The Shells of Chanticleer

The Shells of Chanticleer #1

by Maura Patrick

When the accidental jab of a sharp splinter results in a life-threatening infection, 16-year old Macy becomes delirious and is at death’s door. Like a modern day Sleeping Beauty, she hovers between life and death, awakening in a beautiful land called Chanticleer, where everything is always, absolutely perfect.

So perfect that Macy is convinced she must have died and gone to heaven. She is quickly assured that she has been purposely brought to Chanticleer to eliminate her pesky childhood fears. She is soon off on a series of frightful challenges designed to make her a stronger, braver girl.

Chanticleer is not without its dark side. Every student there knows it is best to learn your lessons quickly and get out, because those who can’t--or won’t--are subject to a hideous fate.

Macy vows to do everything she can to get out of Chanticleer quickly. Yet when she falls for Sebastian, a fellow student, she suddenly changes her mind. For to wake up from Chanticleer is to forget everyone there and forgetting Sebastian is the last thing she ever wants to do. But no one in Chanticleer is who they seem to be and Macy soon discovers that her and Sebastian’s fairy-tale ending will come at a price, a price she may ultimately be too afraid to pay.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Ebooks, Romance, Fairy Tales, Paranormal

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2012

About the author

I had a lot of fun writing The Shells of Chanticleer--it is the kind of story I would have liked when I was a young girl. It was inspired by my love of faraway worlds with strange and weird characters like those found in L. Frank Baum's Wonderful Wizard of Oz series.

Reviews

[Darth]

Since I only read 2 chapters and skimmed the next 5% of the book before deciding to quit, I'm not going to give it a rating. It's definitely not for me. The author is a teenage girl who likes to ramble. I tried very hard to keep reading but just couldn't get into it. Perhaps it'll appeal to a younger audience of 12-15 year olds?

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this one for a while and finally got around to reading it. After a three day stay in the hospital for a nasty infection in my hand (kinda ironic huh?) and seeing a story in the news about how ICU patients will have long term dementia from their stay in the ICU (in fact around 75% of patients leave with cognizant impairment and 1 in 3 of them have such severe cognizant impairment that it rivals Alzheimer's) it just felt like the proper time to read this book.

While out jogging Macy trips in a pothole and lands in some debris: sticks, leaves, etc and ends up getting a splinter in her leg. She tries to pull it out but it breaks off so no big deal she'll just get it with some tweezers when she gets home. Once home she gets really sick, apparently a nasty flu bug was spread at their last school dance and everyone she knows has caught it. So she ends up sick and forgetting all about that little splinter in her leg. As her temperature skyrockets and she later accidently bangs her leg causing immense pain she notices a lot of red lines running up her leg from the wound and her family rushes home to take her to the Hospital where she ends up on death's door in the ICU from a really nasty infection (see the ironic part now? I just got out of the hospital for a nasty bacterial infection in my hand - red lines included although it was nowhere near as bad as Macy's but still). After Macy becomes a bit of a nuisance at the ICU due to severe delirium the doctors decide to sedate her and put her into a forced coma so her body can conserve it's strength to help fight off the infection and what follows is her strange and amazing journey.

Macy wakes up in Chanticleer where she learns that she and other young people like her are there for a reason which is to work on their fears which are stifling them and preventing from living a full life. At first she is a bit put off by everything and doesn't want to cooperate but once she learns a horrible secret: the secret of the shells of Chanticleer she puts her best effort into the program and tries her best to conquer her fears but the more she learns about Chanticleer and especially the shells the more afraid she becomes until she meets a young man named Sebastian. Sebastian is fearless and when she is with him she forgets all about her fears and truly for the first time since coming to Chanticleer she starts to make real progress but as the two of them become closer she comes to realize that one day she'll have to leave Chanticleer behind, forgetting everything she learned there but most importantly she'd have to leave Sebastian behind and she isn't ready for that.

I have to say this was such an odd but wonderful story. I kinda wish there was a Chanticleer although I'd hate to have to go because of the way that you get there but it'd be nice to have a helpful staff to help you work through all of your fears so that you can go back home and live life the way you were meant to live it. Macy's journey from being afraid of strangers and other people to being a strong young lady was really amazing to behold. All of the characters had their own distinct personalities and I enjoyed reading about so many people's fears. One girl is afraid of standing up straight. She's too tall she insists, another boy is afraid of many things, especially heights. Other girls are afraid of getting dirty and the list just goes on and on. The way the staff deals with everyone's fears is pretty creative and a huge source of entertainment. The book does a very good job of showing you how your own fears can stifle you as a person and that it's okay to be afraid but you have to learn to not let that fear rule you and control your life. All in all it was a fascinating journey that Macy took all while she was in a coma, hooked up to monitors in an ICU somewhere. I think I saw that the author is writing a sequel and I have absolutely no idea how she's going to do it after reading this one but I definitely cannot wait to find out. This book was full of fun surprises and if you're looking for something a bit different then this is the story for you. It's very much deserving of 5 stars, it's just a shame I can't give it more.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those Kindle books that I got for free through an email service that I use. Which one, I can't remember, because I get no less than five different emails on a daily basis. I got this one way back in 2014, which tells you how far behind I am.

It also turns out that this book is categorized as a "children's book," although I would probably put it in what our library calls the "Between Zone," which contains books that bridge the gap between what they call "youth" and "young adult," which is the area called the "Teen Zone."

Call it what you want, I enjoyed the story. And I make no apology for that, as I have, during my time as a library aide, run across many books in the youth and teen zone areas that looked appealing to me. This book was well-written, and held my interest pretty well. It's not complex, which you wouldn't expect from a youth book. There are elements of fantasy, drama, some romance, and some humor included in this tale. Another reason that I liked it was that it was a concept that was unique to me.

The story revolves around sixteen-year-old Macy (I don't recall every learning her last name), who goes out running during Spring Break, accidentally falls and gets a splinter, which subsequently becomes infected, and winds up in the hospital, fighting for her life. Macy is also terrified of a stuffed giraffe head that hangs from one of the walls in her house. This plays into the story several times.

During her time in the hospital, while she is in a coma, she is mysteriously transported to the land of Chanticleer, where she is in a sort of school or institution, where she must do "coursework." This coursework, she eventually learns, is work that deals with her weaknesses and fears in real life. She is assigned a "shadow," a staff person who leads her around and keeps up with her. She also immediately becomes friends with a couple of the other girls who are there.

These "students," upon finishing their coursework, usually "tip" back into reality, after they have overcome their fears. Occasionally, though, there will be some who don't succeed in the coursework. These, before tipping back, are made into what is called "shells," by some process invented by the guy who is in charge of Chanticleer, Crispin Sinclair. These shells are then paraded around the community, as examples of failure.

Macy does so well, though, that Sinclair has an idea to make a shell of her to illustrate her success. She also becomes infatuated with one of the young man at the facility, named Sebastian. There is much drama around this relationship, as it is discovered that he has not been entirely truthful with her. There is also drama between Sebastian and Bing, who is Macy's shadow during her time at Chanticleer. But, as it turns out, he has also been less than fully truthful about himself.

It's a fun and light read, and being a children's book (or at least a teen book, but not quite YA), it is void of swearing or sexual activity. There is kissing, but that's it.

[Jennifer Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

different but interesting

This was an interesting take on being in between life and death. I give it 4 stars because i felt it was well written and a very unique type of story. So basically an extra star for the originality.
The story starts with Macy, a high school girl, being afraid of the fathers mounted trophy heads. Mostly the giraffe. She is out running trips and gets a bad splinter in her leg. Ends up infected and she is in the hospital fighting for her life.
She wakes up in Chanticlear, a world in between, where she is suppose to work on her fears before being able to go back to her body.
I should read the beginning again, because other than the fear of the giraffe i did not feel she was an overly fearful person. And it seemed like if you went to chanticlear it was precisely to go back more brave. When you return to your body though, you dont remember the place or people. Anyway the world of Chanticlear is an interesting concept but it did lack excitement or anticipation. I compare it to a hallmark series or something. Just a sweet, ho hum tale of this girl. Its on the edge of being a romance but barely. Not really mysterious just "different", so if different is what you want. This is a good pick.
There is a second book. I will probably read it to see if it is more exciting, but i dont feel compelled to do so right this second. Time for an apocolyptic book now!

[IndieHeart · Rating 3 out of 5]

The YA Fantasy novel, The Seeds of Chanticleer, by Maura Patrick has many things to recommend it for the 12 to 15 year old female reader. The first person narrator, Macy, is a fairly typical 16 year old who has some atypical fears – she will not enter one of the rooms in her house because of her fear of a stuffed giraffe, she is sure there are kidnappers in every ice cream van, and she doesn’t like crossing bridges because she fears she will jump off.

As the novel begins, Macy gets a splinter after falling down when out for a run, and she later develops a serious infection as a result. By the time her parents realize she doesn’t just have the bug that is going around, the situation is critical. Her doctors induce a coma to try to give her body the rest it needs to heal. Once Macy is in the coma, the real story begins.

Macy wakes up in a cottage in the beautiful and strange world of Chanticleer; a place where no one can be injured, food is plentiful and delicious (and mostly comprised of sweets), and school is not about book learning. The fantastical world of Chanticleer exists specifically to help kids who are unable to fully live their lives because of their fears. Some of them will succeed in throwing off their anxieties, and others will fail. Macy fails her first test and reacts very badly. Later, she begins to grow beyond her fears and tries to help the new friends she makes in Chanticleer with their own.

Typically, children’s fantasy stories don’t come right out with what the reader should learn. Instead, the characters are placed into testing situations in which the reader gets the sense of growth without an ongoing “here is what I’ve accomplished” conversation. It was interesting to see the test laid out in such a direct way.

Although Chanticleer is a supportive place, there are a few more ominous elements; the “shells” of the title (which really are pretty creepy as central metaphors go), the threatening “Prime Minister”, and the suspicious hot caramel drink that is the only available beverage. Plus, since the point of the school is to expose the students to their fears so that they can overcome them, a few fairly mean things have to happen if fears are to be provoked. However, since no one can actually be harmed, the book never moves into scary territory. Based on the build up, I was expecting the story to go in an entirely different direction than it did once Maura found out about the shells – a sinister, creepy, suspenseful one. But then it suddenly did an about face and turned into a romance. What?!?!

As it turns out, the story doesn’t always go where you are expecting it to go. That is a generally good thing in a story, but I find I wanted the story I thought had been foreshadowed — the creepy, sinister story in which the denizens of Chanticleer commit nefarious crimes under the guise of goodness. Even the “shells”, which originally represented a fear that needed to be overcome, turn into a metaphor for trusting the one you love and giving oneself over completely.

However, never let it be said that I can’t adjust my expectations. The story continued to have some interesting twists and turns as it became increasingly focused on the romantic relationship between Macy and Sebastian, a member of the Chanticleer staff. By the end, the story is entirely a love story. As I see it, the book’s flaw is that it started out being one thing (a girl fighting her fears to be able to live fully) and turned into another (star-crossed romance). To me, it felt like Dorothy and the Scarecrow had suddenly decided to go off for a cuddle instead of pursuing the Wicked Witch.

Having identified the book’s weakness, I also think it has considerable strengths. Ms. Patrick writes well, and the story flow is good. There is a smattering of minor grammar issues, but even corporate-published books have a few spelling and grammar errors. She does a good job characterizing the main and lesser characters, and Macy doesn’t feel like a “Mary Sue” to me (something far too common in Indie YA fiction). Thinking as a parent, I do find the conclusion of the story a little bit disturbing based on a decision that Macy makes, but I also think it was an overall well-told story that would easily keep young teen readers up at night to find out what happens in the end.

At 99 cents, The Shells of Chanticleer is priced right for the YA pocketbook. I recommend the book as a good read for the Junior High age range. It has age appropriate themes and language, and the physical aspect of the romance is confined to kissing. Specifically because the book is so well targeted to the interests and maturity level of YA readers, I do not recommend it as a book most adults would enjoy.

This review was originally written for IndieHeart.com. We also post five hand-picked free Kindle ebooks daily (with a newsletter for those who prefer to subscribe) to help people find free books by Indie authors that are well-written, entertaining, and professional.

IndieHeart recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Gina (My Precious Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an Amazon Freebie. I decided to give it a chance and I'm very glad I did. This book is different. It begins with a sixteen year old girl, Macy, beginning her spring break. She goes for a run, trips and somehow gets a sliver embedded in her shin. It becomes fierce infected, so bad that she's admitted to and ICU with sepsis. During her illness she slips into a medically induced coma. In this in-between state, hovering between life and death, she enters a magical place called Chanticleer. At Chanticleer, things are similar to being on Earth, with one exception, one must conquer his/her worst fears, or face some pretty bizarre consequences.

This book has two settings: and ICU and a magical world called Chanticleer. Writing is typical for a young adult book. Its detailed, but is all from a young lady's point of view, so older readers might not be as engaged with the everyday worries of a teenager. Pacing is moderate pretty much through the entire book. The story is told in a first person narrative through the eyes of a sixteen year old female, Macy.

The main characters are Macy, Bing, and Sebastian. There are many other side characters, but they don't play as big of role in the story. Macy is a very fretful girl. She's very self conscious and believes everyone is watching her. She's easily creeped out and has some pretty irrational fears. One of her most comical fears is of the stuffed giraffe her father has hung in the great room. Even though Macy seems like a psycho, she's really not. In fact, I thought she was smart, a good problem solver and very mindful of other people's feelings.

Bing is Macy's shadow. He's free spirited, usually somewhat of a rule breaker and has a difficult time keeping secrets. I do like his honesty and especially became for fond of him towards the end of the story.

Sebastian is a gorgeous young man who immediately finds a place in Macy's heart. He's encouraging and spirited. I especially like how he has no fears and helps Macy overcome much of what she's scared of.

This is a really strange, in a good way sort of read. It reminded me of dark version of "Wizard of Oz". I liked how it integrated conquering ones fears into the plot lines. There are so many innovative elements in this story: "pinging", "dipping" & "tipping" are just a few. Near the beginning the reader is introduced to the idea of the "shells" of Chanticleer. Its a big mystery to Macy and I wanted to know as badly as she did. In the first third of the book the reader and Macy do get to find out about the "shells" and its pretty creepy. Its difficult to explain how exciting this story is without spoiler.

The ending of this book was very complete. Some of the occurrences were a little predictable, but many of the twists and turns were very unexpected. I really enjoyed reading this one and had a difficult time putting it down. I like how the author left the ending open for a possible sequel.

I would recommend this book to young adult readers who enjoy fantasy stories with new and exciting elements.

[Alysa H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book in Elle Casey's 2013 January Anniversary Indie Book Giveaway.

I enjoyed this book, nevermind that some of its more meta aspects are not of a type that normally appeal to me.

You've got your "Teenager experiences an event that leads her to a magical land, where she learns things about herself and learns how to conquer her fears" thing. In other books, this is an implicit theme but in this book it is quite literal: In Chanticleer, the heroine Macy finds herself in a kind of school where all coursework is designed to make students get over their individual fears. At first I found myself eye-rolling that this was all very After School Special, but as things got more complicated - not necessarily darker, though there is a bit of mystery and potential darkness involved - I was on board.

Another thing I want to note is that despite the almost-passing mentions of God and religion in the fist couple of chapters, this is really not a religious book at all. It deals with the human spirit, sure, and some other rather unearthly elements I can't get into without spoilers, but it really doesn't go any further than that. I think this is really important to mention, because I have a pet peeve with books that start out all creative and fantastical and then pull a bait-n-switch and start promoting Christianity. This book, thankfully, does not do that.

Where it falters most is when it shifts gears to become more of a romance, with Sebastian, than simply Macy's journey of self-actualization. Related to the romance, the ending was a bit weird.

I'm glad I read it, and I will certainly check out more stuff by this author. Especially if she does other things as pitch-perfect as Macy's fever delirium. That was spot on! "The Mouse is Dry Ice!" FTW! :)

[Kendra Ardnek · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may accuse me of judging a book by its cover. Yes, the reason I picked this up to read was because of the giraffe of the cover. I love giraffes, and so the cover intrigued me. The description did too, but not so much as did the cover. There were some chocolate nutcrackers in it too, so I was really happy.

However, I don’t think that the book description was completely accurate. From reading the description, I expected a far darker and sinister place than it actually was. I’m not sure how that might be improved, but it does need improvement. While Macy did perceive the place as being more sinister, it wasn’t sinister at all. It’s a benevolent world, a fact that was made very clear by multiple people. And while she does have a “secret” boyfriend, I don’t remember her believing that he would completely protect her. Maybe I missed something, though, because I mostly skimmed in the “romantic” portions. It wasn’t that it was too romantic; I just found it a bit ridiculous.

For the most part, I liked this book. It had an intriguing concept, once I figured out what that concept was, and the main character was rather likable. It was written in first person from Macy’s point of view, which allowed for some pretty interesting observations.

Read more: http://www.oscarlettreviews.blogspot....

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This book really took me by surprise. I found it on Amazon for free, but there weren't many reviews there (or here). I decided to take a chance on it and it's become one of my favorite recent reads. There are some small critiques I have (mostly about the way the characters speak...too formally for their ages!) but the story itself was incredibly unique and well-told.

Without giving anything away, I will say that the ending seemed like a purposeful segue into a sequel. The more practical ending, the one that I feel the author probably should have chosen, and would have made more sense, would have ended the story here.

That said, I'm kind of oddly grateful for her decision to give this book the unconventional ending that allows it to carry into a sequel, but I do hope the story will end with the second book.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads' Firstreads Giveaway program and have based my review off of said copy.)
I really enjoyed "The Shells of Chanticleer". The world of Chanticleer itself sounded like paradise, full of delicious food and beautiful locations to spend whiling away free hours. The plot was full of little twists that kept me guessing and wondering what was really going on in Chanticleer. Like Macy, the protagonist, I could never tell who could be trusted or who was telling the whole truth. I especially enjoyed Sebastian and Macy's relationship. I actually teared up when things began to get complicated for them near the end because I wanted them to have their happy ending.

[D.M. Kilgore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt like it went on, and on, and on, and on. It wasn't a bad book. It just felt more like I was being told an interesting (though not exciting) story than actually becoming part of it. I struggled to finish it. I kept waiting for all the former chapters to lead to some big moment that never really happened for me. The writer makes use of good vocabulary words, which was a nice touch from the typical teen-read. I just wanted to love it more. It was a nice concept. I just never really connected with the characters. I get the feeling this is a young writer, and if so, she will definitely improve and be one to look for again in the future. She's not a bad writer, and it's not a bad story, it just lacked that "ooomph" that would have put a few more stars on my rating. ;)

[Tinamarie Chappelear · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA book about a 16-year-old girl who fall victim to a life-threatening infection and is put into a drug induced coma to help her heal. Once under, she appears in a magical boarding school in a world hovering between life and death where she and others like her are brought to learn to deal with their overwhelming fears before being "tipped" back into the real world. I felt that it was a little on the light side and parts were a little predictable, but it was a good read for a sick/snow day when my brain hurt too much to concentrate on serious matters.

[Monica H at The Readathon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast, easy, and entertaining read. There were some strange and a little creepy aspects to it, but overall I liked it. There were some good lessons in it, but there were some things that could have been resolved better. You may read my full review on my book blog: www.the-readathon.blogspot.com.

[Tracy Decresie · Rating 2 out of 5]

In all fairness.....I could only read about 30% of this book, so I'm probably not giving a fair review, but I honestly couldn't invest any more time into this.
For me, it was too juvenile. I felt it to be a cross between "Alice in Wonderland" and "Willy Wonka".
I was starting to get to know Macy's character until she was put in the induced coma. Once she entered Chanticleer, it just got weird. I disconnected.

[Amy Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, but it just never really did it for me. I loved the idea of the kids working through their fears, but the shells thing was just too out there and not at all plausible. I would read more from this author, because it really had some unique ideas, but I really didn't connect with this particular book.

[Anjuli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book since 2013 and never got around to reading it. I'm glad I finally did.

Everyone is afraid of something......

Macy is afraid of almost everything. One day she becomes ill and the doctors have to put her in a coma. She wakes up in a strange, new land; where she must face her fears or ......

Even though it is YA book, there are some real life valuable lessons in it!

[Leah710 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a little bit weird, but fun, and, overall, a good book. If you liked Elsewhere, which was ok, you'll love this. It has the same idea but has more of a plot and more developed and interesting characters.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an intriguing book. The world of Chanticleer is so magical and the reader is really left wondering where it came from and how Macy got there. The author keeps you guessing; that's for sure. I just bought the sequel because I can't wait to find out what happened.

[Kas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words that left my mouth the instant I finished was "this was a cute little book."

The story was unique and fun. The characters were relateable and sweet. It was simple and quick to read. I found it easy to get sucked in to the story.

[Steffi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/3.0
The book is not bad at all but I could never connect with the story. There were some parts I liked but overall it was too weird for me.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, different. The beginning was great, then she went to Chanticleer and it was okay.

[Laramort · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting idea for a book. Not sure if I want to read the 2nd though.

[Twinsmom2007]

Great bedtime book for a tween as long as they are grounded in the knowledge "it is appointed once for man to die and after this judgement".

[Dialma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept, but quite a bit predictable of a story for me. I did enjoy the world of Chanticleer and its characters. Overall, a good and easy read!

[Katie Bunnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book a lot completely different story line than I originally thought it would be and I couldn't predict how it would end I immediately got book #2

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't too bad but the synopsis made it seem a whole lot better than it was. This definitely doesn't go on my favorites list but wasn't a complete waste of time.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

the beginning was REALLY slow, but once I got through to the real plot of the story I couldn't put the book down, I need to buy the second book, to wait for THE MOMENT...

[Meghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ho- boring. I fought to 60% complete then had to bail. My brain cells were dying. Good for a really young girl reader, maybe. Like 11-12.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book!! So unpredictable. I want to visit Chanticleer!!! I'm especially glad that Macy chose to go back. Looking forward to book 2.

[Crystal Rafuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I'm looking forward to reading the next book. I'm doing to know if Macy and Sebastian end up together!