitive to this online phenomenon, too.

Get to know your readers and potential readers. Ask them questions about what they like. Be silly. Be serious. Be everything in-between. Share strange but true tidbits about you.

While plunking away at this blog, shoulders hunched and face pinched with all the feels, my elbow bumped a book stack where an unsuspecting gummy cinnamon bear rolled off the edge and met an untimely end in a cup of tea. Not bad. I think I just found my new favorite sweetener. #RIP #GummyBear2017 #NeverForget

What is the strangest thing you’ve drank in your coffee or tea?

What is the strangest thing you’ve drank in your coffee or tea?

See what I did there?

Did I mention my books? Nope.

Did I direct someone to my website or Amazon page? Negatory.

Did I ask them to comment? You betcha.

But I chose a safe topic. Neutral ground. No sales pressure here. Instead, I’m building a community for my followers and establishing a thread of conversation. Interact with comments. Like, heart, wow, and laugh. Weep with your followers when they give you a piece of their troubled heart. Be outraged when they describe crimes against humanity.

Be you.

Socializing.

You totally got this.

True confession: I don’t always post like a saint. Sometimes I sin against the Internet with shameless plugs and yadda-yadda-yadda about my product rather than engaging my community. Sometimes this is necessary. Sometimes it’s too much, and my followers show me by ignoring my attempts for attention.

The best combo is 75% community building and 25% self-promotion.

Hey, don’t worry. I’m still learning this, too. We’ll do this social media thing together.

First, a cautionary tale: Please, for the love of cat GIFs, don’t bore your followers with business details. Your readers don’t care. Your younger readers care even less. Authordom is not the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and readers are not brokers waving money and shouting at machines with fluctuating values. OK, so they sorta are, and the giant AI that is Amazon oscillates prices like Oprah. Here’s a saving for you. And a saving for you. Savings for everyone! You get the gist. They don’t need the gritty details of your sales or the publishing industry. <yawns> Plus, people notice when other people stop looking at them as fellow humans and blink $$$ instead.

Don’t be that author.

Join the resistance! I’ll stand beside you fellow #YAlit writer as we lift our keyboards and Smart tech in solidarity to reclaim our followers and engagement!

Click.

Plunge.

#SocializingWithInternetStrangersForTheWin

Sincerely,

Me

P.S. Pssst. This isn’t goodbye. Oh, no. You’re stuck with me for a few more blog conversations. So stay tuned!

P.P.S. Many of us have day jobs or other duties outside of writing. Since we’re getting to know each other here: Using only GIFs, comment on what you do for a living.

A note from Chanticleer:

Many thanks to Jesikah Sundin for sharing her effective and fun social media techniques with us!

Two words could describe Jesikah: books and coffee. She pours a cup of dark roast writer’s ambrosia before approaching her keyboard. And the forest is her happy place.

Jesikah invites you to socialize with her on her website and social media pages (visit her website for direct links).

Jesikah Sundin is the award-winning author of the Biodome Chronicles.

Short Description of Legacy: Book One

Siblings born and raised inside an earth-based experimental Mars biodome have only known a rustic medieval life rich in traditions and chivalry. Groomed by The Code, they have built a sustainable community devoid of Outsider interference––until the unthinkable happens.

Cultures clash when the high technology of the Anime Tech Movement collides with the Middle Ages in a quest for truth, unfolding a story rich in mystery, betrayal and love.

September 20, 2017
HOW to SET the WORLD on FIRE by T.K. Riggins – Middle Grade/Young Adult, School of Magic, Fantasy

Are you looking for a magical read? Pick up the award-winning Young Adult book, How to Set the World on Fire by T.K. Riggins and sink into a worthy example of the “school of magic” sub-genre sparked by the Harry Potter series.

In this fast-paced, good-humored story, Kase Garrick, grandson of legendary warrior Roman Garrick, takes up residence in the Warriors castle at The Academy, reuniting with his older sister Cali, a member of the school’s Scholars branch. From his first day, Kase gains an enemy in Cali’s boyfriend Niveous. Sent to the Disciplinary Room thanks to Niveous’s trickery, Kase makes fast friends with the two girls also in detention: Talen, a sweet but awkward savant, and rebellious Lenia, whose control over fire tends dangerously toward pyromania.

Kase hones his skills in weaponry while he and Lenia flirt themselves into love, while everything is building in anticipation to the Quest Series, the annual Academy competition. The teams are usually made up of four students from a single school, but Cali, Kase, Lenia, and Talen bend the rules to form their own team. They find support from the Grand Master and Professor Bright, the elements instructor, both of whom see the unusual potential in these four students.

When the Quest Series begins, the plot coalesces into an exciting journey, not only into the four corners of the realm but also into the students’ psyches. Each of the five Events poses mental, physical, and emotional challenges for Cali’s team, The Liberati. Each student’s mental aptitude and fortitude are tested, as well, but not only by their ordeals—some teams join with Niveous’s crew to hamstring the favored four. Their malice, however, turns to alarm when it becomes apparent that The Liberati–Kase and Lenia in particular—have powers far beyond those developed by The Academy.

Being a school of magic sub-genre, of course, one would be right in expecting the same feel and some of the same elements setting the stage as one would find in Harry Potter. For example, in this book, you’ll find former students turned evil, a headmaster, various schools within the larger school, an exciting and dangerous competition, Kase’s singular magic, and spiders. Another similarity fans will rejoice in, like Harry Potter, the author has just disclosed that this is indeed Book One of a series!

More impressively, the story holds up very well on its own, and author Riggins manages to create a world that has one foot in fantasy and the other in up-to-the-minute reality. Sage mirrors, for instance, are only slightly more magical than smartphones and the kids take selfies to prove their accomplishments. Very smart.

What Riggins also gets very right is the way he integrates words of wisdom into the competition. In one instance, the Grand Master exhorts them to: “Know who you are, but don’t be discouraged by who you are not.” And in another: “Sometimes the hardest part about finding something beyond your reach, is finding yourself first.” But avid readers will find The Liberati’s call to arms the best advice of all: “To the library!”

A fast-paced, magical, and beautifully penned Middle Grade/Young Adult novel packed full of familiar plots and engaging characters, How to Set the World on Fire, will have you begging for more from debut author, T.K. Riggins.

July 20, 2017
The FLYING BURGOWSKI by Gretchen Wing – YA, Social & Family Issues, Fantasy

In many ways, Gretchen K. Wing’s protagonist in The Flying Burgowski, Jocelyn Burgowski (Joss, for short) is a typical teenager. She admires and appreciates a favorite teacher, argues with her older brother, Michael (in an awkward rebellious stage), and hangs out with her friends, the popular Savannah and the sweet social misfit, Louis. She loves to relax with a good book, usually one in the Harry Potter series. The third is her favorite.

Then there are the atypical aspects of Joss’s life. She lives off the coast of Washington, on Dalby Island, beautiful with its tall fir trees and surrounding water, although not a mall or a MacDonald’s in sight. Her father runs the all-purpose store and shocks his children when he abruptly marries Lorraine, the seemingly stereotypical librarian. Joss’s mother abandoned the family nine years earlier for mainland life and has struggled with alcoholism and pill addiction.

And then there’s Joss’s very vivid dreams, dreams in which she takes flight and soars over the island. Unlike Harry Potter, she doesn’t need a broom. No, she flies as freely as a bird. On her fourteenth birthday, which occurs on the summer solstice, she discovers that the dreams were preparation for the real thing. She instinctively takes off from The Toad, a large rock on the island, and life will never be the same. How could it? Even if she and Michael (in trouble again for driving his father’s truck into a ditch and smoking pot) weren’t sent to the mainland to spend time with their mother, Joss’s life is forever on a new course, one that is mapped against the sky.

To Wing’s enormous credit, the novel never loses its convincing realism despite the main character’s spending a good portion of it in the sky, her arms outstretched, her body turning as she banks left and right, her lungs filling with the scent of lilies. The author weaves these scenes seamlessly, beautifully into the narrative. We root for Joss as she plans her flight sessions, catch our breath when she takes a rough landing, her skin scraped, and worry with her that she’ll be sighted by someone who happens to look up at the evening sky. The realism is complemented, however, by the exhilaration of these scenes. Joss is so thrilled by the experience of flight that the reader wants to take her hand and witness what she does as a human bird, to feel that rush of air swim against our skin.

Joss’s gift for flight, of course, is mired in old and interesting secrets that involve her mother and even her new step-mother. Her aerial talent is tested when she adjusts to a new school, unkind classmates, her mother’s substance abuse relapses, and the surprising but welcome maturation of her brother. Wing’s poignant and sensitive handling of Joss’s and Michael’s time on the mainland underscores the protective power of sibling relationships in the face of parental weakness or failure. The self-growth that they experience as a result stays with them when they return to Dalby Island and resume life as they knew it, but with far greater self-awareness.

The Flying Burgowski isn’t your typical young adult book and that’s a very good thing. Wing infuses realistic teen life, with all its problems, with a hefty dose of magic realism, and the result is an engaging and captivating fusion. After reading it, don’t be surprised if you find yourself looking up at the sky, ready to sight the lucky human endowed with the gift of flight.

June 15, 2017
DIGGER: SIERRA and the CASE of the CHIMERA KILLER by Robert D. Calkins – YA, Mystery/Thriller, Crime Fiction

Artfully constructed with lightning pacing, Robert D. Calkins’ Digger: Sierra and the Case of the Chimera Killer is a must read for mystery/thriller fans and for animal lovers alike, especially those who know that a dog well-trained can be much more than just a pet.

Teenager Bryce Finn and his Golden Retriever Sierra share the spotlight as the novel’s human hero and canine heroine. As a determined duo doing SAR (search and rescue), they are just about the best in their Washington state region, time and again proving Sierra’s reliability and wholehearted enthusiasm for the often grisly “game” of locating decomposing corpses.

There’s a serial killer on the loose in Kitsap County, targeting young female runaways, drug users, and prostitutes. Sheriff Elroy Patterson asks for some extra funds from the county council, above the objections of the hard-nosed conservative councilor, Garrison, who mockingly calls the supposed killer a “chimera”– an imaginary monster. The council overrides him and grants Patterson the money, and the press latches onto Garrison’s weird term – so the hunt for the Chimera Killer is on.

Tracking down the serial murderer becomes the new shared obsession of Bryce and Sierra, although one rescuer, Alan Granger, seems curiously determined to make the pair look bad – but with no success. Whenever Bryce tells his pet to “find Digger” she’s all too willing to please, knowing that a ball game will be her reward.

But Bryce has another obsession: he’s finally getting a chance to woo Katie, his first foray into young love. Katie is reciprocating by taking an active role in SAR, a romantic interest in Bryce, and developing a fondness for his amazing canine. Meanwhile, more bodies are being discovered, which as Bryce notes, is both a victory for law enforcement and the SAR team, but a sad day for the victim and family.

Author Robert D. Calkins, himself a SAR dog handler in the very county where this multi-layered plot takes place, has set out to educate as well as entertain. He offers fascinating details of the canine/human relationship, even to the tone of voice (high-pitched and childlike) that is best used to reward one’s dog for success in locating the sought-after person or object. Anyone interested in effective dog training will find this book a manual of best practice, as numerous tips are cleverly embedded in dramatic scenarios that will keep you turning the pages.

This book will interest YA readers through adults with its teen characters out-doing many of the grown-up pros in solving crimes. More seasoned readers will also find themselves charmed and intrigued by the subtleties of a mystery well-conceived and cinematic.

Calkins’ earlier works centering around this subject are suitable for the middle-grade readers and includes Digger, Sierra Becomes a Search Dog, and Sierra the Search Dog Finds Fred. The author’s fourth book is Bryce Bumps His Head, a chapter book for beginning readers. Although Digger: Sierra and the Chimera Killer could be considered a flagship novel, the author tells us he is working on a sequel. Now that’s something to be excited about!

May 30, 2017
The SPANISH CLUB by Danielle Burnette – Y/A, Fiction

Seven Chicago teens spend one eventful week on a chaperoned field trip to Mexico. Traveling with the intention of cultural immersion, they instead learn love, forgiveness, and some serious life lessons.

St. Francis High School Spanish Club members Brianna and her BFF Dana, along with five other friends are on a field trip that they won’t soon forget. It’s the summer before their senior year, and adulthood—with all of its attendant major decisions—looms. Flying into Mexico City accompanied by teachers Mrs. Fritz and Miss Yancy, they meet Miguel the guide, who ushers them through La Ciudad’s myriad monuments, cathedrals, and markets, as well as Teotihuacán, Guanajuato, and Guadalajara. It’s quite the whirlwind trip, with Miguel’s impassioned recounting of history adding meaning and depth for students and readers alike. Indeed, the rich imagery of the hi about astorical landmarks blossom on the page, and the descriptions of the people, the food, and the art should fire the imaginations of teen readers and instill in them a desire to travel to Mexico City and beyond.

That said, The Spanish Club is not a travel essay, but a young adult drama, stocked with classic teen yearnings, choices, vanities, and pranks. Author Burnette does a marvelous job of imbuing the narrative with colorful angst: “At once, every blemish on Brianna’s body itched and squirmed for Enrique’s attention, and she stiffened under the weight of all her imperfections.” Her characters embody every emotional high and low – especially protagonist Brianna Garrett.

Brianna is inseparable from her BFF, Dana Tate, until she discovers, with equal parts shock and delight, that heartthrob Enrique has shared her distant admiration since freshman year. A rift grows between the girls, and not only because of Enrique. Dana is jealous of Brianna’s growing friendship with dance team leader Stacia.

But boys and BFFs aren’t the only things commanding Brianna’s attention.

Before the trip, Brianna needed to acquire her passport. What she soon discovered forces a rift between the parents she always counted on for the truth. Brianna was adopted. And her parents never once disclosed the information. Now in Mexico, she rages against them and shuns their long-distance calls. But what brings eventual forgiveness is not her identity but her friend Dana.

Throughout the story, the World Cup serves as a foreboding backdrop, with the alarming zeal of local news reports of fan-related tragedies. This culminates in a frightening confrontation that departs from the story’s general lightheartedness to make a sobering point, but also, brings Brianna and Dana back together, making The Spanish Club a very good summer read for Y/A audiences.

May 30, 2017
FRUIT of MISFORTUNE (Creatura #2) by Nely Cab – Science Fiction & Fantasy/Myth & Legends/Paranormal & Urban/Folklore

Fans of YA and supernatural fiction will not be disappointed with Fruit of Misfortune, Nely Cab’s second book in her Creatura series. It’s an adventurous romp through the paranormal with our heroine, Isis, a young woman whose destiny is intertwined with that of all humankind’s.

Isis is in a seemingly lovely place at the start of Fruit of Misfortune, flying with her adored and adoring boyfriend, David, to Greece to spend time with his family. Of course, all is not as it seems to be and therein lies the fun and the adventure. Eighteen-year-old Isis is only days away from transforming into a monstrous beast, the Creatura, and needs the help of David’s family, all of them Greek deities, to halt the mutation. They rise to the challenge by seeking out a doctor with cutting edge therapies and locating Isis’s long-lost father who knew how “special” his daughter was when she was born. While encountering demons and monsters, Isis will wonder repeatedly if she shouldn’t make life easier, and safer, for everyone by just calling it a day and ending her life.

While there’s plenty of intrigue and suspense, what makes this book positively hum with energy is Cab’s genius for characterization. Sure, Isis is on a quest to save herself and, by extension, the world, but she’s also a young woman, eighteen-years-old, who loves her boyfriend but can’t help being attracted to his friend, Eros (and with a name like that, who could blame her?). She has moments of insecurity about her looks, rails at her father for having been a dead-beat dad, makes friends with the splendidly blunt and spunky Galilea, and, oh, yeah, really misses her mom.

The dialogue is often humorous, full of quick-witted banter. There are references to The Exorcist, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four and Wednesday Adams. It’s easy to imagine ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ telling her friends, “I just read the coolest book about this chick named Isis.” While Isis will be very relate-able for young adult readers, she faces enough maturity issues in Book 2 to engage adult readers as well.

What also sets this book apart from the typical paranormal adventure is the impressive detail. Cab describes scenes in Greece with the expertise of a cultural anthropologist. Her writing is experiential; she makes the reader see, taste, and feel. When Isis undergoes the most bizarre of pregnancy tests, Cab manages to instill the scene with appropriately convincing details of the biological impact of the metamorphoses taking place in Isis’ body. Likewise, the author astutely chronicles a medical doctor’s reaction to patients with the most baffling symptoms. Such careful writing makes the pieces of her fiction fit together like an exquisite puzzle.

The book concludes at just the right moment. Some dire problems have been resolved while others are just beginning. That’s fine because we don’t want to say goodbye to Isis or her boyfriend and his divine family. We’ve come to love the whole gang and long to spend more time with them. You can do just that by starting the third book in the entertaining Creatura series.

Being eighteen-years-old can suck. Take heart readers, it’s not as if you’re eighteen and destined to turn into a monstrous beast! Nely Cab’s Fruit of Misfortune, Creatura #2 delivers everything you love about book one – and more. A must read for YA fans!”

April 20, 2017
The ANGEL KILLER: Book Two of the Watcher Saga by Lisa Voisin – Young Adult/Urban Fantasy/Horror

High school is a little more complicated for Mia and her unusual boyfriend, Michael Fountaine. Miraculously recovered from a coma only a few months earlier, Michael has many secrets that only Mia truly understands. But love and understanding aren’t always enough to stay sane when the world outside is changing before their eyes.

These two never know when a day might include demons from the darkest pit, minions of despair, or hellhounds looking for a fresh kill. A battle of supernatural dimension is coming ever closer to the heart of their hometown of Seattle, and Mia will soon have her burgeoning power put to the ultimate test. If only she could believe in it more and trust in the strength of angels! Current and past struggles are interwoven for both of them when a powerful nemesis returns wielding a sword like no other. It’s unique, it has a name, and it’s lethal.

In book two of author Lisa Voisin’s The Watcher Saga, Mia and Michael reunite when Raguel returns with vengeance on his mind. With special abilities of her own, Mia is able to see Michael for what he really is and to aid in his battles while keeping his identity secret even from her best friends, and it isn’t easy! If only she could concentrate on more normal things, like Fiona and Dean, and enjoy the school’s wrestling matches. But her destiny is more complicated than that, and she knows it. She also knows that her love for Michael is worth anything to her, just as it has always been across the many lifetimes she is just now beginning to remember.

In The Angel Killer, certain details are prominent. Actual Seattle locations make strategic appearances, like the Smith Tower and the Underground, and the weather as described will be familiar to any Western Washingtonian. Voisin’s proper names, as well, are made to fit the character and mood. Each Angel, for example, has a name that ends with a similar sound, whether it’s Arielle, Turiel, Damiel, or Michael. These are beautiful beings with beautiful names.

Another character in Voisin’s book, Mia’s good friend Fatima, is described as a person with visions and her name is equally evocative, reminiscent of the little children of Fatima, a popular Catholic story. But it is with Fatima and her twin brother, Farouk, that Voisin veers from her narrative of Angels and Demons to one of more Middle Eastern content when Fatima is unwittingly possessed by a Djinn, and only the Angel Michael can help. The author’s attempt to meld these two very different descriptions of embodied evil may be unsuccessful for some readers expecting a more strictly Christian storyline, and yet, as early as page one it is Fatima’s gift of a Hamsa necklace that buzzes a warning for Mia when unseen Demons are near.

Overall, The Angel Killer: Book Two in the Watcher Saga is full of colorful Seattle locations and symbolic characters in this addition to Voisin’s continuing saga of Good vs. Evil. If you’ve already met Mia and Michael, or are just making their acquaintance for the first time, you’ll want to know how this battle ends.

April 14, 2017
The DANTE ROSSETTI Awards for Young Adult Fiction – First Place Category Winners 2016
The Dante Rossetti Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Young Adult & New Adult Fiction. The Dante Rossetti Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Awards International Writing Competitions.

Congratulations to the 2016 Dante Rossetti Awards First-In-Category Award Winning Young Adult Fiction:

(photograph forthcoming)
- SFF & Paranormal: SeaJourney by Alex Paul
- Mythology: Seer of Souls by Susan Faw
- Fantasy: School of Deaths by Christopher Mannino
- Supernatural: Xodus by K.J. McPike
- Historical: The Other Side of the Wire by Harold Coyle
The Dante Rossetti Short Listers competed for the 2016 First Place Category positions. The winners were announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference and Awards Gala, Bellingham, Wash., held on April 1st, 2017.

Congratulations to Susan Faw, author of the DANTE ROSSETTI Grand Prize Winner — Seer of Souls!

Congratulations to those who made the Dante Rossetti Awards 2016 FINALISTS official listing and the SHORTLISTERS!

We are now accepting entries into the 2017 Dante Rossetti Awards. The deadline is April 30th, 2017. Click here for more information or to enter.

More than $30,000 worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to the 2017 Chanticleer Novel Writing Competition winners! Fifteen different genres to enter your novels and compete on an international level.
April 4, 2017
Age of Order by Julian North – YA Dystopian SciFi

In the not too distant future, one girl races to save the ones she loves in Julian North’s Age of Order.

Daniela Machado, a young Latina from Bronx City, is smart and successfully athletic – especially on the track – but she has more than a few secrets. She’s learned to be very protective of herself and those she cares about, her blood, in an environment where others frequently die. Aba, her grandmother, and her older brother Mateo, along with her sister of choice, Kortilla, are the only ones she fully trusts.

Daniela knows something must be behind the sudden offer she receives to attend a very prestigious and selective school in another part of the Five Cities, and she’s reluctant to accept. Attending the new school and leaving Kortilla behind, however, may be the only chance Daniela has to save Mateo’s life.

In this school environment, North skillfully weaves in multiple references to other dystopian works frequently taught in high school. The reader will be reminded of Orwell, Huxley, and William Golding, as Daniela reads them for class. Something else becomes abundantly clear: Daniela and most of her classmates don’t get along.

It’s more than just a question of money and social standing, though. It’s genetics.

Set in the near future of the United States, the action is often thrilling, complete with high-tech rivalries, partisan politics, chase scenes, and class conflicts. While most of the major characters are teens, North’s insights into their thoughts and feelings can apply to any age, lending an ageless quality to this otherwise clear morality tale. Their conflicts, confusions, and pain are more than any child should have to encounter. But in this world, those lucky enough to survive must grow-up quickly.

Daniela finds her one solace in running, and she fights her way onto the school track team. No one, not even the school star, can easily beat her when she runs. Daniela, it becomes apparent, has a gift which, after being honed throughout childhood, is now formidable.

It’s on the track when she feels completely free, even when the competition seems unfairly rigged against her. North does a fine job of writing these athletic scenes and the reader will feel their feet pounding and gasping for breath as Daniela runs against others – and her hidden past.

As that past comes into conflict with what she is experiencing at school, Daniela and her allies (the other misfits at school) begin to see the true shape of the reality around them. Only through courage and steely resolve will they be able to do what must be done to prevent the genocide those in power have already begun. It’s up to Daniela to find her true self, when she needs it most, to save the people she loves.

Age of Order is powerfully charged with rich characters and a dynamic storyline. One of the BEST new YA books we’ve reviewed!

February 9, 2017