Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Tuesday Talks | Reviews with Spoilers

Tuesday Talks is a weekly discussion hosted by Janie and Janelle (you should go check them out, right now. Well, first read this post. Then check them out. Just click on their names for a link to their YouTube channels!). Every week we all discuss fun bookish topics. Come join the goodreads group here.

Reviews with Spoilers
I generally don't write reviews with spoilers. Obviously a few will slip in here and there (just minor things that I don't normally consider spoilers), but I avoid spoilery reviews as much as possible. The few reviews where I do have spoilers included, I always give a warning. Usually, here on my blog, I will set it off with a different color and font or something and say that's where the spoilers start and where they end. 

Book discussion with a group of people who have already read the book are great places to have spoiler filled conversations. It's fun to discuss the details of a novel with someone else who will understand them. Generally, reviews are not the place for spoilers.

To me a review should be your overall impressions of the story, characters, relationships, writing, etc. When I read a review I'm looking for someone to persuade me to read the novel they are reviewing. That can be done with just the barest of details into the story. All it takes is explaining why you feel the way you feel. It doesn't involve saying anything about what triggered those emotions in the story. 

I like to read reviews for novels I have never read and sometimes ones that I don't really plan to read. It's not to find out what happens. I read hoping that someone will give me a reason to want to read the novel. I don't want the details, I want the feelings. When you feel passionate about something it comes across in your writing. 

So, do you share spoilers in reviews? And if you do, do you give a warning first? Let me know in the comments!

2 comments:

  1. Love this post! For me, it depends on the book. Sometimes there's just something that happens and you need to express how important it was so it's necessary to discuss the spoilers. If I do have spoilers, I'll typically separate the part with spoilers and the part without. The part without usually ends up being very vague since to me everything is a spoiler haha

    ~Saloni @ myfantabulousbookshelf.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks! And I definitely know what you mean. Sometimes there are times when certain things need discussing. And I know what you mean about being vague. Half the time I don't know if I've given enough information and other times I'm unsure if I've inadvertently spoiled something. I just like writing reviews! :D

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