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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.

October 21, 2024

THE MAYHEM VIRUS

By Mathew L. Brengman
Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Though its punchy, present-tense prose gives it some enjoyable momentum, Mathew L. Brengman’s THE MAYHEM VIRUS doesn’t distinguish itself well from better-known cyberpunk forebears.

IR Approved
October 21, 2024

THE ASSAYS OF ATA

By K.I.S.
Rating:
4.4 / 5.0

Deftly balancing intrigue, action, and emotional heft, THE ASSAYS OF ATA by K.I.S. is an engrossing epic brimming with magic, machinations, and mayhem.

October 18, 2024

OVERTWIXT

By R.L. Akers
Rating:
3.8 / 5.0

R.L. Akers’s OVERTWIXT is a promising debut with thoughtful worldbuilding and a sensitive plot, though it still suffers from shunting important developments to a forthcoming...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

There are few surprises but plenty of gems in Karin Adams’s THE ONE WEEK WRITING WORKSHOP: 7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novel,...

IR Approved
October 16, 2024

BENEATH THE WILD FIG TREE

By Fiona Preston
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Rich with careful observations of natural beauty, Fiona Preston’s BENEATH THE WILD FIG TREE is a compassionate tale of children reckoning with their parents’ humanity.

IR Approved
October 16, 2024

WHEN FLOWERS SING: A Poetry Anthology

By Edited by Christina Isobel
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Offering nourishment during troubling times, WHEN FLOWERS SING is a layered poetry anthology about flowers, skillfully edited by Christina Isobel.

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.

IR Approved
October 14, 2024

AN UNFINISHED MARRIAGE

By Cindy Bonner
Rating:
4.7 / 5.0

Cindy Bonner's AN UNFINISHED MARRIAGE tells an absorbing story that is hard to put down.

Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Eichin Chang-Lim's TALKING ABOUT ADOLESCENCE: Supercharge Your Body and Brain Power packages brain science in a way that teens can follow, even if it doesn’t...

IR Approved
October 11, 2024

SLEEPING IN THE SUN

By Joanne Howard
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Joanne Howard's SLEEPING IN THE SUN tells the story of an American missionary family in British India with style and poise.

IR Approved
October 9, 2024

RAISED BY WOLVES, POSSIBLY MONSTERS

By Michael Swerdloff
Rating:
4.7 / 5.0

Raw, compassionate, and perceptive, Michael Swerdloff's memoir RAISED BY WOLVES, POSSIBLY MONSTERS is a vital excavation of toxic masculinity's rot—and an urgent call for individual...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Briskly plotted and charming, S.A. Reeves’s THE BOOKSHOP MYSTERIES: A BITTER PILL is a delight by and for murder mystery aficionados.

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