How to Write a Positive Review | Book Blogging Tips (#61)

You might laugh looking at this title thinking it's not that hard to write a positive review. But trust me, looking back at any blogger's early positive reviews, you'll see a major difference to what they're posting now. 

Contrary to popular belief, it's not only the negative reviews that are hard to write; it's also the positive ones. Let me explain.

The problem with five-star reviews

When you check the five star reviews on goodreads of your favorite book, it's very likely that you won't find any assessment of the book, but instead a bunch of fangirling and flailing around about how genius the book is. While that may be nice to read for the author, to see people say nice things about their book, it doesn't really benefit the reader. If I haven't read a book and am looking to, I never check the five star reviews, because they hardly ever tell me anything about the book itself.

It really frustrates me as a blog or review reader to find a positive review that's telling me nothing aside from how much the reviewer liked it. It's really a craft to manage to condense your fangirly thoughts into a helpful review that other readers might benefit from. 

What I think a positive review should be like is pretty much is in line with what I said about writing negative reviews, if you'd like to compare.

Most common mistakes are:

• Flailing 

Like I said, this might be nice for the author to read, but what does this tell me? ADGHSABJSALJKLKL followed by 67 gifs isn't much of a way to judge whether I want to read this book, is it?

• Strong focus on the characters

Sure, it's great to give some info on the characters and all, but most of the time character assesment and how you liked them is super subjective and doesn't really tell the readers whether the book will be for them. 600 words on how swoony the love interest is aren't really helpful. It's all in the balance. You can add maybe 200 words on that but make sure to also add other things in your review!

• The super subjective stuff/disregarding the actual craft part.

Personally I like reviews that focus on general issues and then add some subjective things. If you just go subjective, talking about the chemistry between the characters, their "illogical" behavior and all, you're not really giving the reader any valuable information. Sure, you might argue that it's all subjective when reviewing, but naturall some things are more subjective than others. Tell me about the compelling story, the extensive world building, the writing. 

At the end of the day, how you're writing your reviews is your business. If you feel more comfortable your way, please do continue doing so. These are only guidelines and in no way a rulebook. As always. ;-)

What things bother you about some positive reviews?

More on reviewing:
When is it okay to share your review of a DNF?
I Only Read Negative Reviews on Goodreads
Is Sharing Your Negative Reviews Mean?
No Comments on Book Reviews?
When You Have to Write a Negative Review

all Book Blogging Tips

#SRC2017 Book Spotlight: Last Seen by J.L. Doucette

Title: Last Seen
Author: J.L. Doucette
Series: Dr. Pepper Hunt, #1
Published: May 2017, She Writes Press
Format: Paperback, 330 pages
 

Psychologist and police consultant Dr. Pepper Hunt, struggling to deal with the murder of her husband, leaves the private practice they shared and relocates to Wyoming. There, in the stark landscape of the high desert, there is nothing to remind her of everything she lost and left behind. Then her new patient, Kimi Benally, goes missing in a Wyoming blizzard after her last therapy session -- making Pepper the last person to see her.

She knows the secrets Kimi shared in therapy hold clues to her mysterious disappearance, and she joins forces with Detective Beau Antelope to try to discover what's happened to her. But as she follows the trail of Kimi's obsession with the past, Pepper begins to fear the worst for her missing patient--and her own haunted memories surface.

What Readers are saying: 

"The projected first in a series, Last Seen makes the southwest landscape and culture an integral part of the story. This self-sufficient community is one that readers will be intrigued to visit again." ―Booklist

“Readers will grow enamored with these characters and the twisty dark plot – so much so, they may forget about BLL completely.” ―Redbook, “6 Books to Cure Your Big Little Lies Withdrawals”

"A missing person tale with a strong setting and cast of characters…Doucette’s auspicious first novel puts a welcome focus on the players instead of transgressive twists.”  ―Kirkus

"Author J.L. Doucette gives readers a keen sense of Wyoming winters, three-dimensional characters, and taut, descriptive writing. An enthusiastic welcome to Dr. Pepper Hunt!”  ―Linda Barnes, Edgar Award-winning author of the Carlotta Carlyle mystery series

“There’s a detective named Antelope, at least two registered sex offenders, a scoundrel in pricey ski gear, his lying mistress, and tellingly, his missing wife. At the middle of this many-sided mess is Dr. Pepper Hunt, psychologist―clear-eyed, intelligent, beautiful, brave. You’ll fall in love with Pepper and with J. L. Doucette’s subtle, immersive, beguiling tale.” ―Bryan Gruley, Anthony, Barry and Strand Award-winning author of the Starvation Lake Mystery series

“With clear, crackling prose, at times breathtaking, and characters so real that I felt flesh and bone back on that wild western landscape, mingling with the people and inhabiting their world. Combine Doucette’s voice and prose with a story that haunts and intrigues again and again, and we know we are in the hands of a very talented writer. I loved these characters. I loved the terrain. I never wanted to leave. This is the kind of writing that stays with me long after the novel is finished.” ―Diane Les Becquets, author of Breaking Wild

“Last Seen is a tantalizing psychological thriller in which J. L. Doucette masterfully weaves a chilling plot around a cast of complex, well-drawn characters led by psychologist, Dr. Pepper Hunt, a woman running from her own nightmare past. As the tiny Wyoming town searches its frigid horizons for a missing local woman, Dr. Hunt and Detective Antelope spark some warmth in an investigation all their own. A suspenseful ride that will keep you turning pages to the very end!” ―Michelle Cox, award-winning author of A Girl Like You and A Ring of Truth, from the A Henrietta and Detective Howard series
 

********************************************************************************

Last Seen  by J.L. Doucette is one of  BookSparks "Summer Reads" reading selection picks. 

  

 Follow the #SRC2017 hashtag on twitter to read reviews on this book as well as reviews on the other summer books! Also, be sure to check out the BookSparks Facebook page for the #SRC2017  and other fun links. You can participate in weekly secret missions for chances to win signed copies of selected books and more! There's a new secret mission each week :)

 

 

Recommendation: The King of Bourbon Street (NOLA Nights #1) - Thea de Salle: Bisexuality, Rich People, and a Fat Heroine

In THE KING OF BOURBON STREET, heiress Rain travels to New Orleans to get a break from her mother and falls in love with hotel mogul Sol.

What intrigued me: I adored another book by the same author under a different pen name and was thirsty for more by her.

Note: Don't let the cover fool you, this has a fat heroine!!!

Fantastic Writing and Characters

THE KING OF BOURBON STREET is definitely very different from what I usually read - you may know that I'm primarily a YA reader, but I don't mind pushing my comfort zone a little. Even if you're not really into Adult books and just enjoy Romance, you will probably fall hopelessly in love with this. De Salle is such a talented writer, I originally only planned to take a peak at a sample, but the voice, the characters, the setting, the pace - everything about the craft is so perfect that it sucks you in and you won't want to leave. Genuinely, this book is so amazingly well-written that it's seriously inspiring and an absolute delight.

De Salle needed about 5 pages for me to fall in love with the hero, Sol, who is, in lack of a better way to put this: an absolutely irresistible little shit. He's refreshingly openly bisexual, hilarious, he's snarky and flamboyant, and I am so, so, so in love. I found myself laughing out loud at honestly pretty much everything he says. He's so funny without meaning to and you'll fall in love with him before you know it and miss him terribly once you've finished the book.

Perfect Read for Rookie Adult Romance Readers!

As irresistible as the hero is - the heroine, Rain, is just as awesome. She's rebelling against her rich parents and just sunshine bottled up. THE KING OF BOURBON STREET is one of the most organic and fantastic romances I've ever read. Rain and Sol have incredible chemistry from the second they meet and you'll find yourself not being able to decide who you like more. In general, the characters and their relationships are very fleshed out, so much so that I honestly want a spin-off for every single character that appears in this series (which it looks like we might be getting to at least some extent? Fingers crossed). Parting with this book and finishing it honestly felt to me like I lost a couple dear friends, you'll find yourself wanting to read as slowly as possible so you'll be able to spend as much time with the characters as possible. 

I feel like I should also mention that this is a very adult Romance that contains a dom/sub relationship and a lot of sex. That's not usually what I go for, but I loved Rain and Sol so much that I didn't mind that at all. Even if you don't necessarily read a lot of Adult Romance, this might serve as a transitional read to get you more into the genre. THE KING OF BOURBON STREET is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year and I cannot wait to get started on the sequels.

Rating:

★★★★★

 

Overall: Do I Recommend?

If you love Adult Romance and are looking for something sex-positive and intersectional, this is a must-read. This is extremely well-written, almost intimidatingly so, and with a bisexual hero and a fat heroine, I am so, so, so happy I stumbled upon this series. 

More of this, please.

Additional Info

Published: February 13th 2017

Pages: 304

Publisher: Pocket Star

Genre: Adult / Romance

ISBN: 9781501156076

Synopsis:

"Hotel chain mogul Sol DuMont is about to learn that some of life’s biggest surprises come in deceptively small packages—namely a petite heiress named Rain who’s hell-bent on upsetting her family’s expectations—in this first book in the all new series by Thea de Salle, set against the sultry backdrop of New Orleans.

Thirty-seven-year-old Sol DuMont is a divorcee and the owner of a mid-sized hotel chain in New Orleans. Since Hurricane Katrina, his father’s death, and the decision that he and his ex-wife Maddy are far better off friends than lovers, he’s lost interest in almost everything he held dear—parties, people, and pushing limits.

All his limits.

Then Arianna Barrington checks into his hotel.

Twenty-four-year-old Arianna “Rain” Barrington could have been society’s sweetheart. Her family is moneyed, connected press darlings, and make sweeping headlines from coast to coast for reasons both good and bad. But when her mother shoves her at Charles Harwood—the obnoxious, entitled heir of Harwood Corp—to cement a billion-dollar business merger, Rain does the only thing she can think of to escape: she creates a scandal so big Harwood doesn’t want her anymore before fleeing to New Orleans for much-needed rest and relaxation.

All she wants is jazz piano, beignets, and to sail the Mississippi. What she gets is Sol DuMont, a whirlwind affair, and a hands-on education in sex, power play, and pushing limits.

All her limits. "
(Source: Goodreads)

What's your favorite romance?

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[Review] My Not So Perfect Life - Sophie Kinsella: Farm Eggs and Instagram

In MY NOT SO PERFECT LIFE, Katie's super glamorous big city boss goes on a holiday in Katie's hometown after firing her.

What intrigued me: Solely the author. Didn't even read the blurb before I picked this up.

Where's the fun?

I'm starting to think Sophie and I have to part ways. She's been one of my favorite authors for years, but I have now read every single one of her stand-alones and her 5-star quota is... well, not so good. Just like with THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESS, WEDDING NIGHT, and CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?, I just really didn't care for this one. 

MY NOT SO PERFECT LIFE is chronically missing the charme and hilarity that made me fall in love with Kinsella's writing in the first place. It just reads like a weird train-of-thought-esque narrative without an actual plot and Katie, the heroine, just feels like she's a recycled mix of the protagonists of Kinsella's earlier stand-alones. It's also really, really long, 540 pages in my translated version and about 100 pages less in English, without a plot you can imagine how tedious this was to read. Beyond that, the blurb is actually way more interesting than the book, Instagram doesn't really play as much of a role in it, it's more about going back home and life outside of the big city, and ... meh.

Way Too Serious and Angsty

There isn't really anything to talk about because so little happens and I found myself forcing myself to continue instead of actually reading it for fun and breezing through it like I did with my favorites REMEMBER ME? and I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER. Maybe this is also because I guess this is a different type of book that I'd probably expected to see published under her Madeline Wickham publications. It just feels less fun and happy-go-lucky and more serious and contemplative, which is just not what I want when I'm picking up a Kinsella book. Katie spends a lot of time thirsting after her boss Demeter's life and contemplating the validity of her own experiences and just being sad, and I just couldn't bring myself to care about that. 

Even though all of Kinsella's books have somewhat of a New Adult aspect to them, in terms of angsting about the future, this one dig into it too hard for my taste. I want awkward situations, I want a hilarious heroine, I want a straight-forward plot and an unputdownable read. I didn't get any of that.On top of that, the love interest has the personality of a raw egg. 

Rating:

★☆☆☆☆

 

Overall: Do I Recommend?

I think this might be the one book to make me never want to pick up a Kinsella book again. I found it quite dull and boring and now looking at my Kinsella shelf makes me sad.

Additional Info

Published: May 15th 2017

Pages: 544

Publisher: Goldmann

Genre: Adult / Chick Lit

ISBN: 978-3-442-48550-5

Synopsis:

"Katie Brenner has the perfect life: a flat in London, a glamorous job, and a super-cool Instagram feed.

Ok, so the real truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job, and the life she shares on Instagram isn’t really hers.

But one day her dreams are bound to come true, aren’t they?

Until her not-so perfect life comes crashing down when her mega-successful boss Demeter gives her the sack. All Katie’s hopes are shattered. She has to move home to Somerset, where she helps her dad with his new glamping business.

Then Demeter and her family book in for a holiday, and Katie sees her chance. But should she get revenge on the woman who ruined her dreams? Or try to get her job back? Does Demeter – the woman with everything – have such an idyllic life herself? Maybe they have more in common than it seems.

And what’s wrong with not-so-perfect, anyway?"
(Source: Goodreads)

Have you read a book by Sophie Kinsella?

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10 YA Series I've Been Meaning to Start But Haven't Yet feat. Rachel Cohn, Traci Chee, Marie Lu & more

This is my list of shame. Some of these books have been on my TBR for years. I'm working on it, I promise. 

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake
I remember really getting intrigued by this after I read an excerpt of this in ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD. This was years ago, omg, I really love Greek mythology, it's a shame I haven't picked this one up yet.

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
I really want to wait to watch the movie Labyrinth first before reading this and I've been waiting for the perfect time to do so. Soon!

Sea of Ink and Gold by Traci Chee
Okay, this pick is a bit unusual, because I only just now read teh blurb and I still don't think I know what this is about. I honestly just wnt to read this because I'm always there to support authors and publishers who put non-white people on book covers. Hell yeah.

Covenant by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I originally got interested in this because I binged her Lux series years ago and had a lot of fun with it and because people keep saying this is a carbon copy of VAMPIRE ACADEMY, which you know I also loved and enjoyed. Bring it on!

Monsters of Verity by Victoria Schwab
I've been meaning to read more of her books because I really disliked A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC and want to give her another shot, so oh my god, I can't believe I still haven't read this yet. I love urban fantasy!

Annex by Rachel Cohn
I'm pretty sure I've talked about this before on my blog - I love reading about clones and I came so close to buying a copy a number of times, but never actually did it. It's time!

Warcross by Marie Lu
Maybe this is cheating cause it's not out yet, but STILL!!! I've been meaning to try more of her books, because THE YOUNG ELITES really wasn't for me but i did like her writing a lot. I think this is about video games and sci fi things? I don't know, I've been up for it since it got announced!

Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
I've been thirsting for this for months and actually recently finally, finally got a copy. Omg. I'm so excited and I really hope I'll like this because I've been wanting to adore more books by her!

The Great Library by Rachel Caine
Remember how thirsty I was for the first book before it came out? Apparently, I totally forgot about this until literally just now. I still want to read this! Library of Alexandria!



The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury
This has been on my tbr for ages, I don't know what I'm doing. I really like reading about jinni, so it really is time!

What's a series you've been meaning to start?

Connect with me!

Twitter | Diverse Reading/Writing Advice on Patreon | Buy me a coffee? | Tumblr | Goodreads

Shelving Books Within A Series in Different Genres? Review Indexing is Hard. | Book Blogging Tips (#60)

Lately I've been struggling a lot with shelving books correctly. 

While I think I've grown pretty confident in shelving books into the "correct" genre, there's one thing that keeps bugging me - what about books that change the genre within a series?

Typically characters go through a journey in a series. May that be physical or emotional. Sometimes when I'm reading sequels I find myself contemplating whether it's actually still the same genre. 

For example this happens a lot in contemporary to me. Sometimes you'll have a YA Contemporary start out with a premise that may lead to romance. In the sequel we'll then learn more about the characters and their romance, leading to me wanting to shelve that book as a Romance, rather than a Contemporary.

While that may be up to the beholder and is probably a thing you've got to decide on your own - what if shelving the sequel in a different genre would be a spoiler? 

Would it still be better to shelve the book "correctly" or put it in the same genre as the first novel so you won't spoil the experience for readers?

This happened to me when I reviewed the Generations series by Scott Sigler. The first book ALIVE heavily relies on the reader not knowing where the book is set or what is happening. It starts with a girl waking up inside a coffin.

If you plan to read these books, I suggest you'll stop right here and go straight to telling me what you'd do in the comments, cause I'm going to be spoilering now.

I shelved the first book under dystopia because I don't want to spoil anybody's reading experience. Even just shelving it under Sci-Fi, or like I do under one my sub categories within the genre, would be a GIANT spoiler because it would reveal that the characters are stuck on a space ship.

The second book ALIGHT takes place on a foreign planet and is absolutely clearly Sci-Fi. I don't think there's any way that you could justify this book being a dystopia, it's just very clearly Sci-Fi to me. 

So now I'm stuck in a dilemma. 

Do I shelf book two under Dystopian like the first or do I shelf it under Sci-Fi? Anyone who'll be merrily scrolling through my review index will very likely end up getting spoilered if I do the latter. And if I do the former it's just nonsense. 

Whether you're reading Sci-Fi or contemporary, I feel like book series should all be shelved neatly together in the same genre, don't you think? Maybe it's me being weirdly overorganized but there is just something that insanely irks me when shelving something incorrectly or not together with the predecessor.

How do you feel? Should books be shelved together regardless of whether it's correct or not?

More on blogging:

The Ultimate Book Blogger Terminology Glossary

10 Things I Wish Somebody Had Told Me As A Newbie Blogger

Mistakes All Newbie Bloggers Make

Are You Ready To Start Your Own Blog?

Things No One Tells You About Book Blogging

[Review] The Isle of the Lost (Descendants #1) - Melissa de la Cruz: Disney Villains and Fan Fiction

In THE ISLE OF THE LOST, the descendants of the most wicked Disney villains make plans to escape the island their families have been banished to.

What intrigued me: I've watched a bit of the movie and found it pretty cute. I had no idea this was the prequel so obviously I had to read it first before tackling the movie again.

Fan Fiction Feel

THE ISLE OF THE LOST proposes a topic that I've been longing to see for a while: A continuation of the classic Disney movies. This is essentially fan fiction, which I don't really mind because de la Cruz absolutely manages to create an exciting world. I struggled a little bit with the writing, which reads more like Middle Grade than actual YA and uses very simplistic, yet colorful language.

THE ISLE OF THE LOST does read a little like fan fiction, too, involving tropes you probably remember from all our 2009 AO3 escapades. Unnaturally colored hair, protagonists describing themselves while looking in a mirror, stuff like that.

The target audience confuses me a little. Like I said, the language is very simple and feels Middle Grade, yet we have 16 year-old protagonists. If you take a look at the awards it earned, it's always shelves in the MG category. To me, it's somewhere in between. THE ISLE OF THE LOST doesn't really feel like YA or MG, maybe like something in between, mainly due to the fairy tale language and feel. It could definitely serve as a nice transitional novel if you're mainly a MG or YA reader and would like to try out something different.

Massive, colorful world

We learn about the world through the eyes of out four protagonists, children of the Evil Queen, Maleficent, Jafar, and Cruella de Vil respectively. Usually I'm not a fan of multiple POVs but de la Cruz uses omniscient perspective and is very subtle about it all so that you hardly notice you're dealing with some many POVs.

Even though there are four protagonists, the spotlight is absolutely on the world that de la Cruz created. I grew very attached to it, longing for more of the vivid explanations and finding out more about how everything works over there. But at the end of the day THE ISLE OF THE LOST has a very simple concept and it absolutely works if you want to read something light and cute. Don't expect too much, don't expect highbrow language and thrilling plot twists, and you'll be good to go. 

Rating:

★★★☆☆

 

Overall: Do I Recommend?

ISLE OF THE LOST is a really adorable little book that you shouldn't pass up if you like Disney! It does read a little on the younger side and I think it definitely would've benefited from being marketed as Middle Grade and aging the protagonists down a little.

Additional Info

Published: May 5th 2015

Pages: 320

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Genre: YA / High Fantasy

ISBN:  9781484720974

Synopsis:

"Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon and made to live in virtual imprisonment on the Isle of the Lost. The island is surrounded by a magical force field that keeps the villains and their descendants safely locked up and away from the mainland. Life on the island is dark and dreary. It is a dirty, decrepit place that's been left to rot and forgotten by the world.

But hidden in the mysterious Forbidden Fortress is a dragon's eye: the key to true darkness and the villains' only hope of escape. Only the cleverest, evilest, nastiest little villain can find it...who will it be?

Maleficent, Mistress of the Dark: As the self-proclaimed ruler of the isle, Maleficent has no tolerance for anything less than pure evil. She has little time for her subjects, who have still not mastered life without magic. Her only concern is getting off the Isle of the Lost.

Mal: At sixteen, Maleficent's daughter is the most talented student at Dragon Hall, best known for her evil schemes. And when she hears about the dragon's eye, Mal thinks this could be her chance to prove herself as the cruelest of them all.

Evie: Having been castle-schooled for years, Evil Queen's daughter, Evie, doesn't know the ins and outs of Dragon Hall. But she's a quick study, especially after she falls for one too many of Mal's little tricks.

Jay: As the son of Jafar, Jay is a boy of many talents: stealing and lying to name a few. Jay and Mal have been frenemies forever and he's not about to miss out on the hunt for the dragon's eye.

Carlos: Cruella de Vil's son may not be bravest, but he's certainly clever. Carlos's inventions may be the missing piece in locating the dragon's eye and ending the banishment for good.

Mal soon learns from her mother that the dragon's eye is cursed and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the dragon's eye, these kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad."(Source: Goodreads)

Have you seen the Descendants movie?