2027 ENTRANTS
Added as our first-round reviewers read them, find the latest verdict blurbs for the 2027 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June 2028!
Nicholas John Hanson's unfiltered memoir, A FRAGILE UTOPIA: Escaping the Elaborate Facade of Alcoholic Bliss, exposes the subtle development of addiction hidden beneath an apparently normal existence. This book will speak to anyone struggling with alcoholism or who is assisting someone in recovery since it combines candid journal entries with contemplative narration, giving readers both harsh honesty and hard-won optimism.
You'd have to be absolutely humorless to not enjoy THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SON by Jonathan Gershfield, a thoroughly entertaining, oftentimes hilarious read. After all, what drives the father of an angst-filled teen to literally put his head into a noose hanging from a ceiling beam, then struggle to free himself when his cell-phone rings? Parents will relate to the chaos created by said son, even more to the dad's confusion and apparent failure to understand his therapist-wife's solutions to dealing with junior's actions which place all blame on the father. It seems this is a dad who cannot succeed in business, or the bedroom or parenting 101. Gerschfield, scores high fives in all areas of writing humor with this fabulously cinematic debut novel.
LIKE A LILY AMONG THE THORNS by Karen S. Bell is the story of Gabby striving through the streets of NYC, walking daily, adopting her dog Eliza Doolittle (Doo) and visiting the New York Public Library where she meets Countess Anastasia Ivanova who becomes a significant role model in Gabby’s life. A positive outlook and attitude always attract the right people and for Gabby and Countess Ivanova it's a clear reflection of just that. A powerful theme to no longer be observant but a participant in life and enjoy it to the fullest is such a blessing to read and warm the heart.
ELIXIR: A Journey Into Ancestral Alchemology by Gisella Rose is a poetic and profoundly personal journey of creating a spiritual practice that blends genealogy, astrology, and elemental wisdom in order to explore the inherent potential of your ancestors through The MoonTree Chart and elemental archetypes. With this beautifully written book, Rose invites all spiritually curious individuals to use their ancestral heritage as an opportunity to discover their own inherited patterns of being in a creative and compassionate way. This book will resonate most with those who feel a call to both heal from their ancestors and seek mystical self-discovery.
Ever had a specific kind of terror in carrying a secret you don’t even understand? For the three Shadow Casters at the heart of Jared Woodcox's JOURNEY TO TORCIA, that terror is a constant companion. Tasked with delivering a cryptic, empty message to a General in a distant land, Kaito, Sumi, and Nigel are caught in a conspiracy that has been brewing since long before they were born. River-laced Torcia, shadow creatures, and casting lore-combined with genuine character growth, especially in Nigel’s self-doubt and Kaito’s growing awareness of responsibility-make the novel feel less like a simple quest and more like the opening move in a much larger conflict.
Jared Woodcox weaves high-stakes action with touching themes of devotion, bravery, and moral conviction in DEVOTION'S DAWN: A Shadow Casters Short Story. Woodcox delves into themes of sacrifice and justice in a vividly imagined world through Cylos's connection with the shadow caster Belza, a world that is sure to enchant readers of action-driven young adult fantasy.
Raylynn Van Oort's memoir, FROM SH*T TO SUNSHINE, recounts her ordeal with childhood manipulation and abuse, as well as her subsequent struggle for freedom and religion. The book is honest and hopeful throughout. She encourages trauma survivors to recover and be resilient through her compelling tale and raw emotions.
Garth Hallberg’s THE GRAND PLAN starts off like a classic "save the world" space race, but then it pulls the rug out from under you. It follows Nick and Helena, an astrogeologist and a geneticist, who are basically Earth's last Hail Mary. A spacetime glitch strands them on a planet that looks eerily like home. The heart of the book is their encounter with a primitive clan and a young girl whose brilliance completely upends their scientific ego. It’s a haunting meditation on what happens when we try to "fix" a world that isn't ours to break. Hallberg manages to make the vastness of space feel incredibly intimate, forcing us to ask: If you had the power to shape a civilization's future, should you? It’s ambitious, it’s ethically messy, and it’s moving.
Snee’s collection of speculative tales finds famous figures of history in unlikely situations. In the title story, the aviator embarks on an affair with Simone de Beauvoir; elsewhere Stephen King is attacked by a werewolf and W. Somerset Maugham has an emotional crisis whilst working as a spy. These are entertaining, quirky tales that will be best enjoyed by readers with some previous knowledge of the characters depicted. THE VENGEANCE OF AMELIA EARHART AND OTHER TALES pays fitting tribute to the literary masters it celebrates.
WHY BREAKUPS ARE SO HARD: How We Can Help by Terry McNiff is a comprehensive and insightful examination of the personal and ripple effects of separation. Blending practical guidance and emotional insight with brain science, McNiff thoughtfully explores the social, psychological, and legal dimensions of breakups in a clear and engaging manner. The result is a useful and informative resource for anyone navigating heartbreak or supporting someone through it.
K. L. Vincent creates an enthralling fantasy in POISONED PAWN (Lost Sovereigns Book 1) that takes place in a broken world where the themes of sacrifice, devotion, and survival converge. Adult epic fantasy fans will be enthralled by Vincent's imaginative world-building, high-stakes action, and emotional depth as told via the complicated and strong Æri. This intriguing series premiere sets the stage for an engrossing narrative with its complex political intrigue and ethically challenging decisions.
In ALL FIRED UP, Carmine Valentine delivers a suspenseful, slow-burn romance set against the atmospheric beauty of the Pacific Northwest. With spirited dialogue, layered family secrets, and a heroine navigating danger and desire, the novel blends intrigue and heart in a way that will especially appeal to readers who enjoy romantic suspense with emotional depth.
Kenneth J. Goin’s THE CLOMETHEONS follows Jenelle, a quiet woman marked by a childhood lightning strike and whose life is upended when strange storms and unseen forces draw her into a hidden struggle involving interdimensional factions, strict cosmic laws called the Absolutes, and a threat that could spill over onto Earth. As immortal rules bind her choices and loved ones become entangled in the conflict, the story moves between intimate cottage life and vast, otherworldly stakes, asking what it truly costs to live forever and whether peace is earned through strength or surrender. Blending big ideas with personal emotion, Goin delivers a thoughtful, character-driven sci-fi tale that values atmosphere and reflection as much as action, leaving readers with questions that linger well beyond the final page.
THE DISRUPTION is a sweeping, high-stakes science fiction novel that examines what happens when humanity’s greatest technological triumph becomes its greatest existential threat. W. H. Hilf weaves together dual timelines on a fractured Earth and a precarious colony on Proxima Centauri b, crafting a narrative rich with tension, moral complexity, and emotional depth. With immersive worldbuilding and layered characters, the novel delivers a powerful exploration of faith, survival, and the unintended consequences of innovation.
ZEPHYR'S FLIGHT: The Dragons' War by Ray Strong is a politically charged coming-of-age story, infused with dragon mythology, political unrest, and a young heroine's dogged persistence. Young adult and epic fantasy fans who appreciate heartfelt stories will love this story for its rich world-building and the strong connection between Astria and her dragon.
THE WOUNDED SKY is Book 2 in Ray Strong’s epic series The Dragons' War. As in all the very best fantasy sagas, the author takes great care in world-building, with an attention to detail that fully envelops the reader. The book’s young heroine, Astria, is finely drawn, and Strong skillfully shows her character evolve as she travels in search of a cure for the curse that has been placed on her dragon companion, Zephyr. For avid fans of fantasy fiction, the book is an excellent jumping on point for an impressive series.
THE WEIGHT OF CONVERSATION: Dialogues Across Time by Jon Nelson's historical dialogue novel brings together the world's greatest characters for spontaneous conversations about their beliefs, power, identity, and legacy and challenges the reader to have these same conversations in their lives. Nelson uses his strong writing style and powerful emotional insight to make the conversation feel both private and global and, as such, is a compelling read for people who enjoy character-driven philosophical debates and fiction based on real people.
Blending elements of neo-noir and literary crime fiction, THE MOTH by Scott Archer Jones is a mosaic of a life pieced together through vignettes from a man’s troubled childhood in 1950s Chicago to his weary existence as a pawnbroker and criminal facilitator in 2010s East Los Angeles, that mirror the fragmented nature of memory in a way that reveals his psychology and key moments that formed him. THE MOTH is a deeply complex, anti-heroic protagonist full of contradictions; a misanthrope who repeatedly risks himself for the vulnerable, a coward who commits cold-blooded murder, a man who waits for the world to act so he can react, a criminal with a personal code, etc. It is a haunting and challenging portrait of a man who spends his life in the shadows, only to find that the shadows have become his entire world.
THE MOON COULD ONLY WEEP is a vibrant and sweeping story of grief, prophecy, and magic. Rara Hope has created an imaginative and expansive world in which the heroine, Maijerda, must face the truth of her lineage and choose between vengeance or destiny. Fantasy readers will enjoy this lyrically written story.
In Ray Strong's THE BOOK OF CHAOS, book 3 in The Dragons' War series, the protagonist Diana Stewart is thrust out of her familiar environment and into a new one defined by betrayal, sacrifice, and conflict. While maintaining the narrative's emotional center on a young girl resolute in her pursuit of self-discovery, Strong constructs a rich world of competing kingdoms and dragon mythology. The book has a lot to offer fans of classic, action-packed epic fantasy.
Michael A. Pyle’s GIGA TROUBLE is a kinetic cybercrime story full of dramatic plot twists and globe-trotting espionage. Plucky heroine Michele Morales fights to expose the shadowy dealings of the mega-tech corporation that employed her. It’s a conspiracy that includes high-tech crimes like ransomware, cryptocurrency scams, and data theft, alongside the traditionally lucrative illegal drug trade. With details that could have been ripped from contemporary headlines, Pyle’s plotting constantly keeps the reader on their toes in an action-packed, unpredictable thriller.
When a single mistake at work shakes up his privileged life on Wall Street, E. Aly's DOORS forces the main character, David J. Hopkins-Wilson, to face his ambition, loyalty, and sense of self. Aly uses direct dialogue and strong contrasts between financial success and honest work to write a thought-provoking book about second chances and the courage it takes to open unexpected doors. This book is great for people who like stories about characters and their journeys of self-discovery and redemption.
Katherine S. Hansen’s memoir, A CONFLUENCE OF RIVERS traces a woman’s sentimental journey as she revisits her past, and gently untangles her long-buried recollections about her life and love. Often unfolding like a moving novel exploring a how love is shattered by one's cruel fate and a heap of misunderstandings, the memoir is sure to keep readers enthralled by its simple yet deeply affecting narrative. What makes Hansen’s book outshine other memoirs is its openness to reinterpreting the past, and return to the present not defeated but strengthened by reflection and acceptance.
Bebe Duncan offers remarkably memorable characters with convincing albeit heartbreaking background stories in her contemporary YA novel, ALICE IN BLACK. Though the story confronts highly sensitive topics such as cutting and self-harm, it never loses its commitment to portraying the possibility of new beginnings and trustworthy relationships in a pandemonium of grief. Readers will undoubtedly want to keep an eye on the upcoming books in Duncan’s promising and heartfelt Willamette High series.
MURDER, HIJINKS AND THE PERIDOT CUFFLINKS by Lynn Rankin-Esquer is the delightful second book in the Order Out of Chaos mystery series. Isabel Bishop is in the midst of a divorce, and working for her sister’s organizing company. Izzy has psychic abilities, which revved up once she had a near-death experience. Now, she can talk to the dead, often triggered by psychometry. When her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon of a local wealth manager, and a pair of peridot cufflinks give her insight into the murder, she has to figure out how to turn psychic information into evidence. And then there’s her sexy new romantic interest.
Izzy is a great protagonist, balancing talent, good intentions, flaws, and intelligence. She’s capable of strong and lasting friendships, and learning from her mistakes. The book hits a perfect balance between the psychic and practical elements, and how Izzy tries to navigate them to get to the truth without causing more harm. MURDER, HIJINKS AND THE PERIDOT CUFFLINKS is a fun, well-paced mystery that satisfies while making the reader eager for the next book in the series.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE PHANTOM: Night of the Phantom Episode 2 by Carlos Manuel Reynosa is an emotional rollercoaster with an unrelenting pace, combining teen super-heroism with themes of trauma, loyalty, and identity. Reynosa creates a conflicted young hero struggling to find his balance in the midst of the city's chaos, making this a good choice for teen and young adult readers who prefer dark, urban superhero fiction.
When a crime thriller is penned by a retired member of the police force, there's a much greater sense of authenticity to the details surrounding the investigation and apprehension of the perps. Such is the case for Frank L. Atchley's A BIRTHDAY TO DIE FOR where a young woman suffering from a multiple personality disorder vehemently declares she will be killed on her upcoming birthday. The force springs into action but runs into dead ends with every new lead as they race against time and a bloodthirsty cult to save the woman's life.
THE CLEANSING: A Novel of Ancient Rome, Based on a True Story by Victoria Alvear skillfully depicts the intense, captivating world of an ancient Roman Vestal Virgin's struggle to survive within the treacherous atmosphere of Rome's cruel politics and its superstitious culture. The portrayal of Mia's remarkable intelligence and emotionally rich personality allows Alvear to explore faith, power, and women's rights, all through a historical lens and with a sense of urgent morality. This bold and timely novel will appeal to fans of historical fiction who appreciate character-driven stories.
Thank you to the 2027 IndieReader Discovery Awards Sponsors!
