150 Award Genres
Children
- Children - Action
- Children - Adventure
- Children - Animals
- Children - Audiobook
- Children - Christian
- Children - Coming of Age
- Children - Concept
- Children - Educational
- Children - Fable
- Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Children - General
- Children - Grade 4th-6th
- Children - Grade K-3rd
- Children - Mystery
- Children - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Children - Non-Fiction
- Children - Picture Book
- Children - Preschool
- Children - Preteen
- Children - Religious Theme
- Children - Social Issues
Christian
- Christian - Amish
- Christian - Biblical Counseling
- Christian - Devotion/Study
- Christian - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Christian - Fiction
- Christian - General
- Christian - Historical Fiction
- Christian - Living
- Christian - Non-Fiction
- Christian - Romance - Contemporary
- Christian - Romance - General
- Christian - Romance - Historical
- Christian - Thriller
Fiction
- Fiction - Action
- Fiction - Adventure
- Fiction - Animals
- Fiction - Anthology
- Fiction - Audiobook
- Fiction - Chick Lit
- Fiction - Crime
- Fiction - Cultural
- Fiction - Drama
- Fiction - Dystopia
- Fiction - Fantasy - Epic
- Fiction - Fantasy - General
- Fiction - Fantasy - Urban
- Fiction - General
- Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic
- Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
- Fiction - Historical - Personage
- Fiction - Holiday
- Fiction - Horror
- Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Fiction - Inspirational
- Fiction - Intrigue
- Fiction - LGBTQ
- Fiction - Literary
- Fiction - Magic/Wizardry
- Fiction - Military
- Fiction - Mystery - General
- Fiction - Mystery - Historical
- Fiction - Mystery - Legal
- Fiction - Mystery - Murder
- Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
- Fiction - Mythology
- Fiction - New Adult
- Fiction - Paranormal
- Fiction - Realistic
- Fiction - Religious Theme
- Fiction - Science Fiction
- Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Fiction - Social Issues
- Fiction - Southern
- Fiction - Sports
- Fiction - Supernatural
- Fiction - Suspense
- Fiction - Tall Tale
- Fiction - Thriller - Conspiracy
- Fiction - Thriller - Environmental
- Fiction - Thriller - Espionage
- Fiction - Thriller - General
- Fiction - Thriller - Legal
- Fiction - Thriller - Medical
- Fiction - Thriller - Political
- Fiction - Thriller - Psychological
- Fiction - Thriller - Terrorist
- Fiction - Time Travel
- Fiction - Urban
- Fiction - Visionary
- Fiction - Western
- Fiction - Womens
Non-Fiction
- Non-Fiction - Adventure
- Non-Fiction - Animals
- Non-Fiction - Anthology
- Non-Fiction - Art/Photography
- Non-Fiction - Audiobook
- Non-Fiction - Autobiography
- Non-Fiction - Biography
- Non-Fiction - Business/Finance
- Non-Fiction - Cooking/Food
- Non-Fiction - Cultural
- Non-Fiction - Drama
- Non-Fiction - Education
- Non-Fiction - Environment
- Non-Fiction - Genealogy
- Non-Fiction - General
- Non-Fiction - Gov/Politics
- Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
- Non-Fiction - Health - Fitness
- Non-Fiction - Health - Medical
- Non-Fiction - Historical
- Non-Fiction - Hobby
- Non-Fiction - Home/Crafts
- Non-Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Non-Fiction - Inspirational
- Non-Fiction - LGBTQ
- Non-Fiction - Marketing
- Non-Fiction - Memoir
- Non-Fiction - Military
- Non-Fiction - Motivational
- Non-Fiction - Music/Entertainment
- Non-Fiction - New Age
- Non-Fiction - Occupational
- Non-Fiction - Parenting
- Non-Fiction - Relationships
- Non-Fiction - Religion/Philosophy
- Non-Fiction - Retirement
- Non-Fiction - Self Help
- Non-Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Non-Fiction - Social Issues
- Non-Fiction - Spiritual/Supernatural
- Non-Fiction - Sports
- Non-Fiction - Travel
- Non-Fiction - True Crime
- Non-Fiction - Womens
- Non-Fiction - Writing/Publishing
Poetry
Romance
Young Adult
- Young Adult - Action
- Young Adult - Adventure
- Young Adult - Coming of Age
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Epic
- Young Adult - Fantasy - General
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Urban
- Young Adult - General
- Young Adult - Horror
- Young Adult - Mystery
- Young Adult - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Young Adult - Non-Fiction
- Young Adult - Paranormal
- Young Adult - Religious Theme
- Young Adult - Romance
- Young Adult - Sci-Fi
- Young Adult - Social Issues
- Young Adult - Thriller
Illustration Award
Recommend this book:
Infected
The Shiners
Tara Ellis
2015 Honorable Mention
243 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
In Infected: The Shiners by Tara Ellis, Alex and her younger brother Jake are lying on the hillside in the park, watching the stars along with their mother and most of the rest of the town, waiting for the greatest meteor display in 5000 years. Her dad loved this stuff and had been talking about this display for years; in fact he talked of them watching it in Egypt, but that had been before he died. The shower is spectacular, although one seems to pass by pretty close, and then Alex's mom comes down with a terrible cold. Not only Alex's mom, but most of the town. As people get over of their colds they are not the same, and Alex starts finding clues left behind by her father. She turns to Chris, a 75% Cherokee by blood boy in her school, as he didn't get sick either. Alex is 50% Egyptian by blood. Infected: The Shiners follows Alex and Chris as they try to figure out her father's clues and what is going on with their friends and family. Author Tara Ellis gives us a wonderful story that fits many genres.
Infected builds on purity of a family blood history, so Chris and Alex, having a extremely pure family history, have highly concentrated bloodlines and therefore they do not get sick when the virus takes over. This is a unique concept and at the same time slightly disturbing because the odds of anyone having such a pure bloodline nowadays is remote. Tara Ellis gives us a story that easily falls into the science fiction, or fantasy, or even paranormal genres, but no matter how you classify it, it is worth a read for young adults and adults alike. This book is to be the first in a three-part trilogy.
Recommend this book:
Aegis Incursion
The Aegis League Series Book 2
S.S. Segran
2015 Bronze Medal
500 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
Aegis Incursion by S.S. Segran is the second book in the Aegis League series. The prologue in this sequel takes us to 1948 where a B-29 superfortress on a top secret mission crashes into Lake Mead and sinks to its watery grave remaining lost for 50 years. Cut to Great Falls, Montana where a group of friends has returned home to live their lives after disappearing in Northern Canada a year earlier when their plane went down - with no memories of what had happened to them after that crash. Meanwhile, in farmlands across the United States and around the world, vital crops are dying and soon famine begins, forcing nations to the brink of war. All of these events seem unrelated until you realize they are simply setting the scene for a battle between good and evil, darkness and those who will become the bearers of light.
Humanity, look how far you have fallen. All right, geek references aside, this is a great book to dive right into and a fantastic follow up to the first. Things are about to go really bad in the world and a small group of teens has to start to make things right. I can only imagine being one of these kids. What's worse - being teased in school for being ‘amnesiacs’ or having to bring down an evil, global organization? One of the best things about what author S.S. Segran has done here is that the book can be read as a stand-alone; you don't have to have read the first one, although I would recommend it as it is also a solid book. It is not often that I find myself getting hooked on a YA fantasy series, but this is one I am keeping on top of. Every page of the book is enjoyable and gives you new depth into the characters and story. I highly recommend this book.
Recommend this book:
Chimera
Universe Eventual Book 1
N.J. Tanger
2015 Silver Medal
276 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
Facing starvation and extinction, without communication or resupply from Earth for the last 15 years, Stephen’s Point colony decides to restore the ancient starship Chimera, a living ship that has been dormant for the past 200 years. The young members of the colony are required to complete the Selection training to qualify as Chimera’s crew members. They need to make the long journey back to Earth.
Chimera (Universe Eventual, Book I) is an intriguing sci-fi written by N.J. Tanger – Nathan M. Beauchamp, Joshua Russell, and Rachael Tanger. The story unfolds with Theo Puck and Meghan Ziczek, the young protagonists who made the Selection list based on their test results. Tension heats up between the two as Meghan is curious as to how Theo made the cut. The Pucks, after all, “are poor test takers.” Theo has his own reasons, and Marcus Locke is one of them, another Selection candidate.
The characters are well-developed and have substantial depth, but I’m more interested in the living ship itself, Chimera, and the girl from Scrapyard, Selena Samuelson. She is the descendant of the original Chimera flight crew. The string of events where Selena awakens and connects with Chimera is the best part for me. Chimera is an exciting sci-fi adventure that has heart as well as action. Undoubtedly, YA and mature readers would enjoy it. My only peeve is that the ending could be less abrupt. Nevertheless, this is not necessarily a flaw of the story. A sequel is on the way. Book II, Earthbound, is expected to be released soon. Simply put, a great read.
Recommend this book:
Rewrite Redemption
J.H. Walker
2014 Gold Medal
389 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
Have you ever wished you could go back in time? Maybe see what life was like before you were born? Well, in J.H. Walker’s Rewrite Redemption, A.J. gets to do just that. However, this ability is not as glamorous as you might think. She has no control over it, and she’ll just randomly disappear and end up in the past, sometimes for a few hours and sometimes for a few days. It has happened all her life and she has no idea why; she’s also afraid of someone witnessing it, which could drastically and terribly change her life for good. Then along comes Constantine. She can sense that he may be like her. Little does she know that he time travels too. In fact, he rewrote his own timeline, which resulted in tragedy for his family. His time travel privileges have been revoked. He needs her help. She has no idea what she really is and how to control it. She needs his help. They need each other … for more than even they realize.
If I didn’t have responsibilities, such as raising a child and earning an income, I would have devoured this book in one sitting. It was absolutely incredible. I loved every second of it. The closer and closer I got to the end, the more and more I repeated to myself, “Please don’t end; please don’t end.” And it wasn’t even short. It was over 380 pages, but I was just so hooked that I never wanted the story to end. There are so many wonderful elements to this book. The plot had different science fiction, fantasy, and romance aspects to it, which made it unique and exciting. The characters were completely unforgettable. Not only do you have the lovely A.J. and Constantine, but you also have A.J.’s family and friends, my favorite being Lex, her overprotective, hilarious, well-intentioned best friend. There’s also the point of view it is written from. It alternates between A.J. and Constantine’s points of view. In my opinion, this can either make or break a book for me, but it definitely worked in this case. I really enjoyed seeing things from both of their perspectives. And the ending! All I can say is “wow!” So, I will leave you with this: Rewrite Redemption is a must-read, and I must get down on my knees and thank the very talented J.H. Walker for writing it. I am impatiently waiting for a sequel, which I will purchase immediately.
Recommend this book:
The Cloud Seeders
James Zerndt
2014 Finalist
266 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
In The Cloud Seeders by James Zerndt, Thomas and his young brother Dustin haven't seen a drop of rain in over a year. With the water drying up, the government had gone from Eco-conscious to Eco-hysterical making sure that every drop of water is accounted for, turning things like home gardening and car washing into serious infractions. Thomas is more intent on keeping his brother safe and making it through the day while his rebel rousing friend, Jerusha, feels that there's more to the drought than what the government's spilling. She's determined to find out even if it means going with Thomas and Dustin on a cross-country road trip. A novel that defies easy explanation, The Cloud Seeders is great for anyone interested in the HAARP project or post-apocalyptic, road tripping adventure.
In his acknowledgment, Zerndt said that The Cloud Seeders was turned down by several publishing houses, which is usually my cue to avoid the book like a vampire shuns sunlight. However, The Cloud Seeders was a fantastic read, one that I would love to see on the shelves (mine especially). The characters were very realistically written, nothing struck me as manipulative or sentimental, the way Thomas, Dustin, and Jerusha reacted to various situations I couldn't imagine happening any other way. I found myself thinking of them long after the book was done. I even enjoyed the poems. Usually after reading one or two I wind up skipping over the rest, but in The Cloud Seeders the poems were funny and interesting and gave us little hints about the characters. A thoroughly enjoyable book and I’d be interested in seeing more what Zerndt has to offer.
Recommend this book:
Cryptic Spaces
Book One: Foresight
Deen Ferrell
2014 Honorable Mention
396 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
Beneath the humdrum reality of life as most know it, there lies a secret, intriguing world that only a privileged few can access. Willoughby, a lonely and bored young mathematician genius, is drawn into this world where he befriends a group of similarly gifted eccentrics, including the beautiful and mysterious violinist, Sydney Senoya, and their jolly but cryptic leader, H.S. But even as they seek out thrilling adventures and push the boundaries of the impossible, grotesquely terrifying enemies stalk their every step and threaten to take their secrets. Soon, Willoughby will see his friends fall into terrible danger. Soon, Willoughby will have to face that danger head-on. Such is the story of Deen Ferrell’s brilliantly-crafted novel Cryptic Spaces: Book One: Foresight, and oh, what a story it is.
I initially approached this book with pretty moderate expectations, as I’ve found most authors’ debut novels to be, no matter how promising, somewhat stiff and unpolished. What I got instead, however, was the best story that I have had the pleasure of reading in a long while. Cryptic Spaces has all the key components of a great novel - well-developed and consistent characters, richly descriptive settings, whimsical dialogues, a smooth pacing and an utterly gripping plot. I particularly enjoyed how Ferrell skilfully blends scientific truths into the fiction - concepts like circumpolar stars, Riemann’s hypothesis, Nostradamus’ predictions are tied neatly into the story. This is worth so much more than five stars; my only gripe is that I have to now wait for its sequels to know what happens next. So please, buy it. Read it. Love it. You will not regret that decision.
Recommend this book:
Donor 23
Cate Campbell Beatty
2014 Bronze Medal
378 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
In Donor 23 by Cate Beatty we meet Joan Lion, a donor. She lives in a society where the Governor is the authority. Joan is his daughter’s donor. They have taken her leg, shoulder and arm muscles and implanted them into Teagan. In return, Joan is furnished with an apartment, food and money. The donors are bred to be donors and are referred to as a number. But the day comes when she discovers they want her heart and lungs, not because her benefactor needs them, but to make her stronger and a better competitor. Joan escapes and becomes a folk hero whom other donors want to follow. She learns that true freedom comes from inside.
Donor 23 is an excellent thriller. Author Cate Beatty has combined action, thrills, fantasy, science fiction, and a bit of romance to create one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Emotions run high in this book featuring a dystopian society. Joan is an amazing character with physical strength from constantly working out to stay in shape in case her benefactor needs a muscle. She is also filled with guilt, believing she is responsible for her mother’s death. The reader witnesses Joan’s transformation from a scared, fragile girl to a courageous and strong young woman. There are quite a few secondary characters and yet each one has been fleshed out. This book left me wanting more. I hope Cate Beatty plans to pen a sequel.
Recommend this book:
Fairest
An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 2
Chanda Hahn
2014 Silver Medal
246 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
In Fairest (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 2) by Chanda Hahn, the readers have to learn that fairy tales are not always full of happily ever afters. The main character, a girl called Mina (short for Wilhelmina) Grime, has quite a difficult job in addition to going to school: her real family name is Grimm and she inherited a certain family trait, or some might call it a curse. Fairy tales seek her out, characters from well-known tales appear in her life and it's her job to get them out of the world in which they actually do not belong. For this, she needs the help of the Grimoire, a book in which the characters can be caught.
Fairest is the second book in the Unfortunate Fairy Tale series by Chanda Hahn and I would recommend readers to read UnEnchanted first even though the books can also be enjoyed on their own. The experience is even better though if all books are read in the right order. But be warned: once you read one of the books, you'll want to read them all and then you'll head over to the author's site to find out when she'll be finished with the next one!
I enjoyed reading Fairest, especially because it isn't always the way it seems to be. Mina is quite a clever girl and has to deal with school, fairy tales, love, jealousy, fairies, and pixies. It's hard not to take a liking to Mina and to silently cheer her on while reading the book(s). Sometimes you won't like what Chanda Hahn makes Mina go through but if everything in Mina's life was a piece of cake, nobody would want to read the books! The story keeps you holding onto the book - just one more chapter - and suddenly you've read the whole book.
Recommend this book:
Fable
An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #3
Chanda Hahn
2014 Silver Medal
302 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
Fable (Unfortunate Fairy Tales) by Chanda Hahn is the third book in a very interesting and exciting fantasy series for young (and not so young) adults. If you would like to enjoy the story as much as possible, I'd recommend you read UnEnchanted and Fairest first. In Fable, Mina and her mother move into a big house after their old apartment on top of a Chinese restaurant has burnt down, with her little brother in it. Everybody assumes he is dead, even though no remains have ever been found. Mina then learns that it all was a plot to get her attention because she had ignored her job of 'killing' fairy tale creatures for months. Her brother has been taken to the fae plane and it will not be easy for Mina to get him back, especially because the decisions she must make will have an effect on others, too.
I've read all books in this series so far and enjoyed Fable by Chanda Hahn just as much as the other two books, even though I have to admit that I sometimes thought Mina was acting quite dumb in this installment. Sometimes you simply roll your eyes at her behavior - but I guess she's a teenager, so maybe I simply can't see things from her perspective anymore. And sometimes even intelligent people do dumb things.
During the book, the readers will quickly have their own suspicions about what might happen and why it might happen but you'll have to wait until the end of the book to actually have your fears or hopes either confirmed or completely crushed. I certainly don't regret a single minute I spent with Chanda Hahn's books and will surely read the fourth installment once it's out on the market.
Recommend this book:
Growing Disenchantments
K. D. Berry
2013 Honorable Mention
372 Pages
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Young Adult - Sci-Fi
How would a sorcerer punish a thief? Ganfrey was caught by Ragonnard when she broke into his mansion and attempted to steal some of his belongings. The anti-social Ragonnard, however, was willing to overlook her crime on one condition; steal a painting for him from King Credos’ palace. A suicidal task for a small thief, especially when the palace was guarded under the watchful eyes of Lautrec, a dedicated and no nonsense captain of the guards. A funny, fantasy tale of misadventures filled with clumsy thieving, sorcery, illusions and talking furniture – all due to one mysterious painting of a grumpy old man.
Chapter one was a humorous start right away. The author successfully depicted the talking furniture in a casual, funny tone. My favorite character would be Ganfrey. I loved her tenacious and calm demeanor when she tried to talk herself out of trouble. There were more than one protagonist in the story, and all of them were very well-developed and memorable. The cheeky names of the characters, places and things – such as the Yellow Parchments, the fantasy version of Yellow Pages - made me smile. My only disappointment was that the cover could be better in compliance with the exceptionally well-crafted tale. Overall, "Growing Disenchantments" was the most enjoyable, casual and funny story in fantasy genre that I've read so far. I do wish that there will be more stories such as this one and hopefully they will be written by K.D. Berry.