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!
MASTER VERSION 1.1 by author Antanas Marcelionis plunges readers into a gripping near-future Ukrainian war zone, where a lone soldier named Master relies on cutting-edge technology and ingenuity to survive. With its vivid descriptions and seamless integration of AI and experimental tech, the novel delivers relentless action and sharp commentary. Marcelionis’s impeccable writing, paired with illustrations and authentic settings, makes this book an impressive debut and a must-read for fans of fast-paced military sci-fi and dystopian thrillers.
It is today’s business fact of life: Prospects, customers, influencers and the like must be met online, 100 percent of the time (or close to it). DIGITAL THREADS, Neal Schaffer’s sixth book, guides both newcomers and pros through the new rules and new mindsets. He does so sequentially, enabling anyone to build the right kind of digital marketing. Erase preconceived ideas: Schaffer provides the facts and figures to steer anyone on the right path.
Lynn Marie Jackson’s beautiful historical novel UNEXPECTED DETOUR makes the universal personal and the personal universal in wonderful ways. Instead of staying in Evanston, Illinois when her boyfriend is drafted for World War II, Faye joins her friend Midge in San Francisco. As men go to war, Faye gets a corporate job that includes top security clearance business with the military. She marries Steve before he ships to the Pacific Theatre, and blossoms in her new city and career. Set against the backdrop of San Francisco in World War II, the story captures the spirit of the women who stepped up and stepped in to keep things running while the men fought war on two fronts. It also explores the misogyny, the racism (especially toward the Chinese and Japanese populations), and the darker side of patriotism. The city is very much an additional character, in all its charm and at times, all its menace. UNEXPECTED DETOUR is a page turner of an historical novel, with characters who will stay with the reader long past that last page.
Sachiko Otohata and Brendyn Zachary’s A STORY ABOUT A MOTHER AND SON tells the story of a boy and his mother, told from the perspectives of each. The innovative story format and striking watercolor visuals make the book a heartwarming confession of enduring love, and the passing down of that love across multiple generations.
With an overwhelmingly extensive cast of quirky characters, A.A. Smith’s ISERIS: House of Power is a fast-paced fantasy that exemplifies extraordinary world-building as a young woman journeys to find her family that was separated amidst war, discovering along the way mysteries buried in the past that will unravel both her personal identity and the nation she calls home.
Michael S. Day’s THE RENAISSANCE MIND (ffers a holistic perspective on the questions of health and happiness. Employing a remarkably wide-ranging combination of philosophy, the classics, and history, as well as a little memoir, Day puts forward a compelling plan to nurture physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being.
Eva Frances’ THE NEXT ROUND is romantic chick lit that lives up to its category. Based in Australia, Andie Herrera and Chris Vaughn hook up again and again over seven years, presented through flashbacks. Real people inhabit this love story; the dialogue sparkles, the situations are down to earth, and the characters, easily relatable. A quick read that calls for more.
Mark Leggett’s TEXAS TOAST is a riveting mystery novel that wonderfully balances an action-packed plot full of suspense and dark themes with witty dialogue for comedic relief as a young woman from Texas travels to a small Michigan town on a mission to find her mother’s killer.
MOTHER OF RED MOUNTAINS, Apple An, fictionalized account of life in the People’s Republic (1940s to 1960s) acts as a reminder of communism’s beginnings – and prompts readers’ thinking about its present-day realities. It tracks the family and career of Jun Jun as she transitions from capitalism to a ‘good soldier’ who follows State’s orders. Told simply with a sympathetic protagonist the narrative brings out the contrast between old and new ways – and the inherent conflicts working mothers face.
KISSING TOADS by Danissa Wilson is a witty and heartfelt coming-of-age tale set in the 1980s and 90s, following Annie’s search for love amid the highs and lows of dating. Wilson’s sharp humor and authentic storytelling make this novel a compelling exploration of self-discovery, resilience, and the surprising places where true love can be found.
The fictional life stories of Sam and John, two brothers who are the sons of English immigrants, William and Elizabeth, are chronicled in Cheryl Lynn Sibany’s THE MAGPIE’S TALES. Aside from his desire to become a successful farmer in Canada’s North-West Territory, William is also a devoted father who wants to see his son Sam grow up to be a respected member of the community. Much to William’s delight, Sam enlists in the South African army, leaving his brother John to handle all farm chores. However, it soon becomes apparent that William’s ambitions and intentions for his kids have the injurious potential to quickly destroy the family. This gripping story explores themes of tragedy, love, separation, and ambition in the face of adversity. Briskly paced and well-imagined, its resonant plot will linger long after the reading is done.
DIAMONDS THROUGH WATERLOO creates a vivid and engrossing story by skillfully blending historical events with excellent storytelling. This book is a fascinating read for both history buffs and fiction fans because of author Larry Forcey’s attention to historical accuracy and gripping character development, which bring the past to life. Historical fiction readers will value the thorough research and captivating narrative that are interwoven throughout.
CITY OF NIGHT is the first book in Aaron Gibson’s Mark Bender series of thrillers, set in Australia. Mark survived an attempted execution during his final tour of duty in Afghanistan. Returning to civilian life hailed as a hero, but a broken man, he carries the deaths of those he couldn’t save with him. When his twin sister convinces him to find out what happened to his missing first love from high school, he’s drawn into an ever-tightening net of power, deceit, and a centuries old secret society. The city of Sydney and its surrounding area serves as an additional character in the story, adding an excellent layer of both physical and emotional geography. The action is fast-paced and well-choreographed, the dialogue strong, and the sensory detail well-chosen and visceral. CITY OF NIGHT is a page turner that is satisfying in and of itself, while also a strong setup for the series.
DARKNESS BEHIND THE MOUNTAIN by Amir A. Sada is an epic fantasy that goes into the timeless struggle between human ambition and the rather transcendent realms of elves. The narrative is centered on a power-hungry human king determined to annihilate the elven race for his own gain, interlacing a tale rich with suspense, magic, and well-crafted characters. Sada’s storytelling captivates readers, immersing them in a world where the thirst for power clashes with the essence of magic. The book is packed with tension that will leave readers glued until its conclusion.
Kay Smith-Blum’s finely written debut unfolds the stories of neighbors, Mary Boone and Lucas Hinson, living under the toxic shadow of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation during the 1940s. Trapped within an abusive marriage and beginning to realize the devastating consequences of the radioactive waste being pumped into their environment, Mary is determined to play her role in exposing the horrors of Hanford, but at what cost? Told through dual timelines that twist and converge, TANGLES effortlessly moves between genres to gift the reader a beautifully touching love story and a brutal mystery set against the dawn of the nuclear age and its impact. Impeccably researched, forensic yet deeply human, TANGLES also resonates with contemporary relevance.
When beautiful twenty-three-year-old Kaori Hirakata is found poisoned in the bedroom of her parent’s house in a privileged neighborhood, suspicion immediately falls upon Kaori’s boyfriend, Hiroki Sato, who has links to the Yakuza and vanishes on the night of her murder. Twelve years pass, and the case grows cold, but Aki, Kaori’s brother, is haunted by her death and resolved to find answers, however dangerous and painful they may be. Opening in rural Japan in 1988, SAYONARA, MY SWEET, is a beguilingly good murder mystery soaked in Japanese culture and driven by the tortured Aki and enigmatic Chief Inspector Ito. O’Harra has produced a well-written, carefully constructed, and gently intriguing narrative, which spans three decades until the final, stunning twist.
THE ANDROBIOTICA FILE: NEARLY HUMAN by David Gittlin is an engaging science-fiction novella that masterfully blends mystery, suspense, and futuristic innovation. Gittlin’s imaginative world-building and exploration of android technology make this story a thrilling ride for fans of speculative fiction and cyber intrigue.
W. Royce Adams’ AS TIME GOES BY offers an insightful and at times wry look at a life lived in twentieth-century America. In easy, conversational prose, Adams leads the reader through anecdotes about growing up, love, work, and illness with a singular sanguinity and wisdom.