Quarter Finalist
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Cunis's story of the discovery of a mysterious time portal by a group of teenagers is at once bewildering and highly enjoyable. Although the plot suffers from being a little meandering, it packs a hefty punch that will leave readers dazzled and giddy.
Prose: This bizarre time traveling adventure is executed with supreme attention to detail and evocative imagery. Its short chapters are packed with depth, detail, and the occasional pop culture reference.
Originality: The novel's blistering opening is full of humor, mystery and wonder. The different time periods visited during the course of the novel are effectively brought to life with minute attention to detail.
Character/Execution: Cunis's text features myriad characters that are all excellently rendered in pinprick detail. From the evil homicidal maniacs of Wampanoag to the disparate group of goofy teenagers, Itchiwan's pages are filled with well-crafted and effervescent personalities.
Blurb: A frenetic, intense, and thoroughly enjoyable journey through time.
Date Submitted: August 07, 2023
“The language of the story is at times appropriately naughty, enhancing the wild characters who speak it, and always invigorating and full of about every attentive response imaginable – horror, hilarity, gripping suspense, and breathlessness. Covering a span of time from 1968 to 1992 to 2018 (with a few hops further back), this story just ploughs through relentlessly, keeping the reader involved and entertained on every page. This is a book to savor ... Stories such as these are too infrequently encountered. Treasure it.”
"Itchiwan … didn't look like a novel that would interest me but after only a few pages I found that I couldn't put it down. The book is action-packed, gruesome in more than a few places, but laugh-out-loud funny in others. … as the mother of four sons, … I was drawn to Mr. Cunis's four young protagonists: Timmy, Amos, Vernon and Brett. They are well defined, likable, and easy to root for. … It's gratifying, given some of the divisiveness that we're seeing today, that the boys not only come together despite their cultural differences, but some of those differences are even shared and celebrated …”
"A supernatural novel … thrills and chills of mythical marauders terrorizing everyone in their path. A violent and funny … adventure that leaves no one safe." Kirkus Reviews
… an extraordinary book. Reading Itchiwan … was one wild ride. I could not put the book down and … could see this as a movie. This was a non-stop thrill journey with an assault on all your senses.
Anelynde Smit, Readers' Favorite
I expected to be taken on a wild ride when I saw the cover to this book … and boy, did it deliver! Itchiwan's rare mix of legend and fantasy is a delight to the senses.
Joshua Olokodana, Readers' Favorite
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Readers' Favorite is proud to announce that "Itchiwan" by J.J. Cunis won the Finalist Award in the Fiction - Mythology category.
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