For the longest while, I had always wondered why I was so deviant when it came to my review format. Sometimes I use GIFs, sometimes I talk about specific elements of the story, and sometimes, I just ramble about my thoughts pertaining to the book (okay, this is 99.9% of the time, but you get my point). It is only recently that I came to this conclusion. As a reader, each book I finish impacts me in a different way. I have different feels, I get different things out of a story, whether it's a new perspective or just some good laughs.
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| Says every book EVER! |
There's this theory, that whenever you get a new car, EVERYONE around you has that car as well. So... why did it take so long for you to notice the boatload of [INSERT CAR NAME HERE] driving around your town? It's called the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon (according to Google). That's the same way it is with elements of fiction for me. I feel like I'm in the mood for a book with a kickass female protagonist, I snap my fingers, and PRESTO! A kickass female protagonist shows up, not just in the book I'm currently reading, but EVERYWHERE.
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This also applies to my philosophy about providence and every book that you pick up is for a reason. Especially in these tumultous teenage stages of my life, I need comfort that can only be found in books and fictional characters to prove that I'm not alone. Somewhere, somehow, SOMEONE is experiencing the sheer amount of crap that I am, and even if they didn't, the author is hella good and at the very least knows about how I'm feeling at that moment and has managed to encaspulate those feelings without going through the exact thing I have just experienced.
So that's my concusion, I review all books differently, because all books are different, and if they aren't, then at least I have something fun to rant about.
In the same way that I (almost) always know how to rate a book, I know how to review it. Maybe it was the mood this book put me in, maybe it was the thoughts and ideas this book inplanted into my head, maybe it's sheer laziness because of how much I didn't enjoy it.
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| Let me unearth the ways |
So now, I'm going to break it down into the "How to?" section of this post. Below, I have listed 5 different review styles/formats and how they're used with the appropriate feelings. If you disagree, I beckon you tell me what format/style YOU would use and why. I love learning, especially if what I'm learning is related to books because I want to make my reviews the most well-written, most succinct, most entertaining reviews possible for you to read.
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| Random GIF for your seeing enjoyment in case you didn't know what those moving picture thingys were |
GIF | : Most of the time, this kind of review is used when I have ALL of the feels, but no easy way to express them I am so overwhelmed that I can't voice my words (something extremely rare in my case), and all I can do is show you pictures of Seal Memes and Guys Tripping Over Inconvenient Banana Peels. As a fellow blogger, these are fun, quick, and easy to read, I get your point über fast, and have had fun while doing so.
Plot Element | The Rose Master: Valentina Cana: This is the kind of be-all-end-all review for the kind of reader that would like to know if the book is worth their time by doing heavy-duty research beforehand in order not to waste thheir time iwht a book they hate. This is also the most time-consuming review because (to make things harder on myself) I have come up with a total of 15 categories. They range from what characters peeved me off, how hard the case of the feels struck, if I have found any new OTPs in this novel, and even the most superficial layer of the book - The cover and the title.
Individual Plot Aspects: Peaceful Genocide: J.A. Reynolds: This is what I would like to call the "lazy person's guide to the Plot Element review." This kind of review is generally much shorter, and its where I simply discuss certain elements and aspects of the novel. Whether I pick and choose a few of the 15 categories, or whether I start rambling on and on about my hatred for arranged marriages and princesses who attempt to escape them. I'm concise about what topics I cover, yet detailed about what I did and did not like.
---- Quotes | Breaking Free: Winter Page: Occassionally, there will be a book that is lyrical, so profound, that I have to quote entire passages from it. Most often, I will list a quote, and then start to ramble about how this wonderful quote that has impacted mankind pertains to that certain aspect of the plot.
Fangirling/Rambling | This Song Will Save Your Life: Leila Sales: 100% self-explanatory. I write, and write, and write, until I can feel no more at that immediate moment (because like contagious diseases, they keep coming back). While I rarely edit my reviews (shush! Don't tell anybody), these are the kinds where I usually have to go through, add headers, maybe bold some words and try to make my review have some form of pattern or logic. When the feels are THIS intense, you're lucky you even get intelligible sentences.
Pro/Con | Butterman (Time) Travel Inc: P.K. Hrezo: At times when I am still trying to figure out what to rate a book, or, more likely, questioning my decision on what I already rated it, I will use a Pro/Con review. So it all boils down in my indecisiveness to ruling the pros and the cons of the novel, and most likely, this helps me work through my (obvious) issues, at least for the moment. Things are black and white, clear as day, and informative for people who are wondering if that particular kind of book would be good for them.
Vlog Style | : Recently, I started doing book reviews on my YouTube Channel, and it is a lot harder than you would expect. Without a synopsis someone can read/refer back to, you have to get into what the story is about, which is extremely hard for me because I don't know if I'm making the person clueless as to what I'm talking about, or actually translating the premise across. Something I do love is the fact that someone can see/hear your emotions. If you hate the book, your tone and body langauge will convey that. If you love it, they will be freaked out by how much you're fangirling, and maybe, be so inspired that they want to read this book as well. Because of the way some of my favorite BookTubers review books, I am so much more inclined to pick the book up when I see the excitement and gleam in their eyes.
So there you have it. There are multiple ways to review books, and in the beginning, all you can really do is try out these different styles. Express your thoughts whatever way you want to, and if you can articulate your feelings, whether by being informative, humorous, or a combination of both, you will feel great for spreading your love of book to another human.
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