Review Policy

Hello, beautiful people! Well, I finally embraced the inevitable and decided to become a book reviewer. I figured, why not, right? I read a lot of books, I love to talk about them, and I often find myself leaving reviews anyway, so I might as well incorporate book reviewing into my reading life more officially. Most importantly, I want to be a free resource for my fellow indie authors. I know how important it is to receive feedback on your work so that you can share it with more of the world. In becoming a book reviewer, I’ll join a broader community of story dwellers and help more incredible stories find their homes in the hearts and minds of readers.

Preferred Genres

If you send a book in one of these genres my way, you’ll have a much higher chance of getting a “yes” from me! I can’t make any promises since my book taste is low key all over the place, but it’s definitely worth bearing these in mind:

  • Speculative Fiction

  • Fantasy

  • Science Fiction

  • Magical Realism

  • Dystopian

  • Mythology-based (As much as love Greek and Roman mythology, I’m trying to broaden my horizons, so I’d especially want to learn more about mythology from other cultures.)

  • Poetry

“Hit or Miss” Genres

I have read some books in these genres that I’ve really enjoyed, but I still haven’t quite made up my mind about the genres at-large. If you think that a book in one of these genres will pique my interest, send it along, but it’ll definitely be more of a “hit or miss” thing:

  • Historical Fiction (I tend to be really picky about eras.)

  • Mystery

  • Thriller

  • Memoirs

  • Creative Nonfiction

  • Horror

  • Romance

As another quick note, I am also less likely to pick a book if it is from the middle of a series, but this isn’t a dealbreaker.

“Firm No” Content Aspects

I am very strict about these. If your book contains any of these elements, then I am not the reviewer for you. If I encounter anything as I read your book that infringes on these parameters, then I will let you know that I cannot proceed with the review. Thank you so much in advance for respecting my boundaries. I do NOT read books with:

  • Erotica

  • Excessive violence (No graphic detail please, especially not of torture)

  • Excessive swearing (I mean, different people have different definitions for this, but if there’s an F-bomb in every other sentence, it’s a no from me.)

Books I Love

Even though I have some strong genre preferences, I find that I’m drawn to all kinds of stories! Here are some of my favorite books ever (other than the Bible lol):

  • The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride

  • The Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

  • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

  • Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston

  • What is the What by Dave Eggers

  • Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

  • The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

  • The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty

  • Poems from the Edge of Extinction: An Anthology of Poetry in Endangered Languages edited by Chris McCabe

Rating Scale

I use the typical 5-star rating scale, but with a twist. On my blog, I often use decimals to indicate ratings in between whole stars, but I round to the nearest star when I post the review to Goodreads. Check out “My First Half of 2021 Review Round-Up” to see what this looks like in practice. If I read a book and I’d rate it less than 3 stars, which is admittedly not likely to happen, I will reach out to you privately with the review/feedback instead of posting it.

Where and When I’ll Share My Reviews

I’ll be posting all reviews on Goodreads and my blog. I’m also willing to leave reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, OnlineBookClub, and other sites upon request. In terms of timing, I usually finish a review well within 90 days of receiving a review copy. If a review is time sensitive, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do to accommodate you.

What I Need from You

As another quick note, I prefer to receive books in epub and/or mobi formats. This is not to say that I don’t like physical copies, but getting them is a lot more logistically complicated. Please consider this and all the aforementioned parameters as you fill out the form below. If I do not respond to your form completion with 10 days of your submission, then I’ve decided to pass on your book.