Reviewing and Book Reviews

I've spent the past few weeks researching book review blogs and I've noticed a number of things.

1. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of book review blogs on the web.
2. A lot of people don't know how to review books - in my opinion anyway.

(The first I hadn't realised at all. There's a whole community of book bloggers out there to look forward to! But back to my main point which is the lack of real reviews on some of these blog sites.)

Generally speaking a review should examine or assess something; giving you the good, the bad and the amazingly awesome. As an avid reviewer, I expect the person writing the review to give me some sort of personal response too e.g. their favourite part about the something and their least favourite part. Granted sometimes that something needs to be explained because it might be new and a bit difficult to understand.

That being said, I think the worst thing you can do in a review is just sit there and only explain something. That's not a review at all. Now in terms of book reviews, I don't expect to search for a book review about a book that I may be thinking of buying only for the website I've stumbled upon to tell me everything that happens in the book. That is not a review, that is a recap; and those are two very different things. I understand the need to sometimes refer directly to the plot, aka spoilers, (I have spoilers in my blog posts but I always give a warning before and after it!), but to spend 90% of your blog post telling the story does not make your blog post a review.

It bugs me even more when it's popular websites and even more so when the person has been given the book for free by a publisher. Not only does it give readers a bad impression of book review blogs, but it also encourages aspiring book reviewers to follow in these footsteps by posting recaps labelled as reviews.

Questions for you: 

• What do you think should make up a book review?
• How often do you read book reviews before buying a book?
  Personally, I prefer to read book reviews after I've read the book so then I can see other people's opinions and thoughts. :)

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Book Review: K. J. Wignall's "Blood"

For a book called "Blood" I have to say, the contents aren't so bloody...

I was given this book by my sister a couple of weeks ago and didn't expect much. Sure the cover looked interesting, but Vampire fiction is so common these days I didn't even bat an eye. This is another quick read which I managed to finish in less than a day. Once I'd finished it, I felt conflicted. At some points Wignall's writing was like a breath of fresh air, at others I was asking myself why I was still reading.

I liked..

The fact that the main character is written well. The smaller extracts written from Will's perspective are probably my favourite parts of the whole book. I felt like I could understand him and relate to him a lot easier because of them. :) There were a few times when I forgot that he was living in the body of a sixteen year old and had to remind myself. But I don't mind: I  like that Will doesn't try to act like a regular teenager.

Another thing I liked about the book was the fact that not everyone can be made into a Vampire. I'm so sick of reading books where the male Vampire is fighting his girlfriend to make sure she stays human when she really wants to be a Vampire like him. Although the book does use this idea as a plot point, to my delight it doesn't last for long! :)

Superficial point but the cover is awesome. Especially when you're taking a picture of it with flash! ^^

Look at how much the title stands out. It looks friggin' awesome.

Okay so I used a cool camera app, but even with a regular camera + flash the title stood out the most.

I didn't like so much:

The fact that the story line reminded me a lot of Prophecy: Child of Light. It's familiar - at the end of the day both books hold common ground: Vampires - but familiarity was not what I wanted. But I guess that's what happens when a mass of authors write about the same thing - ideas get recycled. On the other hand, if you've read and like either of these books, you'll most definitely like the other one. :)

Another point to note, is that nothing really happens. 288 pages and I'd say 150 of those pages contained anything significant. On the other hand, the book is easy to read so it's easy to read it all fairly quickly. The fact that nothing happens means the book is easy to forget. I'm straining to remember what happened in the book even now and I read it a week ago.

I also feel like the romance between Will and Eloise is a bit forced. It isn't written as naturally as it could have been.


[SPOILER ALERT] Especially their first kiss.. seriously, what was that? From what I can see Wignall is aiming for a fate/meant to be love story but their relationship comes across more like teenage lust for the majority of the book. Even when Will holds her hand and describes their relationship as fate, I felt like the whole scene was really artificial. [END SPOILER]

Lastly, I really really really wish the book had been written completely from Will's perspective. The small extracts written in first person are so much better than the mass of it written in third person. I honestly believe it had all been written from Will's perspective I would have enjoyed reading it a lot more.

-

To conclude, I am very conflicted. I liked reading the book but I'm glad I didn't pay for it myself. Yet, I probably will buy the rest of the series to see what happens because I've already read the first book. It's expensive at RRP £6.99 (definitely not worth that much!) so I'll be buying the next book(s) from Amazon which has it for almost half the price!

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Win a Signed Copy of "Something from Tiffany's"

To celebrate the launch of Something from Tiffany’s by Melissa Hill, Hodder & Stoughton are giving away 10 signed copies! There are various terms and conditions to the giveaway including the fact that you must be eigtheen and over as well as a UK resident.

Doesn’t every girl dream of getting … something from Tiffany’s 

It’s Christmas Eve. And on 5th Avenue in New York City, two very different men are shopping for gifts for the women they love. 

Gary is buying his girlfriend Rachel a charm bracelet. Partly to thank her for paying for their holiday-of-a-lifetime to New York. But mainly because he’s left his Christmas shopping far too late. 

Whereas Ethan’s looking for something a little more special – an engagement ring for the first woman to have made him happy since he lost the love of his life. 

But when the two men’s shopping bags get confused, and Rachel somehow ends up with Ethan’s ring, the couples’ lives become intertwined. And, as Ethan tries to reunite the ring with the woman it was actually intended for, he finds it trickier than expected.

Does fate have other ideas for the couples? Or is there simply a bit of Tiffany’s magic in the air?

Something from Tiffany’s is available to buy now.

The book sounds interesting, so if you're interested in chick lit and do qualify enter by filling out this form!

Competition ends 10th December and the winners will be contacted by 15th December.

Good Luck! :)

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