Emily's Reviewing Policy

Reviewing Books:

I'll read anything that is in anyway half decent. I read alot of literary fiction, slipstream, 'weird' etc. I also have no problems reading genre fiction like YA, urban fantasy, science fiction, fantasy, historical etc. Genres that i'm not too mad about are mysteries, thrillers, horrors - but that being said if i'm recommended one - i will give it a read (and probably end up loving - e.g. John Connolly)

Things i like:

I'm a character driven reader, plot obviously is essential but i love to think and examine the underlining motives/reasoning of characters (did i mention i'm a psychology person aka psych). I love themes too and unusual concepts or experimental ways of writing - essentially outside of the box stuff. I also like shades of grey in writing, where it isn't obvious who the true villian is, or if it is obvious the 'villian' is extremely complex and not a cardboard cutout.
That being said, i always enjoy reading well written fiction - whether its literary or genre - whether its character or plot driven. Reading (and writing) is a subjective art. I might hate something which everyone will go GaGa over.

Grading system

10 stars - Books that make me sick because they are so good that they tear my self-confidence as a writer to shreds! I will never be this good - damn talented people

5 stars - meeh! Alright but nothing to write home about. Basically a once reader which will eventually be donated to local library/charity shop to make room for 10 stars books.

1 star - i didn't get past the first chapter and if i did - my eyes are now bleeding from the awfulness. More than likely i won't even bother reviewing said book - not worth the energy.

Ailsa's review policy (and other things)

Reviewing Books:

I'm happy to review most genres of books, although my favourites are urban fantasy, paranormal romance, fantasy, contemporary romance or historical. If it has some supernatural element to it, I will often be interested. I'm also very happy to read mystery stories. For the most up-to-date idea of what I'm reading, have a look at what I've reviewed recently, or my wish list on amazon (here). I accept both print and e-books, but print will be prioritised. I'm getting pickier just now about what I review, because I prefer to talk about books I've loved than books that just hit me as 'meh'. I've got a lot of books I've been buying for myself which I'm excited about, and I don't want to feel pressured to review other things over those ones. As I say above, I'm much more likely to be interested in something similar to those on my wishlist or what I've review recently.

Things I’ll try and talk about in a review:

Characters (whether they change over the book or not – they should); Plot (If it’s interesting, if it’s realistic in the world the author has built); Beginning (how quickly it gets going); Ending (how effective it is.)

Other Things That I Think Make a Good Book:

Characters: As I mentioned above, characters should change over a book. Sometimes this is more noticeable with a series, but there should always be something that’s clearly different at the end compared to the start.

If I care about the characters, that’s another good thing.

Beginning: Something that starts quickly, and gets me hooked quickly.

Ending: Are the main questions answered? I don’t mind a few things being left loose, but too many, and it’s not ok unless there’s a sequel.

Dialogue: If it seems natural, realistic.

Romance elements: Don’t make it happen too fast. I’m ok with a little bit of this, but I’m getting kind of fed up with it now.

Please note that a book can meet all of these criteria and I still won’t like it. The biggest thing that makes up a book review is opinion. Sometimes I hate books that meet these points, sometimes I love books that have nothing in common with the above list.

How I grade, on our 1-10 star system:

10/10 = absolutely fantastic, it ticks all the boxes for me, I’ll read it again and again, and take it to a desert island with me

5/10 = It was ok, but could have been a lot better. Didn’t really pull me in.

1/10 = Did not finish

Our Review Policies

Ailsa's review policy:
I'm happy to review most genres of books, although my favourites are urban fantasy, paranormal romance, fantasy and historical romance. If it has some supernatural element to it, I will often be interested. For the most up-to-date idea of what I'm reading, have a look at what I've reviewed recently, or my wish list on amazon (here). I accept both print and e-books, but print will be prioritised. Contact me at ailsa (dot) floyd (at) yahoo (dot) com 

Emily's Review Policy & Grading system