I titled this ‘7 Self-Published Books You And I Need To Read‘ because I have read some of those on the list, and some I haven’t. I really didn’t want to limit this list to books I alone have read, especially when there are some incredible sounding books out there, all of which have been rated highly by bloggers I respect and often agree with, but I just haven’t got around to reading yet.
I also wanted to keep it to books that have remained self-published indie books, so while I have read many others most of them have been acquired by publishers.
The Hugo Awards brought this Sunday’s Seven earlier than I had intended, it was on my list of posts but not for today but a fellow book blogger, Nick Borrelli said it pretty well on his Twitter…
Now that all the Hugo hype is over, I’d just like to remind everyone that there’s a world of amazing #selfpublished SFF being churned out every year, & this year is the best ever in my opinion. So many diverse awesome reads to choose from.
You should give them a try!
#SelfPub
Nick Borrelli (Out of This World SFF Reviews). @NickRevws Twitter post – Aug 1 2020
**I have posted links of some of these books, these aren’t affiliate links, they are just there to make it easy for you. **
The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble’s Braids by Michael McClung
My Thoughts On This Book? I can not sing enough praises about this book, and fully understand why it won SPFBO. I would recommend this book to everyone, it is a series but can be read alone. I will definitely be reading the others! This is a fun read with a great female protagonist, a creative and gritty world and murder and intrigue. What’s not to love?
Amazon Link UK
Synopsis:
Amra Thetys lives by two simple rules—take care of business, and never let it get personal. Thieves don’t last long in Lucernis otherwise. But when a fellow rogue and good friend is butchered on the street in a deal gone wrong, she turns her back on burglary and goes after something more precious than treasure: Revenge.
Revenge, however, might be hard to come by. A nightmare assortment of enemies, including an immortal assassin and a mad sorcerer, believe Amra is in possession of The Blade That Whispers Hate—the legendary, powerful artifact her friend was murdered for—and they’ll do anything to take it from her. Trouble is, Amra hasn’t got the least clue where the Blade might be.
She needs to find the Blade, and soon, or she’ll be joining her colleague in a cold grave instead of avenging his death. Time is running out for the small, scarred thief.
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The Path of Flames By Phil Tucker
Why Do I want To Read This Book? Forbidden sorcery, an approaching army and betrayal! I was actually meant to read this a few months back for my #ReadersWithoutBorders challenge but I didn’t manage to tackle all of them! So this is still on my Kindle and is one I aim to get to soon!
Amazon Link UK
Synopsis:
A war fueled by the dark powers of forbidden sorcery is about to engulf the Ascendant Empire. Agerastian heretics, armed with black fire and fueled by bitter hatred, seek to sever the ancient portals that unite the empire – and in so doing destroy it.
Asho–a squire with a reviled past–sees his liege, the Lady Kyferin, and her meager forces banished to an infamous ruin. Beset by tragedy and betrayal, demons and an approaching army, the fate of the Kyferins hangs by the slenderest of threads. Asho realizes that their sole hope of survival may lie hidden within the depths of his scarred soul–a secret that could reverse their fortunes and reveal the truth behind the war that wracks their empire.
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The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang
My Thoughts On This Book? This book is just, wow. I would say I have no words but that’s a lie! I could praise this book all year round. This is easily one of the best books I have read this year, I think it is second 🤷♀️ quickly thinking what I have read this year. I read this initially on Kindle Unlimited but have a physical copy ordered!
Amazon Link UK
Synopsis:
A mother struggling to repress her violent past,
A son struggling to grasp his violent future,
A father blind to the danger that threatens them all.
When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
High on a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name ‘The Sword of Kaigen.’
Born into Kusanagi’s legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family’s fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen’s alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.
Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.
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Kingshold By D. P Woolliscroft
Why Do I want To Read This Book? A professional drunk, civil unrest and an unlikely band! I like a story that has a mix of characters, and I like a story with sly political machinations even more, throw in some assassinations and that sounds bloody marvellous to me. I have this on my Kindle through Kindle Unlimited but it can be purchase quite cheaply for a nice £3.99.
Amazon Link UK
Synopsis:
Mareth is a bard, a serial under achiever, a professional drunk, and general disappointment to his father. Despite this, Mareth has one thing going for him. He can smell opportunity. The King is dead and an election for the new Lord Protector has been called. If he plays his cards right, if he can sing a story that will put the right person in that chair, his future fame and drinking money is all but assured. But, alas, it turns out Mareth has a conscience after all.
Neenahwi is the daughter to Jyuth, the ancient wizard who founded the Kingdom of Edland and she is not happy. It’s not just that her father was the one who killed the King, or that he didn’t tell her about his plans. She’s not happy because her father is leaving, slinking off into retirement and now she has to clean up his mess.
Alana is a servant at the palace and the unfortunate soul to draw the short straw to attend to Jyuth. Alana knows that intelligence and curiosity aren’t valued in someone of her station, but sometimes she can’t help herself and so finds herself drawn into the Wizard’s schemes, and worst of all, coming up with her own plans.
Chance brings this unlikely band together to battle through civil unrest, assassinations, political machinations, pirates and monsters, all for a common cause that they know, deep down, has no chance of succeeding – bringing hope to the people of Kingshold.
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The Jealousy of Jalice by Jesse Nolan Bailey
Why Do I Want To Read This Book? Tribes, corruption and kidnap! The cover first grabbed me for this book because it is beautiful! Then I read the synopsis and I fell deeper into the well! Then I read the reviews and well, I was done for! I have this on my Kindle through Kindle Unlimited at the minute, but I think I may purchase it seen a though it is only £2.31!
Amazon Link UK
Synopsis:
The Realms have split apart, the Stones of Elation have been hidden, and warnings of dokojin drift among the tribes.
The land and its people are corrupted. The Sachem, chief of the Unified Tribes, is to blame.
It is this conviction that drives Annilasia and Delilee to risk their lives. Afraid of the aether magic he wields, they enact a subtler scheme: kidnap his wife. In her place, Delilee will pretend to be the chieftess and spy on the Sachem.
Unaware of this plot against her husband, Jalice is whisked away by Annilasia. Pleading with her captor proves futile, and she rejects Annilasia’s delusional accusations against the chief. After all, the Sachem has brought peace to the land.
Yet a dangerous truth hides in Jalice’s past. As she and Annilasia flee through a forest of insidious threats, they must confront the evil plaguing the tribes and the events that unleashed it.
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The Heart of Stone by Ben Galley
Why Do I Want To Read This Book? Warlords, conquered empires, war and a golem! Golems have always interested me, as an animated creature made often from clay or mud, so to see one be the main character of a story is really interesting. I bought this on Amazon Kindle for £2.99!
Amazon Link UK
Synopsis:
Golems are built for war and little else. In centuries past, they were a terrifying staple of the battlefield. Empires were conquered on the backs of golems. Now, time and fear have whittled their kind down to a precious few, kept only by kings and warlords.
Task of Wind-Cut is one such machine of war.
Task was built to kill. Built to win. Thousands have died at his stone hands. He cared once, perhaps, but far too many years have passed and too much blood has been spilled. Task has become numb to the chaos he wreaks for his masters. A slave to the spells that bind him.
Now, Task has a new master to serve and a new war to endure. In the far reaches of the Realm, Hartlund is in the grip of civil war, tearing itself in two over coin and crown. This time, Task will fight for a boy king and a general bent on victory.
Beneath his formidable stone, Task longs for change. For an end to this cycle of warfare. For proof of light and good amongst the foul darkness of humanity and war. It will take the mind of an unusual stable-girl to change his.
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Spit and Song By Travis M. Riddle
Why Do I Want To Read This Book? Black markets, illicit jobs and dessert lands! I haven’t read a huge amount of fantasy in a dessert setting so this paired with its brilliant reviews have caused me to pick this book up. I bought this on Amazon Kindle at an absolute steal being on £0.99! So grab it while you can!
Amazon Link UK
Synopsis:
Kali is a merchant who yearns to leave the harsh deserts of Herrilock and travel across the sea, trading goods and soaking in the sights and cultures. With a new potion on the market undercutting her profits, though, her seabound dreams are put on hold indefinitely.
Failed musician Puk hits rock bottom after yet another catastrophic performance. Wandering the city streets in search of any sip of booze or whiff of fire-spit he can get his hands on, he resigns to the fact that he’s stuck in the desert with no way back home to Atlua.
Until one day, their paths cross with an illicit job opportunity. With its hefty payday, Kali and Puk could afford to finally escape the desert heat and set sail across the gulf.
The black market job would see them travel endless dunes on a road made from a massive dead beast’s ribs and out to a mythical city in the sea, scuffling with monsters and thugs in search of a long-lost book that might be the most dangerous object in the world.
How hard could it really be?
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Thanks for reading everyone, I hope some if not all of these books made it onto your TBR List!
_ The Book in Hand _ 