IndieReader Discovery Awards 2026 Entrants
Added as our reviewers read them, find the latest verdicts for the 2026 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June!
SOULS OF FATE by Charlie Davis is a novel perfect for lovers of classical fantasy. Davis created a rich world marred of battles of steel and grounded in religion, one so teeming with unique culture that it is easy to get lost in. Following a disgraced paladin of a God-like figure, SOULS OF FATE is an imaginative medieval fiction featuring redemption, rebirth, and finding oneself in the depths of darkness.
NORMALIZE IT: Upending the Silence, Stigma, and Shame that Shape Women’s Lives by Jessica Zucker is a book of hope, connection, and inspiration on a circumstance that no woman should ever experience: miscarriages. The courage that Zucker takes to share her personal experience and the tools that helped her not only recover from her miscarriage, but help other women, is phenomenal. Even though it’s a topic that might not appeal to everyone, this book is an excellent source of hope perfect for all women—pregnant or not.
Joshua Ericson’s FUCK THAT is told through Michael Smith, a mixed-race man woo white to be Black and too Black to be white. He spends most of his life being the safe one who doesn’t make white systems feel uncomfortable. To do that, he has to shrink himself, until he makes the decision to break free and speak his truth. Sharp, funny, poignant, heartbreaking, FUCK THAT is a book about no longer allowing others to categorize one, and standing in one’s own truth.
KJ Kelly’s HOWEVER LONG THE DAY doesn’t just tell a story; it drops readers into the mud and chatter of early 20th‑century immigrant life. The writing hums with homespun warmth and grit. It’s the sort of tale lovers of resilient women and real history will relish.
Bryan R. Saye’s THAT SUCH MEN LIVED is a riveting WWII story that strikes a balance between danger, sensitivity, and difficult moral decisions. It will appeal to fans of character-centered historical fiction and survival stories, who will appreciate the rich period information and determined protagonist.
Police work doesn’t always mean case solved. In this fourth of Kim Hayes’ Linder and Donatelli series, set in Switzerland, SPLINTERED JUSTICE reveals the painstaking interviews and details underlying investigations, in this instance a decade-old suicide and an assisted death. The plot’s intensity is tempered by the very human relationships among Linder, Donatelli, their suspects, and not-so-innocent bystanders.
Alicia Young's AMONGST WOLVES is a beautiful, epic novel, perfect for the young female reader. Written with passion and heart, AMONGST WOLVES presents an exhilarating adventure on the surface, but beneath the action lies a tale of survival, courage, and finding hidden strength when all seems lost.
THE BIG DREAM: A Raymond Mackey Mystery (Book 3) by Owen Thomas plunges Raymond Mackey into the final, most dangerous reckoning of his career, as the death of his wife opens new, unsettling questions and draws him deeper into a web of political rot, organized crime, and personal demons across a corrupt Chicago landscape. Bruised in body and mind, Mack pushes forward alone, navigating enemies in every institution while wrestling with trauma, addiction, and a fractured inner voice that both haunts and sharpens his instincts. Darkly intelligent and psychologically rich, this concluding novel delivers a fierce blend of noir grit and moral inquiry, rewarding readers with a complex, relentless story that proves character is the true engine of justice.
FORGED: Book Three in the Summoned Series by M.B. Thurman integrates time travel and historical fantasy with profound emotional resonance, anchoring its speculative components in a well-researched depiction of the Forfar witch trials. With its poetic prose and emphasis on women’s resilience, the novel will appeal to readers interested in character-driven, historically grounded fantasy.
A.J. Thibault’s DEADLY SERIOUS reads like a crime novel that understands people as well as it understands plot. Set in 1980s’ Los Angeles, it follows Dan Goodis, a struggling stand-up comic whose sharp mouth and refusal to stay quiet become dangerous traits rather than charming ones. After witnessing the brutal murder of a reclusive physicist, Dan is unwillingly pulled into a conspiracy. It begins with a sharp, slightly dry tone, but gradually reveals more emotional depth as the story unfolds. The protagonist is flawed in a way that feels real rather than exaggerated, making it easy to stay invested as the case becomes increasingly personal. The balance between tension and understated humor gives the story a natural rhythm, allowing even its darker moments to feel grounded. What lingers after the final pages is less the mystery itself and more the human cost of the choices made along the way.
Mike Kimmel’s 50 SECRETS NOBODY TELLS YOU IN HOLLYWOOD is a fast, practical playbook for actors that simplifies industry principles. The book’s “secrets” emphasize professionalism, perseverance, smart career strategy, and a sustainable attitude in a candid but inspiring style. Individuals pursuing acting as a sustained profession and business, especially those managing auditions, representation, and the quotidian aspects of the industry, will discover it both elucidating and empowering.
VOICES WITHIN: Life Before and After by Lana Stasek is a raw, unflinching memoir that moves from a harsh upbringing under Soviet-era pressures to the bewildering, humbling work of rebuilding a life after immigration, illness, and personal loss. Stasek writes with fierce clarity—telling exact, often uncomfortable scenes and owning her mistakes instead of polishing them into lessons—so the book reads like a candid conversation rather than a self-help manual. If you want a memoir that refuses easy comfort and instead gives clear-eyed honesty about pain, endurance, and what rebuilding really looks like, this one will reframe how you think about family, identity, and resilience.
Romance, nostalgia, regretted decisions, and emotional honesty come together in FOLLOW YOU DOWN by Katie Walsh, as a 44-year-old woman’s life takes a dramatic turn on the down side. Capturing moments in the present and past, Walsh’s first novel has its share of plot twists, but the outcome should please lovers of romantic fiction. Curl up in a cozy spot to read this relatable tale about the present, past, and roads not taken.
REMANENCE by J.S. Vaughn is a far-reaching, ambitious, and immersive fusion of chilling futurism and literary fiction that reflects contemporary anxieties and provokes much thought, while also being a nerve-shredding, highly intriguing read. Vaughn has created a complex and compelling novel, driven by a vulnerable protagonist and the profoundly emotional connection that develops between her and the stricken ship’s AI system.
Mark Kolody’s ethically charged techno-thriller MINUS ONE examines the seductive appeal of extremist movements and how justified anger can quickly become indiscriminate destruction when accountability is rejected and these movements metamorphose into the very things they claim to oppose. Through morally ambiguous characters who must choose between complicity and responsibility, Kolody shows how power shifts when data becomes a weapon and whether systemic change can occur without replicating the violence and dehumanization it seeks to dismantle, as a man stuck between two powerful opposing forces becomes the focal point of a global reckoning.
Extrapolating learnings from careers in acting, comedy, and just plain life, author Holly Shaw sprinkles memorable stories and a framework for “evolving souls” in QUEEN LESSONS: What Stand-Up Comedy Taught Me About Dealing with Life’s Hecklers and Finding Courage in Your Queen Years. Courage is key, ideas for using it to get what’s desired revolve around honesty, shamelessness, boldness, persistence, and loyalty. Plenty of insights will generate laughter and wisdom.
L. A. Starks masterfully integrates thrill and drama into the oil and gas industry in WINNER’S CURSE, the fourth book in the Lynn Dayton series. Far from an average business drama, Starks provides intriguing, personal battles and deadly stakes. With a villain that’s easy to hate and a main character that readers will love, WINNER’S CURSE is a thriller they won’t be able to put down.
ENCOUNTER: A Journey Into Chaos, Culture and Compassion by Ian Reilly follows Ian and Heather Reilly as nervous first-time volunteers teaching in Samoa whose good intentions are smashed by a devastating cyclone and the messy, humbling reality of cross-cultural life. The memoir moves from laugh-out-loud culture shock to gut-wrenching scenes of survival and generosity, showing how faith, friendship, and hard questions about aid and justice reshape both visitors and locals. Honest, vivid, and deeply humane, this is the kind of travel story that teaches you more about yourself than the place you visit.