Reviews! They can be an author's best friend -or worst. They can either "make" a book or "brake" it. They can lift your confidence as an author, or destroy it.
I've spoken with many authors who mention reviews with a grimace or a sigh, others who simply glow at the reminder, so when the time came for me to put my book out there to be reviewed I was understandably nervous.
The thought that a reviewer -that mythical creature who holds your book's fate in his or her fingertips- would scrupulously tear apart every word, every comma, every thought that I had embedded into my novel was terrifying. What if I got a bad review? What if all the work I had put in my novel for the past years was just swept away as rubbish?
So, it was with a clenched stomach that I began researching reviewers online and I began sending my novel out, asking for an honest review.
Some replied that they didn't review fantasy, others that their workload was full..
Two however agreed, right off the bat. I was so excited!
I patiently waited for almost a month for the reviews to come in, and lo and behold, the very first one appeared one sunny day on my Goodreads page. A 4 star review! Great!
My eyes skimmed over the words, heart beating fast, and my initial glee turned to utter disappointment. The reviewer had simply paraphrased the book description -badly- and got everything wrong too! She hadn't ever read the book. I immediately emailed her, asking her to either correct it or take it down, but I received no answer. It is still there. I would love a review, but I think a wrong review is worse than no review.
Still, I had the second review to look forward to! And surely enough, two long weeks later, there it was!
3 out of 4 stars! And yes, the reviewer had read my novel- and liked it!
I had religiously read and re-read other reviews on the website, beforehand, just to get a feel of what might cost my novel stars, and wow, these reviewers weren't playing around. Typos, feeble and unbelievable characters and weak plots were just a few of their observations concerning other novels... So, I was over the moon to see that the only bad things the reviewer had to say about mine were that the characters were a little hard to keep straight (I always knew this would be an issue -too many of them!), that the mystery is more moderately paced in places and that there are a minimal typos! Music to my ears!
Now, I know my first review was actually the paraphrased version of my book description, but I will always remember this one as my first.
"The plot is well-developed. The sequencing and storytelling is easy to follow and keeps the mystery alive for the reader. The mix of action and dialogue is well-done and keeps the reader hooked. The story itself was unique and kept me intrigued the whole way through. I also like the definitive changes in point of view and how the chapters seen through the bad guys slowly reveal the mystery and entice the reader."
"Characters are a little hard to keep straight, but are well-developed and entertaining. I especially enjoyed the character dynamic and dialogue."
"The story was unique and the characters were delightful."
"Readers who like fantasy, mystery, magic, and suspense will enjoy reading this book and eagerly await its sequel."
Reviewer: Kio
A big thank you to the onlinebookclub.org/ for their wonderful and extremely professional team of reviewers and all the good work they do!
