What Is A Book Review? How To Write A Great Book Review

Learn how to write a great book review with practical tips. Discover what a book review is, how to structure one, and what makes a review engaging, insightful, and useful for readers.

What Is A Book Review?

A book review falls into the categories of Comment, Opinion, and Columns. When writing a review, you are expressing your opinion, and you should assess the book honestly.

Think about the tone you will use for the review. [Read: 155 Words To Describe An Author’s Tone] The tone you use will go a long way to creating a mood, which will greatly affect the reader of your book reviews.

Remember to be fair. You can be witty, but you should never be nasty. Never rant because you feel strongly about something. Sometimes, you can get away with an argument if you amuse and inform.

How To Write A Great Book Review

The Mechanics Of A Great Book Review

1. Choose a genre you enjoy reading.
2. Include the correct title, author, imprint, and ISBN number.
3. Write about the plot of the book in present tense, for example, say ‘Debra wakes up…’ and not ‘Debra woke up…’.
4. Give your opinion in first person, for example, say ‘I enjoyed’ and not ‘The reader will enjoy’.
5. Write in clear, plain English. Never write in a literary style. It simply shows your inexperience.
6. The length varies according to the publication’s specifications. Generally, 180-300 words is a good length.
7. Please check readability statistics. They should be above 60%.

The Seven Elements Of A Great Book Review

1. Give a brief outline of the plot. Do not include the ending.
2. Mention the genre.
3. Is it the author’s first book? If not, what else have they written? How does this one compare?
4. Discuss the characters. The protagonist and the antagonist must be mentioned. Are they three-dimensional? Are they believable?
5. Do you think the book is well written? Describe why you think it is or isn’t. It could be engaging, delightful, or inspiring. It could be staid, boring, or contrived.
6. Was it what you expected it to be?
7. Would you recommend it? If yes, why? If no, why not?

If It’s Bad…

If the book is horrible, a good way to deal with it is by using the ‘sandwich’ technique. Start by saying something good, fill in the middle with the negative information, and end with a positive comment.

And…

Always remember the review is not about you. It’s about the book.

Examples

Click here for examples of this format: The Writers Write Book Review Format

by Amanda Patterson
© Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this article, read:

1. Why You Need To Read More Books
2. The 7 Critical Elements Of A Great Book
3. 9 Literary Terms You Need To Know

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