The Storyteller’s Death Wins Gold!
At the International Latino Book Awards held in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 21st, 2023, The Storyteller’s Death won gold in the category of popular fiction!
In their awards press release, the committee chair stated that The Storyteller’s Death is “One of the best books I’ve ever read. Very unique story and totally engaging.”
This was Ann’s second gold award (Five Midnights won in 2020), but her first in adult fiction.
Ann was able to attend the ceremony in person thanks to a grant from the Vermont Arts Council.
Hot Devils
Read Ann’s piece for United by Pop about attractive devil characters in literature! She looks at work from Neil Gaiman, Gwenda Bond, and of course, Sam from Breakup From Hell!
The first industry review is in:
The Storyteller’s Death gets a star from Publisher’s Weekly!
AHHHH! The first industry review of Ann Dávila Cardinal’s The Storyteller’s Death was posted from Publisher’s Weekly tonight, and it is a starred one! Here are some highlights:
“…a stunning, magic-infused tale of family ties and secrets.”
and
“Cardinal’s storytelling prowess shines in this beautifully imagined and multilayered story, as do her fully developed characters.”
Red the full review here.
Read Ann’s essay on Magical Realism on tor.com
Magic in a Young Girl’s Heart: Growing Up With Magical Realism
Oh, my friends, magical realism is not a trope, and it is not a story that happens to have magic in it. It is a literary movement of the colonized.
Read the full essay here.
Lecture:
Writing from the in between:
navigating identity as a writer between worlds
See Ann’s lecture from January 2020 at Vermont College of Fine Arts January 2020 MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults residency.
"Five Midnights is a page-turning supernatural thriller…”
"Five Midnights is a page-turning supernatural thriller that offers surprising glimpses into Puerto Rican society’s struggle with drug addiction, making El Cuco a metaphor for a social ill that needs to be confronted at the risk of becoming defeated by it.”
Read the full review here.
Zombie Bait & Screaming Bimbos: Diversity in Horror
My guest post about diversity in horror on the fabulous Ladies in Horror Fiction Site.
“A story that lingers in sinister shadows.”
“…this novel is a thrilling spin on legendary source material as well as a study in identity, community, and connection.”
Read the full review here.
Vermont Book Awards Finalist!
AHHH! The Storyteller’s Death is a finalist for the 2022 Vermont Book Awards in Fiction!
Created in 2014 by VCFA, the award celebrates works of outstanding literary merit by Vermont writers. The winners in each category will be announced at the Vermont Book Award celebration, held on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 7 p.m. in Alumnx Hall on the VCFA campus in Montpelier.
Get tickets here!
Another starred review!
ALA Booklist gives The Storyteller’s Death a starred review! “A great read for fans of stories set in the Caribbean and tales of magic, love, and family.”
Read the full review here.
A Mighty Blaze Interview
Hank Phillippi Ryan interviews Ann on A Mighty Blaze. Click here.
Cover Reveal of Other Terrors
An anthology of original new horror stories edited by Bram Stoker Award winners Vince Liaguno and Rena Mason, horror writers from a multitude of underrepresented backgrounds will be putting a new, terrifying spin on what it means to be “the other.” People, places, and things once considered normal will suddenly appear different, striking a deeper, much more primal, chord of fear. Are our eyes playing tricks on us, or is there something truly sinister lurking under the surface of what we thought we knew? And who among us who is really of the other, after all?
Cover reveal!
Tor.com hosted the cover reveal for Breakup From Hell, Ann’s new young adult horror novel. It’s coming out January 3, 2023!
It was the best of times, it was the end of times…
We’re thrilled to share the cover for Ann Dávila Cardinal’s Breakup From Hell—a new YA fantasy publishing in January 2023 with HarperTeen…
Read the rest here!
Five Midnights audiobook wins award
The audiobook version of Five Midnights, narrated by Puerto Rican actor Almarie Guerra, won AudioFile Magazine’s Earphones award!
“A gripping horror read.”
“With a compelling plot and characters that explore alcoholism and addiction, this novel is not only a thrilling mystery but one that will speak to anyone whose life has been touched by these diseases.”
“Riveting.”
Read the full review here.
INTERVIEW: ANN DÁVILA CARDINAL ON FIVE MIDNIGHTS AND PUERTO RICO
Click here to read full interview.
The Unparented: Writing for Those Who Raise Themselves
Read Ann’s guest post on Teen Librarian Toolbox in School Library Journal about writing for the unparented young reader.
Breakup From Hell gets first industry review!
Kirkus reviewed Breakup From Hell!
“This entertaining fantasy with roots in Catholic lore has a fast-paced plot and features a delightfully charming friend group. It’s empowering and subversive to see a Latine protagonist taking on the role that Mica is assigned and equally heartwarming to witness the love between Mica and her abuela.”
Read the full review here.
Read Ann’s piece: FIVE MAGICAL REALIST NOVELS WITH MURDER MYSTERIES AT THEIR CENTER on CrimeReads.
"[A]t the heart of most family stories is mystery."
Five Midnights is a nominee for a Bram Stoker Award!
Excited to announce that Five Midnights is one of six novels nominated in the Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel category for the 2019 Bram Stoker Awards from the Horror Writers Association (HWA).
Awards are announced at the Annual Bram Stoker Awards Banquet during the Stokercon 2020 conference, this year being held in the UK on April 18, 2020.
Cross your fingers!
Category Five is a finalist!
On August 19, 2021, it was announced that Category Five is a finalist for the 2021 International Latino Book Awards in the category of Best Young Adult Fantasy & Adventure! (The previous book in the series, Five Midnights, won in the same category in 2020.) The Awards are October 16th and 17th, 2021.
Five Midnights wins an International Latino Book Award, 2020!
September 12, 2020
Five Midnights won an International Latino Book Award in the category of Best Young Adult Fantasy & Adventure!
Thanks to Empowering Latino Futures for this honor!
Category Five Cover Reveal!
Tor Teen has revealed the dark and scary cover of Category Five today! And you can read the first chapter.
Category Five is a new supernatural YA thriller from Ann Dávila Cardinal, set against the backdrop of a post-hurricane Puerto Rico. Fans and newcomers alike will be excited to watch Lupe, Javier, and Marisol from Cardinal’s Five Midnights square up against the fallout of a terrible storm, predatory land developers, and a new and monstrous threat from the shadows. Category Five won’t land in stores until June 2, 2020, but you can check out its bone-chilling cover now AND keep scrolling for an advance look at the first chapter:
Just visit the Tor Teen blog here.