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We made it the second week and I'm still here screening potential books for review. I would estimate that for every book that makes it on the list, I screen five more books that didn't. I've already bought a few candidate books. It doesn't mean they are selected for review, just means I wanted to read them. Purchase and reading does not equal getting a review. Sometimes the promise doesn't match the reality. As a reader and consumer of indie lit, I have high standards. A book is a book, whether it's published by Penguin, Tor or by the author themselves. If it doesn't hold my interest or falls apart mid-story, I'll put it down and move on to the next candidate. I am a sssllloooowwww reader and my time is precious. With that said, I won't announce a review candidate unless I've read enough of it to have some degree of confidence it won't end up a dud. HOWEVER...I must say it appears to me that the quality of indie novels has improved dramatically since the early days of self-publishing when I got into the book review game. In my opinion, the most notable improvement is editing. Perhaps this is due to the improvements in editing software, but that is just a guess. Whatever you're doing out their, indie authors, keep it up. We've got two more weeks of more candidates and then I announce August review selection on 30 June. In July, the candidate announcements begin anew for the September review. You can review last week's candidates here. Congrats to this week's candidate selectees because you snagged this readers attention! You should be proud of that, because it's a notable accomplishment in today's oversaturated book market. INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #006 TITLE: Zān PUBLISHER: None Listed AUTHOR: Joshua C. Patton GENRE(S): Science Fiction (Teen & Young Adult Indigenous Science Fiction, Teen & Young & Adult Apocalypse & Post-apocalypse, Teen & Young Adult Dystopian) PUBLICATION DATE: May 27, 2025 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 2/5.0 Star Average. AMAZON KINDLE RANKINGS AT DISCOVERY: #507,093 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: The author's post popped up on my X feed, though at the time we did not follow one another. This book had only been on the market a few days. The cover wasn't an attention-getter but the pitch really drew me in. The initial sample was heavily exposition, but it was well done and also caught my attention. It read like the author knew the genre well. I read a little further... DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 8 June 2025 STATUS: Inactive INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #007 TITLE: A Memory of Song PUBLISHER: None Listed AUTHOR: Scott Palmer GENRE(S): Fantasy (Authurian Fantasy, Military Fantasy, Epic Fantasy) PUBLICATION DATE: May 29, 2024 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 67/4.0 Star Average. AMAZON KINDLE RANKINGS AT DISCOVERY: #4,333,873 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: The X Algorithm served this one up to me. I didn't follow the author and he didn't follow me. The cover and title communicated "A Song of Fire and Ice" vibe. The pitch had that flavor, too. I know where this fits on the shelf. The pitch did its job of inviting me to browse the sample. The novel's opening starts with adequate action and tension, luring the reader into the story. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 8 June 2025 STATUS: Inactive INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #008 TITLE:The Hag Stone PUBLISHER: Heaton Gray LLC (small indie press) AUTHOR:W.J. Small GENRE(S): Historical Fiction (Magical Realism, Historical British & Irish Literature, Women's Literary Fiction) PUBLICATION DATE: April 7, 2025 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 22/4.7 Star Average. AMAZON KINDLE RANKINGS AT DISCOVERY: #483,464 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: This author found me on X. We now follow one another. The title is catchy, but is negated by the cover, which a bit busy and the overall details melt into each other. The pitch was well written, and tightly and effectively introduces character, setting and stakes. The pitch offsets the cover, and led me to the well-written sample. The handoff between the pitch and opening beautifully pulled me in, and set the mood for further reading. Of note, the genre is 'women's literary fiction," but the opening hints at appeal to a wider audience. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 8 June 2025 STATUS: Active INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #009 TITLE: Staring at Nothing PUBLISHER: TCA Books (Small indie press) AUTHOR: Brett Douglas GENRE(S): Horror (Post-apocalyptic science fiction) PUBLICATION DATE: December 11, 2024 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY: 4/5.0 Star Average. AMAZON KINDLE RANKINGS AT DISCOVERY: #483,646 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: I stumbled across this author on X, through we didn't follow each other. The cover and pitch gave off a slight Michael Crichton aroma, but it was the pitch that specifically got my attention. It was tight, well written and hit all the right feels to grab the attention of both horror and techno-thriller fans. The concept, in my opinion, was a fresh and modern take on the Frankenstein theme. The sample was clean and functional, if not a bit a sterile and unimaginative. It wasn't the sample I was expecting from such a snappy pitch, but I would keep reading. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 8 June 2025 STATUS: Inactive INDIE BOOK REVIEW CANDIDATE #010 TITLE: Snow: Cursed
PUBLISHER: Page Publishing (Vanity Press) AUTHOR: Willa R. Finnegan GENRE(S): Fantasy (Urban Fantasy, Fantasy Action & Adventure) PUBLICATION DATE: October 10, 2024 AMAZON REVIEWS/RATINGS AT DISCOVERY:22/4.9 Star Average. AMAZON KINDLE RANKINGS AT DISCOVERY: #320,251 WHY IT GOT MY ATTENTION: I stumbled across this author on X, through we didn't follow each other. It became clear by the title and pitch this is a reimagining of the Snow White fairy tale. There is a lot of that going around lately, so I didn't much pay attention to it from an originality point of view. For that reason, the pitch, though well written, was forgettable UNTIL the third paragraph, where it set the hook. I went to the sample and it set the hook the even deeper , building nicely on the pitch's third paragraph. The genres Amazon assigned this are rubbish. This is a straight-up fairy tale, and it lets you know that immediately because that's exactly how the sample is written. Unpretentious, simple, effective, yet teasing of something deeper than just a reimagining of an ancient fairy tale. I'm intrigued. DATE PLACED ON CANDIDATE LIST: 8 June 2025 STATUS: Active
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