Hello friend. Today’s Indie Recommends Indie post features author Sara Raztresen and she shares her favorite indie reads. Her latest book, The Glass Witch, is a fantasy novel that I am looking forward to reading and you can learn more about it at the end of the post.
Welcome to Armed with A Book, Sara! Since it’s your first time on the blog, can you please tell me and my readers about yourself?
Hey, Kriti! Thank you for having me here, and of course.
I’m Sara Raztresen, a Slovene-American fantasy author and Christian witch. When I’m not writing, I’m working as a Social Media Manager for a local human services company, or cooking, or filming Tiktoks for an audience of witches and writers, teaching about Christian mysticism and magic in between talking about a good book or a bit of my Slovenian heritage. When I get a second of downtime, I’m often debating whether to start another book or play a good video game, and wishing I didn’t have to choose. Book-wise, though, I’m a fan of all things fantasy and horror, especially paranormal horror.
Do you read a lot of indie books?
I’d say about 20% of what I read is indie, honestly. Generally, I like to browse bookstores and grab anything that looks interesting, but I know people in my writer circles who also self publish or go through independent presses, and their work has been phenomenal.
Sara’s Indie Recommendations
Forbidden Healing by Rachael Watson
Fantasy
December 2021
Series: Chronicles of the God-Sage
Healing is magic, and magic is a crime. But now the rules have been broken.
Forbidden Healing is an action-packed, page-turning YA Fantasy read, that features dark secrets, plot twists and compelling characters, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Mary Weber and Laini Taylor.
Kyla Tarthwen longs to join the ranks of the religious elite, the God-Sage’s Sacred Core. But Kyla has a secret that could kill her. When an acolyte is murdered during Kyla’s initiation, Kyla fears she is next. Can she prove her allegiance to the God-Sage and do what it takes to secure her place in the Sacred Core, before her secret is exposed?
Marlowe Tide is grieving the deaths of his parents, executed as traitors to the God-Sage. Only his sister survives, and he is desperate to keep her safe. But Valora is a healer, and healing is a crime. She ought to be dead already. When Kyla Tarthwen arrives at Marlowe’s door on a mission for the God-Sage, can Marlowe save his sister?
When Marlowe and Kyla meet, events take place that will change the course of both their lives. If they don’t kill each other first.
Rachael’s work is lovely. I read this book in a single sitting; it was a narrative that took its time getting us adjusted to this world and getting to know the characters, but not at the expense of the pacing and the action. Sometimes when I read books, I can’t really get the person who wrote it out of my head, but this was so easy to slip into and vividly see. Even the characters that were intended to be unlikeable, Rachael gets you to feel sorry for by the end, and that’s a hard victory to achieve sometimes.
The themes of this book are heavy on religious indoctrination and its consequences, how they make otherwise good people into monsters that so quickly dehumanize others, and I found myself completely invested in Kyla, knowing that she was so strong in her convictions and faith and yet so wrong for it when contrasted with Marlowe’s suffering. It created this back-and-forth in their points of view that had me rapidly flipping pages to find out what happened next. The end had me punching air and clawing for the next book to find out what happens, seriously. Absolutely recommend this to anyone who prefers to focus on the fantasy and the adventure.
The Accursed Huntsman by Douglass Hoover
Horror
October 2021
Standalone
Haunted by the hunting accident that took both his leg and the life of his best friend, wilderness guide Jack Steward exists on the wooded fringes of society. When an infamously foolhardy millionaire offers Jack the means to reconcile his past wrongs in exchange for participating in a remote archaeological dig along the coast of Nova Scotia, Jack straps on his worn prosthetic and ventures forth into a world of mystery, deceit, and horror.
Little does Jack know that the mismatched gang of killers, junkies, has-beens, and frauds he is about to join will uncover an artifact that will shake the very foundation of history, and maybe even grant him the ability to defeat the demons of his past. However, the expedition also unearths a horrific truth; the artifact wasn’t the only thing hiding deep under the Nova Scotian cliffs.
God, this book. The grit, the different types of characters, they all work so well together—and top it off with some seriously freaky eldritch horror out there in the Nova Scotia wilderness, and you’ve got yourself quite the literary ride.
My favorite thing about this book was definitely the main character, Jack. He’s who we spend the most time with throughout the story, and his life experiences, including his trauma, make his accounts so visceral as he realizes what’s going on throughout this faux-millionaire’s misadventure. He’s the gruff kind of character you can’t help but love, scars and all.
Also, the way Douglass describes action scenes and monsters? I loved it. Genuinely had some tense moments reading this, and though a large portion of the book becomes centered around a single night, it’s a thrilling ride that makes it pretty much impossible to put the book down as you wonder who, if anyone, is going to make it. If you like horror, especially horror centered around crooked people and deadly cryptids, this is it.
I Am My Beloveds by Jon Papernick
Jewish Literature
March 2022
Standalone
Ben Seidel wasn’t sure how serious they were when he and his wife, Shira, discussed having an open marriage. But when Shira announces that she is going on a date with Liz, any ambiguity evaporates. Suddenly, every day is new terrain for Ben, navigating between keeping things together with Shira and exploring new partners. And when one of those new partners begins to matter to him more than he ever anticipated, he discovers that the complexities of this new life are only just beginning.
Bracingly honest, refreshingly sexy, and deeply empathetic, I Am My Beloveds is the work of a superior storyteller, making real a lifestyle that might be as close as your own bedroom door.
I honestly never thought I’d find myself reading literary fiction. It’s not a genre I typically enjoy. But Papernick is a masterful writer, with a wit and snap to his prose that make it entertaining and fun, even if it takes place in the real world and there are no dragons or witches. Turns out simple old Massachusetts can be plenty wild and magical, too.
The thing I really loved about this book was how it explores relationships, and how relationships evolve around grief and loss. With Ben’s wife unable to have children, something they’ve been gunning for in their marriage since the start, it’s a blow that pushes both of them outside their comfort zone as Ben has to watch Shira be in the arms of another woman, and as he has to contend with these new partners (and new intimate environments). Papernick really lets you sit in the main character’s head for it and work through all those confusing emotions with him, and it’s an honest, raw peek into something that I feel like maybe more people think about than are willing to admit: the idea of polyamorous relationships.
It’s a book that makes you think as much as it makes you feel entertained, and I think that’s the most valuable thing a book can do. Definitely recommend for those who are interested in these types of romantic stories and characters from diverse backgrounds.
A Printer’s Choice by W. L. Patenaude
Science Fiction
August 2018
Standalone
In January 2088, life in outer space is rocked with news of its first homicide. The dead man—a young Dominican Priest—had secretly made his way “upside” and lived as a common laborer. His intentions are a mystery and the killer’s identity and motive are questions that the best investigators of the new world cannot answer.With public order threatened, the reputation of the ruling engineers at stake, and criminal elements seizing the opportunity to gain control, authorities seek help from Earth—itself recovering from decades of war and environmental crises. With assistance from the Vatican, they recruit Father John Francis McClellan, a parish priest from Boston and a retired US Marine Corps expert in “high-defs”—the artificially intelligent three-dimensional printers that built the new world. A Printer’s Choice tells a story of faith, the future, and the power of free will. It explores questions about sentience, choice, and the necessity of choosing well. Set in locations on Earth and in the orbits, the story takes place in a future extrapolated from today’s geopolitical and ecological turmoil. In this epic debut novel, author W. L. Patenaude illuminates not just the struggles of our world, but also the promises and implications of building a better one, one choice at a time.
Okay, this book was really cool. Just like literary fiction, I’m not really big into science fiction, but the idea of a priest from Boston getting mixed up in a murder mystery like this was so bizarre, so fun, and so refreshing for a science fiction. It’s up there with Six Wakes for me, and that book was, in my view, gold.
I find it really interesting, the way this book deals with the idea of religion in the future. We’re already seeing an evolution of the idea of faith, and whether or not it’s useful for society or just a bunch of damaging superstition, but this book really grapples with that idea as our priest McClellan is tossed out into space to investigate a man that turns out to be one of his long-missing fellows. McClellan isn’t able to openly practice his religion, and religion certainly causes some serious mayhem back on earth that only makes people even more suspicious, especially the engineers and the science-y types. A little on the nose, maybe, but interesting in the way Patenaude writes it.
All around, it’s a blend of religion, murder mystery, science fiction (with sentient technology!), and real-world themes that I think will really interest readers of these genres.
The Night and Its Moon by Piper CJ
Fantasy
September 2022 (not the original date)
Series: The Night & Its Moon
Farleigh is just an orphanage. At least, that’s what the church would have the people believe, but beautiful orphans Nox and fae-touched Amaris know better. They are commodities for sale, available for purchase by the highest bidder. So when the madame of a notorious brothel in a far-off city offers a king’s ransom to purchase Amaris, Nox ends up taking her place — while Amaris is drawn away to the mountains, home of mysterious assassins.
Even as they take up new lives and identities, Nox and Amaris never forget one thing: they will stop at nothing to reunite. But the threat of war looms overhead, and the two are inevitably swept into a conflict between human and fae, magic and mundane. With strange new alliances, untested powers, and a bond that neither time nor distance could possibly break, the fate of the realms lies in the hands of two orphans — and the love they hold for each other.
So this book is really interesting, because it started as an independently published book and gained enough traction to get the attention of Bloom Books. I think that’s a dream of quite a few indie authors: to start self or independently publishing, and end up with a book deal anyway. I read the revised version Bloom cleaned up, but it’s still something I think deserves some recognition for the journey.
But this book is a really cool fantasy that gives a bit of representation specifically to bisexual folks, and that’s something that got me to pick the book up. Rare that we see ourselves represented in full, honestly!
Nonetheless, her prose style is lovely, really smooth and feeling like an old school fairytale (which I guess is to be expected from someone with a master’s in folklore). The prologue itself is something that sucks you right in and handles the time-skip really well once the book actually starts, which is something that I find isn’t always easy to do, and the characters and premise are shrouded in just enough mystery that you have no choice but to keep reading. Like little Nox, you end up in the dark and wondering how to get out.
I also enjoyed the way the relationship between Nox and Amaris grew as they, themselves, grew up. It’s refreshing to see characters who start as friends rather than enemies, and it tugs the heart strings to see how hard they fight for each other.
Sara’s Book Spotlight
The Glass Witch
Fantasy
January 2023
On a continent where the four seasons are tied to each country’s traveling rulers, a Summer tragedy causes the Winter King to withhold his season from his neighbors—but without Winter, the other seasons can’t turn.
Aveline, a half-Summer, half-Winter pariah, has no place in her country. She’s mocked in Summer as The Glass Witch for her Wintry looks and magic, while Winter travelers always thought her a disturbing mutt. But when her emperor finds her barely surviving the endless Summer, he tells her that the mother she loves is dead—and it’s Winter’s fault. Only Aveline, the Summer woman with a Winter face, can end the seasonal standstill.
Vengeful, Aveline sneaks into Winter as a fake contestant in the king’s bridal competition to kill him, only for a failed Winter assassin to shatter her plans. Aveline is stuck unarmed in the castle, and worse, to stay competing while finding her plan B, she has to court the king in earnest. But how long can she pretend before her identity is discovered—and the seasons’ fate thrown into question?
Find the book on Goodreads, IndieStoryGeek, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Readers who enjoyed Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver and M.A. Carrick’s The Mask of Mirrors will really enjoy this story.
Connect with Sara on Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and at her website (where you can also find The Glass Witch in the shop).
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!
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Thanks for hanging out with us today!
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