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Keon Shore

@keonshore_author

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formerly @ninthpath_webnovel Author of adult, dark, high fantasy stories
| Ninth Path series book 1 & 2

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✨️Indie Hype✨️

@keonshore_author is launching her new website for the Ninth Path series, and is giving away an ebook for free alongside it.

Bad Apothecary is book one of the series and follows Diwu, who wakes to find herself the victim of a horrible experiment and in desperate need of a cure. In order to survive, Diwu must rely on an organisation that could just be more dangerous than the corrupted wound itself.

This Asian inspired dark progression fantasy gives us forbidden magics, cultivation, arcane punk vibes, and politicking between various powers/factions.

I'm over half-way through Bad Apothecary and loving it, so I definitely recommend checking out this site and snagging a free copy!

Available from 26 Oct- 10 Nov only.

#readmoreindiebooks #indieauthor #indiefantasy #freebook #Bookstagram

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✨️Indie tbr progress update✨️

At the start of the year, I chose around 30 indie books to read for the year. I've made progress on some of that list, but as expected, the tbr grew bigger than I could manage.

Here are my 2026 reads/purchases/gifts.. with some 72 books on the list.

❓️Does our tbr/bookshelf seem similar?

#readmoreindiebooks #books #indieauthor #aussiebookstagrammer

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✨️Indie Hype✨️

This is a book I intend to read before end of year. I've also picked up book 2 in anticipation, because everything I've seen about this book tells me it's WORTH the read.

The Bad Apothecary follows a main character who is forced into a difficult situation, and ends up selling her freedom in exchange for her life. In order to get her cure, she must attend to the whims of a corrupt organisation.

Described as Asian inspired dark fantasy, with a fast pace and wonderful prose, this book is high on my list to read for 2026!

Will you give it a try too?

#readmoreindiebooks #indieauthor #aussiebookstagrammer #indiebook #aussiebookstagrammer

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✨️TBR Flatlay✨️

Ok so maybe this isn't my full tbr, but it's a good chunk of it! I've got a lot of other trad books to add to the list as well - some romantasy, some dark fantasy... I'll have to show those off later!

Here's a number of books I've been gifted or picked up at events, all still patiently waiting for me to read them.

Some of them I received in January this year and I'm still working to get to them. I have ever intention to read The Bad Apothecary and the Return of the Knights in the next couple of months.. wish me luck!!

#tbr #flatlay #bookflatlay #indiebooks #readmoreindiebooks

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Bask in this glorious character art!!! Yes, we designed these ourselves 💅🏻👩🏻‍🎨 😌 If you're looking for your next fantasy read, check out these books:

King of Carnage by @author_jcrobins
A forgotten Legend by @t.m.baylor
The Priestess Awakening by @authorcmstewart
Ninth Path by @keonshore_author
Valour by @amber.maren.writes
Gloom in the Bones by @pagesbyrobin

Check out the author's page for information on ARCs, pre-orders and publication 🫶🏻💖

#fantasybooks #indieauthors #readersofinsta #bookrecs

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If you liked this book, try this one!

And follow their wonderful authors below:

@crguardian @bysteveretka @smizellwrites @phoenixrokni @keonshore_author

If you like spy and assassin thrillers, try Guild of Four.
If you like secret poisons and mentorship, try The Poisoner's Recruit.
If you like epic fantasy with top tier world building and good vs evil, try The Fall of Magic.
If you like emmersive Asian fantasy with plot twists and epic fight scenes, try the Ninth Path series.
If you like horror with a superpowers that keep you up all night, try Serenade.
If you like cozy mysteries with sass and ambulances, try The Dose Makes the Poison.

#thisthenthat #bookrec #compare

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Happy Release Day to Keon Shore. Book two In the Ninth Path series is out now: Ninth Path Extraordinary Ruin!

It looks SO COOL!

https://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-Ruin-Ninth-Path-Book-ebook/dp/B0GHHZMTTQ

Also check out book one: The Bad Apothecary.

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I'm delighted to help with the release hype for @keonshore_author's stunner of a sequel, 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙍𝙪𝙞𝙣!

This next installment in the Ninth Path Series returns us to the company of Diwu and Nex as they adjust to their new life in the city under the ever-watchful eye and firm hand of the Hierarchy, a ruthless agency determined to exploit them — if only they could determine to what end.

If you're looking for a gripping, dark introduction to the cultivation fantasy subgenre—kin to progression fantasy—I can't recommend this enough. It's an Asian-influenced, clever series with arcane-punk elements, unique magic and compelling characters, all set to an assured pace. If you haven't read Book 1, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘈𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘺, I don't know what to tell you other than you're missing out and you need to rectify that immediately!

𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙍𝙪𝙞𝙣 is out now on Amazon! Don't miss the awakening of the Ninth Path!

#cultivationfantasy #progressionfantasy #asianfantasybooks #ninthpath #darkfantasy

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PARODY BUT... THE AUDIOBOOK KICKSTARTER IS VERY REAL.

The real thing brought to you by @highgravityaudiobooks Narrated by Brandon Francis and @cassandratrieu

✨ What to Expect in Red Demon:

📖 A Story About the Lone Survivor of a Massacre and the Genetically Enhanced Immortal Who Spared Only Him
🚫AI, human voices with all the feels.
🩹 Trauma Healing
🏳️‍🌈 Queer Normativity & Gender Equality
🫂 Chosen Family
🔥 Spicy Romantic Subplot (kicks off in the second half)
⚔️ Epic Action: Swords & Crossbows
🧠 Mental Health
🔬 Neuroscience Fiction
🍄 Bigoted Ancestrial Mycelium

The Kickstarter link is in my bio! Please give it a follow, it goes live 9.14.

IF YOU ARE WILLING TO HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD, PLEASE COMMENT BELOW or see the link in my bio for a mini form/ checklist.

And a big thank you is well deserved for everyone who assisted pulling this video together. Narrators Kyle Snyder and Cassandra Trieu and Authors Keon Shore, Ben Logsdon. Amiel Baron Montilla, thank you for your editing work!

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With Fall right around the corner, my TBR is looking mighty full with all the upcoming new releases on the indie scene!

I intend to spend leaf season diving into some great new books by some incredible authors. What upcoming projects are some of your most anticipated? Let me know in the comments!

@csaulterauthor @keonshore_author @corbinrookauthor @garrison_writes @secretcoranstacy @lewisjsutcliffe @astevenswrites @alexarch_author
#indieauthor #indieauthorsofinstagram #upcomingbookrelease #newreleasebooks #bookstagram

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September is looking very good for readers who like their books a little darker!

My second book, Tiger Cowers, Dragon Falls, releases 1 September, and I've teamed up with 8 fantastic authors who've got their own darker reads coming your way.

Whispers of Fallen Empires by @bkatwood3742
A Crown for the Promised by @joshua.dharmawan
Untwined by @helynalclove_writes
Extraordinary Ruin by @keonshore_author
Children of Darkness & Dawn by @authormegedwards
This Body, This Blood by @daphne.vermeer
The Bard's Song by @abby.anne.books
Echoes of Chaos by @talesbyeldris

And Tiger Cowers, Dragon Falls by @csaulterauthor

Which one is going on your TBR? 👀
Tag a friend who enjoys dark or grimdark fantasy and don't forget to follow!

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The Bad Apothocary: Ninth Path Book One - Keon Shore

The Bad Apothocary is an Asian-inspired, Dark, Progression Fantasy. It opens right in the middle of the action with protagonist Diwu trying to escape an attack by a rogue Cultivator. This opening sequence sets Diwu on a path where she will become embroiled in the power struggles of some of the setting's powerful factions that want to use her for their own ends. It starts dark and gets darker. And darker.

Keon has beautifully balanced the character of Diwu, showing her to be very capable at surviving on her own, but also very vulnerable. She certainly does not trust easily. This is why her relationship/partnership with Nex is one of my favourite elements in this story; it feels like the characters actually earn each others trust.

And let's talk about Nex. From the first moment he enters the story he just elevates it. He's a brilliant character. Confident in his own abilities, loyal to his own code, and yet his past marks him as a deeply broken individual. He was my favourite character and his powers were amazing. Any action sequence involving Nex is worth reading twice, but - and I'm trying to avoid spoilers - I especially loved the last one.

As I said at the beginning, this is a Cultivation Fantasy, which is a subgenre inspired by Asian Xianxia/Wuxia stories. I had to look it up, too. Its unlike anything I've read before, with characters having powers that can be trained through physical, mental, and spiritual means, to increase their abilities and progress to the next tier. Its kinda related to LitRPG but less collecting experience points and more actual training.

It did take me a good while to really immerse myself into the short, snappy style of the writing, but what helped me was thinking about this as like an anime in prose. Once it clicked I absolutely flew threw it, and will pick up book two.

I was gifted an ebook by the author to review, and have since bought a hard copy.

Full review on Goodreads/Storygraph/Amazon.

#Bookstagram #indiefantasy #cultivationfantasy #indieauthors #arcanepunk

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