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Giving and Receiving Reviews #IWSG

Jennifer Lane

It’s that time of the month…time for support from fellow writers. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for creating this group–join us for the monthly blog hop here.

We all appreciate this month’s co-hosts: Jenni Enzor, Jemima Pett, Jamie of Uniquely Maladjusted but Fun, and Kim Lajevardi!

Before diving in to the optional question for this month, I want to share my 5-star review of fellow IWSG author’s supernatural young adult romance, Dark Desires, by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

My Review of Dark Desires by Ronel Janse van Vuuren:

Magic Brownies

This fun short story (#1 in the Dark Court Sisters series) showcases the gumption and integrity of Tasha, a young fae hiding out at a human high school. Though Tasha’s not a fan of the girls’ shallow popularity scuffles and the boys’ cool postering, she is determined to save them from a dark spell cast on the school bake sale brownies. Turns out there’s somethin’ somethin’ special in these brownies! 

I was impressed by the author nailing every painful part of high school (including judgmental cliques, desperate attempts to fit in, and mothers always being right) as seen through fae Tasha’s eyes. And I appreciated the humor, like when Tasha observes everyone chowing down on brownies:

Tasha saw that no one, even those on gluten-free, sugar-free, carb-free, fat-free, fun-free diets could resist the chocolatey goodness.

There’s a bonus sweet romance with a boy who’s also hiding his special powers. Though malevolent supernatural beings threaten Tasha, Daniel, and the humans, Tasha won’t let anyone push her around.

I was quite excited to find an audiobook version of this story! South African author Ronel Janse van vuuren is the narrator, and I think there’s an extra bit of love packed in when an author reads her own creation.

Get your magic brownies! Image by MUHAMAD ZUL AZIMI BIN ABDUL RAZAK from Pixabay

Today’s question: What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers, including agents, editors, and beta readers?

A thoughtful, favorable review is a delight for any author. Author Darcia Helle’s review of Spiked (Blocked #3) made me beam:

“No matter how compelling the content, stories need great characters to keep us hooked. These characters are real people. I swear to you. They stepped off the pages and went on to live their lives. Each has his/her own complex, unique personality. I can tell which is speaking simply by the rhythm of their speech and their word choices. I feel their emotions and care what happens to them. Perhaps most important, I understand their viewpoints, even when I don’t necessarily agree. Being able to truly relate to a person different from ourselves is a gift Jennifer Lane masterfully gives readers.”

Happy May to all writers!

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Published by Jennifer Lane

I write sports romance and suspense with a psychological twist.

22 thoughts on “Giving and Receiving Reviews #IWSG”

  2. Yes, a thoughtful, good review is encouraging. The one you shared is awesome. And I love the header on your website. I need to get someone to help me change mine.

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  4. Lovely book review! And I’m with you. Those awesome reviews are like eternal lifeblood for an author. We all need a few of those to keep us moving, eh?

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  5. Great to read such a thoughtful and ethusiastic review of your book.

    So rewarding to read…

    But the brownies… They don’t seem to be soya free, so chomping down

    might involve an Epipen… Seriously !

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  6. What inspirational reviews! They both pointed out that you are good at developing complex characters, which is very hard to do!

    Congrats on both! I hope they push you to keep writing the next one.

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  11. That’s some fabulous feedback! Characters are make or break for me in fiction. The plot can be amazing, but if the author doesn’t make me care about the characters, I’m out.

    Gotta say, I wasn’t expecting a book called Dark Desires to be about high school. Titles like that are usually heavy on the graphic BDSM, which is not my thing.

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    1. I’m the same, Janet–I’ll take a thin plot as long as I get the FEELS from the characters! Interesting thought about Ronel’s title–I think there were some dark fantasy elements that I didn’t focus on in my review since I’m kind of clueless about the fantasy genre. 🙂

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