The last question of this weekend is asked by Carolyn. Thank you so much for asking us a question. You won a $10 store credit donated by Dreamspinner Press. Congrats!
Carolyn: I was wondering, what do you consider essential parts of a review? And do you have a favorite review you’ve done and could share a link?
Donna:
I don’t think that there’s really any essential part – as in you must talk about the plot, or you must talk about the characters. I think the only important aspect is that you convey whatever the book made you feel. If you’re excited and NEED every single person on the planet to read it then you need to let that come through rather than just saying the words – I loved this book – with nothing to back it up.
These are probably two of my favourite reviews because I loved them for completely different reasons. (The Hades review is actually a joint review from Dan and me)
Chris:
While my reviews can range a bit between short and ridiculously long, and cover quite a spread of topics, there are a few things that I make sure to put in almost all my reviews. Firstly, how I felt about the book. Seems a bit obvious, but this is probably the number one thing that reviews are about. The reaction to the story and how that reaction may have changed from before I started the book to when I finished it. It is also the most subjective part of a review since no two people experience the story in the same way. Secondly, and related to the first part of the answer, is some explanation or reasoning for why I felt the way I did. If I got nothing else from my English degree, I at least learned how to dig into books and my reactions to them to find concrete reasoning behind my feelings. Plus, saying something was good or bad isn’t that much a help to anyone. It is the reasons for that reaction that matter to other people since they can use that to help guide them. Other than those two things there are a few other parts of the review I find are good. A short blurb of the book is good for giving the readers a general idea of the plot and the characters I’ll be referencing in my review. Also covering topics like the relationship between the characters and the writing style are good ideas.
As for my favorite reviews…well I tend to favor the ones I’ve written on not nearly enough sleep, or after a book has blown me away. I liked the ones I did for Love for the Cold-Blooded, or The Part-Time Evil Minion’s Guide to Accidentally Dating a Superhero by Alex Gabriel and How to Be a Normal Person by T.J. Klune. And I enjoy writing the reviews for Jordan L. Hawk’s SPECTR series so much that they are the only ones I’ll fight to the death to have control over. Mostly my favorite reviews are the ones where I feel free to get a little weird and fun in the review.
Jen B:
For me, I try to include a recap of the story, without giving too much away and aside from what is already mentioned in the blurb. Then I include what did or didn’t work for me and end with how the story was written or any other thoughts on the story as a whole. I’ve written hundreds of reviews by this point, so it is hard to pick a favorite. I have a difficult enough time writing reviews most of the time.
I have had the pleasure of being involved with helping an author with a book from almost start to finish. It gave me a bigger understanding of what goes into it, that’s for sure. I don’t believe I would be any good writing my own book, as I am much better at working with something that is already on paper, as opposed to creating something from scratch. Getting the story down initially would be the hardest part for me, so I leave that to the pros and stick to enjoying the stories and helping out where I can.
Roberta:
I like to remember that a review is just someone’s opinion and that I want to be open when I read and review a story. For me…that is the most essential part of reviewing. I know that if I’m in a bad mood…there is no way i’m reading a book that i have to review as that would come thru and color my view on the book and in the review.
I don’t have a favorite review that I’ve done…granted there are so many great ones on LBR that I couldn’t even do justice.
Tammy:
In my reviews I always do a recap then I will sum it up with why I liked/not liked the story.
Dani(elle):
I believe a good review incl a short sum up and an opinion of what you think of it . For me the important part is when you review for a blog you stay fair open minded and honest but respectful always and you don’t include spoilers.
For a favorite review I have to say I take each one as it comes , there are a few I certainly are proud of but what for me could feel like a fabulous review could for a reader be totally opposite 😉
What do you feel as a reader is most important in a blog review?
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Great question and thanks again for the answers. I like reading why the reviewer liked or didn’t like a book, being it writing style or characters or plot.
For me the most essential will be what works and don’t works for the reviewer. THAT will help me a lot. I don’t need review that just explaining the plot
thanks for the question and answers. When I read a review, I like to get an overall impression of the book, and also I like to find out if there is something that has surprised, annoyed, or exact any sort of reaction from the reviewer
Great question and answers. I think in a review I myself I like to know the feel of the book if it something I’d like to read or to avoid things like triggers and the flow of the story. Also what didn’t work or what was so good about the book.
Great question and answers again.
For me – one of the most important things is did the book leave you feeling satisfied and would you read it again. No matter the genre or themes i always take a reviewers opinion on if they were satisfied after reading it – especially their opinion on certain topics. If they’re not satisfied but they explain what put them off – I can then make my opinion if I’d give it a go or not.
🙂
Great question, asking for a fav review. In blog reviews, what I mainly look for is what it is specifically that made the book not a 5; or if a 5, what made it so great (not fluff, like it moved me). I generally skip over the what (it was about) and go to the why (the critique itself). But if you tell part of the story, tell me something of import that goes beyond just what the blurb says. I like it to cover plot and character development, locale, tone & style of writing, believability, emotional moments, romance (and how erotic) & non-romance parts, and in a series if it can still be read as a standalone.
I like to read reviews to get what did or didn’t work in the reviewers eyes. I want to know if the characters were realistic, the plot flowed well, the plot and characters were realistic.
Thank you for your answers. I love it when a review can give me the feel of the book (without giving to much away) and i also love to read about the writing style of the author (especially if it is a new to me author).
I generally don’t read other people’s reviews if I haven’t read a book first because I don’t want my opinion of the book to be biased. When I’m writing a review, I usually don’t recap the book unless it really moved me in some way; either good or bad. I try to write why the book worked for me or didn’t. Usually it’s what tropes I dislike or if I don’t like the characters’ behaviors or if I don’t think the plot is believable. If I really like the book, I try to tell why I like it; what I like about the characters or the story. What emotions I’m feeling. That sort of thing.
I like seeing the blurb, major good or bad points, and warnings (triggers, non-HEA, etc).
Thanks for question and answers. Usually I stick away from reviews if I haven’t read it. I don’t want to become bias and i don’t want to develop expectations. I do like seeing a short recap, what did and didn’t work for the reviewer, pet peeves, if it inspired any emotions. etc..
Thank you for all the great answers! (Special shout-out to Donna and Chris for those reviews — SP entertaining! They were totally worth the read time, and you both sold me on a book.)
My favorite reviews don’t really recap the story or spoil it. I definitely like to know if the author delivered what was promised by the blurb and cover. Or why we shouldn’t be judging it by those! Not strictly necessary but I do enjoy when there’s a quote or two showcasing what an author does well (or poorly) in the story or that gives a good sense of characterization.
Thanks for your answers! I like reading what worked and didn’t for the reviewer and why. I’m looking to see if I think anything won’t work for me.
I like to know the why’s of a book’s rating as well. For example, don’t just say (as some other blogs tend to do), “the hero didn’t appeal to me”. Say WHY he didn’t appeal to you. One person’s dislike is another’s like, so the hero being an alpha-hole could be what someone is looking to read about. Also, don’t be shy about mentioning editing errors when there are several in a book. For me, that’s a likely DNF indicator, because the author couldn’t be bothered to proofread their own work. If you find more than three obviously-just-a-typo errors in a book, let others know in the review. Otherwise there’s no motivation for quality writing. Lastly, please include the steam level in a book. “Sweet” romances aren’t my choice to read, and that term signifies zero steam to me. I want to know if a book contains no smexy times, some smexy times, alot of smexy times, non-stop smexy times, because I’ve found that the classifications are open to interpretation as far as what constitutes “erotica” or “erotic romance” versus “sexy”. (I’ve found NA/YA books {Jaimie McGuire to be exact} shelved under “erotica” in bookstores, along with 50 Shades of Grey {which isn’t erotica either}, and I have to laugh.)
Ooh, quite a hard question really as I think it is intuitive – I’ll either like a review or not.
I tend to not like the deeply critical reviews – it is not a dissertation for marking. Though this is generally not an issue from blogs such as yourselves. I’m not keen when low reviews are given for content that is not to the reviewers liking (again, generally not an issue with blog reviewers) – yes, I may want to know x and y are included but if the story is well written and produced dont give it 2 starts just coz! I have read stories I wouldn’t normally choose, not liked them overly but can appreciate the craft of how they were written.
Badly written, now fine I want to know that!!