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!
Expecting the unexpected, that’s the key to life, especially when life comes into this world a little early. In THE DESTINATION BIRTH by Alex Bisset, readers are treated to an emotionally humorous story of childbirth, from the father’s point of view. Having a sense of humor is only one way to deal with the ups and downs of life; with simple yet descriptive writing, THE DESTINATION BIRTH leads an inspirational beginning on the path to uncertainty.
THE RAVEN KEY by Harper L. Carnes blends dark urban fantasy with horror and romance as it follows the intriguing life and times of Seth Cunningham, a troubled seventeen year-old. The book deals with sensitive subjects such as childhood trauma with caution, as Seth faced abuse at the hands of his mother as a child. Romantic subplots develop alongside suspenseful plotlines as unnatural, strange things start happening to Seth, and he tries to excavate the truth about his past and his mother. The author describes Seth’s struggles with mental illness and his harrowing experiences with the macabre, using vivid imagery and prosaic languages to touch readers.
2024. . .YOUR YEAR OF MORE is the latest in Noah William Smith’s A to Z Book Series. This slim volume’s purpose is to help navigate the internal noise and figure out what you really want your life to look like, then make a plan and go get it. The writing is brisk, energetic, and encouraging, which underscores the author’s belief that enthusiasm in life creates a better life, and, by extension, a better world. The book is filled with ideas, prompts, and prods, followed by short exercises to get the reader to think, make decisions, and then take action. Although released with an eye toward 2024, the exercises can be re-used annually, making it 2024. . .YOUR YEAR OF MORE an evergreen self-help workbook.
An adorable and thoughtful children’s book, THE NIGHT THE STARS WENT MISSING by Arthur J. Gonzalez is the tale of a young boy named Winston who is taken on a journey through the stars after he looks up in the sky one night and realizes they are all missing. He learns that the stars have hidden from view because they have seen what humans have done to the planet and they believe they are next. This story is perfect for young kids fascinated with the universe and our connection to the world around us. It’s aspirational and inspiring with incredible illustrations by Krapivina Olga. Winston is like so many other kids who care, but don’t realize how much they can do to help the environment. Wildly imaginative, the book takes you readers on a ride through the sky to show how much of an effect we all have down here on the ground.
In BREAKABLE, author Sue Julians explores the shocking impact and cost of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in this moving and thought-provoking memoir which also serves as an ode to London in addition to a beautifully absorbing and candid account of Julians’ life and background. She uses her professional opinion as a physiotherapist and her perspective as a mother, business owner, and City dweller to provide a gently analytic, intelligent, and measured assessment of this unprecedented period. Her flawlessly presented, insightful, and indeed gripping narrative should be required reading for those who implemented the lockdowns and highly recommended for those who experienced them.
A thoughtful yet zany rumination on the people that we meet in our lives who are imperative to our stories, James Flanagan’s GENEFIRE is ideal for readers who like their sci-fi with a dash of sociological implications and a bit of romance. Though the science is based in reality, the heart of the novel is the characters connection to each other across space and time.
The first book of Alison Levy’s The Witch’s Odyssey series, MAGIC BY ANY OTHER NAME is both fantastical and truthful. The author has a wonderful capacity for keeping the balance between the paranormal elements of the story and the more realistic elements, grounding them in familiar emotions and challenges. The characters are bright and engaging, the situations powerful, and the story compelling making this a satisfying first book in the planned fantasy series.
LETTING GO OF YOUR EX (by Cortney S. Warren, PhD, is a thoroughly researched self-help book. With case studies and exercises, the text is well laid out and written for the layperson as well as the expert, providing understandable and straightforward guidance throughout.
Craig Hallam’s EMI, the tale of two ghosts from a dead world who one day find each other, is a short but powerful piece of post apocalyptic dark fantasy – so dark that it’s like a literary equivalent of a camera obscura or a sensory deprivation tank. Time and space are utterly immaterial in this unsettling world.
UNLEASH (Free Your Mind, Live Fully & Achieve Your Dreams) by Daniele Clarke is a practical guide for coping with anxiety, specifically aimed at 8-12 year olds. Both a journal and a personal ‘workbook’ for the reader and their families, it can used either together or independently. Thoroughly recommended.
HOW TO BE A BETTER MANAGER IN FIVE MINUTES by Dominic McLoughlin is a cohesive guide for both beginner and seasoned managers, explaining the basics of a good manager’s skillset while also expanding on the complicated concepts involved. The author accompanies his advice with anecdotes from practical life, rendering the book helpful in the reader’s day-to-day life. Furthermore, the book highlights trust as the cornerstone of good management; this is the philosophy from which all the book’s chapters branch out. The daily exercises given in the book will prove helpful for all managers.
In a literary romantic debut, E.L. Deards writes a poetically dark tragedy full of love and anguish. WILD WITH ALL REGRETS flits between the early 1900s, as the reader is taken from the trenches of WWI back to childhood, up to teenage years & beyond to adulthood, exquisitely showcasing the pains of character growth. A delightfully haunting tale into the depths of grief and madness.
Teaching children ages 4 to 8 about the world around them is fun when you have the right book. PEBBLES AND THE BIGGEST NUMBER by Joey Benun (illustrated by Laura Watson) connects numbers and pictures to snippets of factual, easy-to-digest information. Charming illustrations with bright colors add to this educational text, as kids absorb mathematics and science in a simple way.
HELP FOR THE HURTING CHILD by Larry Banta is a comprehensive guide for parents looking for a robust, well-rounded book to holistically help in caring for their adopted children. The author deals with complicated, layered and intricate topics chronologically with clear and simple diction, ensuring that readers can understand his messages. Furthermore, chapters in the book include the author’s first-hand accounts of experiences dealing with children and their guardians in various settings. The author also differentiates his book by inculcating complex psychological concepts such as mental illness alongside Christian religious perspectives on child-rearing.
Following an aspiring musician from a broken home, CHASING SEVENS by Liberty Lane evokes a wealth of emotions with its well-developed characters and detailed descriptions of their heartfelt struggles.
Raised in an emotionally absent Lutheran household, shy, introverted fourteen-year-old Liz Fink mistakes manipulative grooming for genuine affection when her thirty-two-year-old eighth-grade teacher showers her with attention, leading to a sexual affair. In the years following, Liz repeats a pattern of unsuitable and, often inappropriate relationships, believing herself incapable of forming connections before realizing her behavior results from the trauma she experienced as a teenager. LIGHT IN BANDAGED PLACES is an exceedingly candid, inspiring, and absorbing portrait of Liz Kinchen’s journey of self-discovery, understanding, and acceptance.
Readers looking for a sharp, original, and funny literary narrative need look no further than THE TYRANNY OF DESIRE. Morty Shallman’s clever and incisive novel moves along at a rapid clip, introducing a cast of engaging characters. The book is often laugh-out-loud funny; Shallman turns one remarkably witty phrase after the next with perfect ease. Very much an adult novel for acerbic readers, THE TYRANNY OF DESIRE is memorable and riveting from the first to last pages.