Monday, January 20, 2014

Laura's Review Guidelines

Since I have been posting a lot of reviews lately I've decided it's time to post my guidelines as far as what I look for when I'm reading a book and my rating system.  So here it goes! 

What I look for when reading a book:

  • Character development:  by the time I'm done reading a book I want to feel like I know these characters, and that their actions and demeanor can be explained because the author has developed their personality naturally like I was getting to know a new friend.  I hate when characters seem robotic or they tell you their emotions instead of showing them to me through their actions, facial expressions, etc. Consistency in the development is important too, don't make a character who is hot headed all of the time all of sudden be stoic and rational with no explanation.  People change, but not from one paragraph to the other with no reason.
  • Details:  when a character walks into a new scene I want to be able to picture the background perfectly, I get some should be left to the reader's imagination but explain to me what is around them.  If these characters walk into their house I want to know exactly what the house looks like and how it reflects this specific person.  Background details to me are essential to every story and help make the plot more well rounded and believable. 
  • Emotions: I want books to make me mad, or happy, or sad, or scared.  Something!!! Books that give me no emotion suck, even if I'm mad at the author or the character that's fine with me at least it's some sort of emotion.  Put me through the ringer, please I beg you!  If I'm hooked on a story then I'm smiling and crying right along with those book characters.  Make me question my own morals, make me cry, give me the biggest book hangover that ever existed!!! 
  • Pace: Books that have tons of lulls in them are just bad.  I get some really awesome books have one or two lulls and that's fine but if I get really really bored then I just get angry and distracted and it takes away from the plot and the overall book for me.  
  • Sentence Structure:  Constant fragmented sentences pisses me of so much, and when I get angry I can't really get into the story at all and I hate that.  I don't like when the writing is so bad that I can't even like the characters in a book let along fall completely in love with them.  It takes away from what an author is trying to show the world and I kind of get mad at editors more for that than authors.  Editing mistakes don't really bother me that much it happens if it's a couple times but if it's every page then I'm going to have an issue.  
  • Sex Scenes:  I really don't like when books are under the erotica genre and the sex scenes are skipped over completely or not consistent.  I don't like when a sex scene goes into massive detail with the foreplay but glides over the actual part, it's not level throughout.  If a book isn't considered erotica then I'm okay with less details its the consistency of the scene that bothers me.

Rating System: 

Horrible: No details at all, the characters were robotic with no development, and conversations seemed forced.  Sentence structure is horrible, the flow from one chapter to another is broken and makes no sense.  The plot is too typical and doesn't break away from all the other romance books out there.  No consistency with the characters with no explanations.  The pace was either too fast or too slow and left holes in the story, or there were too many details creating lull after lull after lull.

Didn't Really Like It: Details were okay when it came to the main characters, but no supporting character development.  No real details about the environment of the characters, no details about what is going on around them if there is any they are minimal.  I can't really get into the book because of the lack of details leaving me with little emotion while reading.  The chapters are too broken up and have no real consistency leading to the plot not really making sense at times.  The story itself is great and original but all these things take away from how great this book could be. 

Liked It: Great character development with main characters and supporting characters.  Pretty good details involving the plot and the environment around the characters.  Although I probably really like this book it is too typical and doesn't really stand out from the rest either within the series it is in or from the genre it is in.  There is no real surprises or if there is I can see them coming a million miles away so it's not really a huge shock when all is revealed.  The pace of the book is good although there might be a lull, and the flow from chapter to chapter makes sense.  The characters actually seem human not robotic stick figures in my head.  

Really Liked It: Awesome characters all around.  The details are on point, not too much creating boring parts, and not too little.  I really love the story line and can't put the book down.  The pace is great, not too fast where I feel like there might be holes in the plot, and not too slow that I get distracted or bored.  I'm laughing, crying, and laughing some more hopefully because I'm really into the story.  The characters are consistent and relatable on some kind of personal level. 

Loved it and Want to Marry It: This book has left me a huge book hangover, I can't stop thinking about it.  It has made me question not only my morals but my judgement on people and situations in general.  I wish these characters were real people and I've almost convinced myself all this really happened.  I'm laughing, crying, screaming, my heart is pounding, I'm sweating, and I can't stop reading.  I want to finish the book just I get some kind of closure but don't want to finish it at all because it will be all over and I'll be upset to see these characters go.  Details are amazing, the characters are awesome, the pace is perfect, each scene is amazing, and I'm kept guessing till the very end.  

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