Book Reviews
Why I Review Books
Note: I do not accept requests to review books (read the bottom of the page for more details)
Have you ever wanted to know what your favorite authors liked or didn't like to read? This has crossed my mind multiple times, as I've wanted to know what J.K. Rowling or Christopher Paolini are reading.
As an author and reader, I believe book reviews are important. They are social proof. I try to review all the books I read. And I want to share with you what I liked or didn't like.
If you are discovering my books for the first time, maybe you don't trust me yet. You don't know whether my book is worth buying. What if my writing is terrible?
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I've been reading for nearly my whole life. I'm in my twenties, and the very first novel I remember reading was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when I was about six years old, too young to understand it.
I first discovered ebooks in university in 2015,. The link in the back of the book asked me to leave a review. And I did.
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So that's how I started reviewing books.
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Authors on Amazon or other retailers, except maybe small bookstores, need their books reviewed. More reviews equal more sales, because it helps potential buyers decide whether or not they want to buy a book. I figure, why not let people know which books are great and need more attention, and which books are are not so good?
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Just remember though, everyone has their own preferences. What I like might not be something you like, so whenever you read book reviews, take them with a grain of salt.
My Review Policy
I do not accept requests to review books. All the books I review are books I have bought or obtained through a giveaway.
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First of all, if I don't like a book because it's not in my preferred genres - my preferred genres being science fiction and fantasy - I won't review it. It does not do a book justice if I were to give it a bad review just because I don't understand the common tropes of the genre.
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Sometimes I do review books out of my genre, if I found the blurb interesting, or if I found the book during a BookBub deal, or if the book is a mixture of genres.
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Second, I try not to be base my reviews off personal preference. This does not mean I don't have my own preferences, but I try to base my reviews off of things like plot, characters, grammar & usage, and more.
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As an author, I do understand other authors have a tough time. Their work is in the public domain, and being subject to unfounded or petty criticism is mentally draining, and hurts them. So I don't make my reviews personal. I don't insult them.
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I do not leave bad reviews just to spite other authors or make my work seem more important. I believe it is important to give my honest review of a book, even if that review results in a low rating. Have you ever bought a four or five star book on Amazon or any other online retailer, and found the writing to be dull?
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Sometimes people, especially other authors, do not want to leave bad reviews because they think it might come off as too mean. This can sometimes skew Amazon (or other services) reviews to the high end. On the other hand, sometimes leave overwhelming negative reviews personally targeting authors, and that can skew reviews to the low end.
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You may wonder why I review subsequent books in series? Isn't it a waste of time? Have you ever read a first book in a series, only to find out the second or third book wasn't as good? That's why I continue to review books in series. It's to let potential readers know whether the series continues to have appeal. As an author myself, I will make sure all my subsequent books do not drop in quality.
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Finally, I try my best to leave reviews with substance. I know there are people out there who don't know how to give reviews, but that doesn't necessarily detract from their reviews. Nor does it mean their reviews have substance. So when I give a high or low rating to a book, I make sure to mention what I did or didn't like in as much detail as possible, to be fair to authors and readers.