Review Parameters

From Raine:
Whilst I enjoy reviews which have clear layout and structure to them, my style of reviewing is more informal.


I use a rating system which is out of five stars (spiffy graphic coming up) and like to give the 'blurb' from the back of the book. Beyond that, I have been less structured in my reviews - I prefer to focus on whatever has caught my interest, good or bad. This might be the prose or the characters or the overall plot developments. Different things jump out to me in each read and so I feel that a less structured review style suits me.

I am happy to receive review requests and while my main focus is on fantasy and sci-fi, I also read widely from lots of different genres.

I focus on the elements of each book which have impacted me the most; one review may discuss characterization whereas another may discuss pacing and atmosphere.

I will generally give a one word summary at the beginning of each review to reflect what I have most taken away from the book.

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From Bill:
I am not as avid a reader as Raine, and the frequency of my reviews will reflect that. I will review fantasy and science fiction, by request if asked, otherwise they will be both older and newer works as suits my interest.

At any given point, I am reading as much non-fiction as fiction; but I will not be reviewing non-fiction/research pieces herein. Ideally, my free time is spent in research and writing original works. That is the explanation I offer to why Raine's reviews will be the predominant (review) voice of this blog.

At this time, I would have to decline E-Format manuscripts; I do not have a portable E-reader and I spend too much time reading from the computer as it is. Additionally, while I enjoy other fiction genres, I would prefer to stick with fantasy and science fiction for the time being.

I utilize a 100 point scoring system. Nothing I read should score below a 50, and there will never be a 100; I don't believe that perfection exists, and something below 50 should not be published (and therefore, will never be in my hands).

Each of these 5 categories are given a 20 point range: Story/Plot, Prose, Characters, World building, and Magic/Technology (depending on whether it's fantasy or sci-fi.)

90 - 99: The height of recommendation.
80 - 89: A well-written work, subtle flaws, worth reading.
79 and below: Average, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Things that I believe may or may not affect your experience will be noted in the review.