IndieReader Discovery Awards 2025 Entrants
Added as our reviewers read them, find the latest verdicts for the 2025 IndieReader Discovery Award entrants, leading up to the big winner announcement in June!
GROVER WILCOX GOES TO THE CIRCUS is Martin Lastrapes’s fifth novel (he also has a collection of short stories). Grover, an English professor, has a kitchen accident and discovers he is fireproof. At the same time, his father, a firefighter, falls into a coma, and the doctors can’t figure out why. A chance meeting and a trip to a traveling circus in town convince Grover to join said circus to help pay his father’s medical bills. Grover gets to know and befriend the eccentric, talented, and unique group of performers, especially the beautiful fortuneteller Xyla, who first invited him to join them. The longer he travels with them, however, the more of the darker side of their lives and the circus itself are revealed. The book is beautifully written and multi-layered with elements of mystery, fantasy, romance, and even a little horror and a speculative, fantastic, and sometimes dark delight.
Melissa K Magner presents a captivating fantasy narrative in OF THE SUN AND THE SEA, weaving together complex world-building and dynamic character relationships to highlight the importance of overcoming self-limiting beliefs in the embrace of destiny as a young woman is suddenly transported to an unfamiliar magical realm.
YOU ARE NOT HERE by Michael Albanese is a book inspired by the poem “Ithaka” by Constantine Cofey, a poem about journeys, becoming, and finding oneself and one’s fortune on the way rather than expecting them at the final destination. It’s full of short anecdotes, poems, and discussions of philosophical and personal topics ranging from imposter syndrome, appreciation of that which is beautiful but ephemeral, loneliness and the need for belonging, perseverance and faith, the inevitability of the final end and the need to consider carefully what we busy ourselves with on the journey. Alternately funny, thought-provoking, and occasionally emotionally wrenching, YOU ARE NOT HERE is a book for those who are looking for, or trying to create their own, meaning in the journey we’re all traveling from birth to death. Striking black-and-white illustrations reflect and reinforce the text, providing images that catch the eye and the mind.
SPINNAKER by Sabato diVincenti is a compelling wartime love story that tracks the harrowing path of Karl, a downed American pilot, and Katarina, the German farm girl who saves him. The novel, which is set in the midst of World War II and is engrossed in espionage, intrigue, and forbidden love, stands out for its emotional depth and extensive historical references. SPINNAKER is a captivating read for fans of romantic historical fiction due to author’s commitment to character development and vivid storytelling.
OVERMORROW by H.L. Cherryholmes sweeps three strangers—Meredith, Elijah, and Yvonne—into a roadside bar during an impossible snowstorm, and a mysterious bartender demands they bare their deepest secrets to escape. As each character unveils personal demons—Meredith’s fractured identity, Elijah’s lingering sorrow, and Yvonne’s hidden purpose—the tales blur harsh reality with eerie fantasy, forcing them to confront the very things they’d rather forget. Told in a fluid, chapterless flow, Cherryholmes crafts a haunting exploration of truth, destiny, and the liberation found in finally letting go.
APOCALYPSE: COMING SOON, the first book in the Astral Wars series, sees everyman Adam coming to terms with the destruction of Earth through a catastrophic rise in sea levels. Flitting between fantasy, RPG lit, and post-apocalyptic scifi, author R. J. Ford crafts a deft narrative in which the stakes are high and Adam’s learning curve is steep. Dragons, a touch of Arthurian legend, and some dalliances with planes of existence characterize a wide-ranging story that doesn’t sit still for a minute.
John Arnett’s MONARCH appears on the surface to be a science fiction novel involving a missing treasure, a criminal on the run, and an imperiled queen – but most of it feels more like a thinly-disguised discussion of severe social anxiety and how to overcome it. The science fiction elements are unsatisfying at first, as the planets and aliens we meet look very much like Earth – but about three-quarters of the way through the book there’s a dramatic plot twist that makes the story much more interesting and gives a sense of purpose. All in all, it’s worth sticking with it until the end.
DANTE AND THE MAGIC LOMI STICK is a young adult novel by Damascinus containing a mélange of scifi, fantasy, and coming-of-age narrative. Healing after a family loss, 12-year-old Dante goes to live in Hawai’i with his mother, but the discovery of a lomi stick results in a shift from the present day to the days of myth. An impressive knowledge of mythology, tight, believable dialog, and a cleverly constructed plot make for an engaging, exciting read.
THE LITTLEST PELICAN PART 2 by Susan Marie Chapman is a spirited adventure that follows a young pelican battling adversity during his final tryouts for the Pelican Squad. When a rival’s dive goes disastrously wrong, Little Pelican risks everything to perform a daring rescue that forges unexpected alliances and transforms enmity into newfound friendship. Chapman’s engaging narrative, paired with ’s vibrant illustrations, delivers an uplifting tale of courage and self confidence that will leave readers inspired and moved.
Despite the unfortunate title (GERI O SHIMASU translates, according to the author Alia Luria, as “I Have Diarrhea”), this book is a delight, a lively, entertaining, and not infrequently profound account of the author’s stay in Japan for a semester as a law student. Luria’s tone is chatty, sometimes bawdy, but always the voice of someone deeply interested in what’s going on around her, so much so that her explanatory footnotes often run away with her. She delights in the details of cultural differences, ranging from etiquette on public transport to the Japanese view of drag shows to the contrast in violent crime rates, women’s independence, and other factors of Japanese and American life. By no means rose-colored or idealized, it’s nonetheless ultimately a loving and thoughtful account. The prose is additionally enhanced by regular intervals of haiku that demonstrates Luria’s ability to capture an emotion or sensation in a mere few well-chosen words.
CHIN DOWN EYES UP offers a unique perspective on the practice of martial arts. Practitioners Kris Wilder and Lawrence Kane write forcefully, drawing on decades’ worth of experience to deliver insights, anecdotes, and wisdom on mental attitude, approaches to learning, and lessons learned from those who have excelled in fields both within and beyond the martial arts, intended for students of all styles.
Sam Cromartie’s THE WEATHER GIRL’S ASSASSIN is a high-stakes political thriller set in Daytona Beach, where a bold reporter upends a prime-time broadcast to challenge powerful governmental forces and expose a sinister frame job against a US senator. Caught in a web of conspiracies, she finds herself pursued by a lethal operative while an FBI agent, still hurting from a personal loss, is assigned to shadow her, only to question the orders when he discovers the evidence is anything but clear-cut. As these two unlikely allies join forces to unravel a labyrinth of corruption and retribution, the novel delivers a relentless and pulse-pounding narrative that will captivate fans of smart, provocative thrillers.
In SWERVE, author Jonathan Maas presents an introspective novel that explores philosophical themes by utilizing radical characters and complex ethical dilemmas when a seemingly ordinary professor commits a split-second error with fatal consequences that threatens to unravel his entire future.
Stella Atrium’s TRIBAL LOGIC: A Dystopian Science Fiction Novel, is an intricately layered and thematically rich conclusion to The Tribal Wars saga, offering a dystopian narrative as thoughtful as it is thrilling. Atrium’s prose is confident and immersive, painting a vivid portrait of a fractured world where tribal loyalties, colonial exploitation, and shifting power dynamics collide. The novel follows Jesse Hartley and Hershel Henry through a dense web of interstellar politics, cultural conflict, and moral compromise, allowing personal and political stakes to merge with affecting consequence. The characters are flawed, stubborn, and deeply human, their relationships shaped by both tenderness and betrayal in a setting that feels harshly real despite its science fiction veneer. Atrium excels at crafting dialogues that reveal far more than the words exchanged, and the world of Dolvia emerges not as a backdrop, but as a living, breathing force that shapes every decision and moment of survival. While the pacing occasionally slows under the weight of its own intricacies, the payoff is both emotionally resonant and intellectually rewarding. This is dystopian fiction at its most mature and unflinching — a narrative less concerned with spectacle and more invested in the difficult truths of power, loyalty, and cultural inheritance.
Working as a High Resident Physician for PRIMA, a revolutionary healthcare system backed by AI precision diagnostics, is a dream role for Dr. Hope Kestrel and a chance to develop the groundbreaking artificial intelligence even further, ensuring that tumors, like the one that killed her mother, could become treatable. But when a patient dies and Hope is blamed, she begins to uncover troubling flaws and manipulations in the reliability of the algorithms. Set in Seattle, 2035, Lycette has written an intense, polished, and sinister novel that resonates with chilling credibility and contemporary relevance. Driven by a cast of well-developed characters, THE ALGORITHM WILL SEE YOU NOW fuses a fascinating work of science fiction with a nail-biting medical thriller to produce a compelling, thought-provoking read.
Richard Gadz’s THE EATER OF FLIES transports readers to a richly imagined 19th-century London that is rife with mystery and fear by fusing gothic horror with scathing social critique. The story features a dark, atmospheric narrative that re-imagines vampirism in a new, unnerving way, thanks to its cast of morally complicated characters, such as the mysterious Ruby Wester and the haunted Captain Harker. Fans of literary horror and Victorian noir will find this an engaging and gripping read.
OUT OF THE TUB, by Carol Josel, delves into the truths and accomplishments of William Howard Taft, 27th president and 10th Chief Justice of the United States. Written with humor (the book’s title refers to the myth that Taft once got stuck in a tub) and attention to detail, the biography humanizes him and his long and storied career as an attorney, teacher, judge, President and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court—the only man in American history to serve as both. Complete with a detailed family tree, timeline, and bibliography, the book is a must-read for history lovers as it includes information about Taft’s personal and professional relationships with some of the biggest names in politics before, during, and after the First World War.
WHISPERS AMONG THE PRAIRIE, a historical romance set on the Great Plains in the late nineteenth century, sees Morning Dove and her tribe face the onslaught of White soldiers, before a chance meeting with Michigander Clinton McKay changes her life for ever. Debut author Michelle Roberts imbues the narrative with melodrama and lush descriptive passages in the service of a story that shows love is possible across all cultures and despite all the barriers in its way.