IndieReader Discovery Awards 2024 Entrants
Added as our reviewers read them, find the latest verdicts for the 2024 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June!
UNTIL TIME ERASES YOU is a captivating historical fiction novel by David W. Gordon. Written in a multi-perspective dialogue it chronicles the lives of Italian and Russian immigrants who struggled to come to America. The author accurately depicts the diaspora and hardships faced by immigrants with transparency, juxtaposed to the events leading to the Asch Building fire that provides readers with the historical framework that ignited the movement to mandate new regulations to protect factory workers.
NOT THAT GIRL ANYMORE by Patty Cabot is a personal memoir detailing the author’s journey of reclaiming her relationships with food and her body. Due to traumatic childhood sexual abuse, the author grapples with self-image throughout her formative years. The book paints a haunting portrait of her family and childhood with startling authenticity, depicting how she tried to process her complicated emotions, and baggage–redefining her relationship with food in the process. The author provides heartfelt guidance about facing trauma and overcoming it based on her experience with modern therapeutic methods. Those looking for books on issues of self-image and childhood abuse will find this helpful.
Andrew is a young boy who loves all things basketball. When he doesn’t make his school’s fifth grade basketball team he is incredibly disappointed. And when his friends make him feel like a failure he considers giving up basketball altogether. With the help of his parents–and the wise words of his hero Dwayne Wade–Andrew asks the coach what he can do to improve his game and make the team the next year. Written by Antonietta Tripodi Quinn and illustrated by illustrations by Eva Morales, ANDREW CONQUERS THE COURT is an excellent story for early readers to feel inspired to go after the things they want in life. Andrew learns how to trust in himself and accomplishes even more than he’d originally hoped. An inspiration to not give up on the things that you love, this book is great for any child struggling to feel better about themselves by urging them to chase after their dreams!
The only child of wealthy parents, Morton Anne Guthrie lives a life of immense privilege yet tremendous emptiness; behind the gilded façade lies a highly dysfunctional and narcissistic family. Morton’s suicide attempts are not discussed nor is her stay at a psychiatric facility, her parents simply invite her for a luxurious long weekend at the Manhattan Sherry-Netherland. Can Morton find meaning in her hollow existence, or will she unravel again? Unfolding through dual timelines, THE MORE BEYOND is an addictive, character-driven read that examines in unflinching but entertaining detail the toxic superficiality of the Guthries and its emotionally destructive consequences. With a finely drawn cast and wonderfully nuanced dialogue that drips with irony, Jill Charlotte Thomas’s frank novel is a triumph of stylish prose and razor-sharp observation.
Author J. Daniel Sims opens his soul and shares how his coming of age was shaped and molded in WANDERLOST, which explores the author’s philosophical perspective and a front row of his global adventures. An honest and well written memoir.
Piers Furney’s ALKALINE DAWN offers readers a gripping glimpse into a futuristic world of corporate intrigue and advanced technology. With its vivid descriptions of the Ven-Bryson Palladium Works and the tension-filled interrogation scenes, the book captivates readers with its immersive storytelling. Readers will find themselves drawn into the narrative, eager to uncover the secrets hidden within this compelling tale of biomedical terrorism and industrial espionage.
Written by Hans Ness and illustrated by Sofia Komarenko, ROLO THE PET EARTHLING is a fun, imaginative, and humor-filled story about a young boy on planet Blorx who finally gets his wish to have an “earthie” as a pet. The book will hook young readers from the first line and keep them engaged with its adventurous storyline and bright artwork.
With richly-drawn characters and descriptive, active passages, AMERIKALAND by Danny Goodman relives hatred between cultures, and the ways it affects people, especially in today’s world. During a sporting event staged to promote international peace, a targeted antisemitic attack opens up a can of hate, love, political motivations, and confusion. AMERIKALAND is an emotional read touching on real-life antisemitism that continues to fester throughout the world.
TEA & TOIL AT THE WOMAN’S CLUB by Bainy Cyrus is a lively, richly detailed book combining memoir and tangled histories: that of the Martin Mansion and the family that built it; the 100 year old Woman’s Club of Norfolk and the fight to preserve the decaying mansion that housed it; and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, founded in 1890 by journalist Jane Cunningham Croly, when she was refused a ticket to an all-male dinner honoring Charles Dickens. Cyrus, whose personal history is entwined with the club, shares detailed anecdotes bringing to life the determined, resourceful women committed to social, political, and economic change. A history with heart, TEA AND TOIL points out how what’s often dismissed as “women’s work” is actually the bedrock for community.
MAXYM by Patrick Notchtree is a thrilling novel beginning with a tragic incident in the eponymous protagonist’s life when he witnesses his parents’ ruthless murder and his sister’s brutal assault by militants. A bildungsroman-esque plot ensues as Maxym grows up to become an assassin, harbouring deep-seated hatred and unresolved feelings within himself. The setting of Russia is shown through immersive dialogue and detailed imagery. Maxym’s character is developed beautifully, exploring his complex feelings stemming from his traumatic past and closeted sexuality against the backdrop of Russian politics and culture. Readers who appreciate thriller and action books with unforgettable protagonists will love this story.
STONE & SKY is an epic fantasy adventure that doesn’t disappoint with its fast pacing & stellar world-building. Author Z. S. Diamanti delivers a tale of hope against all odds with the unlikeliest of allies, proving evil can be defeated when everyone unites together. Readers will be delighted and fully immersed in this harrowing journey of heartache and triumph.
THE ASCENDITURE is a gripping thriller that provides priceless lessons on the importance of courage, grit, and determination. Author Robyn Dabney delivers a remarkably inspirational story, sure to leave readers feeling motivated.
Ana Wolf, a young librarian living in present day Berlin, stumbles upon a diary belonging to a woman named Gabriella in 1980’s Berlin. Ana Cruz’s THE CATALOGUE OF DESIRE AND DISAPPEARANCE, is a coming-into-one’s-own story for a young woman who has never really bonded with people her age, but desperately wants that connection. Through Gabriella’s story, Ana discovers how to trust herself and finally break out of her shell. This book is for readers drawn to stories of self-empowerment and reflection on the people who came before us – those who paved the way so we would know which roads to walk down. Sometimes all we need to learn is that people have done it before us, so we can do it too.
“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Nietzsche’s prediction applies to Alex Kroll’s autobiography, WITHIN (the author details his body-mind-spirit journey of some 40-plus years. From drugs to yoga, baking to meditation, bankruptcy to training in humanistic psychotherapy, readers will learn what makes Kroll tick now, and the different spiritual tenets to which he subscribes. At the very least, the curious can tap on a remarkable body of literature located in the book’s appendix.
In a captivating blend of dystopian sci-fi and visionary fiction, Athene Z. Adam’s TWISTED MONARCH continues the Reign of the North Forest series with an immersive exploration of unaging minds trapped in youthful bodies. A genre-bending narrative with emotional depth intertwining themes of immortality, rebellion, and justice with mastery. A worth-reading suspense-sustainer novel.
Full of mysterious suspense, strong familial ties, and passionate romance, Amanda Uhl’s HEALING KISS delivers a remarkably distinctive storyline of a young woman with mystical healing abilities battling her instincts to conceal herself from the one man that may be her salvation.
THE MORNING CLOUD IS EMPTY by Tolu’ A. Akinyemi is a reflective anthology, offering a beautiful exploration of life’s essence, identity and experience through simple, clear prose. The author’s skill with words is evident, presenting a mix of through sentimental and symbolic words. From the irony of life to reflections on the human existence and departure, the collection is delightful, meaningful, and invites thoughtful contemplation.
Set in 1989 as an alternative history after the real-life 1986 Challenger tragedy, this fictional story strands astronauts in space on a mission gone sideways. RUTHLESS SKY by D. K. Broadwell dives deep into space exploration and delivers suspense, intrigue, and raw emotions while highlighting the stubbornness of the Cold War era bureaucracy. As a former flight surgeon with NASA, Broadwell expertly captures the details to bring these characters and scenarios to life.