Review Policy

Updated June 2022

Table of Contents:

  • General Information
  • Genres
  • Accepting Books
  • Reviews and Star Rating

I am currently OPEN to review requests, but due to an exceedingly busy summer, I am limiting how many books I take on.

General Information:

I am currently accepting Adult, Young Adult and Middle Grade books. Please contact me on sifaelizabethpoulton (at) gmail (dot) com

I will almost certainly accept books similar to those on my TBR and sequels/prequels to books I’ve already read and enjoyed, or other books by those authors (click on links to see my Goodread lists). If the series is new to me and you are approaching me about an entry that is not the first book, I will need the preceding books in the series first.

All my reviews are cross-posted to Goodreads. If I receive the book through Netgalley, I leave a review there too. If specified, I am happy to leave reviews on other websites, such as Amazon.co.uk or Waterstones. I am UK-based so my reviews will be on UK retailers (not Amazon US etc)

I accept physical copies and e-books. I prefer physical books, as the bulk of my reading occurs in the evening. However, I understand international shipping can be expensive, so I am happy to accept e-books. I use a Kindle, so please send compatible files (MOBIs are being phased out and ePUBs are being phased in.)

I am NOT accepting audiobooks. For various reasons, I struggle to concentrate on audiobooks. I am willing to discuss other formats but my preference will always be physical books, or e-books.

I love hosting author Q&As, or revealing covers/excerpts, so please contact me about those too. I also enjoy collaboration, so if you have an idea for working with another book blogger on a post, or being part of a series of posts, please write to me about your ideas.

I love book blog tours, be these pre-release, extra promotion later on or simply for fun. My criteria for book tours are the same as for other books, both in terms of genres, copies and timings.

I have written a blog post on approaching bloggers for a review request, based on experience as a blogger.

Genres I am accepting:

The best way to get a feel for my tastes is to browse my reviews (there is a tag list along the side of my blog to search by genre) or my Goodreads Shelves, but here is a quick breakdown.

Genres I am accepting:

  • Fantasy, particularly political, secondary world, and historical fantasy (my particular love is “Medieval”) (Please see “Genres I am NOT accepting” for the fantasy sub-genres I don’t particularly read)
  • Myths and Legends retellings, particularly retellings of material that’s less popular (however, Beauty and the Beast and Romeo and Juliet retellings need to be very different from the hundreds of others out there for me to read it – I have seen those properties adapted far too many times to be interested without a very unique spin)
  • Sci-Fi, particularly those with a heavy scientific basis and/or mystery element
  • YA Mysteries
  • MG, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and mysteries

At the moment, I prefer Adult Sci-fi and Fantasy over YA.

I am always eager to read books from authors of under-represented communities, but I will never ask an author to disclose information they are not comfortable with. As a member of the aroacespec and autistic communities, I would love to see more stories centring protagonists who share those identities.

Genres I MAY accept:

  • Historical Fiction, preferably stories with mysteries, not centred around romance, and/or centred around real events
  • Non-Fiction (mainly Science, History and Political/Economics, but not ‘hot button topic’ books – I prefer history of politics/economics than current affairs)

Genres I am NOT accepting:

  • Romance and erotica – this includes all romance sub-groups, including rom-coms, fantasy romance, and contemporary romances. I don’t mind romance as a subplot, but it’s not an element of a book that ever really engages me much, so if it’s the main marketing point, then it’s probably not for me.
  • Poetry or books written in verse
  • Horror
  • Some fantasy genres including:
    • Urban/contemporary fantasy (unless it’s set in the UK and written by a UK author)
    • Paranormal
    • Grimdark
  • Contemporary

Accepting Books:

I cannot guarantee a review, even if I accept a book. I shall do my best to review a book sent to me for reviewing purposes. However, if that is not possible, I will let you know as soon as possible along with any reasons I am comfortable sharing. I shall then post the review as soon as possible.

Reasons for not being able to review would not be due not liking the book (except in cases of blog tours). I have other commitments beyond reading and blogging, such as studying for my degree. My health (both mental and physical) and my degree take priority over reading and blogging, as does real life. If I do not like a book and cannot finish it, I shall review it, including the reasons I DNFed (Did Not Finish).

The more time I have to read, the more likely it is I can read the book. More time also means more time can be spent on the post. If you need the review by a certain date, I will have to schedule the post. From starting a book, it can take anywhere from a day to a week to read a book, depending on length and other time concerns. I have a dedicated weekly slot for scheduled review reading, which helps reduce reading times.

Please contact me with at least two months before intended review, so that I would have about a month to read and review once the copy arrives. I do accept books with shorter time frames, but it is highly unlikely that I will be able to read if the review copies arrives with less than two weeks to read and review.

This said, I prefer not to have hard deadlines for reviews (save for blog tours) as it gives me leeway in case life takes an unexpected turn. My goal is usually to have the review up around publication date.

Reviews and Star Rating:

I am a reader, with opinions, who loves talking about books. I do not claim to be a professional literary critique.

I write in a casual-formal tone because that’s what feels most normal and appropriate to me. The tone is a little less formal than this review policy. To best understand my tone and style, I would recommend reading the most recent reviews.

My reviews are honest, and I mention both the positives and the negatives. Except in rare circumstances, I start with the positives. I do my best to review every book I finished or DNF as soon as I can. If I did not like the book, I will NOT write mean comments about the author. My reviews are about the book alone, and will discuss what about the book I didn’t like.

If you would like an author biography and/or links to their social media, please do tell me and supply me with the relevant biography, links and (if applicable) picture.

I am happy to include links to giveaways run by you in my reviews. When I run my own giveaways, that may include review copies sent to me (particularly when I have multiple copies of a book). In those cases, I shall make clear that those giveaways are not affiliated to you.

I review using the 5-star method, as that is most commonly used across review websites and Goodreads. On review sites, I round up 4.5 stars to 5, 3.5 to 4.

  • 5 stars is a book I absolutely loved. I would love to read more by this author, and will definitely re-read.
  • 4 stars is a book I really enjoyed. There might be a few minor issues, but I will recommend.
  • 3 stars is a book I liked. This is a MIXED review, and I may or may not want to read more in the series.

Over the years, I have learnt my tastes well, so it is rare I read books I don’t like. However, as I am trying to broaden my tastes, it occurs once in a while. Usually these books contain themes I find problematic.

  • 2 stars is a book that had a major issue or several minor ones that detracted from the story.
  • 1 star is a book that I didn’t enjoy because it had several major issues.

I hope this page has covered all the information you need. If not, please contact me at sifaelizabethpoulton (at) gmail (dot) com.