Crystal Collier: Young Adult Author: How to review a book

It is WRITERLY WEDNESDAY! Are you ready to meet a new author and enter to win an awesome book?

Last week, Kai Strand shared with us her Super Villain Academy book, King of Bad, along with two truths and one lie about herself. Those who guessed the lie correctly were entered into a random drawing to win an eBook!

Kai's game:

1. A long-term guest of the hotel Kai worked for became smitten with her (to be fair, as an employee she was like a captive audience for the man). He owned a high end used car dealership and allowed her to pick out any car she wanted. She chose a Porsche 928, but only kept it for a few months.

2. To celebrate the opening of a manufacturing plant in Dublin, the company she worked for raffled off big prizes. She won a 60 inch screen television with surround sound and a trip to Ireland. She was one number away from also winning the African safari!

3. As the night manager of a fancy hotel in Southern California, she saw a lot of unusual things; Tungan royalty, a drug-induced freak out requiring the police and a straight jacket. One night she found a bottle of expensive moisturizer on the front desk with a card that said, “You are so beautiful and I want to help you stay that way.”

And the lie is:

#1. This actually happened to Kai's coworker.

Way to guess those of you who got it right! You are officially human lie detectors. And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Stina Lindenblatt!

Congrats, Stina!

Today I have the privilege of sharing a wonderful mother-daughter duo, Barb and Hannah Taub along with their amazing two (mature) books:

Superpowers suck. If you just want to live a normal life, Null City is only a Metro ride away. After one day there, imps become baristas, and hellhounds become poodles. Demons settle down, become parents, join the PTA, and worry about their taxes.

Null City is the only sanctuary for Gaby Parker and Leila Rice, two young women confronting cataclysmic forces waging an unseen war between Heaven and Hell. Gaby and her younger brother and sister are already targets in the war that cost their parents' lives. Should they forsake the powers that complete their souls and flee to Null City? Meanwhile, Leila has inherited a French chateau, a mysterious legacy, and a prophecy that she will end the world. Gaby and Leila become catalysts for the founding and survival of Null City.

It just would have been nice if someone told them the angels were all on the other side.

BUY HERE

Hope flares each morning in the tiny flash of a second before Lette touches that first thing. And destroys it.

Every day whatever she touches converts into something new, from bunnies to bombs. Her online journal spans a decade, beginning with the day a thirteen-year-old inherits an extreme form of the family 'gift'. Lette's search for a cure leads her to Stefan, whose fairy-tale looks hide a monstrous legacy, and Rag, an arrogant, crabby ex-angel with boundary issues. The three face an army led by a monster who feeds on children's fear, but it's their own inner demons they must defeat first.

BUY HERE

And now, let me introduce you to the wonderful authors:

In a former life before children in need of luxuries like food and college, Barb Taub wrote a humor column for several Midwest newspapers.When child #4 joined her research staff, she veered toward the dark side and a career in human resources. Now an expat living in one corner of a castle with her prince-of-a-guy and the world's most spoiled Aussie dog, she enjoys travel, translating from British to American, and collaborating with her daughter Hannah on the Null City series.

Hannah Taub started writing fantasy in kindergarten and never stopped. Computer science is the other great love of her life, and she writes and runs murder mystery parties in her spare time. She lives, creates, and studies in Scotland.

Hannah and Barb LOVE Wensleydale with cranberries from the Wensleydale Creamery and can be found eating it for picnics on a Yorkshire hillside.

Barb gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. Those who figure out the lie will go into my magic hat for a chance to win BOTH BOOKS. (eBooks) Eek! How cool is that? You have until Tuesday, March 4, at 1 p.m. EDT to guess--and be sure to come back for the answer on March 5.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. Barb's roommate is the ghost of the abandoned sweetheart in the Bobby Shafto nursery rhyme.

2. As the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, Barb's sister would be considered a witch in many places. On the plus side, she will never have to pay for her own beer in Ireland.

3. Barb was a Pillsbury Bake-Off (R) regional semi-finalist.

10 Ways to Review a Book

I know how intimidating it can be to write a book review--even when you're elbow deep in the industry. The first time I volunteered to review a book for a friend was Kerri Cuevas' Deadly Kisses. Kerri and I had rubbed shoulders and exchanged laughs over our efforts with three separate Choose Your Own Adventure bloghops. I didn't want to get this wrong. And yet when I stared at that blank box on Amazon, I totally froze.

What?!?

I mean, I've written my whole life. How hard should it have been to say a few nice words about a book I really liked for a friend I totally adored?

Because I get how rough it can be, today I'd like to share a few techniques or approaches that will TOTALLY take the pressure off.

THE FACTZ:

First of all, you have to realize that book reviews are like book food. If you love a book and want it to succeed (or to see more books from the author) YOU BETTER get out there and leave them a review. Reviews boost visibility in Amazon's store. Which means they boost sales. Which means the author is motivated to put out more content.

But wait, that book already has thirty reviews. Why does it need another one?

People are lemmings, or sheep. I hate to say it, but it's true. They say, "Ooh, everyone is reading this book--see, it has two hundred reviews. I bet it's awesome."

A book cannot have too many reviews.

But you really didn't like something about this book. Boo hoo. Seriously? I bet there were a TON of things you did like, and good vibes always come back around. Say what you can that's positive and reward the author who put their blood, sweat and tears into it. Don't be an author killer.

Now to the HOW

All of these ideas can be used separately for a simple review or a few combined for a longer one. When I review a book, I usually include one to three of these aspects.

1. THE SHORT REVIEW: If you're not confident writing a long review, don't. One sentence is sufficient. "I love this book." "I can't wait for the sequel." etc.

2. THE COVER: Did it get you? Were you intrigued by it? What questions did it have you asking?

3. THE EMOTIONAL RESPONSE: What did this book make you feel?

4. THE HOOK: When or how did this book grab you? The end of the first chapter? The first page? The first line?

Image courtesy of Feliciti

5. SETTING: How was the story world? Realistic? Beautiful? Uninspired? Strange? A place you'd like to visit? Somewhere you're glad you'll never live?

6. THE CHARACTERS: Was there a character you absolutely loved or hated? Tell us about it. (This can comprise an entire review with multiple characters.)

7. PLOT: Book reviews aren't book reports. You don't need to rehash the plot. In fact, please don't. Only summarize when you need it to expound upon a point you want to make. Was there a twist in the story that took your breath away? What was your favorite scene? Did the story move too fast, too slow? Any glaring plot holes? Did you like the way it ended?

8. ORIGINALITY: What makes this book stand out from others?

9. STYLE: What is the author's writing style? Poetic? Filled with imagery? Abrupt? Gritty? Comical?

10. RECOMMENDATION: Do you recommend this book, and if so, to whom? (Age and genre preference.)

And there you have it, ten approaches to writing a book review. And here's an opportunity to test you new skills and WIN.