Welcome back to day two of Five Fall Favorites — the annual autumn celebration of all things bookish!

If you read yesterday’s post (right HERE), feel free to skip on down to today’s theme. And if not, here’s a brief recap!

Every day this week (6 days in all), I and a large group of other book bloggers are sharing posts centered around certain bookish themes, and packed full with some of our favorite book recommendations from the past year. I’ll link to a number of those blogs at the end of this post, but for even more links and information, you should check out our hosts’ sites!

Five Fall Favorites is once again hosted by Kate at Once Upon an Ordinary and Rebekah at Read Another Page (click on their blog names, or the graphics below to visit their blogs). Thank you both!

In addition to book recommendations, there is also a giveaway this year!

Two winners will be drawn, and they will each receive a collection of free e-books and audiobooks (plus a gift-card for the first-place winner). Check out the prize graphics below to see what you could win!

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is click HERE!

Today’s theme is one of my absolute favorites, where I get to share five of my favorite indie books (books published by independent authors)! I adore far too many indie books to share in one blog post, but somehow I’ve managed to compile a few that have really stuck with me throughout this last year. There are so many good ones out there!

All the books I share this week are ones that I’ve either read in the past year, or are currently reading/re-reading, so please feel free to leave any questions you might have about the books below, and I’ll do my best to answer.

Also, I’ve reviewed many of these more thoroughly on Goodreads, so if you’re interested in reading my thoughts – or other reviews – you can find the Goodreads link under each book, or by clicking on each book’s title.

Let’s hop in!

Author: Kirsten Fichter

Genre: Nonmagical Christian Fantasy Fairy tale retelling (“Thumbelina”)

Target Audience: NA (New Adult)

What Stuck Out to Me: I’ve never read a Thumbelina retelling before, but this one was cleverly done. Very unique and engaging, with just enough tie-backs to the original tale that I couldn’t help but smile as I caught them. I absolutely loved this story!

As always, the characters in this book have my heart. The protagonist is so sweet and optimistic, and her joy even in the midst of grief was convicting. I loved the “grumpy x sunshine” dynamic with her love interest, and that they both had things to teach one another. Their care for one another, and the way they both valued duty and responsibility was inspiring.

The faith element was also masterfully woven in. I never felt it was pushy or cheesy, but it was prominent enough to believe that the characters truly believed what they were saying when they spoke of their Lord and Creator. The themes of grief, love, duty, and hope were powerful. And a final honorable mention to the world-building in this story! What a fun twist on a typical medieval fantasy setting (flying suits!).

Tricky Content: Mild peril, fighting, talks of war, political tension, non-described injuries/burns, betrayal, mentions of characters swearing but no specific words, brief mention of a possible hanging, themes of grief and loss, discussions of a pre-story family death

I’d Recommend It To: Readers who enjoy Thumbelina retellings or medieval fantasy in general, Christian themes, sweet love stories, tension and intrigue, and an absolutely beautiful writing style.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Author: Madisyn Carlin

Genre: Nonmagical Christian Fantasy Fairy tale retelling (“Wild Swans”)

Target Audience: NA (New Adult)

What Stuck Out to Me: As I went to add this Goodreads link to my post, I realized that I never reviewed it…and now that it’s been about a year, I don’t trust myself to recall exact details, so I guess it’s time for a reread! Honestly, I’m so excited to do so! This is such a gripping story.

This was my first read from Madisyn and what a great introduction! From the first page, I was hooked, and I remember reading it all in one sitting. The feel of the story itself is serious but hopeful, tense but heartwarming. The world itself drew me in with the vivid descriptions and its intriguing customs/details.

And as always, my favorite elements were the characters. They felt so real and I could relate to both protagonists as they struggled to protect the people around them and wrestle with their own hurts and fears. The slow-burn romance was extremely sweet, and I’d love to see more of their relationship if the author ever wants to continue their story… The deep and meaningful themes were the icing on the cake.

Tricky Content: Fighting, death, poisoning and illness, a non-detailed kiss, peril

I’d Recommend It To: Readers who enjoy wintery medieval settings, deep Christian themes that make you think, sweet slow-burn romance, strong (of character) protagonists, and tense plots.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Author: Mary Mecham

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Target Audience: YA (Young Adult)

What Stuck Out to Me: This might be my favorite Mary Mecham book so far. It was a step outside my recent genres, but I’m so glad I gave it a shot. What a fun, fast-paced story!

I usually don’t care for self-proclaimed hardened assassins being the story “heroes”, but this one was well done! I could understand the reasoning behind her actions, and root for her as she learned better. And the male protagonist is my favorite. I might be biased, since he reminds me of my husband, but I adored him. His scenes were my favorites, and I really enjoyed seeing him soften and grow throughout the story.

The world was much more complex than I expected from a fiery, fairy tale romance! Particularly the phoenixes, their healing processes, and small things such as the shoulder tattoos and the wedding traditions. It felt very cohesive and well-thought out. I also appreciated that the romance was clean, and that any physical affection was wholesome, sparing, and fit the scene. And wow, that ending! I wasn’t expecting nearly ANY of the twists, and I love when books can do that for me. I finished the book smiling.

Tricky Content: death/killing, main characters are hardened assassins, betrayal, several brief kisses, flirtatious dialogue, married characters make several joking comments about wedding night (nothing more happens), and one mention of a low-cut blouse and the protagonist’s curves

I’d Recommend It To: Readers who enjoy clean and engaging fantasy romances — particularly with lots of banter, a protective male protagonist (“touch her and die”), and a unique phoenix world.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Author: Julia Witmer

Genre: Portal Fantasy

Target Audience: MG (middle-grade) and above

What Stuck Out to Me: I absolutely loved the first book in this series last year (then loaned it to my younger siblings who also really enjoyed it), so this was a highly anticipated sequel. It didn’t disappoint! If anything, I actually enjoyed this one even more.

 I really enjoyed the sheer variety of characters, many mythical beings, and all with vivid personalities, fascinating backstories, and fun quirks. The descriptions were also beautiful, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to explore a lot more of the story world. Every chapter held new aspects and it was fun wondering what might be next.

My other favorite element was the character growth! The protagonist wrestled with very relatable and crucial struggles, including managing her anger, feeling left out, overcoming fear, and trusting after hardship. Overall, I absolutely loved this story and eagerly await book #3!

Tricky Content: One usage of “shut up”, some mild violence, a few vaguely-described injuries, peril, the protagonist suffers from non-described nightmares, and wrestles with loss of trust, feeling betrayed and angry, and guilt

I’d Recommend It To: Readers (maybe 10+?) who enjoy adventurous middle-grade portal fantasy stories with plenty of heart, clean and meaningful themes, and a healthy dose of action/suspense. Bonus points if you enjoy books in a series!

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Author: Bethany Atazadeh

Genre: Fantasy Romance (loosely retelling “Aladdin”)

Target Audience: YA (Young Adult)

What Stuck Out to Me: I haven’t been so engrossed in a long time! The world-building in this story is excellent. I could tell it was an Aladdin retelling, but not in a forced or obnoxious way. Instead, I had great fun stumbling across a slightly familiar story aspect and realizing that it was a cleverly twisted element of the fairy tale.

And of course, I love that it’s clean! The romance is sweet, language is appropriate, and heavier subjects are handled with tact, without shying away from the hardship. Overall, the story has a lighter feel, while still keeping me on my toes with tension.

Best of all is the nuanced, lovable, fascinating cast of characters – from the protagonists to the minor appearances. Gideon is my favorite HANDS DOWN, but the spunky main characters, chilling villain/s, misguided allies, and bumbling and loyal band of outcasts all drew me in. I enjoyed the “heist” elements, and the fact that each and every character felt like they were there for a reason, not just to advance the plot, but because they had goals, dreams, aspirations, and motives of their own. It’s such a fun read!

Tricky Content: a couple of subtle references to men’s inappropriate intentions, mentions of the protagonist’s beauty, the protagonist kisses (non-detailed) a man she doesn’t love and a man she DOES love, magic system centered around the Jinn (genies) and magical objects, a villain loses his tongue, memory of a child’s death

I’d Recommend It To:

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Because there are so many bloggers participating in Five Fall Favorites this year, we’ve been split into teams! There’s no competition – only the opportunity to ensure everyone’s posts are shared.

I’m part of Team Aspen (see the graphic below), and I highly encourage you to check out the rest of my teammates’ posts for their recommended books today. That’s where I’m headed!

Here’s the list of bloggers in Team Aspen (click each name to visit that site):

Thank you so much for joining me today! Have you read any of the books I shared? Do you have any favorite indie books? I’d love to hear from you, so drop a comment below, and we’ll meet again tomorrow for Five Fall Favorites day #3!

Don’t forget to enter that giveaway HERE!