Why am I displaying my bad reviews from Amazon.com in this blog? Well, it started over here where John Scalzi posts snippets of his one star reviews from Amazon, then issues a challenge to other authors to do the same. Rachel Caine took it up. See? So, I thought, HEY!, all the cool kids are doing it and it’s not like I don’t have some one star reviews to choose from. Heh.
Bad reviews are part of the writing life. It’s not like I expect everyone who picks up my books to like them. People come to their reading with different perspectives, different life experiences. All that stuff colors their reading of the book. Reviews are opinions, nothing more and nothing less. Everyone is entitled to theirs.
I’m very self-critical, (I’m MUCH harder on myself than anyone else is), so if a negative review is well thought out I almost always find a place to agree with the reviewer. I try to learn from those particular negative reviews and make my next book free of the errors the reviewer has said I’ve made. (However, being human, I probably just make different errors.) A good review will make me smile broadly for two hours. A bad review will make me depressed for two days, but I try to use them as a learning tool.
In the end, bad reviews make the good ones all the sweeter. And luckily I have far more good reviews than bad.
So, with no further ado, here are some of my all time greatest hits from Amazon.com. I didn’t have a whole lot of one star reviews, so I took the two stars too.
Witch Fire
One star — “Not romance, not erotica, basically porn - what little plot there is exists to connect the sex scenes, note I didn’t say love making scenes. Altogether distasteful and I won’t waste money on this author again.”
Two star — “The writing was rather…Blah. Not awful, but sort of boring.”
Two star — “I was disappointed in this novel. I found it difficult to get into and kept putting it down.”
And Lady Makes Three
One star: “I was gullible enough to follow an Amazon recommendation on this one; it turned out to be on of my biggest mistakes. I wish I could give less than a star.”
Blood of the Raven
Two stars — “I would have given this book a 1 except it did have a plot. I like my books a little “steamy” but this is a little hard core for me.”
Seasons of Pleasure: Summer and Autumn
Two stars — “I am a big fan of fantasy and romance. My favorite thing about both these genres is the nice escape from everyday life they usually provide. This book did more to annoy me than relax me. The prose style is belabored and switches between “fantasy” and modern style intermittently. Characters are hollow despite the repetition of supposedly meaningful backstory. The author uses the same expressions over and over again, especially during sex scenes. Dialogue feels inauthentic and is ultimately unconvincing. A very unsatisfying read.”
Seasons of Pleasure: Winter & Spring
One Star — Style hasn’t improved from the first in the series. “I am a big fan of fantasy and romance. My favorite thing about both these genres is the nice escape from everyday life they usually provide. This book did more to annoy me than relax me. The prose style is belabored and switches between “fantasy” and modern style intermittently. Characters are hollow despite the repetition of supposedly meaningful backstory. The author uses the same expressions over and over again, especially during sex scenes. Dialogue feels inauthentic and is ultimately unconvincing. A very unsatisfying read.”
Anya says — same reviewer as the one above it, obviously. She read the books in the wrong order.
I own these bad reviews. I revel in them. If I could I would turn them into sudsy soap bubbles and take a bath in them. (Er? Did I just say that out loud?) Point is they are part of the glorious trip of being a writer. If you can’t suck it up and accept your bad reviews as part of your journey, then you should get out of this business.
Okay, I’m challenging authors too. Bring out the baddies! Let your Bad Flag fly! I want to see all your one/two star reviews. Own them, babies. Embrace the failure and make it yours.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Anya,
I wanted to say that I love this post! I think it’s fantastic that you’re doing this - especially after a lot of author drama- or authors saying readers “don’t get it” or “couldn’t handle the book.” *applause*
Also, I’ve only read Witch Fire :X - but I did see that review in amazon - and I felt like the reader didn’t know what they were getting into. Or, I’m smutty and easy, because I read it and thought there was a story and loved it, and squee-d after I finished it. So - you’re also right. Many people have different opinions, and it’s going to be impossible to please everyone.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Hi Anya, this is one reason as a reader i dont tend to read alot of reviews. each person has their own tastes in books, and i know what i like..as for your bad reviews.. well ppfffttt on them.. your books are HOT!!
April 29th, 2008 at 8:09 am
This is my favorite bad review about Grimspace:
Incredibly Clumsy (1 star)
Rarely have I struggled through such a dull piece of incompetent writing. The heroine is pure cardboard, with all the depth and interest of institutional paint. The only amazing thing about this book is the fact that it was published. H.L.Menken once said, “Nobody ever lost a buck by underestimating the taste of the American public.” This book proves it.
But I have this one too:
Grim Disappointment
I bought this because of the great reviews….it is giving me a headache! 4 nights running I have barely managed to read another chapter or 2 …Normally a good book is finished in 1-2 nights! SciFi is my genre of choice in reading and this one is BORING…BORING! on top of paying TOO MUCH for it … such a GRIM disappointment.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:09 am
I know from reviewing sometimes its hard to give a bad review.. you dont wanna trash someone elses work but there are some that wow i cant even imagine how they got to print in any form… and one persons dislike could be the reason why someone else likes your book too
April 29th, 2008 at 10:00 am
This is a great post Anya…I love that you’re putting it out there.
Here’s one for Hell Kat:
Boring 1 star at Amazon
I forced myself to read/skim about half of it, but it never improved. The setting of the book- a nuclear devasted future- was interesting, but that can’t make up for a totally unlikeable and abrasive heroine who feels as cartoonish as the front cover. With the addition of secondary characters who were uninteresting, a plot that was slow and boring, and sex scenes that fell flat, you’ve got a book that was too painful to get through. I wanted to stop after 15 pages, I wish I had.
Oh and the only negative review I saw for Blood Secrets made me smile…I wish I could find it again, it was on a reader’s blog, and I believe she was British. She picked up the book because of the awesome cover and because my name had a lovely lyrical quality to it..but she thought the book was dreck. I love that word dreck. I think that’s equivalent to shit.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:24 am
What a fun post, Anya! Gotta love those baddies. Let’s see what I can dig up. Oh, yeah, my personal favorite one from Amazon…
2 Star for Operation G-Spot:
“Okay…still trying to wade my way through this weird book. W/a title like this…you can’t exactly “take it everywhere”…so it’s relegated to “at home reading”. So far I’ve been really pissed at Liz in “Terms of Enticement”…she’s just AWFUL!! Who’d want to find her G-spot w/an attitude like hers? As for the name of her main “squeeze”…”Dusty”?? I think I had a border collie named that once!! As for Kristi in “Sexless in Seattle”…I find the idea that she “designs sex toys” really cool…but the fact that she’s embarrassed & shy in so many other areas…but manages to jump in bed w/not ONE but TWO exotic “dancers” a.k.a “strippers”…is just a little farfetched to me. *Awkward* Oh, but there’s more where that came from—then she’s packing vibrators like the “Double Diamond” for a simple camping trip? LOL…sure. But the scene w/her PARENTS–I could’ve definitely done w/o…I’m currently *TRYING* to read about Fiona in “Desperately Seeking Simon”…but I’m thinking that this whole premise of “online g-spot buddies” was just a foolish waste of my time…and I’m beginning to wish I’d bought something else…Something that was either more interesting…in a BELIEVABLE way, or at the very least something that left me at least a little turned on. Some of these scenarios are just creepy…and well, ick!!”
April 29th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
“I found Sins and Secrets a difficult book to read. It is supposed to be an
erotic paranormal, and it is. It’s also a thriller. It is this aspect of the book that sticks with me. I loved the paranormal flavor of the book, even the danger of the unknown evil. The erotica was very well-written and sensual. However, when combined with the added danger of the abusive, religious fanatic, psychotic, murderous ex-husband, I couldn’t immerse myself in the story. In fact, I was so disturbed by the crazy ex-husband that I couldn’t findany joy in the romance. Ms. Agnew is an excellent author, and lovers of crime novels will enjoy Sins and Secrets, but I wanted more romance. In this, it did not satisfy.”
I wouldn’t change this about the book, though, because I wanted it to be just as much about the fanatic ex as I did the romance between the characters.
But I’m with ya…I have had some one stars myself. 
Denise A. Agnew
http://www.deniseagnew.com
April 29th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I love seeing good and not so good reviews for books, because reading tastes are subjective. What might work for me, won’t work for you and vice versa. That’s what’s great about freedom of choice.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I agree, Vivi. The fact that the reviewer was so disturbed by the evil ex-husband actually pleased me because I’d accomplished what I set out to do. I WANTED to disturb people.
Denise A. Agnew
April 29th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I hardly ever pay any attention to reviews. Not all readers or reviewers have the same taste in books.
April 30th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
LOL! WHat is life without some one and two star reviews? I think it’s good to realize you’re not everyone’s cup of tea, keeps you grounded -
Giving Chase (2 stars)
Hi everyone. Ohhh, this book is sooo booooring! It’s more a narration that actual novel with its’ twists and surprises. I had a feeling that I was reading a newspaper about a recent town party. There is no depth to this story, and therefore, it is a very boring reading. Oh, and that cover! Ridiculous! :)) People, please, at least try to sell it through its’ good looking cover…
Triad
I bought this book because who wouldn’t like a threesome with a vampire, sorceror and a witch? What is the kicker is that in the first 30 some pages she and vampire tell each other how they love each other and are soul mates. Hello you two only new each other for 8 hours!!! This author is one of those “If they have sex then they are in love.” There is a difference between love and lust. It’s like the author has to justify sex with love. Palease!
The main charactor it way too exceping in this story making it completly unrealistic. After knowing him for only 8 hours and just having sex with him: she realizes that her and the vampire accidently got married in his custom and is bound for like eternity and she is all like, “Oh well, as long as we are together.” In those exact words. She and the vampire was in thier own fanticy world thoughout the whole book. Way too trusting and excepting like they were just born yesterday. Hello you two don’t even know each other and you want to spend eternity together over simple lust! Get over yourselves. There were times that I wanted to gag myself from all of the corney lines. The only reason that I finished this book was that I spent $10.00 on it and didn’t want my money to be a total waste. Boy was I ever wrong. The only reason I gave it one star was because of the good sex and there was magic involved.
and
I was actually quite excited about Triad. It had a really good idea going for it, a good setting and is the type of book I tend to love. But a paragraph into the book I felt like sighing.
This book was quite badly written, it almost feels like she’s forcing herself to write an erotic novel.
Yes the sex scenes were decent, but the rest of the book felt emotionless, forced and so blah-ly done that the fact it had a really good idea (Witch…Vampire…Threesome) was completely overshadowed by the fact the writer who actually wrote down the idea didn’t seem to really know what she was doing.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:40 am
lol the reivewer of the Season’s of Pleasure books is a little unauthentic and repetive in her reviews, maybe she could learn from her own advice.