Review Policy

First off thanks for taking the time check out my review policy and reading preferences, it means a lot! I am currently open to receiving solicited review requests from publishers (mainstream, indie and self publishers!) and authors. I have no preference between print or ebooks, however I prefer that ebooks are in .pdf, epub, or kindle formats.  

I cannot promise to accept every review request so graciously offer to me, not can I guarantee to review  unsolicited books sent my way (I am only one person after all - also preference will always be given solicited requests).  That being said I will do everything within my ability to respond to every email and request given to me in a timely fashion. 

What a review will include

My reviews will include all relevant book information (such as: genre, publish and release date, ISBN#, links to author websites and book trailers if there are any, etc) along with my rating of the book (rating system found at the bottom of this page) and open with quoting the summary printed on with the book flap or back of the book. The review will then continue with my personal experience with the book and as such are very subjective. When it comes to non-fiction my review will be based on whether or not a learned something from the book and judge it on clarity on top of my personal experience with it. My reviews are my honest opinion about the quality of the book and I will in no way compromise this. Ever. All reviews posted on this blog will be also posted to GoodReads, Amazon, Tumblr and Library Thing.   

Reading Preferences

 I love all sorts of books, including but not limited to, novels, anthologies, graphic novels, plays and manga. I love both fiction and non-fiction. Currently accepting books labeled as YA and Adult and prefer the following genres:

Speculative Fiction (Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Dark fantasy)
Contemporary Fiction
Mystery/Thrillers
Historical Fiction
Non-Fiction (Topics of Interest: Anthropology, Sociology, Criminology, Nature/Animals, Astrology, Paganism, New Age, Gender Issues, History) 

I really tend to dislike novels that have romance as the primary focus, or biographies  (I tend to go for historical or paranormal romances if I go for any at all). That said, if the book has a good synopsis -- then I'm all over it like butter on toast.

Series: I do not like to read a series out of sequence -- if your request is for a series then I request that all preceding books in the series are sent along with the book you'd like me to review. Thank you!

Order of Preference: Review preference is given to books I personally request first, then to solicited review requests then to accepted unsolicited requests.  

Rating System

10 stars: Oh perfect book, let me love you! - This book is a masterpiece and you should probably go out and buy like ten copies so you can give it to everyone you know. This book is an instant classic and I probably won't be able to stop talking about it to anyone who will listen. The spine of this book is probably starting to get worn from the amount of times I want to read it again, and again, and again.

9 stars: Just a hair away from perfection - There is so much about this book that I like it's overwhelming. An excellent book, with almost everything a person can ask for in a book - good characters, good plot. A fantastic find!

8 stars: Outstanding Book - A book with very few overall flaws that take away from the quality of the story. An excellent read that I wouldn't mind reading cover to cover again.

7 stars: A Very Good Read -  An entertaining book that I've found myself enjoying. It provides a solid plot and good storytelling with characters that are engaging.

6 stars: Good Book - An above average book that didn't really leave any strong impressions on me except for the vague sense of liking it. The book is overall pretty good, it might just be a case of the book  not being a good fit for me. I would perhaps recommend it to someone else if I thought it suited them.

5 stars: Neutral; Forgettable - Basically what it says on the tin. This is a title that I'm completely neutral towards - the book really left no impression on me.

4 stars: Bad Book - A book that is otherwise forgettable except for the bad taste it left in my mouth. Very little re-read value.

3 stars: Horrid Read - A book a finished for the sake of finishing and for no other reason. It had some good qualities but they were unfortunately overshadowed by all the bad things I encountered reading it.

2 stars: Barely Readable -  This book I found to be a huge waste of time.

1 stars: Worst book I've ever read - A book that I had to fight tooth and nail to finish either because of poor characters, poor overall writing, lacklustre plot among other things. A book I hope I didn't pay for.

0 stars: Couldn't finish the book - Enough said.