Do you rate/review books you didn't finish?

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 28 May 2015, 00:20

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Ventis · Post by **Ventis** » 28 May 2015, 04:23

If I may ask, do you feel the same about the series? You don't review/rate a part of the series before you finish all the books in it? If not, then how it is different?

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 28 May 2015, 11:00

Ventis wrote:If I may ask, do you feel the same about the series? You don't review/rate a part of the series before you finish all the books in it? If not, then how it is different?

Wow. You've raised an interesting question.

I personally have a hard time reaching the end of series, due to losing my attention span, which has nothing to do with the actual series or author. However, I do feel equipped to rate a series based on what I've read. Here are some examples:

The Devouring trilogy by Simon Holt. I read halfway through it, into the middle of the second entry. I can honestly rate it right now briefly, by saying it's the scariest, most terrifying thing I've ever read. In fact, it was so scary that I could not finish it!

The Dreamhouse Kings series by Liparulo--a six-part that I made it into the beginning of the third. I can honestly rate it by saying that it's the most suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat series ever.

Her Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong--I made it into the very beginning of book three. I LOVED IT, but suffered from having to wait for #3 to appear, at which point my mind had been redirected and I couldn't get into it. I'd still give the trilogy the highest rating though.

Great question!

mgarrison · Post by **mgarrison** » 28 May 2015, 13:56

I never post a review for a book I have not finished reading. I've read lots of books that started out slow and didn't get very interesting until the end. If I would have written a review for those books before getting to the good part they would have been negative reviews. Some books take long to get interesting than others. I don't think you can judge a book without reading how it ends.

LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 28 May 2015, 20:49

Well said. I also find great reviews on sites like Amazon can be misleading. If there are only a few reviews, there is a good chance the author paid a less than reputable site for a high review or, just as likely, the reviews are from family and friends. In one case, I looked up a book on Goodreads that I already read and didn't like. There was 1 review....the author reviewed and rated his/her own book.

I agree. I recently read a book that had the most atrocious grammar and spelling that I've ever seen, so bad that I couldn't follow the plot because of it. Later, I discovered a single review on Amazon raving about how the book is "the next biggest thing" in its genre. I am convinced that the review was written by the author herself or someone close to her. Now I feel like I can't fully trust book reviews through Amazon!

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 29 May 2015, 08:36

Ventis wrote:If I may ask, do you feel the same about the series? You don't review/rate a part of the series before you finish all the books in it? If not, then how it is different?

On this area, I feel like it is acceptable to rate a single book that is part of a series. Of course! Why is it different? Because, if the book is written well, then it contains a single "story" within the series. There should be a distinct beginning, middle, and end with a conclusion of some sorts within each individual book. There might be some unanswered questions that will lead into the next book, but an individual book should ALWAYS have some sort of conclusion to it. You don't just cut the story off in the middle, right?

At least, that's the way I see it.

gali · Post by **gali** » 29 May 2015, 08:52

ALynnPowers wrote:
Ventis wrote:If I may ask, do you feel the same about the series? You don't review/rate a part of the series before you finish all the books in it? If not, then how it is different?
On this area, I feel like it is acceptable to rate a single book that is part of a series. Of course! Why is it different? Because, if the book is written well, then it contains a single "story" within the series. There should be a distinct beginning, middle, and end with a conclusion of some sorts within each individual book. There might be some unanswered questions that will lead into the next book, but an individual book should ALWAYS have some sort of conclusion to it. You don't just cut the story off in the middle, right?

At least, that's the way I see it.

Ventis · Post by **Ventis** » 29 May 2015, 08:58

ALynnPowers wrote:
Ventis wrote:If I may ask, do you feel the same about the series? You don't review/rate a part of the series before you finish all the books in it? If not, then how it is different?
On this area, I feel like it is acceptable to rate a single book that is part of a series. Of course! Why is it different? Because, if the book is written well, then it contains a single "story" within the series. There should be a distinct beginning, middle, and end with a conclusion of some sorts within each individual book. There might be some unanswered questions that will lead into the next book, but an individual book should ALWAYS have some sort of conclusion to it. You don't just cut the story off in the middle, right?

At least, that's the way I see it.

Each chapter of a book also has a beginning, middle and end, and come with a conclusion, of sorts. You don't just randomly cut a chapter in the middle, either. And with a hook to continue reading. That's not so much different from one installment in a series - besides the scale.

Unless it's a loose collection of stories with the same protagonist, e.g. a detective that solves a different crime every time, the series will have an over-arching plot that has to carry the story over several books. The individual novels will have a conclusion 'of sorts', but they better not answer and solve everything. On the contrary, they must end with a hook, that will make you wait (sometimes for years) for the next book.

And you, as a reader, don't know how it will develop. What if you recommend a series, and then the last book in it ends with a complete nonsense? Wouldn't you feel embarrassed? Or what if you say it's not good, and don't finish it - and then it picks up in book 2, and the last book in the series is brilliant? You'll never know, because you didn't finish it, right? So isn't that just as dishonest as reviewing a single novel without finishing it?

gali · Post by **gali** » 29 May 2015, 09:27

Ventis wrote:
ALynnPowers wrote:
Ventis wrote:If I may ask, do you feel the same about the series? You don't review/rate a part of the series before you finish all the books in it? If not, then how it is different?
On this area, I feel like it is acceptable to rate a single book that is part of a series. Of course! Why is it different? Because, if the book is written well, then it contains a single "story" within the series. There should be a distinct beginning, middle, and end with a conclusion of some sorts within each individual book. There might be some unanswered questions that will lead into the next book, but an individual book should ALWAYS have some sort of conclusion to it. You don't just cut the story off in the middle, right?

At least, that's the way I see it.
Each chapter of a book also has a beginning, middle and end, and come with a conclusion, of sorts. You don't just randomly cut a chapter in the middle, either. And with a hook to continue reading. That's not so much different from one installment in a series - besides the scale.

Unless it's a loose collection of stories with the same protagonist, e.g. a detective that solves a different crime every time, the series will have an over-arching plot that has to carry the story over several books. The individual novels will have a conclusion 'of sorts', but they better not answer and solve everything. On the contrary, they must end with a hook, that will make you wait (sometimes for years) for the next book.

And you, as a reader, don't know how it will develop. What if you recommend a series, and then the last book in it ends with a complete nonsense? Wouldn't you feel embarrassed? Or what if you say it's not good, and don't finish it - and then it picks up in book 2, and the last book in the series is brilliant? You'll never know, because you didn't finish it, right? So isn't that just as dishonest as reviewing a single novel without finishing it?

Let's separate between formal and informal reviews. If we are talking about formal review, you are right about it being dishonest to review a book one didn't read to the end. However if we are talking about informal reviews, I see nothing dishonest about reviewing a book one didn't finish as long as the reviewer admits he didn't finish the book and states his reasons.

You compare between reviewing chapters in a book to reviewing of a whole book in a series?? It isn't the same at all. Books in a series may have an over-arching plot, but they certainly can be judged by themselves and each book in a series has his own merits and cons. There is certainly a possibility that first book in the series is good, but the others are bad and I see nothing dishonest in reviewing it separately. If the first book of the series sucks, I won't read the others and say so in the review of the first book. If the first book is good, I will read the others as long as they are in the same standard as the first one. I have quit many series after 2 or 3 books because they weren't good as the first ones and I didn't lose any sleep over it.

If the last book in the series is brilliant but the others suck, I don't care how good it is if I have to "suffer" along the way before reaching to it and feel I didn't lost anything by not reading it.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 29 May 2015, 09:36

No, no, no, I think the series questioner was asking, "Could you rate an entire series if you've only read half (or so) of the series?" Like, could you recommend or dis a series if you haven't read it in its entirety?

-- 29 May 2015, 10:40 --

(Although I'm not awake yet. It's too early in the morning!! So if I'm misunderstanding the conversation, just rap smartly on my skull with your knuckles.)

gali · Post by **gali** » 29 May 2015, 09:41

zeldas_lullaby wrote:No, no, no, I think the series questioner was asking, "Could you rate an entire series if you've only read half (or so) of the series?" Like, could you recommend or dis a series if you haven't read it in its entirety?

In that case I don't think one should rate an entire series if he has only read half of it, and should rate each book in it separately.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 29 May 2015, 10:27

gali wrote: In that case I don't think one should rate an entire series if he has only read half of it, and should rate each book in it separately.

Really? I've recommended a lot of series that I haven't finished, such as the Heartland series by Lauren Brooke. I love those books but have only read around half the set. (I think there are 24 altogether, except for one that is rare and hard to find. I'm on number 14, or thereabouts.) Although there are times when a series surprisingly degenerates. (I'd be shocked if that happened with the Heartland series, but who knows?) DuendeKnocking and I were discussing this regarding the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. Once the author started switching publishers and demanding more creative control, it became clear that he has some perverted ideas that his previous publishers managed to suppress. His books became horrible.

gali · Post by **gali** » 29 May 2015, 11:10

zeldas_lullaby wrote:
gali wrote: In that case I don't think one should rate an entire series if he has only read half of it, and should rate each book in it separately.
Really? I've recommended a lot of series that I haven't finished, such as the Heartland series by Lauren Brooke. I love those books but have only read around half the set. (I think there are 24 altogether, except for one that is rare and hard to find. I'm on number 14, or thereabouts.) Although there are times when a series surprisingly degenerates. (I'd be shocked if that happened with the Heartland series, but who knows?) DuendeKnocking and I were discussing this regarding the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. Once the author started switching publishers and demanding more creative control, it became clear that he has some perverted ideas that his previous publishers managed to suppress. His books became horrible.

So that was the reason his books degenerated?? I loved the first half of Xanth, but didn't read his last ones. In his case I would only recommend the first half of the series.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 29 May 2015, 11:15

gali wrote:

So that was the reason his books degenerated?? I loved the first half of Xanth, but didn't read his last ones. In his case I would only recommend the first half of the series.

HA HA HA. Yeah, for real--I sure wouldn't recommend the second half!

I think that's what happened, yes, but I'm intuiting it. I could tell as I continued through the series that little bits and pieces of his perversion were starting to bleed onto the page, and then with the publisher changes, he couldn't rein it in at all. So in that particular instance, I don't see that happening with a different author, but I guess something else could go wrong within a series.