Writer's Guide 101 (Wattpad Edition)

LXXXIII. Should You Listen To Book Reviewers? (OPINION)

If you're looking for a reliable source of book recommendations from novels to manga, I think you guys can check out "Reads with Rachel" and "Lines In Motion." In my opinion, their content is well-researched in terms of how they're able to actually read the stuff they're reviewing.
     Similar to movies and shows, I am the kind of person who wants to know whether a story is worth checking out. I have grown very wary of anyone who keep on saying something is good when it's actually the opposite, or vice-versa. Sometimes, they often get the wrong impression and end up spreading misinformation.
    I remember a lot of people who tend to claim that "Iron Widow" by Xiran Jay Zhao had sexually explicit content until the author themselves had to clarify that wasn't the case. Also, note: The author goes by "they/them." Just so you know!
    As someone who is yet to read the book, I assume it's something akin to "Darling In The Franxx" where a male and female pilot gets paired together to control a giant robot except with supernatural elements — because this is supposed to be inspired by Chinese fantasy.
     What I like about creators like Rachel is they're able to go in-depth on the subject. They get to provide constructive feedback and in case there's something they dislike or find confusing, they are willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt (in case they might be missing something) instead of just chalking it off to "Oh! I don't like it and understand what's going on so therefore it sucks!"
    It is important to take everything they say with a grain of salt and see for yourself. Many people are going to have different interpretations about a story. The objective of these book reviewers is to provide you a clear possible idea of the story while also helping bring in more attention to the author. They are not trying to force you to like everything.
This is just my opinion but once someone starts saying "I haven't read or watched it and never will 'coz I can tell from a few clips it sucks," that's when I become more skeptical. Why bother making a review if you haven't interacted with the material at all? Just watching a few snippets or trailers on YouTube isn't enough.
    You can't expect people to take your criticisms seriously if you've only read the summary or five chapters of that book (unless you're a judge in a contest who has to present your feedback in a short matter of time).
    Even if it's true that the story sucks, you've still gotta explain how it could improve otherwise you're just being an dishonest prick who simply wants to diss on something you dislike.
    I am somehow qualified to say that "Ready Player One", which is based on a book by Ernest Cline, isn't good as I got to see the movie.
    I thought it was going to be about people who have been addicted to playing VR games finally learning to touch grass and spend more time with each other.
    Let's just say it was a cliche cash grab so they can put The Iron Giant and other popular IPs into the movie then have the main character win the girl in the end. What is aggravating is it got an interesting concept but they fumbled with it.
Now, I am not suggesting they make it all about ditching video games entirely. The point here is how people would rather live in this ideal virtual world than the mundane reality they're born into.
It would be even better if you're able to check out that material for yourself especially if you're curious. Maybe a bad book could appeal to you. If you're like me who don't mind a few spoilers, then there you go!
     Now, when I say "spoilers," I am talking about dropping a few interesting scenes and characters in the story which could hook me in.

"But Haru! Are you saying we should force ourselves to read all thousand chapters of Lore Olympus 'til the finale in order for our opinions to be valid?"

This doesn't just apply to LO, though. You are within your right to not continue reading a story if it's no longer resonating with you especially when it's gone through long enough and yet to come to a proper conclusion. 
    What I don't want people to do is bullying others for continuing to like it. I believe if you're going to make a full analytical review of something, you should have at least read or seen the whole thing to be able to form a thorough opinion.