IndieReader Discovery Awards 2025 Entrants
Added as our reviewers read them, find the latest verdicts for the 2025 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June!
Tim and Sara Corbishley cannot believe their luck when they win an all-expenses-paid vacation to a luxury resort in New Orleans. Their first impressions of the opulent Sundial Inn exceed expectations, but three days later, they find themselves on the flight home, traumatized, bruised, and with no memory of what occurred after entering the hotel, which closed in 1954. From a supremely intriguing beginning lightly glossed with black humor, THE SUNDIAL INN evolves into a disturbing supernatural horror full of twisted complexity. Author Stephen John Ross capably uses multiple timelines and shifting perspectives to showcase a chilling tale of unearthly retribution that ends in surreal mayhem and with the enticing hint of a sequel.
THE CONTENTMENT DIVIDEND offers a unique perspective on the possibilities afforded the individual by recognizing and nurturing the spiritual self. Author Michael Goddart writes with considerable verve on such subjects as karma, the importance of spiritual investment, and the place of planes of existence in order to create a narrative that can inspire readers to think of that which lies beyond the physical, and change lives for the better.
VERMILION HARVEST by Reenita M. Hora beautifully blends romance with historical fiction, capturing the emotional and political turbulence of 1919 India through the forbidden love story between Aruna, an Anglo-Indian schoolteacher, and Ayaz, a passionate activist. The novel’s rich sensory details and literary references—especially the seamless interweaving of Jane Austen quotes—add a charming depth to the characters’ courtship, making this a compelling read for fans of historical and cross-cultural love stories.
WHEN I ACCEPT MYSELF offers simple, easy-to-follow advice for adults in the guise of a children’s picture book. Author Laura Linn Knight and illustrator Sara Tomate advocate for embracing being “perfectly imperfect”, mindfulness, and showing compassion for oneself in a format designed to help adults find their inner child.
THE LATITUDE by Pete Clements is a compelling story of perseverance and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of Florida’s citrus and cattle industry. The novel culminates in a captivating survival narrative during a devastating hurricane, as it examines themes of identity, resilience, and the unpredictable power of nature through Casey Lee’s journey. The book provides an engaging examination of the intersection of human ambition and environmental forces, owing to its profound character development and rich setting.
An order of independent, powerful women, known as ‘Desulti’, who escaped the oppressive confines of the Vollen Empire many years ago, trace their roots as sinister forces work to undo their achievements and return them to those confines in Ross Hightower and Deb Heim’s fantasy novel, DESULTI. Critical to the success or failure of the numerous internal and external schemes is Tove, a traumatized young Alle’oss woman—a complete outsider from a race employed as servants by the Desulti. Never before has an Alle’oss woman been accepted into the order, and her arrival creates much tension, exposing turbulent relationships encouraged by the agitating caste system that pits the dynamic characters against each other in an expansive and deeply coherent world.
Nathan Kitchen’s THE BOUGHS OF LOVE is a moving memoir investigating the junction of LGBT identity and religion inside the Mormon Latter-day Saint tradition. Particularly as he negotiates a path of self-acceptance, spiritual reconciliation, and activism, Kitchen invites readers into moments of both suffering and grace through a very personal narrative. This book is a moving and important addition to LGBTQ+ religion literature due to its profound insights and poetic writing.
Told through the experiences of charismatic twenty-one-year-old Army Lieutenant Xabier Brede, OPERATION TOLLBOOTH blends fact and fiction to give the reader a compelling account of the classified top-secret mission to use nuclear artillery along the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War and the imagined consequences had this weaponry been deployed. Drawing upon his considerable military knowledge and combining it with a poignant narrative exploring war’s emotional cost and legacy, author Kip Cassino has written a highly readable and painfully well-observed novel with an undercurrent of black humor and uneasy foreboding that captures the reader’s attention from beginning to end.
AGAINST ALL ODDS is a powerful memoir by Tristian Smith that masterfully transforms a harrowing journey through foster care into a testament of resilience and hope. Smith’s candid narrative, underscored by moments of both hardship and triumph, invites readers to witness a remarkable personal evolution that is as inspiring as it is eye-opening.
Immigrant status just might be as terrifying as pregnancy limbo. Or so English-Greek-Cypriot Androulla Demetriou believes as she straddles the two uncertainties in her life in Eva Asprakis’ THIRTY-EIGHT DAYS OF RAIN. Based in Cyprus, she finds that everything is up in the air – relationships, citizenship, home, work, and love. How will she and fiancé Giannis care for a child – when one’s a freelance writer, the other, a bartender? Author Asprakis make her anxieties palpable and readers will empathize with her emotions.
FALL OF TITAN by H.G. Ahedi catapults readers into a vividly imagined future where a formidable security barrier shields the outer reaches of our solar system and Titan stands as a critical stronghold against lurking cosmic threats. Astrophysics cadet Emmeline Augury embarks on an unorthodox quest driven by family legends—uncovering hidden clues that lead to a mysterious device capable of opening the path to the seven realms, an asset coveted by a power-hungry alien queen who threatens everything Emmeline holds dear. Combining relentless action, intricate world-building, and a seamless mix of science fiction and fantasy, this first book in the Realm series delivers a high-stakes adventure that will grip fans of both genres.
FROM MADNESS TO MAD PRIDE by Thomas Kudla is a deeply moving memoir that transforms raw personal struggles into a powerful narrative of self-discovery and resilience. Its candid storytelling and evocative prose inspire readers by revealing the strength found in vulnerability and the journey toward embracing one’s true self.
Prolific author and poet T. Kudla (who also publishes as Thomas Kudla and Thom Kudla) turns his layered imagination to American history in his latest HISTORY IS HISTORY: The book is a collection of poems and prose poems focusing on specific events that shaped the United States and what is thought of as the nation’s soul and the ideas for which it supposedly stands. But what if things happened differently? What if there’s a different lens through which to view events? If one thread of the tapestry was tweaked, how would it change everything? What if the British didn’t come, and it was a midnight ride for pleasure? What if 9/11 never happened? What about the individual stories of those lost during the Trail of Tears? What if it made more sense to surrender and live than to die at the Alamo? The spare prose evokes specific imagery and layers of nuance and subtext. Each piece should be savored and revisited, as each re-read reveals a fresh facet of thought and possibility. Kudla’s work is always inventive, complex, and subtle, and his latest collection is beautiful, poignant, provocative, and insightful.
Mike Trigg’s compelling thriller BURNER looks at the sinister side of internet fame and the perilous junction between social media and domestic extremism. The author deftly depicts the volatility of the modern era with a gripping story about the collapse of a charismatic online character and the anarchy he unintentionally causes. The novel’s tense pacing and thought-provoking themes make it an unsettling yet timely read.
Told with searing candor and a hefty pinch of self-deprecating humor, THE MANIAC WITH NO KNEES is a blistering account of how author Tyler Kania navigated rugby playing, coaching, and a cryptocurrency start-up, among other pursuits, while wrestling with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, which was finally confirmed in 2022. Triggered in part by a catastrophic knee injury that derailed his rugby career in 2016, Kania’s manic episodes increased, leading him take risks and challenge confines which often resulted in success, yet bouts of crippling suicidal depression followed the failures. Whip-smart, entertaining, and inspiring, THE MANIAC WITH NO KNEES deserves a broad audience.
In Elizabeth Oldham’s SHADOWS ON THE HEART, boxer Lita Bravo discovers that life can be very difficult. After brother and wife die in a car crash, Lita is now guardian of three kids, ages 4-12, plus her dementia-afflicted mom. Her anger pervades half of the story, until the alternating-chapter flashbacks explain why. Her coming to terms with unforeseen events acts as a good roadmap for readers experiencing similar disruptions.
NO CHANCE, MOONBEAM! is a picture book with an important message about self-confidence. When Moonbeam overhears racegoers making cutting comments about her, she feels fit to cry; but some kind words and a little grit and spirit combine to give her the boost she needs. Author Shahron Ameer and illustrator Caroline Webb produce a story that is by turns uplifting, inspiring – and just a little cheeky.
Jonathan Maas’ THE ARCHBEAVER OF CANTERBURY is a dizzying melange of literary references, hard-luck dating stories, and intergalactic travel. A surreal and sometimes lascivious retelling of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, it offers parody and social commentary on twenty-first century living – and relationships – in equal measure.