Hello friend. Today’s Indie Recommends Indie post features author Justine Manzano. Her books have been recommended by authors on this series and I am excited to hear her recommendations. Let’s learn about Justine and her favorite indie books:
Justine, thank you so much for joining me for Indie Recommends Indie series. I have loved seeing your books recommended and now I am excited to get your recommendations. For my new readers, can you tell them a bit about yourself before we get started?
Hi Kriti! I love all of the series posts you do on this blog and this is such a fun way to promote indie authors. I’m really happy to participate.
A little about me…well, I’m the geeky author of geeky YA novels The Order of the Key and Never Say Never. The sequel to The Order of the Key, The Skeleton Key, releases in April and I’m really excited about it. All of these books are released through Sword & Silk books, a wonderful indie publisher. I’m also a freelance editor and I am the Editor-in-Residence at WriteHive, an organization that helps provide free services to writers of all backgrounds. I’m quirky and a little silly, and I love talking about reading and writing books.
Do you primarily read indie books or big publishers books as well?
I don’t have time to read anymore! Or rather, as an editor, almost everything I read has yet to be published and so, technically doesn’t count? If it helps, they usually are from indie authors! It took me far too long to compile this list, because it takes me so long to read books that I’m NOT editing. Even when I love them. I think I read a good mix though.
Justine’s Indie Recommendations
A Feeling Like Home by Haleigh Wenger
Genre: YA Contemporary
Published Year: 2021
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Sixteen-year-old Paige Williams can’t stop self-sabotaging.
Not when her dad gets sick, not when her relationship implodes, not even when her parents send her to another-freaking-state for the summer to live with her sister. Paige just wants to have fun, spray paint a few walls, and block out everything stressful, including her growing concern that she might be sick as well. To make things worse, her parents threaten her with boarding school in the fall if she can’t prove she’s changed her bad habits.
Paige’s parents sign her up for a rebuilding project in Texas where her sister lives. Meanwhile, Paige reluctantly befriends her sister’s straight-laced teenage neighbor, Joey, who is a frequent guest. He’s so different from her, but Paige realizes that may not be a bad thing, especially since being around Joey curbs her urge to vandalize and ignore the rules. He even makes her forget about the debilitating stomach cramps she struggles to hide.
Just as Paige begins to feel settled in Texas, her dad’s worsening Crohn’s disease brings her home to Seattle. When her own health fails her, she has the choice of staying at home and receiving care. Or, she could go back to Texas and prove for once and for all that she’s more than her mistakes and more than a disease. Torn between two worlds and two versions of herself, Paige must decide where, and with whom, she truly feels at home.
I loved how this story was about teenagers who acted like teenagers! Paige is a complicated main character and she isn’t always right or nice, but she is always interesting, and that’s what draws you into her story. There were times I wanted to shake her, especially a decision that occurs near the climax of the novel, and those things made her feel so real.
She’s not the only well-rounded character here–they all are, and I enjoyed the time spent with each of them. I thought it was perfect that the two romantic interests were equally appealing. Nobody was an awful person. Nobody was the obvious choice. It was the perfect way to handle a love triangle that has real, human consequences.
In addition, this book touches on a chronic illness, and one that is not often spoken about in literature, Crohn’s Disease. It’s handled in a very responsible and honest way, and I always like to see quality representation for a disability. It really captured the suffering of the person themselves, but the suffering the family endures as well.
A speedy read, A Feeling Like Home, keeps on moving, building the tension, both romantic and plot-related, with every chapter. Paige is an interesting point of view to follow, and the perfect unreliable narrator. This book made me chuckle and tore my heart out by turns. I would definitely recommend it to young adults as well as adults who remember what it’s like to struggle with the big life choices that linger on the cusp of adulthood.
A Bargain of Blood and Gold by Kristin Jacques
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Published Year: 2021
Book 1 of Midnight Guardians #1
A novice hunter with a mission. A five-hundred-year-old vampire with a strong sense of irony. A town plagued by creatures in need of saving.
When Johnathan Newman arrives in Cress Haven, the last thing he expects is for his life to be irrevocably changed. Sent by a clandestine league of vampire hunters to investigate a string of murders, signs point to a vampire lurking amid the townsfolk. Johnathan’s attempt to enlist the locals leads him to an unlikely partnership with Vic, the town’s most eligible, enigmatic bachelor.
As the pair work to solve the mystery, Vic’s secrets come back to bite him. Revealed, the vampire fights his attraction to a man trained to destroy him, while Johnathan’s emotions land him in the middle of forbidden desires. Even if Vic isn’t the murderer, how can Johnathan yearn for his natural enemy?
As Vic leads Johnathan into encounters with terrifying beings straight from children’s nightmares, Johnathan learns that not only is the world stranger than he knew, but that those he once trusted have far darker intentions that will place hunter and vampire at the center of a conflict between realms.
Cress Haven holds more sinister secrets than its resident vampire, a secret so great, it could unleash Hell itself.
For fans of Gail Carriger’s Supernatural Society, The Charm of Magpies series by KJ Charles, Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh, and The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee.
Where to begin! For one, I loved the narrative voice of this story, which is perfect for it’s time period (circa early 19th century America). I fell in love with the characters. You’ve got Johnathan, a Prospect, or a hunter working for The Society. He’s thrown into this town and is told to figure his own way through Cress Haven, on the hunt for what he’s been trained for since he was young–killing vampires. But his past is a lot more complex than that of a simple hunter, and his stalwart honor is delightful when played against the people he meets when he arrives. There’s Alyse, a “spinster,” the daughter of a Pastor, and a badass who knows she’s capable of more than the life she’s leading allows. And Vic, the vampire (something that is very fun to say out loud), who is sassy and clever, and is nothing like what Johnathan knows about vampires. He cares about the town he lives in so much, he’s willing to send for vampire hunters to root out the danger–which is definitely not him.
Also a gay romance is always a refreshing find in a story, particularly one that is not viewed as anything surprising to the people around them. It also felt like a natural evolution for their storyline. It was a helluva slow burn, but by the end, I wanted to push them together and yell “Now, kiss!”
There were loads of fun twists and turns in this mystery, and they had me going for a ride. Everytime I thought I had something figured out, something new was revealed, and I realized I’d missed the clues! Definitely a wild time with strong descriptions and a strong creep factor. And the end wraps the story while leaving wonderful opportunities for a sequel!
I would definitely recommend this to adults who love a slow burn relationship and loads of witty banter in their couples.
Windward by S. Kaeth
Genre: Fantasy
Published Year: 2019
Standalone or Series: Standalone
When dragons fight, mountains weep.
In nests high in the mountains, dragons and dragonbonded share their lives, thoughts, feelings, and ambitions.
Palon and her partner, the dragon Windward, are renowned among their nest for their flying skill. Their days are filled with everything she loves, especially riding the wind. Even being tasked with teaching their way of life to Tebah, a rebellious newly bonded teenager, can’t bring her down too much.
But when treasures from the dragons’ hoards are found in Palon’s collection, her idyllic life comes crashing down. She battles to prove her innocence, while her every move is cast as further evidence against her. Tebah’s suspicion, homesickness, and defiance would be frustrating even in easy times. With Palon in the spotlight while her rivals smear her name at every turn and stir up plots of revenge, her teenage charge’s behavior proves dangerous.
Dragon tempers shorten, and challenges and disputes shake the ground. Palon will have to trust more than just herself if she hopes to once more own the sky.
Dragons! They’re majestic and beautiful, and the author really makes you feel the connection between the beasts and their bonded. The worldbuilding was comprehensive and well explained. I loved all of the layers to it. The descriptions were so rich, I could practically feel the wind in my hair as Palon flew through the skies with Windward.
In communicating her love of life with dragons to Tebah, the reader can’t help but grow more and more fond of their way of life, despite the downsides. Palon is a great character. She’s strong and hot headed and she makes loads of mistakes, which just makes everything around her fall apart. She’s compelling and frustrating in the best ways and it makes her a perfect touchstone for realism in a world that is so different from our own. Her mate, Aturadin, is so lovable and calm, and the perfect counterpoint to Palon’s fire.
So, honest truth time: I am generally not a fan of epic fantasy. And so, this one took me a little bit to get into. But once I started to get into the story, I loved every second. This means a lot because if I like an epic fantasy you know the author did something right. And for this one, it was the sweeping adventure and the splintering dynamic of those in the nest.
I want a dragon now and I would definitely recommend this to all the epic fantasy lovers out there.
Winter’s Myths by Gage Greenwood
Genre: Horror
Published Year: 2021
Serialized Fiction/Kindle Vella: Amazon US
After a disease ravages his underground community, Winter escapes with his two daughters to the upper world, a place called Earth. Winter fears what he will find on Earth, but he is surprised to find the planet has largely been abandoned. As he and his daughters struggle to survive, and come face to face with deadly foes, Winter tells his children stories and legends as a way to make sense of their new surroundings. In Winter’s world, we are the mythology. We are the legends. We are the threat.
This story is particularly interesting because it follows two major storylines. One follows Winter, an infuriating man from an underground community that does not consider themselves human. He’s on the run, and he has been taught that humans are killers. He knows limited things about the human world, and he’s now been thrown into it. He must keep his daughters, Violin and Candlestick, alive amidst a world he’s convinced intends to kill him. Each of these characters have such incredible distinct personalities.
To keep his daughters entertained, and to help himself wrap his head around the things he doesn’t understand about his new world, Winter creates myths, stories that he recounts to his daughters that range from quirky (Kevin Bacon is a God, because Kevin Bacon is in everything), to the heart wrenching (the destruction of a family).
Through both stories is a thread of terror and mystery that keeps you scouring the story for answers, characters that will keep you coming back, and rich descriptions that unnerve, endear, and terrify.
I’d definitely recommend this to fans of dystopian and fans of weird. I’m a fan of weird. You know who you are.
Italian Bones in the Snow by Elaina Batista-Parsons
Genre: Poetry/Memoir
Published Year: 2022
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Italian women don’t always speak with their hands and cook with cheese. They use their eyes, legs, and fresh parsley too. They race around the kitchen, work a bunch of tasks at once, and get up after being knocked down. Then there’s the penchant for silent energies, colors, and music of all genres being played through large living room speakers in 1984.
But growing up as an Italian-American girl is not always baked ziti and the loud yelling dramatized on the big screen. In Italian Bones in the Snow, Elaina Battista-Parsons shines light on a palpable spirituality, a quiet adoration of nature, and a habit of speaking up—particularly when it’s modeled and deemed a survival skill. She explores the people and places in her life that stuck to her soul like candle wax. She celebrates pop culture, cemeteries, her boots, and 1980s nostalgia. Switching between prose and verse, she offers up real life stories about her relationship with Catholicism, winter weather, mental health, and men throughout her life.
Lyrical, poignant, and raw, these memoir shorts are all adorned in the unstoppable forces of nature called grandmothers, mother, and aunts. By the time you turn the last page, not only will you know Elaina better, but you’ll also know yourself.
Italian Bones is a lyrical blend of free form poetry and essay-style memoir entries. Battista-Parsons’ clever wording makes for vivid recreations of memories and food descriptions that make you hungry. Rich imagery teleports you from the kitchens of an Italian-American girl, to raw emotional explorations of beauty, love, and the difference between what we believe a woman should be and what a woman is. By the end of this memoir, I felt like I better knew the author, and better knew myself, as reading this reminded me of periods of my life as an Italian-American bambina. A must read to accompany bread and mozzarella Saturdays. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to journey back to their more awkward years or anyone looking for a well-crafted light read.
Justine’s Book Spotlight
The Skeleton Key
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Published Year: 2022 (Release on April 12)
Keys and Guardians #2
Sequel to the award-winning Order of the Key
Kyp Franklin can’t move on. One year after his mother officially declared war against him, Kyp is still struggling to find his feet as the Order of the Key’s new leader. He’s far too concerned about tracking her down before she causes even more damage than she already has. In fact, that’s all he’s been doing. Until one day, after a particularly reckless mission, he returns to find a surprising visitor on his doorstep…
Jacklyn Madison can’t move on. One year after she left the Order, she has a new team, and a new mission. She’s determined to close all the interdimensional rifts between our world and the Dusk, before more people die trying to stop the creatures that pass through them. But a vision she had while on the edge of death leads her to the one place she never intended to return …
Forced to work together, Jacklyn, Kyp, and their respective teams uncover Lavinia’s next plan: an alarming mix of magic and science the likes of which has never been seen before. Jacklyn and Kyp must learn to work together again and confront the demons of their past if they’re going to stop Lavinia and those assisting her before their larger plan is put into action–a plan that could bring the monsters of the Dusk to our world…forever.
If you enjoyed The Order of the Key this book is probably for you–since it is the sequel. But more seriously, if you are a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and X-Men, you’ll love this series.
Buy it on Amazon or get your review copy from BookSirens. Want to connect with Justine? Here are ways to find her : Website (for writing and editing information), Twitter and Instagram.
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!
If you are an indie or small press author who is an avid reader and wants to be featured, sign up using the form on the Indie Recommends Indie home page. This is a fantastic way to bring attention to fellow indie authors as well as your own book. 🙂
Thanks for hanging out with us today!
Banner Photo of library by Alfons Morales on Unsplash
Be First to Comment