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!
UNFURLING THE SAILS is a high-stakes young adult fantasy adventure page-turner set within the world of author Sarah Branson’s Pirates of the New Earth series for adults. Fourteen-year-old Grey Shima’s boat is smashed to pieces and destroyed by an out-of-control yacht when she’s picked up by a dingy holding her enemy, twenty-nine-year-old Ashton Abernathy and his party boy pal, Brian. The uneasy alliance the three are forced to forge to survive is exacerbated by their age differences, which may make some readers uncomfortable. The chapters while lost at sea are among the strongest in the book; how they figure out the way to piece together their skills, talents, and knowledge in order to survive makes for as much of an emotional adventure as a physical one.
WATERCOLOR, the first of the Marina A.H.’s series of the same name, is a beautiful novel about acceptance and awakening. Daniel is a queer teenage boy living in Brazil. He spends his junior year abroad in Florida, with a supportive host family whose own child is transgender. Daniel, who felt lost and isolated, blossoms among the friends he makes in school, and the acceptance he finds among his new LGBTQ friends. When he runs into his childhood best friend, whom he hasn’t seen in years, he’s faced with re-igniting the old friendship and whether or not it can grow into more. The story deals with love between friends and family, and creating found family in uplifting ways. The deeper the pain the characters endure, the kinder and more generous they are to those around them. The writing is lyrical and the characters strong and engaging. The necessity to create safe space for each other, and to accept each other where they are, rather than where they wish each other to be, is a strong, underlying theme of this beautiful coming-of-age novel.
WATER MUSIC: A Cape Cod Story, by Marcia Peck, is a nostalgic novel featuring a musically gifted pre-teen named Lily Grainger and her family as they spend a turbulent and emotional summer on the wind-whipped beaches of Cape Cod. This novel is a perfect fit for any reader looking for a heartbreaking coming-of-age tale with a musical Massachusetts twist.
When a little girl goes missing, the community is quick to judge, but the truth is far more complicated. Jae Nolan’s A SECRET TRUTH features imperfect and relatable characters who are tasked with impossible decisions in a story that will sucker punch readers with repeated blows in a heart-wrenching page-turner.
LEADERSHIP MINDSET R. Michael Anderson is a series of lessons in avoiding the command-and-control syndrome that’s still (and unfortunately) popular with leaders today. Quite a few of his teachings will be recognizable by readers of HR lit: Focus on others. Be committed to growth. Avoid the ego and move into the authentic self. He explores how to move out of complacency and into growth; learnings that always bear repeating. A good reminder of what to do – and what not to.
No worries if readers missed books 1 and 2 of Holly Brandon’s New Adult Chastity series. Though NEVER LOST, the final entry in the series, starts in mid-resolution, the plot soon becomes clear: Hero Chastity, fresh from a Ph.D. program, romps around the U.S. with her faithful angel (in her head) guiding her through a series of romances, mysteries, and mishaps. Participating family and friends range from Nana and Gramps to long-lost relatives and adventures. A quick well-written read so make sure to mark down names and relationships.
Dive into the enthralling world of SHADOWS OF DARKNESS by Leisl Kaberry, which follows two young heroes on a transformative journey. This high-fantasy epic is a must-read for young adult fans, brimming with captivating characters and themes that hit close to home. This epic tale masterfully blends adventure, struggle, and growth.
Think Travels with Charley, minus dog and fortified by a love mission, expecting nothing in return. That describes Merlin Franco’s SAINT RICHARD PARKER (His search for love and enlightenment across India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia)–the journey of former journalist-turned-author now flying around Southeast Asia searching for female companionship. His pilgrimage features A through Z, ashrams and astrologers to shamans, all eager to aid and abet in helping him eventually learn that there’s no place like home. Punctuated by smiles on every page.
Michael Karolewski’s THE SOUL SECTOR is a complex, emotionally charged story, a lesson in morality and coping with grief that introduces a wicked, beautiful, and sometimes zany rendering of the afterlife.
When space salvager Shep agrees to a routine mission exploring an outpost facility on Earth’s old moon that was destroyed one thousand years before, nothing prepares him for the insidious evil that lurks within the ruins. What horrors happened here a millennium ago and what secrets remain? Character-driven, clever, and compelling, WAYPOINT ECLIPSE is an epically good science fiction thriller. Using a dual timeline and several perspectives, Christopher Buchheit has written an intelligent and gripping narrative full of action and emotion which proves difficult to put down.
FIRES IN THEIR WAKE by Faye Perez is a riveting young adult fiction that assembles an eclectic crew of outlaws: an assassin, a cunning jewelry thief, a duo of terrorists, and the president’s daughter. With their unique skills and a shared disdain for a corrupt system, this unlikely alliance forms to topple a formidable adversary. This novel combines action and intrigue, offering a compelling read for fans of high-stakes adventures and complex characters.
In this literary journey of discovery, author Adam Lenain creates a sympathetic character traumatized by his past. LAST OF THE FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS hits a home run as Spencer Mario plays on Yale’s baseball team, navigates college life, and fights all-encompassing depression. He chronicles how a cast of supporting characters helps him through the dark to find light in his future.
Short stories, poems, musings, and life experiences make up the text of CURIOUS: Are my Stories about Morals? by Peggy Jo Henry. Complete with movie and song titles, celebrity name drops, and embedded puzzles, the book also contains serious stories of mental illness, depression, and suicidal tendencies—all within a mysterious but entertaining writing style. Readers may enjoy playing the games in this maze of literary complexity.
W. Thomas Jones’s NO LEGACY SO RICH picks up thirty years after humankind has doomed itself to extinction by an apocalypse no one really understood. What is left of humanity rises to protect themselves from a new threat of extraterrestrial nature. A thrilling and well-paced science fiction novel.
The decision to go into law enforcement is not taken likely by those who hear the call. In THE TALONS OF JUSTICE by Brian Hoeg, a new police recruit is caught up in an intense scene of dirty drama. With a plotline that twists in different directions, the story brings together elements of violence, deception, conspiracy, and police corruption. Those who enjoy thrillers and mysteries may enjoy TALONS OF JUSTICE, as the tale brings readers on a moving ride.
An eccentric collection of short horror stories ranging from paranormal to psychological, Stephen Ball’s MADHOUSE might leave readers questioning segments of reality as it winds through demented tales on a tour of insane asylum residents from both historic and modern times.
DEATH IS POTENTIAL by Bob Burnett is a gripping tale of murder and romance. U.S. Marshal Kate Swift’s visit to a wellness center takes an unexpected turn into the heart of the story: intrigue and passion. As her newfound romance deepens, a sinister murder mystery unfolds around her, with each new clue and the escalating body count threatening her blossoming relationship. This enthralling novel promises to keep readers eagerly turning pages to unravel the enigma.
Computer genius Eleanor Nickerson has created SCARS (Sensation Capture-and-Release System) which enables human experiences of intense emotion and perception to be captured and replayed through its technology. Originally intended for medical use, primarily in palliative care, it is hailed as a revolutionary invention. However, its capacity for abuse and manipulation by government agencies, the military, and organized crime syndicates is also game-changing. SENSATIONS is an intricate, ambitious, and involving novel driven by a fascinating, well-considered concept and a refreshingly abrasive and unconventional protagonist. Byrne successfully straddles several genres in his occasionally surreal and often uncomfortable narrative which poses profound and ethical questions alongside the gripping plot complexities.