Everyone looks for a good review of their book. It gives that kick, we Authors need to keep working. Good reviews help us stay motivated. A book review can make or break the reads of a book. A potential reader would like to scan through the contents of the book before he/she invests their time and energy reading the book.

Why are book reviews written?

> To make the reader attracted towards the book and to recommend it to others as well. It helps in promoting the book.

But, What is An Honest Book Review? How it is carried out?

Is the person who is reviewing our work, really capable of giving sound judgement of our book?

Read this article to know how a good review is carried out. It is for those who wants to give book reviews as well as for the authors to see if their book was given an honest and apt review.

How to Write an Effective Book Review.

Read the book, with patience, even if you don’t like it at first. You have promised a review and you will give it, in an honest way. So, really... Read the Book and leave comments behind each chapters you read so that author knows what you liked and didn't liked of the particular chapter and they will be prepared to deal with it. Keep a few pieces of paper folded up inside the book to make notes on as you read,  writing about what you liked or didn't like and why. It will be useful when you write the review at the end. 

Make Sure to not read reviews and comments of the books you are to review as this will keep away the other person's words out of your head while you are writing your review.

Starting with the Review.

1) Introduction: Start with writing a few sentences about the book, including the author’s name and title in it. The book title must be mentioned repeatedly.

2) Summary: Summarize the book in a few paragraphs giving enough information about what the book holds, but at the same time being careful with not giving away the plot of the book. It can be tricky, so working on a rough draft first will help.  

3) Opinion: In this section, you have to give your opinion on what you liked and didn’t like about the book. Your mission is to help introduce the book if you liked it to the readers or help readers save time, if it is really that bad. And, that can be done without going too harsh, so Withhold from going too Negative, if you didn't liked something, because it might not only hurt the sentiments of the author, but also many people might object it as different people have different views and opinions about the same thing. You have to be truthful in your reviews without being overly dramatic or gushing. If you do this, then readers will start to trust you and your advice.  Be to the point.  More words does not mean a better review.

4) Conclusion : The reviewer gives his final evaluation in the concluding paragraph of the review. At this stage, the reviewer would need to go back to his review of the first chapter of the book - Why was the book written - did the author achieve that purpose ? Would the book influence readers in a negative manner - give them sleepless nights, or evoke the feelings of anger, disillusionment, negativity, bad feelings etc.., must be mentioned here .

In case, you didn’t like the book, then before writing your final review check on what other’s have to say, to be sure that it’s not just your personal distaste but a common approach to the book. Make the author understand this when you are giving them the review so they take it constructively.

In such case, The  summary of the plot of the book citing appropriate references from the book in quotations must be stated  to prove why the reviewer did not like the book. Maybe it was the plot, maybe it was the overdose of negative emotions in the book, maybe it was the violence or the macabre nature of the story. You have to be perfectly clear about it, mentioning what did you personally feel after reading the book expressing the emotions you felt. Emphasize on what you didn’t like about the book - the plot, the characters, the climax or the ending. Was it too descriptive or lacked in it?  

Awwthentic Note : This article was written by me after a thorough reasearch on book reviewing tips.

Give your Feedbacks.

 Read Further for the Interview with Irina. She reviews book on Wattpad.

Interview with Irina - 072010

Details :

Name : Irian - 072010

Member Since : 16 December, 2010

About Her :  She's a twenty year old graduate with an ECE (Early Childhood Education) diploma, passioninate about photography, visual arts and writing. Her dream in life is to write a book and (hopefully) publish it!    

Her Mantra : ❝Whoever said that there is a thin line between love and hate was clearly blind.❞

Her Works : The Rivals and Playing the Game. 

Interview

1)    What inspired you to review books?

> I am a big reader on Wattpad and have come across a ton of books that interested me, but had an extremely bad structure. From there, I thought it would be awesome to write reviews that would help the author.  

2)    When you review a book, what are the things you look for?

> It depends on what I'm looking at. There are three things I have to review: the cover, summary and actual novel. With the cover, I look for a clear title/author's name while also looking at the cover itself. Does it stand out? Or is it missing something? The summary and novel are usually pretty simple. I pretty much just check for the spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc.  

3)    Do you round up your reviews or is it just one read and the judgement is done?

> It's just one read.  

4)    Depending not all can be good, always.How do Authors react to your reviews?

>  I find that the authors are extremely thankful for someone to read their book and give an honest critique. Even if you have a ton of reads or almost none, it's really nice to hear what others feel about the book.  

5)    As most of us are Amateur Authors, What do you honestly feel about the books on Wattpad?

>  Wattpad, itself, is a wonderful opportunity for any type of author to advertise their work for free. The best books on Wattpad have been published by amateur authors in real life so it's a great place to grow with your books.  

6)    Do you also rate the book, you review?

>  I think that I used to give an "overall thoughts" review before,  which summed up what I felt about the book, but I don't think that I've ever actually rated the book.   

7)    What advice would you give aspiring writers? >

> CHECK YOUR SPELLING AND GRAMMAR. Joking. Not really. One of the most common mistakes authors make is not check their grammar/spelling. Doing just those two things can make the biggest difference in how your book sounds.  

8)  Tell us something about yourself and about your own books?

> Well, I'm twenty years old and am also a writer. My books are often focused on a strong female character that goes through every day life challenges. Aside from writing, I'm quite a big fan of visual arts. I love to draw and/or paint with watercolour. It's one of my biggest passions.  

9)  What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

> I think that you've covered all of them really!   

10)Your message to your readers.

>  Remember: believe in yourself and the rest will follow.

Awwthentic Note : Do get in touch with her if you need to get a good review on your book. Also, do check her books and give your comments and votes.

Thank you for Reading. :)