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!
THE GUARDIAN’S GAMBIT by J.R. Konkol offers a unique blend of whimsical fantasy and thrilling adventure through the eyes of a kitten named Chairman, who navigates both the real world and a mystical Dreaming realm. The vivid descriptions of the magical landscapes and endearing character relationships make this story an engaging read, especially for fans of imaginative, animal-centric tales.
Set in a complex world of magic where nightmares come to life, Allen Isom’s OPHELIA RAVENWARD (s an intriguing fantasy filled with eclectic characters of clashing ideologies who face trials that both challenge their values and help reveal their core identities.
Margaret Mandell’s AND ALWAYS ONE MORE TIME is a warm, personable memoir of love, loss, and hope. With both its heartfelt epistolary style and friendly, clear reading reflecting the precise, embodied attention of the author’s lifelong yoga practice, Mandell’s text is a reminder that not only frailty and mortality, but also love, lust, and joy, are ever-present, natural components of the human condition.
Erudite, abrasive, funny, and sad, Joshua Gidding’s OLD WHITE MAN WRITING is an artfully-rendered self-portrait of white moral schizophrenia. Drawing on both the traditional Western canon and a lifetime of cringe-worthy experiences, the text remains both cleared-eyed about, and sympathetic to, the struggle of white liberals to use the master’s tools – and anything else at hand – to dismantle the master’s house.
In a conversational style reminiscent of Seth Godin, serial entrepreneur (30+ years; Hostopia, Geeks for Less, among others) Colin Campbell leads ‘babes in the woods’ as well as experienced business people through the how-tos of start-ups in START. SCALE. EXIT. REPEAT. Realizing that nine out of ten start-ups fail, the author zeroes in on the four foundations essential to success – people, story, money, systems – with many anecdotes to support his points. Clear, accessible, with just a few too many jargon-isms, this is a compelling guide for doing your own thing … and winning.
In her memoir TOO MUCH, Cindy Lee Neighbors details her struggles with mental illness and addiction as she tried to navigate her residency as a military doctor in Hawaii. The book is unsparing in the devastating detail of her experiences, and the struggles to get the help she desperately needs. Determined to succeed in her chosen profession, she also struggles against the system that is designed to harm those it’s supposed to help, the choice to become a whistleblower, the need to grieve her father’s death, and help her new husband in his own military court case. A strong read, TOO MUCH is a powerful memoir that will deeply resonate.
Kayla Kruse’s THE END OF THE WORLD (AS WE KNOW IT) delves deeply into the themes of resiliency and personal hardship. The author offers a provocative tale that explores the depths of the human psyche through a singular fusion of private insights and bizarre encounters. The book’s emphasis on spiritual awakening and trauma recovery gives the protagonist’s journey a fascinating new dimension.
OBJECT by Kristin Louise Duncombe offers an intimate portrayal of a woman’s journey through trauma and healing, skillfully weaving personal experiences with broader societal issues. The author’s candid exploration of sexual objectification and her use of “fawning” as a defense mechanism provides a thought-provoking narrative on survival and resilience. The blend of raw emotion and insightful reflection makes this book a meaningful read for those seeking to understand the complex effects of trauma.
A just-in-time tale for Halloween: A young couple buys a mansion in the woods, intending to transform it into an inn. The ghost of the previous owner intervenes, asking that her murder be resolved. The Davises oblige. After shots are fired and the property barn, torched, the sheriff and neighbors finally act. D.L. Finn’s SOUNDS IN THE SILENCE supplies suspense with real characters to warm up to and a quick-to-read narrative.
Young witch Sybil Cotterill barely escapes persecution in seventeenth-century England, only to experience tragedy as she is caught up in the Salem trials and sent to sleep for three centuries. When modern-day vampire Marcelo accidentally awakens Sybil, the two begin to connect as she struggles with the contemporary world and her need to exact revenge. Can Marcelo save her from herself, or will he be the one who needs saving? ABOVE THE ASHES is a well-written and enjoyable first installment in Alexander Fernandez’s paranormal romance trilogy. Set across differing timelines, his neatly crafted supernatural narrative and convincing characters absorb, intrigue, and promise much for the next two books.
Magic and mystery come to life with MOON SPIRIT by Fred Gracely. When an orphaned teenaged boy connects with a “moon spirit,” he finds himself engaged in her quest to save the world from an evil goddess. Descriptive chapters and clean writing bring each character to life, as they embark on a dangerous journey. MOON SPIRIT may keep readers asking the question, “and then what happens?”
Book two in Shain Stodt’s Sally Mitts story collection, SALLY MITTS AND THE LAND OF IMAGINATION features colorful illustrations and easy-to-read text, as Sally the cat visits a fascinating world in the land of her imagination. Through the eyes of this sweet kitten, children may see how creative they can be when visualizing happy things within their own world.
Danila Botha’s third collection of short stories, THINGS THAT CAUSE INAPPROPRIATE HAPPINESS, is a beautifully written, deeply rendered series of portraits of people struggling to define themselves in harsh circumstances. Dealing with often generational trauma, especially around Holocaust survival, the stories relentlessly strip away facades. From the bullied teenage girl to the woman who self-harms to get attention from her husband, the pain is deep. The stories often enter the realm of the fantastic, yet the stories never trade deeply felt experience for something easier and more escapist. The short stories of THINGS THAT CAUSE INAPPROPRIATE HAPPINESS will remain with the reader long after the book is finished, and in each re-read, there are new discoveries and revelations.
F. Diane Pickett’s second novel, THE TEA WASN’T ALWAYS SWEET, is an ambitious saga spanning a good portion of the 20th century and into the 21st century, about the life of a determined Southern woman fighting sexism to achieve independence. Sissy’s mother left the Sissy and her brother Robbie when they were young. Her strict father brought them up as a single father, unusual in those times, and the stigma of growing up without a mother in the house scarred both Sissy and her brother in different ways. Sissy marries a closeted gay man in the 1950’s, and eventually divorces him when he makes her life unbearable. She goes on to build a strong career, but her brother’s suicide leaves her caring for his children. The book is framed primarily in conversations Sissy has with her favorite cousin Joyce, her best friend “Super Sue” and her brother, discussing the injustices and social changes of the various decades. Sissy is the center of the book, rendered in her complexity, determination, pain, and humor. Any woman who lived through the era of the book will recognize and champion Sissy’s struggles, and the book serves as an important history lesson for those who didn’t.
Losing control of one’s own sense of self and identity can lead to a long and lonely road of recovery. BRINGING SUNSHINE BACK INTO MY MIND by Momoko Uno is a fictional “hit the nail on the head” piece about a middle-aged woman seeking to reclaim her own reality. With streams of humor, truth, and self-discovery, the story is a reader’s glimpse into life, with ways to recapture sunshine and blue skies of everyday living.
FINDING HOME by McKenna Lynn is a heartfelt exploration of rediscovering oneself after life’s unexpected turns. The book skillfully portrays the deep emotional journeys of its characters, particularly Jamie and Kennedy, as they navigate love, loss, and the idea of home. With vivid descriptions and relatable struggles, it offers readers a touching narrative of resilience and second chances.
Michael Pronko’s gripping thriller SHITAMACHI SCAM blends forensic accounting with fast-paced detective work to transport readers to Tokyo’s dirty underworld. Pronko’s realistic portrayal of the city’s distinct culture plus a clever narrative involving con games aimed at the elderly make this a novel worth reading. A crime story with an intriguing new dimension.
WITCHFINDER’S SACRIFICE by Rande Goodwin expertly blends historical and supernatural elements, offering readers a thrilling tale of witchcraft, betrayal, and the fight for justice. Goodwin’s ability to bring rich details of the past into a contemporary storyline creates an immersive experience. The tension builds as familiar characters navigate moral dilemmas and supernatural challenges, making this book a captivating read for fans of dark fantasy.