As an indie author, it's always been important to me to support other indie writers and help spread the word about great indie or self-published books out there. The problem with indie reads, though, is they can often be hard to find in the vastly saturate book market. So I've compiled a list of some of the best ones out there, at least that I've discovered so far.
FANTASY
THE SAVIOR'S CHAMPION
Jenna Moreci Adult Fantasy Tobias Kaya doesn't care about The Savior. He doesn't care that She's the Ruler of the realm or that She purified the land, and he certainly doesn't care that She's of age to be married. But when competing for Her hand proves to be his last chance to save his family, he’s forced to make The Savior his priority. Now Tobias is thrown into the Sovereign’s Tournament with nineteen other men, and each of them is fighting—and killing—for the chance to rule at The Savior's side. Instantly his world is plagued with violence, treachery, and manipulation, revealing the hidden ugliness of his proud realm. And when his circumstances seem especially dire, he stumbles into an unexpected romance, one that opens him up to unimaginable dangers and darkness.
Read my review here
ICARUS
Adam Wing Adult Fantasy A myth as old as civilization. The boy who donned wax wings and flew too close to the sun. Follow the tale of Icarus. And that of the father who tried to save him ... but brought his life to an end. You will come to love him. Then you will watch him fall. Live the tragic story as you never imagined possible.
INKED
Eric Smith Young Adult Fantasy Tattoos once were an act of rebellion. Now they decide your destiny the moment the magical Ink settles under your skin. And in a world where Ink controls your fate, Caenum can't escape soon enough. He is ready to run from his family, and his best friend Dreya, and the home he has known, just to have a chance at a choice. But when he upsets the very Scribe scheduled to give him his Ink on his eighteenth birthday, he unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that sends the corrupt, magic-fearing government, The Citadel, after him and those he loves. Now Caenum, Dreya, and their reluctant companion Kenzi must find their way to the Sanctuary, a secret town where those with the gift of magic are safe. Along the way, they learn the truth behind Ink, its dark origins, and why they are the only ones who can stop the Citadel.
SONG OF THE DRYAD
Natalia Leigh Young Adult Fantasy Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Barclay is still haunted by an encounter she had eight years ago—a run-in with a fairy beast that had eyes like witchlight and a taste for flesh. Charlotte has avoided the Greenwood ever since, pretending fairies don’t exist and choosing instead to focus her energies on graduating from high school and perfecting her audition piece for the Bellini Institute. However, everything changes when her mom goes missing, kidnapped by the fairies that haunt the forest behind Charlotte’s home. When Charlotte’s search for her mom leads her into the fairy realm, she discovers that she hails from a line of Shrine Keepers—humans tasked with maintaining ancient fairy shrines. Charlotte’s family has failed their duties to the fae, and now she has no choice but to strike a deal with the dryad, a powerful tree nymph responsible for her mom’s disappearance. But the dryad only gives her a month to complete her task: retrieve five stolen fairy stones and return them to the fairy shrine. If she doesn’t return the stones in time, the dryad has threatened to imprison another of Charlotte’s loved ones. Charlotte dives into a world as magical as it is deadly, coming face-to-face with fairy creatures that never get mentioned in the story books—including the creature that haunts her dreams. She must embrace her task and conquer her fears, or else she’ll never see her mom again.
THE ELYSIAN PROPHECY
Vivien Reis Young Adult Fantasy An enchanted island. An evil resurrected. A society determined to gain power... When a violent attack leaves their father in the hospital, Abigail and Benjamin Cole discover there's more to their family history than mental illness. But after fifteen-year-old Abi is abducted, she learns the attack wasn't random. Thrust into an exotic and beautiful world part of a multi-millennial feud, she must decide who to trust in a society built on secrets. Questioning everything she's ever known, she enlists the help of a boy connected to her in impossible ways and uncovers a dangerous secret stretching generations. Seventeen-year-old Ben desperately tries to search for both his sister and his mother, but his hold on reality is fading. Something dark has latched onto him. In a race against his own failing mind, where violent hallucinations and paranoia force him to believe he's next in line for the family curse, he learns he's the only one that can save his family. When darkness is coming, who do you trust?
THEORIE OF THE STORM
Jane Delaney Young Adult Fantasy The Countdown Clock is Ticking In the city of Dynas Rhydent, all who are born with magic must succumb to the Trials by their 19th birthday. Pass, and you’ll be granted the title of Magi, a rank that brings wealth and privilege. Fail, and your life is no longer your own. An acolyte at the Academy of Arcane Arts, Theorie du’Ambrine’s gift is stunted, and as her birthday draws closer she begins to fear the inevitable-- A Chance Encounter With his crooked smile and shaggy hair, Kyte is unlike anyone Theorie has ever known, and it isn’t long before she finds herself following the magnetic boy into one of Dynas Rhydent’s most dangerous districts. But what starts as a light-hearted afternoon soon turns into a harrowing nightmare, one that will push both Theorie and Kyte to their very limits as they struggle to survive a betrayal that might cost them everything. The Last of Them Taren Val'Cross is the last prince of the Fae. Once, his empire spanned the globe. Now, a curse keeps his people locked behind a magical barrier, making them prisoners in their own home. Taren has all but given up on freeing his people until a violent storm washes a young mage onto their shores. A mage who just might have the power to free them. But that power comes at a cost—one that Taren is no longer sure he is willing to pay. Enter a world where myths and magic abound in a lush, dark fantasy perfect for fans of Holly Black, Sarah J Maas, and Naomi Novik. Enter the Storm.
MOONSCRIPT
H. S. J. Williams Young Adult Fantasy "It is said that Darkness is empty and whatever vanishes into its depths is lost forever. I know this better than anyone. For I have suffered here in the shadows, and there are none who might find me.” Seventy years. Seventy years the elven prince has been lost to the darkness, assumed dead by his people and endlessly broken for a book that connects to the hidden realm of his ancestors, a land untouched by evil. And now a light in the shadows. A chance for freedom. But those willing to help him come from the unlikeliest of worlds. The orphan girl, yearning for a loving family, and the boy who won’t leave her side. A healer maiden given an unexpected chance for a life beyond narrowed expectations. A grieving creature flown far from home. They all search for something and now their fates are tied to his. If their quest for life can pull him from the dark mire in which his soul drowns, then perhaps he can be saved. Or else he will drag them all down to a fate worse than death.
AIR AWAKENS
Elise Kova Young Adult Fantasy A library girl with a secret. A dark and fiery prince. When he awakens her magic, there's no going back. The Solaris Empire is one conquest away from uniting the continent, and the rare elemental magic sleeping in seventeen-year-old library apprentice Vhalla Yarl could shift the tides of war. Vhalla has always been taught to fear the Tower of Sorcerers, a mysterious magic society, and has been happy in her quiet world of books. But after she unknowingly saves the life of one of the most powerful sorcerers of them all--the Crown Prince Aldrik--she finds herself enticed into his world. Now she must decide her future: Embrace her sorcery and leave the life she's known, or eradicate her magic and remain as she's always been. And with powerful forces lurking in the shadows, Vhalla's indecision could cost her more than she ever imagined.
AWAKENING
Christy Dorrity Young Adult Fantasy . . . because some Celtic stories won’t be contained in myth. A little magic has always run in sixteen-year-old McKayla McCleery's family—at least that’s what she’s been told. McKayla’s eccentric Aunt Avril travels the world as a clairvoyant for the FBI, and her mother can make amazing delicacies out of the most basic of ingredients. But McKayla doesn't think for a second that the magic is real—it’s just good storytelling. Besides, McKayla doesn’t need magic. She recently moved to beautiful Star Valley, Wyoming, and already she has an amazing best friend, a solo in her upcoming ballet recital, and the gorgeous guy in her physics class keeps looking her way. When an unexpected fascination with Irish dance leads McKayla to seek instruction from the mute, crippled, janitor at her high school, she learns that her family is not the only one with unexplained abilities. After Aunt Avril comes to Star Valley in pursuit of a supernatural killer, people begin disappearing, and the lives of those McKayla holds most dear are threatened. When the janitor reveals that an ancient curse, known as a geis, has awakened powers that defy explanation, McKayla is forced to come to terms with what is real and what is fantasy.
THE STOLEN KINGDOM
Bethany Aatazadeh Young Adult Fantasy How can she protect her kingdom, if she can’t protect herself? Princess Arie never expected to manifest a Jinni’s Gift. When she begins to hear the thoughts of those around her, she hides it to the best of her ability. But to her dismay, the Gift is growing out of control. When a neighboring king tries to force her hand in marriage and steal her kingdom, discovery becomes imminent. Just one slip could cost her throne. And her life. A lamp, a heist, and a Jinni hunter’s crew of thieves are her only hope for removing this Gift--and she must remove it before she’s exposed. Or die trying. The Stolen Kingdom is a loose “Aladdin” retelling. Set in a world that humans share with Mermaids, Dragons, and the elusive Jinni, this isn’t the fairytale you remember…
SHADOW CROWN
Kristen Martin Young Adult Fantasy For most people, the act of killing is intangible. Unfathomable. But not for seventeen-year-old Arden Eliri. Having been involved in Cruex assassination attempts as a mere child, killing is a natural disposition for her. Growing up without parents, in a castle ruled by an iron-fisted king, is the furthest thing from a fairy tale, as is being forced into the Cruex, the king s group of hand-selected assassins. But with each passing year, she comes to enjoy the act of killing more and more. Kill or be killed she chooses the former. A decade ago, King Darius Tymond banished The Caldari those who practice illusié, or old magick from Trendalath Kingdom, ensuring that no Caldari will ever step foot in his kingdom again. But Arden discovers otherwise after a dual-assigned mission goes horribly awry. Even more startling, she discovers that she may have more in common with the Caldari than she's been led to believe. Arden wants to trust that King Tymond's intentions are pure, but as their pasts collide in unexpected ways, the quicker she realizes the consequences and dangers of his reign. But Arden is also hiding something something that threatens her very existence and she'll have to face her inner darkness and conquer it before it destroys her . . . and the kingdom she's come to call her home.
THE SEVENTH SUN
Lani Forbes Young Adult Fantasy hrust into leadership upon the death of his emperor father, young Prince Ahkin feels completely unready for his new position. Though his royal blood controls the power of the sun, he’s now responsible for the lives of all the Chicome people. And despite all Ahkin’s efforts, the sun is fading—and the end of the world may be at hand. For Mayana, the only daughter of the Chicome family whose blood controls the power of water, the old emperor’s death may mean that she is next. Prince Ahkin must be married before he can ascend the throne, and Mayana is one of six noble daughters presented to him as a possible wife. Those who are not chosen will be sacrificed to the gods. Only one girl can become Ahkin’s bride. Mayana and Ahkin feel an immediate connection, but the gods themselves may be against them. Both recognize that the ancient rites of blood that keep the gods appeased may be harming the Chicome more than they help. As a bloodred comet and the fading sun bring a growing sense of dread, only two young people may hope to change their world.
UNSPOKEN
Celia McMahon Young Adult Fantasy Set in a kingdom of warring lands, demon curses, and hidden magic, UNSPOKEN is a fantasy for fans of Maggie Stiefvater's Mercy Falls Series and Sarah J Maas’ Throne of Glass. "You are unbroken." Princess Isabelle of The New Kingdom has lived her entire life in the confines of her palace. She spends her time hunting for the poverty-stricken Voiceless-people of the Old Kingdom who warred with her kingdom and ultimately lost-and dreaming of a world beyond the walls of her home. As the only remaining child of the king and queen, she is to be married off by her eighteenth birthday. "My father said that magic died long ago. It was evil, cursed, and wicked. My father is a liar." When Izzy witnesses the use of forbidden magic in the woods outside the palace, she is attacked, and saved by an unknown man. Soon after she discovers her rescuer is a Voiceless servant in the castle named Fray, she befriends him to seek out the magic users who tried to kill her. Fray agrees to help, but not before Isabelle discovers the servant boy harbors a secret the king has tried to bury-that he is a Gwylis, people of the old Kingdom who made a pact with the demons of the underworld for the power to transform into giant ferocious wolves. But to shift into a beast, Fray must be able to speak the words to do so. If he is to thwart the attackers from killing her entire family, Izzy needs to cure the ailment that took away his voice. "Sometimes one action-one death-can spur a movement, sway the cosmos, and move the stars." But curing Fray holds more danger than she ever thought possible. The lies of her parents and the risk of putting her own life on the line deems as destructive as falling for the servant boy. If Isabelle is to save herself and Fray, she’ll need to face enemy Gwylis, cross paths with usurper kings and princes, and decide what side she is on-human or wolf-or lose her kingdom forever. "I am fearless."
BLIND THE EYES
K. A. Wiggins Young Adult Fantasy In a drowned city where hope kills and dreams are deadly, one wrong thought can end your life. Haunted 17-year-old outcast Cole is desperate to suppress her macabre obsession with the Mara-taken before she becomes one. When a stranger with unsettling gold eyes offers a chance to escape her rule-bound existence, it--and he--prove a dangerous distraction. The body count is on the rise and the ghost who won't leave her side isn't the only one with something to hide. Join Cole on a mission of discovery and revenge from the perilous heights of the Towers of Refuge to the glittering club lurking below the floodwaters. With the dead piling up at every turn, can she untangle the lies and stop the dying before the nightmares eat her alive?
DYSTOPIAN
ALETHEIA
Megan Tennant Young Adult Dystopian Nearly two decades after the fall, the transcendent city of Iris is the only place rumored to have a cure to the disease that decimated the world. Beyond Iris, are the remnants of the old world, crawling with the Depraved. Infected with Lethe, they no longer remember the people or dreams they were once willing to fight for, and are left instead with familiar voices that whisper dark and unfamiliar words within their minds. Instinct is all that keeps the diseased struggling to exist another day. Deep underground, below Iris, exists a compound, prison to the Nameless who traded their freedom for the cure to Lethe. It is here that 736 fights to protect those she loves. Not against the Depraved that she's taught to fear, but against the society that saved her from that fate. She was willing to trade away her rights to regain the ability to form memories, but she won't let the cult that cured her treat the lives of the Nameless like a resource to be used and discarded. At least, not without a fight. How much is 736 willing to sacrifice for revenge against her captors? For those she cares about? For freedom? Everything has a cost, what would you be willing to pay?
Read my review here
THE LAST FIRST DAUGHTER
Abbie Fine Young Adult Dystopian During the first television broadcast in a decade, direct from the White House, terrorists attack. Eighteen-year-old Lindy escapes thanks to her secret service officer, Henry, and now finds her country under the control of a cruel, oppressive regime—and she and Henry the targets of a countrywide manhunt. Using fake identities and Lindy’s engineering skills, which allow her to build a network of radios, Lindy and Henry join a group planning to fight back against the new regime. Lindy must decide if she can sacrifice the relationship closest to her heart, her safety, and possibly her life to give millions of others hope for their future, and take back the White House.
HISTORICAL FICTION
THE HOUSE OF ONE THOUSAND EYES
Michelle Barker Young Adult Historical Fiction Who can Lena trust to help her find out the truth? Life in East Germany in the early 1980s is not easy for most people, but for Lena, it’s particularly hard. After the death of her parents in a factory explosion and time spent in a psychiatric hospital recovering from the trauma, she is sent to live with her stern aunt, a devoted member of the ruling Communist Party. Visits with her beloved Uncle Erich, a best-selling author, are her only respite. But one night, her uncle disappears without a trace. Gone also are all his belongings, his books, and even his birth records. Lena is desperate to know what happened to him, but it’s as if he never existed. The worst thing, however, is that she cannot discuss her uncle or her attempts to find him with anyone, not even her best friends. There are government spies everywhere. But Lena is unafraid and refuses to give up her search, regardless of the consequences. This searing novel about defiance, courage, and determination takes readers into the chilling world of a society ruled by autocratic despots, where nothing is what it seems.
1 Comment
11/13/2022 07:17:02 pm
Form trial work team game then. Likely management although note item write training.
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