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:
4.4 / 5.0

Zeb Beck's THE MELANCHOLY STRUMPET MASTER is a rambunctious tale that gives a vivid portrayal of the two sides of Tijuana, the grittier side of...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.4 / 5.0

W. C. Latour’s THE BARGAIN SHOPPER (The Confessions of a Soldier of Truth in the Age of Pandemic) is a curious, startling read, all artifice...

IR Approved
May 5, 2023

AS TIME GOES BY

By W. Royce Adams
Rating:
4.2 / 5.0

AS TIME GOES BY by W. Royce Adams offers poignant reminiscences of days past, seen through the eyes of an old man of the point...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.2 / 5.0

GHAD 's STRONG FAMILY MEMBERS is by turns hard to stomach, ugly, and objectionable; but it is also gripping and suspenseful – and, as with...

IR Approved
April 26, 2023

AMAGANSETT ’84

By Shelby Raebeck
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

A touching coming-of-age story set in a sleepy eastern Long Island fishing community, and by turns poignant, romantic, and tragic, AMAGANSETT '84 by Shelby Raebeck...

IR Approved
April 17, 2023

HYPHENATED RELATIONS

By Daniel Maunz
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

HYPHENATED RELATIONS by Daniel Maunz is a warm, humorous novel about family, love, loss, and relationships. Twists and turns in its story lead to a...

IR Approved
April 17, 2023

YOUNG MOTHER WITH RED HAIR

By M. A. Dunn
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Engrossing from start to finish, M. A. Dunn's YOUNG MOTHER WITH RED HAIR is often unsettling, sometimes affirmatory, and occasionally sinister and yields queasy insights...

IR Approved
April 12, 2023

SIGMUND FRAUD: LICENSED IMPOSTER

By Jeffrey T. Leonards
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

SIGMUND FRAUD: LICENSED IMPOSTER by Jeffrey T. Leonards is a poignant and moving look at the crumbling personal life of a psychologist, reflected and refracted...

April 3, 2023

SEVERED ROOTS

By Nego Huzcotoq
Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

While Nego Huzcotoq dystopian novel SEVERED ROOTS has an engaging writing style, thorough world-building, and multi-dimensional characters, the messy theme and sociopolitical details may distract...

April 3, 2023

TO HELP JUST ONE

By Thusitha L. Perera
Rating:
3.1 / 5.0

Thusitha L. Perera's TO HELP JUST ONE has well-drawn characters whose struggles threaten to overwhelm them, but the story is hampered by weak plotting.

IR Approved
March 27, 2023

SPARK

By J.A Brooks
Rating:
4.9 / 5.0

SPARK by J.A Brooks is an exceptionally well written story charting a young boy’s coming of age. Numerous laugh-out-loud moments and comic scenes background a...

IR Approved
March 27, 2023

SCAR SONGS: Stories

By W. Royce Adams
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

Author W. Royce Adams writes the lives of his broken, haunted characters with spare but artful grace, uncovering their frailties with clear-eyed candor while acknowledging...

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