So, you’re a book reviewer. But are you doing your book reviews right?

Books reviews are a crucial part of a book blogger’s journey. And there’s no one way of doing it. But from my experience of a decade as a book reviewer, I can tell a good book review from an inadequate one. A good book review when done right, not only allows book bloggers to share their impression of the book accurately, but also guides fellow readers to differentiate between good and average literature by improving their analytical skills.

Certain key elements in book reviews help book bloggers capture the essence of a book in a meaningful way and provide valuable insights. Let’s understand these essential elements that help craft a good book review and make your book blog stand out from the crowd of a zillion book blogs out there.

Background

Every book review is an invitation to the reader to come invest their time into reading it, and what better way to extend it than by introducing the book with absolute clarity? A well-crafted background introduction provides a succinct summary of the book without giving out much. Always remember to capture the basics such as the story behind the title, about the author, the genre, and any interesting facts around it. Whether it’s a classic masterpiece or a contemporary bestseller, each book carries its own unique backstory, and capturing it only adds more meaning to the review.

Characters

Introduce a book’s protagonists, antagonists, their relationships, chemistry, and the challenges they face with a sharp view of what you liked or disliked about them. Whether it’s a gripping tale of love and betrayal or a historical saga of war, highlight the characters that serve as its beating heart. Introduce the cast of supporting characters that run the story, their dreams, flaws, and aspirations. From the enigmatic anti-hero to the steadfast ally, every character contributes to the prose’s richness, fueling the reader’s imagination, and a good book reviewer will not shy away from talking about them.

| Also Read: 5 Mistakes to Avoid While Writing Book Reviews |

Themes

Discuss the major themes explored in the book and how they are developed throughout the story. Sometimes, a book has multiple themes and it’s best to discuss about all of them. Is it a quest for identity, a struggle for survival, a love saga, or an exploration of human nature’s complexities? By identifying these themes, you provide readers with a sharper lens to view the story’s complex layers.

Writing Style and Language

When commenting on an author’s writing style, consider discussing: the language, including whether the vocabulary is simple, complex, formal, informal, or full of slang, the use of imagery – whether it is graphical, has illustrations, diagrams, the tone – whether it is funny, serious, or ironic, the point of view – first person, second person, or third person, the timelines, the nature of the descriptions – is it focused or flowery or over-flowing. Evaluate the pacing by looking at sentence structure, and note if there are cliffhangers or other techniques used to keep the reader engaged. All these pointers help understand the craft better and thus, an idea of the likeability of the prose.

Subplots and Structure

Understand if the plot is seamless with a logical flow from start to end. Is the pacing well-balanced with adrenaline-high scenes and somber moments evenly done? Is the structure simple or complex? One of the plot’s strengths is its use of subplots, which enrich the main story without overwhelming it. Are the subplots dependent or independent of the core plot? How do they lead the story and whether or not they even required? A good book reviewer will lay emphasis on all these points in their book review.

| Also Read: How to Write Book Reviews ft. Book Bloggers |

Settings and Atmosphere

The settings impact the story’s nature and mood immensely, and settings is personally, one of my favorite parts of a good novel. When analysing the setting, see if it helps establish the story’s tone, such as being eerie, cheerful, tense, or comic. Look for sensory details that bring alive the settings such as sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. The setting can influence the plot greatly and that doesn’t get said enough, for example, an isolated location can add to the characters’ sense of danger and tension while a historic location can uplift the mood through its descriptions of architecture, culture, and its people.

Conclusion

Consider your likes and dislikes, including aspects like the plot, genre, characters, writing style, or themes, but also being thoughtful and considerate of the author. Would you recommend it to readers and why, who would be its target audience, what wouldn’t sit well with readers, etc.? Remember – always maintain fairness by acknowledging both the book’s merits and its limitations. Mentioning all this just shows that you care about your readers and wouldn’t want anyone to leave with an unpleasant reading experience.

How do you write book reviews? Share your thoughts.