Indie book reviews

IndieReader’s reviewers are tough, but fair

Our Reviewers won’t judge your book as compared to other self-published titles, but against other books, period. Our ratings are based on the following criteria, although reviewers are able to award partial stars (i.e. a 1.3 or a 4.7), rather than rounding up or down to a whole or half number.

1/5

Really bad 
Work on it.

2/5

Mediocre
1-2 bright spots.

3/5

Good
Worth reading.

4/5

Very Good
1-2 spots that need work

5/5

Excellent!
Must-read.

* IndieReader receives compensation for most of the books it reviews, along with copies of those books.

IR Approved
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Perfectly paced and full of genuine laughs, Brian Silbert’s BERTICUS: How I Survived School! And Bullies! And Farley Finnigan! will remind readers of all ages...

May 7, 2025

DELIVERANCE: A Road Trip to Die For

By Emory John Michael
Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Emory John Michael’s DELIVERANCE: A Road Trip to Die For is an enjoyable novel that attempts to combine New Age mysticism with the crime thriller. 

May 2, 2025

FRAIL BLOOD

By Edward Stanton
Rating:
3.9 / 5.0

A lush romance in the classic style of 20th-century Latin America, Edward Stanton’s FRAIL BLOOD evokes writers like Isabel Allende while failing to avoid some...

IR Approved
May 2, 2025

SHAKE THE JAR

By Kevin Barry O'Connor
Rating:
4.6 / 5.0

Kevin Barry O'Connor's SHAKE THE JAR blends action-thriller, a little science fiction, and history into a compelling story.

IR Approved
March 31, 2025

OUR DESPERATE HOUR

By John F. Andrews
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

John F. Andrews's OUR DESPERATE HOUR is a vivid, thoroughly researched, and powerfully told story of the horrors and cruelties of World War I. Its...

IR Approved
March 28, 2025

A CHASM OF NIGHT

By Peter Eliott
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

It’s difficult to imagine how author Peter Eliott could possibly outdo the past two installments of this sweeping, action-packed epic fantasy, but A CHASM OF...

February 14, 2025

TELL ME A SECRET

By Anaïs Ventura
Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

With prose that is capable and clear, and aspects of the developing relationship that feel satisfying and modern, Anaïs Ventura’s TELL ME A SECRET will...

IR Approved
January 17, 2025

DELPHI

By Karen Martin
Rating:
4.2 / 5.0

At its heart, Karen Martin’s DELPHI is an invigorating story about motherhood, nurturing, and protection. 

IR Approved
November 4, 2024

STALKING GHOSTS

By Alexander C. Juden
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

An engaging and action-filled mystery, Alexander C. Juden's STALKING GHOSTS believably and vividly portrays the complicated mind of a man struggling with trauma while keeping...

IR Approved
October 14, 2024

MEMORIES OF LUCINDA ECO

By Scott T. Barnes
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Set in Baja, California, MEMORIES OF LUCINDA ECO by Scott T. Barnes offers an interesting, heady take on the supernatural YA genre.

September 23, 2024

AGENT J AND THE SHADOWS OF EREBUS

By Daniel Lowell Placiszewski-Plazek
Rating:
2.5 / 5.0

Daniel Lowell Placiszewski-Plazek’s AGENT J AND THE SHADOWS OF EREBUS has a quirky sense of humor and keen attention to scenic detail, but flat characters...

IR Approved
September 16, 2024

THE SCOTLAND PROJECT

By Matthew Fults
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Matthew Fults’s high-stakes thriller THE SCOTLAND PROJECT gallops through heart-stopping scenes of intrigue and action. 

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