If You Like this... Read this Indie/ Self-Published Book

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

If You Like this...

Read this Indie/ Self- Published Book 

The prompt for this week's Top Ten Tuesday is Indie Freebie, where we pick whatever we want to dealing with Indie Published books. I have been wanting to do another If You Like this... Read this Book post and figured this would be the perfect chance to do that. I read a lot of indie and self-published books so this list was a hard one for me to narrow down. Here are some indie and self-published books I would like to recommend. I also put their age range, genres, and ratings on Goodreads. Many of the books on this list are not widely read and I'd love to give more visibility to them. 

 

1. Encanto --> Illuminations by T. Kingfisher

Age Range & Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy 

Ratings on Goodreads: 6,288

    - The book that gave me the idea for this post. Many of T. Kingfisher's books were self-published before they were published by traditional publishers. Illuminations is one of her books that is still only self-published. It is a middle grade book with family dynamics that reminded me quite a bit of Encanto. I loved the idea of the magical paintings (illuminations) and how T. Kingfisher took this idea throughout the book. 

2. Peter Pan and LGBTQ+ Stories--> Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Age Range & Genre: Adult LGBTQ+ Fantasy Romance Retelling of Peter Pan with trans characters by a trans author

Ratings on Goodreads: 12,100 

    - I was surprised when I looked up my review for this book that it has been almost ten years since I read it. It is a LGBTQ+ retelling of Peter Pan. I remember really enjoying reading it back in 2017, but I will say it has been quite a while since I read it. I do remember really loving Austin Chant's writing. 

 

3. The Barbie movies from the early 2000's --> The Herbwitch's Apprentice (The Witches of Oldera #1) by Ireen Chau

Age Range & Genre: Young Adult Fantasy 

Ratings on Goodreads: 1,877 

    - The author herself has described this series as a perfect read for fans of Ella Enchanted and the Barbie movies from the early 2000s. These are two perfect recs for at least the first book. I haven't read the others yet. It is a very cozy fantastical version of the Regency time period. They are all also beautifully illustrated by the author. 

 

4. Mystery set in a Fantastical Regency Time Period--> Talismans, Teacups & Trysts (Alderwood Regency Fantasies #1) by K. Starling

Age Range & Genre: Adult Fantasy Mystery 

Ratings on Goodreads: 157 

    - This book is perfect for fans of Jane Austen who also love a great fantasy story with a mystery thrown in. I absolutely love the mix of the Regency time period with a fantastical world. Some day I want to pick up the next book in this series because I highly enjoyed this one. 

 

5. LGBTQ+ version of a Hallmark Christmas Movie --> The Hartbridge Christmas Series by N. R. Walker 

Age Range & Genre: Adult Contemporary Christmas Romance 

Ratings on Goodreads: 

#1- 5245, #2- 3708, #3- 2688, #4- 2380, #5- 2067, and #6- 1233

    - It wouldn't be an indie book list for me if I didn't recommend at least one book by my favorite indie author, N. R. Walker. I absolutely love most of the books I have read from her so far, especially the Hartbridge Christmas series. N. R. Walker's writing in this series is incredibly sweet and hilarious. These books make me laugh out loud so often. I particularly love the running joke in this series about Gay Cupid and Santa working together. The friend group is such a great example of found family and I adore each of the groups of romantic leads. I have only read the first four books in the series, but will be continuing with the others this year. 

6. Beautifully Illustrated LGBTQ+Graphic Novels/Webcomics --> Finding Home series by Hari Conner 

Age Range & Genre: Adult Fantasy LGBTQ+ Romance Graphic Novel/ Webcomic

Ratings on Goodreads: #1- 425, #2- 321, #3- 247, and #4- 184 

    - I absolutely love Hari Conner's writing. Their artstyle for their webcomics is probably my favorite out of all of the webcomics I have read over the years. It is absolutely stunning. Not enough people have read these books. 

 

7. LGBTQ+ Road Trip Books --> Thirty Things by Cate Ashwood  

Age Range & Genre: Adult Contemporary LGBTQ+ Romance 

Ratings on Goodreads: 532

    - One of my all-time favorite contemporary romances that I love getting the chance to recommend whenever possible. Road trip stories are always favorites for me and I love this friends to lovers version of that. This is one of my comfort reads that I read when I need a pick-me-up. It brings me so much joy. 

 

8. Darker Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Retellings --> Taking Wonderland Series by Martin Baynton 

Age Range & Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Mystery

Ratings on Goodreads: #1- 97 & #2- 17

    - I have recommended this series quite a bit on this blog because of how much I enjoy it. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Retellings are one of my biggest passions in literature and I think this one is such a great take on the world. I have read a lot of Wonderland retellings over the years and this is one of my absolute favorites. It is a dark take on the world with an interesting mystery of what is going on. I love both books, but the second is my favorite so far. Cannot wait for the final book. 

 

 

 

9. LGBTQ+ Fairy Tales --> The Story of The Hundred Promises by Neil Cochrane 

Age Range & Genre: Adult Fantasy LGBTQ+ Romance with trans characters by a trans author

Ratings on Goodreads: 294

    - I will gush about this wonderful book until the end of time. It is a very loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a stunning writing style. I love how the tales are weaved together throughout the entire story. One of the top books on this list that I would love to reread sometime soon. 

 

 

 

10. Cozy Academia Stories --> Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories 

edited by Nina Waters

Age Range & Genres: Adult Cozy Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, and Science Fiction LGBTQ+ stories 

Ratings on Goodreads: 16

    - A collection of 22 short stories set in universities, colleges, libraries, and other places where the characters pursue academics. I enjoyed this collection of stories and highly recommend it. My favorites are: "A Clockwork Warmth," "Living Legends," "Caffeine and the Unsleeping," "Courtship by Marginalia," and "The Cat in the Library." A great charming book full of cozy stories.

 

Styx: The River ARC Review 🌊

Styx: The River 

(Goddesses of the Underworld #2) 

by Nikita Gill

My Star Rating: 5 Stars 

Page Count: 416 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy 

Date Read: September 2nd-6th

Publication Date: September 15th

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Review: 

Nikita Gill is my favorite poet and I have been eagerly awaiting this book ever since I finished the first last year. Her style of writing is always spectacular. I love her way of telling these goddesses' stories. This time with a focus on Styx and Asteria.

Styx is another goddess whose backstory I did not know much about. I like that this book begins a generation before Hekate and leads up to the events of that book. She is treated differently by her family and most around her because she does not have the good looks that her mother and sisters have. Also, she does not have the powers she believes she deserves as the eldest child of the Titans. The story follows her as she learns to conceal the feelings of resentment she holds for those who treat her terribly.

The other perspective in this book is of Styx's cousin, Asteria. Styx and Asteria form a tight bond throughout their adolescence, especially after they realize the powers they have that they do not want anyone else to know about. I adored following both of them throughout the book and seeing the events of the story through their eyes. Their sister-like bond was one of the best parts of this entire book and makes the events of Hekate even sadder. I now want to reread it after reading this.

I will never get tired of finding new retellings of these myths and getting to see them through a different perspective. Going into this one, I knew where the story was eventually going to go because of my knowledge of the myths surrounding the Titanomachy and from the previous book. The journey there though was beautifully written and so incredibly powerful. I love how Nikita's writing immerses you from the very first page until the end. She brings life to these stories and makes the reader relate to these goddesses through their story.

Also, I want to mention how much I adored the relationship between Styx and Pallas. Such a wonderful depiction of them.

This like the first book is perfect for fans of Greek Mythology retellings, novels written in verse, and stories with strong female characters at their center. Nikita Gill is an amazing poet and I cannot recommend her writing enough. Her writing shines throughout this entire book and I will definitely be getting a copy for my collection. I cannot wait for the third book in series, whose goddess I predicted.

*Thank you to Little Brown Books, Nikita Gill, and NetGalley for my arc of this book. All opinions are my own.*