Indie book reviews

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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
September 9, 2022

HELL SPRING

By Isaac Thorne
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Isaac Thorne creates characters who feel like real people in HELL SPRING and then puts them through the wringer, but doesn’t get much beyond the...

July 1, 2022

THE BLACK DOG EATS THE CITY

By Chris Kelso
Rating:
3.9 / 5.0

Clocking in at just over 75 pages, Chris Kelso's THE BLACK DOG EATS THE CITY is a novella that serves as an allegory for depression,...

June 27, 2022

THE HOSTAGE CHRONICLES

By Rene K. Tyo
Rating:
3.9 / 5.0

THE HOSTAGE CHRONICLES is a violent and very gory collection of short stories framed around a demented fantasy author kidnapping his publisher and editor. Though...

March 14, 2022

THE NOSFERATU CONSPIRACY: Book Two, The Sommelier

By Brian James Gage
Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Brian James Gage’s THE NOSFERATU CONSPIRACY: Book Two, The Sommelier is a dark, pulpy adventure featuring likable protagonists and horrifying monsters but gets bogged down...

IR Approved
January 19, 2022

ANNIHILATION

By Kaylin McFarren
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

A romantic coming-of-age tale intertwined with a massive dark fantasy epic, Kaylin McFarren's ANNIHILATION--a thrilling expansion of the Gehenna universe--will leave readers eager for the...

IR Approved
December 27, 2021

THE AUTUMN QUEEN PROTOCOL

By Patrick Ashe
Rating:
3.9 / 5.0

Patrick Ashe’s postapocalyptic thriller THE AUTUMN QUEEN PROTOCOL is a solidly crafted journey through a post-COVID wasteland that prompts interesting questions about trust, authority, and...

IR Approved
August 13, 2021

LATCHER

By Mike Dineen
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Chockful of gory detail, eerie family secrets, and menacing entities, author Mike Dineen’s LATCHER will satisfy horror fans with its fast-paced action and gutsy protagonist...

IR Approved
July 23, 2021

ROSENEATH

By Dana McSwain
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Be it an under-the-covers page-turner or a gothic allegory for the eternal struggle of good vs. evil, ROSENEATH succeeds on all fronts—Dana McSwain has crafted...

IR Approved
June 21, 2021

AUTUMN FALLS

By A.R. Kingston
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

A. R. Kingston’s suspenseful novel, AUTUMN FALLS, is terrifying in a good way, a horror novel set in a creepy small town that offers a...

June 16, 2021

FEAST OF CRONES

By Alexander Katz
Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Despite its sympathetic protagonist, sinister setting, and gruesome monster, the novella FEAST OF CRONES by Alexander Katz nevertheless ends up feeling like too little of...

IR Approved
June 4, 2021

THE THINGS IN HEAVEN AND EARTH

By Michael Scott Hopkins
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

THE THINGS IN HEAVEN AND EARTH is a thrill ride of a mystery novel--a slug and shot of testosterone that works eminently well with its...

April 9, 2021

A MAN, A MACHINE, AND THE THING IN THE DARK

By Evan Aster Reed
Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Despite some minor issues with characterization and flow, Evan Aster Reed’s A MAN, A MACHINE, AND THE THING IN THE DARK presents a thought-provoking new...

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