Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Favorite Reviews #8

Our Author Gang Favorite Reviews


Book reviews (good or bad) provide important feedback to the authors and without reviews, a book gets lost in the thousands of other books that are released every month.
Every author appreciates and values the opinion of readers but we’re strongly discouraged from engaging with readers and thank them for their reviews on publishing sites.
The authors of Our Author Gang celebrate and appreciate the readers by posting our favorite reviews between September 10 and 22. Every day a different author of the group posts about their books and quote from their readers’ favorite reviews.
Thank you for your interest in our books and happy reading!

My Favorite Reviews

Amazon.com
I love this review because the reader gets the point of the story. Too often I feel that readers expect stories in certain genres to follow specific tropes without appreciating any variances. 

"What I found most admirable about the story was Toi’s ambition. From the boy’s beginning strapped to a chair being grilled by mysterious forces, I expected Toi to throw in a handful of tropes – a friendly CIA agent, a bit of bonding, a slow development of power, catastrophe averted and celebrations all round. To my delight (and aghast), this really wasn’t the case. The boy does save Earth, but at an enormous cost, both to Earth and seemingly to the boy’s love for humanity... I really liked this corruption by power of a character who starts out so sweet and eager to please. Toi handled it deftly and it really makes for quite a striking story." ~ Grim Malchien, Amazon.com review. Read the full review here.

Amazon.com
I love this review because the reader acknowledges how some topics are simply hard to write about and being able to pull it off is worth mentioning. 

"Author Toi Thomas is a special education teacher and it shows. She teaches "concept" (vs. "just another story"). Thomas' book "Plants and animals change over time" introduces the concept of "nature changes" or "the circle of life" in a sensible way.
Obviously, this topic includes that plants die, every year, and so do animals, though they live longer. Naturally, death is never a pretty topic but Toi Thomas manages to convey the topic in a brilliant way...
Highly recommended, especially to parents who might struggle with having to explain why plants or animals die." ~Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger. See the full Amazon.com review here.

Amazon.com
I love this review because it's short and sweet, much like the story it's written for. 

"This love triangle has some great moments of tenderness and affection...
Glorie Townson's [my romance pen name] characters are dimensional and have a good mix of vulnerability and backbone, which engaged my interest.
I felt as though I had met some good people, who were all flawed but likable..." ~Lorraine, Goodreads.com review. See the full review here.
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The Eternal Curse series was my first book and series I ever wrote and to know that someone liked it meant the world to me. It's currently unavailable pending a rewrite in order to align it with new developments in the 3rd installment. If you'd like to read the first two books and offer me your feedback, please consider joining my email list to receive a free digital copy. 

Eternal Curse: Giovanni's Angel Book 1- "I must admit the first couple of chapters were a little slow for me but I am glad I did not stop! It has turned into an OMG book!... This story is FULL of so many emotions! I laughed at times and was on the edge of my seat! It is a beautiful story and only the first in a series!...
This one is a story of love, trust, secrets, and learning who both of the characters are!... Written very well as it gives nothing away! Its a story to make you happy, sad, laugh and cry! A lot of surprises!" ~Ann, Goodreads.com review. See the full review here.

Eternal Curse: Battleground Book 2- "I really like how while it is a continuation of a series, it feels like its own story. I look forward to the next in the series." ~Shawnta Dodson, Goodreads.com review. See the full review here.
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If ever you find yourself wondering if you should write a book review, the answer is yes. Whether you feel compelled to share your experience or not, go ahead and write that book review. It will mean the world to a hardworking author and will help a reader decide if it's the book for them. As a reader, I know I appreciate it when someone has come before me and shared their experience.

Be sure to come back tomorrow to read more of Our Author Gang members' favorite book reviews and read previous posts here: One, Two, Three, FourFive, Six, and Seven.

Click to read more posts in our Blog post Gallery

#bookreviews #appreciation
COMMENTS




Ruth de Jauregui via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Toinette Thomas shares her favorite reviews on #OurAuthorGang today. She has a diverse body of work, from children's books to science fiction! Stop by and check out her wonderful books and reviews.
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Ruth de Jauregui

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Wonderful reviews and so good to see that the reviewers "got" the stories. Great job Toi!!
 
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Joe Bonadonna via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Today on #OurAuthorGang, Toi Thomas shares with us some of her favorite reviews. Enjoy!
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Joe Bonadonna

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
these are wonderful reviews, Toi. They make you feel good and offer the support and encouragement we all need, and that shows us that what we do is not going unnoticed.
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Yes, I did find these very encouraging.




Rebecca Tran

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
See what great things fans are saying about the writers on #OurAuthorGang  
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Chris Weigand

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Toi, great reviews. It's nice to see readers hang on and be surprised.
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Yes, it is. Thanks Chris.




Chris Weigand via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Check out Toi's favorite reviews.
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Cindy Smith

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Congrats on the reviews.
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Cindy Smith via Google+

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Lorraine Carey

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
All good reviews here, Toi. I especially love the one for your first book. It's a real thrill to get that great review when we are just starting to write.
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Thank you. I was pretty cool.




Toi Thomas via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Today, I share some of my favorite book reviews. #OurAuthorGang
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Nikki McDonagh

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Fabulous reviews Toi and well deserved. Keep on writing, people want your books.
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Thank you, Nikki.




Erika M Szabo via Google+

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Today, Toi talks about her favorite reviews at #OurAuthorGang
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Erika M Szabo

4 months ago  -  Shared publicly
Wow! Great reviews Toi! I've known you for a year and I never knew you were a special education teacher! It is an admirable profession. I was planning to read your Eternal Curse series, but now that I found out the third book is coming, I'll wait and read the trilogy together.
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Yes, I'm not s teacher anymore but I still work with that population of children. All children are special, but I have a soft spot for my little friends with labels. They inspire me and teach me so much.

+Toi Thomas Absolutely! I grew up with a girl who had Down's Syndrome and her love for life, innocent view on life and positive attitude was infectious. She passed away at age 35 from complications of her medical condition, but I always be grateful knowing her and having her in my life for three decades.

 
+Erika M Szabo Yes, kids really put life into perpective. And working with kids with special needs is a special kind of reward that's difficult to describe.

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