Review Policy

Hi,

Since I've been receiving more review request lately (which I am honestly happy about), I decided to finally set up a formal 'review policy' page. Here you will know my review style, what I like and look for in a book, my (highly subjective) rating system, my preferred genres, and preferred book format.

my review style.

If you have read my recent reviews, I write reviews through listing out things like why I like it, what bothered me, why I highly recommend it, what to expect in the book, etc. Using this format for my review, I think that it makes things more straightforward - just a few words, important points, a bit of in depth talk and a little fangirling. It's also easy to quote my words, if you're doing that :)

When I review and rate my reads, it highly depends on: how the writing impacted me, how thrilling the progression was or how fitting it was for the story, how relatable or understandable the characters are (I despise unreasonable actions), how well the characters are developed and established. I also talk about the Point of View of the narrator - how it's voiced out how many were there, is/are the voice(s) confusing, - the inclusion of romance (not really an important point for me, honestly), strength of a mystery or plot twist - did it surprise me? If not, was it well written? Will it surprise other readers?.

my rating system.
I post 1-5 stars with 1 as the lowest and 5 as the highest. I give 0.5's but they are plainly specified below the star-rating image (this is because websites like goodreads and amazon do not have 0.5's in their rating system, let's be realistic, friends). For example, when I rate a book 3.5, I could either use a 3.0 or 4.0 star. Having a 3.0 star could mean that it's an 'okay' read for me but something about it makes me want to push it a little higher but a 4.0 felt a bit too much. Having a 4.0 star, on the other hand could mean that it's a great read but something about just didn't felt completely right but I ended up liking it either way.

Here's personal definition of my star rating:
1.0 - A waste of my time.
2.0 - Not for me, might be for you.
3.0 - The dreaded 'okay read'. I'll explain everything in my review, of course.
4.0 - Great read. I liked it. I enjoyed it. Minor problems.
5.0 - Highly recommended read.

my genre.
YOUNG ADULT
- contemporary (preferably involves mental illness. romance centered is not advisable as they are a hit or miss for me. no lgbt books as well, nothing against it, just not my read.),
- science fiction (space is okay but not high on my list, preferably books set in the future),
- fantasy (an okay genre but not so high on my list),
- dystopian and post-apocalyptic (some of my most fave genres ever!!),
- historical fiction (another fave!!), and
- mystery-thriller (fave genre but it's a hit or miss as I've read enough plot twists. surprise me!)

ADULT
- mystery thriller and psychological thriller (fave genres!!),
- historical fiction (fave genre again!!), and
- crime fiction (I specifically mentioned this because it's my fave mystery sub-genre. I read both cozy and police procedural)

my format.
- I prefer physical copies (either ARC or finished copy)
- ebook is okay. I accept ebooks in mobi format. I have both NetGalley and Edelweiss accounts just in case your book is there.

where I post.
- BLOG: HERE of course!
- GOODREADS: czai @ the Blacksheep Project
- AMAZON: czai
- YA INSIDER (for YA ONLY): czai

what to send.
If you think I'm the person for your book, shoot me an email (posted below) with the following:
- Book Information: title & author, blurb, publication date, genre
- Book Links (if available) : goodreads & purchase links (Amazon, Book Depository, B&N, etc.)
- Why should I read it? or Why do you think I'll enjoy it?
- Book formats available (see 'my format' section above)
- Review deadline.

contact.
For questions and review or post inquiries, here's my email: czai.theblacksheep[at]gmail.com

important note!
I DON'T ACCEPT BOOK REVIEW REQUESTS AT THE MOMENT!!

let's connect!