Indie book reviews

IndieReader’s reviewers are tough, but fair

Our Reviewers won’t judge your book as compared to other self-published titles, but against other books, period. Our ratings are based on the following criteria, although reviewers are able to award partial stars (i.e. a 1.3 or a 4.7), rather than rounding up or down to a whole or half number.

1/5

Really bad 
Work on it.

2/5

Mediocre
1-2 bright spots.

3/5

Good
Worth reading.

4/5

Very Good
1-2 spots that need work

5/5

Excellent!
Must-read.

* IndieReader receives compensation for most of the books it reviews, along with copies of those books.

IR Approved
January 17, 2025

DELPHI

By Karen Martin
Rating:
4.2 / 5.0

At its heart, Karen Martin’s DELPHI is an invigorating story about motherhood, nurturing, and protection. 

Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Klaus Kleinfeld's LEADING TO THRIVE: Mastering Strategies for Sustainable Success in Business and Life is really two separate books—one mediocre, one excellent. The first part...

January 17, 2025

WALKING THE CAT

By Lorraine Evanoff
Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Strong descriptive imagery of the fashion world and the rich history of Paris make for a readable murder-mystery in Lorraine Evanoff’s WALKING THE CAT.

IR Approved
January 15, 2025

BECOMING TRIXIE: IT’S A DOG’S LIFE

By David Horn
Rating:
4.2 / 5.0

David Horn's BECOMING TRIXIE: IT’S A DOG’S LIFE is a fanciful lark of an outer space adventure that appeals most to young teen girls who...

IR Approved
January 15, 2025

ECHO SIX

By Jeff Shaw
Rating:
4.1 / 5.0

Jeff Shaw's ECHO SIX is an enjoyable, fast-moving time-travel tale that works as no-frills, old-fashioned sci-fi.

January 15, 2025

THE GIFT: BOOK 2 IN THE COUNCIL TRILOGY

By Evette Davis
Rating:
3.9 / 5.0

Evette Davis's THE GIFT: Book 2 in The Council Trilogy is a fun and pacy fantasy that enchants readers with its accessible prose, passionate romantic...

Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Although afflicted with both a surfeit and a lack of detail in different ways, Kristina Ahlnäs’s KRISTINA'S CACHE: A Memoir of Adventure and Survival in...

IR Approved
January 13, 2025

IMMORTAL GIFTS

By Katherine Villyard
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Katherine Villyard's IMMORTAL GIFTS is literary catnip for vampire fans hungry for a fresh, deeply humanist spin on a beloved paranormal trope.

January 10, 2025

MONTJOY

By Curt Finch
Rating:
3.7 / 5.0

By using the mechanism of a story within a story, Curt Finch’s MONTJOY is able to investigate ideas of the reliability of memory and the...

January 10, 2025

BUTTERMILK AND DRAGONFLIES

By Mary R. Hemmer
Rating:
3.9 / 5.0

A refreshing contrast to evangelical and fundamentalist extremes, Mary R. Hemmer’s BUTTERMILK AND DRAGONFLIES: Reflections from Ordinary Time contains progressive, empathetic, and warm-hearted interpretations of...

IR Approved
January 8, 2025

AE FOND KISS

By Joan Donaldson
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Joan Donaldson's AE FOND KISS is a sweet and wholesome romance immersed in a well-developed historical context.

IR Approved
January 8, 2025

THE BLUEGRASS DEVILS OF DETROIT

By Chuck Snearly
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Humorous and thrilling in turn, THE BLUEGRASS DEVILS OF DETROIT by Chuck Snearly is a high-stakes mystery thriller with a likable everyman protagonist and local...

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