The Indie Ink Awards is starting its fourth year! Nominations are now open, throughout the month of November! We've made changes this year to make it even more fair in the finals round!
For more info go to https://indiestorygeek.com/a/indie-ink-awards-2025
To nominate, find the book on https://indiestorygeek.com/ (or submit it!) and press the Nominate button!
Want to be a judge this year? We're looking for all the diverse judges we can get! Sign up at https://forms.gle/SskGrZtscT2tRQU77
Tons of amazing winners announced among the pool of incredible finalists of the Indie Ink Awards!
Check them all out: https://indiestorygeek.com/a/indie-ink-awards-2024
The Indie Ink Awards Ceremony is in one hour! I'm so excited to unveil the winners! We had a great batch of finalists, and so many wonderful books to put on your TBR!
Cat reviews Upscaled by Joseph John Lee, saying it "brings in a lot of humour, there are some moments I found myself laughing out loud at the silliness of it all and the tale builds up to a brilliant ending" & it's "a ya, but it feels like it would suit middle grade readers too seeing as Ailis is that age group and the adventure is very much a middle grade one."
Check it out: https://thestrawberrypost.wordpress.com/2025/07/22/book-review-upscaled-by-joseph-john-lee-indieinkawards/
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Ollie reviews Bookstories by Sarah Tollok, which they say "does a great job of giving you that “small-world!” excitement- two seemingly disconnected characters meet, or things seem to come full-circle, and it made me want to scream with joy. There are so many smaller stories, interconnected, packed into one giant story. And I loved every one of them."
Read more at https://www.instagram.com/p/DLBp8eGsSEO/?igsh=MzNsYms2Y3h4d2Uw
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2 likes, 0 comments - queerly_curated on June 17, 2025: "⭐️ Book Review ⭐️ My third read for this year’s @indieinkawards: 📖 Bookstories by Sarah Tollok 📖 🏳️🌈Bi MC and trans supporting character🏳️⚧️ I absolutely love a book about books. This story is particularly unique in this genre, and does a particularly great job celebrating stories, the idea of intimately learning about someone through their writing, and sharing books with each other. This book follows many different characters, and does a great job of giving you that “small-world!” excitement- two seemingly disconnected characters meet, or things seem to come full-circle, and it made me want to scream with joy. There are so many smaller stories, interconnected, packed into one giant story. And I loved every one of them. One thing I want to note is that while the characters are likable, I didn’t find the way they behave and talk to be very believable. However, the story itself was engaging and brilliant. 📖📖📖📖 (This review does not necessarily reflect my score for the book in the awards). . . . . #books #lgbtq #gaybooks #gaybookstagram #queerbookstagram #booksaboutbooks #summerreads #diversereads #supportindie #indieauthor".
Ollie reviews Reclaimed by Seth Haddon: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKa1RWsMnFW/?igsh=MWlweXR3MTM5ajFkeQ%3D%3D
In it, they say: "An example of some amazing 🏳️🌈&🏳️⚧️ rep! Saba has quite a lot of dysphoria, which plays a huge role in the plot. It was written in a way I could really identify with." & "Zek’s descriptions of identity around his disability are great. (Also- YES to the representation and beauty of fat bodies!!)"
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0 likes, 0 comments - queerly_curated on June 2, 2025: "✨ For someone who doesn’t usually enjoy this genre, I had so much fun reading Reclaimed by Seth Haddon for the #IndieInkAwards! ✨ ✨An example of some amazing 🏳️🌈&🏳️⚧️ rep! You can find my full review on TheStoryGraph (@ OllieCy) and other reader reviews on indiestorygeek.com. But here are some brief things to note: - Saba has quite a lot of dysphoria, which plays a huge role in the plot. It was written in a way I could really identify with. While this view of the trans-experience isn’t THE only trans-experience, I think Seth does an amazing job showing it and painting Saba’s conflicting feelings. I highlighted many quotes in Saba’s reflections of identity. - Zek’s descriptions of identity around his disability are great. (Also- YES to the representation and beauty of fat bodies!!) - I was expecting a much spicier book 🌶️🌶️. There is only one sex scene, but everything was done so well that I can’t complain. - I’d like to note that Saba uses “female” terms for his anatomy. There is nothing wrong with this and every (trans) person is different, but it is something to note for other trans-masculine readers who see themselves in Saba and might be surprised by this language. - I did find the answer to the mystery a little difficult to follow, but maybe that’s just me. There is lots of political intrigue, which I enjoy. We dive pretty deeply into the motivations and reactions of one “villain” in particular at the end, and a bit into the others, but there is a lot of complicated deceit at play, and I wish this was maybe explained just slightly better. - I really like the author’s voice. It felt like I was hearing an exciting tale from someone I’d love to chat with forever! (This review does not necessarily reflect my score for the book in the awards). . . . . . #IndieInkAwards2024 #IndieBookReview #QueerBooks #TransRepresentation #ReadQueerAllYear #BookCommunity #IndieAuthorLove #BookstagramRecs #OwnVoices #DiverseReads #BookLoversUnite #BookishLove #LGBTQBooks #Bookstagram #BookTok #ReadersOfInstagram #queerbookstagram #gaybookstagram #romantasy #romantasybooks".
Kathryn reviews Pretty Average by Arini Vlotman, saying: "I found myself laughing through this book more than I thought I would and was falling in love with the characters."
Read the full review at: https://kathrynbooksville.wordpress.com/2025/05/12/pretty-average-review/
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The Book Dragon reviews Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms by Sarah Wallace and SO Callahan which she calls "Bridgerton, but gay and with a dash of fantasy!" and predicts "You’ll leave the book with a lighter heart and maybe some inspiration to follow your passions. Well worth the read."
Check out her thoughts: https://thebookdragondotblog.wordpress.com/2025/05/12/book-review-breeze-spells-and-bridegrooms/
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Don't miss reading Kathryn's review of Cleats, Corsets, and the Cutie by Ashish Ratogi, where she says "I did not want this book to end because that is how much that I loved these characters and their journey."
Read more! https://kathrynbooksville.wordpress.com/2025/05/05/cleats-corsets-and-the-cutie-review/
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Check out Brewed Books' review of Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson, where she says: "The world building was so immersive. I felt like I was right in there among the spores. And our main characters had such strong voices and such growth.
I would definitely recommend picking this one up!"
Read more at https://www.instagram.com/p/DIyj0VwvsgR/?igsh=MXdlODJsYTlkMHNrZw%3D%3D
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19 likes, 3 comments - brewed_books on April 22, 2025: "Mushroom Blues By Adrian M. Gibson @adrianmgibson Indie Ink Awards nominee @indieinkawards My thoughts here may not directly correlate to the ratings I give as an Indie Ink Award judge. That being said, I absolutely loved it. Five stars. This book addresses a war torn country, now under the control of an invading force. Our two main characters come from either side of this divide. Brought together with the common goal of solving the murders and disappearances of fungal children. We watch personal barriers be torn down between the two of them despite the feelings of most and it doesn’t heal the world but it feels like a good step. We also see the evil present on both sides which is another kind of torn down barrier when they can acknowledge that. The world building was so immersive. I felt like I was right in there among the spores. And our main characters had such strong voices and such growth. I would definitely recommend picking this one up!".
S. Kaeth
