Hello friend. Today’s Indie Recommends Indie post features author Azshure Raine and she shares her favorite indie reads. Her spotlight novel, ReBirth is a recent addition to my TBR. Learn more about it at the end of the post. š
Azshure, welcome to Armed with A Book! Please tell me and my readers about yourself!
Hello! Iām Azshure or Az for short. Iām a mostly-stay-at-home mom of 3 who sticks things to newborn babies and write books! I like to call myself a āFinalā Fantasy author (Iāve been told my stories remind people of the same kind of story telling that happens in Final Fantasy games). I technically started writing comic books over 20+ years ago in High School, but after college and kids I took a break until COVID happened and I started writing again. This time it was full length novels instead of comics. Ā
Do you primarily read indie books or big publishers books as well?
I primarily read indie books, with the occasional trade pubbed in. I think I read like a 1 to 20 ratio since starting reading of trade to indie.Ā
Azshure’s Indie Recommendations
Birth of the Storm by Valerie Storm
YA Fantasy
Published Year: 2022
Series: Demon Storm
A bolt of lightning. And a dream of vengeance.
For wolf-demon Kari, these define her every waking moment. Her parents are dead, slaughtered by human hands, forcing their only daughter to masquerade among their killers to save her own skin. Now she dwells among them, hiding her lightning-based abilities and plotting a terrible revenge, believing her schemes are all she’s good for now. But when she discovers unexpected solace among a group of humans who look past her monstrous nature, Kari finds herself questioning everything. Her mission. Her dreams. Even the hatred festering in her heart.
Is it possible for a creature like Kari to find happiness in a world that despises her?
Or will the specters of her past force her down the path of vengeance in the end?
Birth of the Storm scratched that anime itch. Itās like a gender flipped Inuyasha. There are moments where Kari is absolutely in the right for what she feels and for what she had gone through. Kari is a wolf demon. She has the ears and tail of a wolf, and can also shift between a humanoid form and her wolf form. She was just a kid when her world flipped upside down.
Her world went from a cave with her parents to a human town with their murderers raising her. Kari bids her time, learning the ways of humans, hiding her ears under hats plotting her revenge against her parents’ murderers.
But she also makes friends, learns heartbreak and fear, learns more about who she is and succeeds in her immediate goal, all leading up to her meeting Ari and finding a town that accepts herādemon and all.
Readers who love anime, origin stories and enough childhood drama to keep you up at night should check it out.
Fear and Fury by Jamie Jackson
Urban Fantasy
Published Year: 2021
Adventures of a Villain-Leaning HumanoidĀ #1
Meet Megaera, Meg for short. Sheās like Deadpool, except for funner.
For a girl with the power of fear the recruitment attempts from both sides are never-ending. A self-described not-a-hero, villain-leaning humanoid, Meg just wants to live her life, work her dead-end job and have everyone else (especially the heroes) leave her alone. But when a bigger fish who can turn superpowers back on their users enters the picture and threatens the person Meg loves the most (herself), she must turn to the last group of people she would admit she needs help from.
Forced to team up with the heroes she despises (but wonāt murder, because letās face it, orange is not the new black), Meg will have to face the choices from her past that she wonāt get therapy for. Self-centered, snarky, sarcastic and a little bit dramatic, sheās going to have to save the world, even if that wasnāt her intention. And try not to get shot in the process. Because that shit hurts.
I love Meg. I really do. Sheās crass, sheās stubborn, and she says all the things I wish I could. Her LI, Greg is oftentimes a little too over protective, but heās a cinnamon roll at heart. Megās world is like ours, but not quite. Itās filled with pop culture references (Some I get, some I donāt) and humor alongside all the dramatic bloodshed.
The best part is that, even though they arenāt present in the first book, Megās story starts to run into the Greek Gods themselves.
Iām not usually one for first person POV but I will devour anything and everything that Jamie Jackson writes, after all, in her words: she writes popcorn for the brain.
Iām a big fan of Greek Mythology, so when I was presented with a superhero book that was kind of sort of a Hercules retelling, but not, I was in. Readers who love easy reads, feisty heroines, cinnamon roll heroes should definitely give Fear and Fury a shot.
The Fires of Treason by Michele Quirk
Historical Fantasy
Published Year: 2020
The Fires of TreasonĀ #1
Princess Elizabeth has always idolized and supported her older brother, but when Greg is accused of treason and banished, her loyalty to him is tested in ways she never could’ve imagined. As she leaves her luxurious lifestyle behind to join him in exile, she must learn to cope with the everyday struggles of the working class, all while keeping her true identity a secret. Facing new hardships and the looming threat of execution, Elizabeth will need to toughen up if she has any chance of surviving outside the palace walls.
Prince Gregory spent his entire life trying to prove himself worthy of the crown until his banishment releases him of all the pressures and obligations that have chained him down. Although he has no intention of raising an army to defend his birthright, he soon learns that not everyone is content to let him walk away from the throne. With his sister’s safety and well-being to consider, Gregory must make a decision that will change both their lives forever.
Micheleās book was my first foray into historical fantasy. She is a staple in the indie book community and a wonderful person. So I had to give her book a chance and I enjoyed it. She does so well with siblings and keeping things accurate to the time period.
Her characters come to life and the reader experiences their lives beside them.
The Fires of Treason follows Elizabeth into exile with her brother, Gregory. She has to learn how to survive outside of court and in the ārealā world. At first she has her moments of being selfish, but slowly realizes that things arenāt the same as they once were, the threats are real, and she must choose which side she wants to be on.
Itās a fantastic story that revolves around relationships between siblings. Readers looking for a book that doesnāt focus on romance and still has enough tension to keep you reading should check it out.
Between the Birches by KP Roberson
Urban Fantasy Horror
Published Year: 2022
Part of a Series
Between the Birches: Awakening is the first in a new adult, dark romance, folk horror series where magic is real, monsters exist, and nightmares come true.
Beneath the hills of Western North Carolina lies an ancient evil, trapped for a millennium. There are many who seek to release it, and only two who can stop them…
Newlyweds Beth and Tom Newman are headed to the Appalachian Mountains for a relaxing weekend with their best friend, Grady Cooper. When the trio arrives, they are unexpectedly met by some old friends. Bethās excitement soon turns to dread when they end up running for their lives. Her twenty-fifth birthday turned out to be more memorable than she had hopedā¦in the worst of ways.
Between the Birches was not my typical genre, but I freaking loved it. It is multi-POV and follows a group of hikers taking the MC Beth on an unforgettable trip through the woods, filled with steamy moments, laughter and some unchecked horror.
I was Team Grady for most of the book. Beth is strong and sarcastic and stubborn to a fault. Grady is dark, broody and smexy. Tom is that man you’d bring home to momma.Overall, my favorite character was Jeff. He got barely any page time, but he is a sweet cinnamon roll who desperately needed to be protected.
There are plenty of twists in store for you as you travel into the mountains and learn magic is real. All while being hunted by a cult. Darkness lurks in the daylight, just waiting to pull Beth into its claws.
Readers who love genre bending tales should pick up Between the Birches.
A Necromancer called Gam Gam by Adam HolcombeĀ
Fantasy
Published Year: 2023
Part of a Series
A grandmotherly necromancer seeking resolution for her past with the help of her loyal entourage: an undead cat and a spectral knight.
A girl on the run from the Eternal Empire for the mysterious power she possesses.
When a chance encounter pulls them together, Gam Gam will do what it takes to protect Mina from the rogue sergeant hounding herāincluding raising the dead. As long as they’re dressed for the occasion.
Goodreads and IndieStoryGeekĀ
This book surprised me the most. Especially the ending. When you think of zombies usually itās dripping with horror, limbs falling off, people being eaten, but not in Gam Gam. The violence is mild at best which actually made it a refreshing change from typical zombie books. Those who die were already dead in the first place.
It opens with a little girl trying to hide from men who wish to harm her. She has an ability that they want that Adam does an amazing job of showing. And Gam Gam is everything an old lady Necromancer should be. She cares for her zombies and even knits them clothes. Gam Gam has her own agenda along with helping
Gam Gam even has a skeletal cat named Nugget, who clearly doesnāt know, or doesn’t care that heās dead.
While it is a quick read, it is definitely one readers should take a chance on.
Azshure’s Book Spotlight
ReBirth
Zodiac Book One
Fantasy Romance
Published Year: 2023
Threads of gold, ancient and dangerous, pull them together; a bond neither can deny. Jase Raion receives an unexpected assignmentālocate and retrieve a girl he was certain was dead. Expecting nothing, he goes to Brightonāa port town on the island of Ariaāand finds her.
The girl who escaped the fall of Aria.
The girl who bears the symbol of Eternity.
The girl whose blood the Titan of Time thirsts for.
Liya Fairaway, the Princess of Aria, and his target. The moment he sees her, he knows she is not safe, from the Zodiac meant to protect her, the Titan of Time, nor his fatherāthe King of Chall.
Find the book on IndieStoryGeek and Goodreads.
Readers who enjoyed the books Birth of the Storm and A Court of Thorns and Roses would like this book. Buy links to your preferred retail platform is here.
Did you add any books to your TBR today based on this post or did you see any you have already read? Tell us in the comments!
Thanks for hanging out with us today! Connect with Azshure on Twitter, Instagram and her website.
If you are an indie or small press author who is an avid reader and wants to be featured, connect with me social media or express your interest through my contact form. This is a fantastic way to bring attention to fellow indie authors as well as your own book. š
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