Hi, friends! 💖 Happy mid-January! Boy does time fly, haha. Changes are still afoot, and here’s one: I’m now open for book review requests! I still have a pile from my 18 Reads of Christmas selection, as well as some requests I’ve received in the past month or so… but I also have many more months ahead and it’ll be good to wrangle my TBR pile this early, right? 😂
So feel free to take a look around here and reach out to me if you’re interested! 😊
Book Review Policy
My review policy page still needs updating, but these are the major changes and highlights so far:
- While I’m on BookSirens, I will be prioritizing review requests from authors who contact me personally and actually engage with me. I’m not here only for a free read, you guys. Rather, I’d really like build that connection, and I will be more than happy to extend my support to more than book reviews and blog features. My contact information is here, and I’m open to Twitter DMs — as long as you’re not selling me stuff or trying to date me, LOL.
- Requests via Scripts and Reviews (more below) will also get priority. Occasionally I will sign up to review for book tours, so if you’re planning one, please feel free to reach out to me too.
- My BookSirens profile details my preferences, but to keep things simple, I’m your gal for these genres: fantasy, mythology, fairy tales and folklore, scifi, young adult and middle grade.
- I read primarily through iBooks or Kindle, so for ARCs, I’ll have ePubs or MOBIs please. And if I really like a book, I’m going to purchase it. 😉
- I will not post 1 or 2-star reviews, but I will let the author know privately if that is the case. My star system is generally as follows:
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – LOVE it. Will read over and over again as I do with favorite books. Will rave with my friends and on social media, if I haven’t started already. It might not be the perfect book, but I’m forgiving of negligible errors once I’ve fallen for the story and the characters. Heck, I’ve turned a blind eye to plot holes in books I love and just laugh about them to this day.
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Great book. Has stellar aspects, but just didn’t hit all the right buttons for a favorite; sometimes it’s the subgenre (I don’t really like vampires, and too much steam, for example) but it could also be the writing style (I’m not much for wordy or overly descriptive) or length (50K-60K is my sweet spot). Satisfying, but not something I might pick up again when struck by nostalgia. Might not be my favorite, but it could be someone else’s!
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Good book, but has some elements that bothered me or just unfortunately struck a pet peeve of mine. Spelling or grammar errors that can’t be ignored, glaring plot holes, everyone in the story is hard to empathize with, had too many scenes that I feel were unnecessary, or a lackluster cover. But people should still give it a chance, and it could be great with a little more work.
- Aside from a star rating, a new thing I’ll be doing is to include a song in the review, one that either sums up the book for me, or what I’d imagine in a trailer were it a movie… or maybe even an original inspired by it! 💖
- I will post reviews to Amazon, Goodreads and Bookbub, as applicable. I will also write up a blog post and share it on Twitter and Facebook. And this year, I will start posting to Instagram and TikTok too! 🥳 I’ll still be building my presence there, but I’m hopeful that things will pick up eventually.
- If you’re in a rush — I write, I read, I have a day job, among other things — and can’t wait for a review since your release date is tomorrow or something, you can opt for an author/book spotlight instead.
- I charge no fee for any of this. Nothing. Non. Nada. 😇
My first review for the new year will be for Kyle Robertson’s The Showstopper, so stay tuned! 🎉
Scripts and Reviews
I’ve recently been invited and accepted to join the reader team of Scripts and Reviews, founded by Ashley Castillo and Alex Barney. We’re of the same mind and heart in that we all want to help authors and readers connect, sharing our passion to write, read, and talk about books.
For now, Scripts and Reviews is not accepting review requests, but we continue to be open for author spotlights and interviews.
Are you ready for the vacation of a lifetime? Grab a copy of HOTEL FEN, an urban fantasy novel by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan, from your favorite ebook and print store. For fans of Norse mythology, magic and fantasy, star-crossed romances, stories of vengeful old gods, and diva black cats.🐺
Marie Sinadjan 
I hope you have lots of happy reading for 2022, Marie! 💕🙂
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Thank you, Harmony! I’m looking forward to discovering many new, fun books, and supporting the authors who penned them 😄 And going through friends’ backlist, too! 💕
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Marie, congratulations on all that you’re doing with book reviews and engaging with, and supporting other authors. That’s what it’s all about.
Thank you for including Myth and Magic on your 18 Christmas reads. I’d like to mention in advance that Amazon tagged it incorrectly (I have to get it straightened out). It is not a fantasy book, nor does it fall into the category of magical realism. It’s a mystery/romantic suspense set at a lodge where strange happenings are taking place. Given it’s among your 18 Christmas reads, I wanted to clarify that so you’re not scratching your read if you read it!
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You’ve inspired me and led me to this path early on, Mae! I’m glad to be able to pay it forward to the community somehow 💕
Oh, thanks for clarifying! Let me fix that up when I get to a computer, so others who might go through the 18 Reads series won’t be confused too. I do love a good romantic suspense, and, well, your writing in general. The blurb already got me hooked, so it’s definitely still among my books to read this year! 😉
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I love that you’re adding theme songs to your reviews. What a great and unique touch. I hope you make a lot of fulfilling connections through this endeavor.
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I might as well, right? If I make playlists and original songs for my books, I can definitely find a song to go with a book I’m reviewing 🥳 So you’ll have to watch out for what I pick for No Suck Luck 💖
And thank you! I’m looking forward to meeting other lovely authors such as yourself. It’s great to be part of a community, and a supportive one at that.
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I can’t imagine a better community. So glad you joined it and we’ve connected!
Looking forward to what you pick for No Such Luck. I’m delighted that you want to read it, as I know it’s not your preferred genre. (Funny story… it’s not mine, either!)
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I’m thankful to this day! 🥰 You have all been wonderful, and Story Empire has been really helpful as I learn the ropes in this author biz, hahaha.
I don’t normally hold my hand out for romance novels because I know there’s a staggering amount everywhere and I can find them whenever I want to, but I do read them 😄 One of the first novels I really enjoyed, in fact, was a romance recommended by my mom when I was in my teens – she basically put the book in my hands, and I was stunned because she wouldn’t even let me read Sweet Valley High back then as I might get ideas about boys 🤣 But it was a time travel romance so, yeah, you can now tell what kind of influences I’ve had, haha.
But you too? Really?
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That’s funny about Sweet Valley High. (If my daughter had been interested in those books, I also would have discouraged her. But more because the mean twin was a bad influence on behavior than because of boys. Crushes develop whether parents are ready or not.)
No, romance isn’t my preferred genre (by a mile). I’m only releasing these because two of them were on my hard drive from long ago. Until I have my crime series ready, I figured it would be easy enough to keep my name “out there” with these. Most of the work was already done.
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To this day I haven’t read SVH 😂 It was Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Judy Blume and Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret for me. Then my dad introduced me to Star Wars, and my mom eventually handed me a Jude Deveraux, haha!
It might not be your preferred genre, but from what I’ve seen you’re doing really well! 🥰 And that might be happening to me, too. I found an old draft of a romance novella that I might just pick back up and edit and put out there to help build my backlist. Fantasy is still my go-to, but a splash of romance wouldn’t hurt every now and then.
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I liked those mystery books, but my go-to in elementary school was Trixie Belden.
There are pluses and minuses to becoming a multi-genre author. It opens you up to a broader audience, a subset of which will read anything you write because they like your voice and style. On the other hand, it’s almost like doing twice the marketing work because you pretty much have to cater to two audiences when you promote. I have works in plenty of genres, and it takes a long time to taylor messages to the different readers. But I have gained some loyal readers who pick up anything I write, regardless of genre. Like I said, pros and cons. You have to decide if the work is worth the reward. Then again, if it’s the only thing you have to keep your name in front of people, there’s benefit to that, too.
Either way, wishing you much success!
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I love how positive you are and eager to read. And wonderful that you’re interested in making connections. That’s really the point of blogging and sharing reviews. For me it is, anyway. And the song is a cool idea, too. How fun. Happy Reading!
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Hi, Diana! Glad to see you here, thanks so much for dropping by 💕 I agree with you there. Sharing, making connections, and enjoying each other’s company while talking about books and writing and other fun stuff. I’m definitely going to have fun reading and I look forward to discovering more new reads. Do you have a recommendation on which book of yours I could start with? 😊
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Oh, what a fun question! And I’m honored that you asked, Marie. You started my day with a smile. 🙂 My latest fantasy is a stand-alone and not too long, so its a good place to start and see if you like my style, etc. It’s titled The Ferryman and the Sea Witch. I’d be more than happy to gift you a Kindle copy from Amazon. 🙂 I’ll send a note through your contact form. Yay!
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And I’ve responded! 😄 Thank you so much, Diana! I’m looking forward to share more bookish things with you 💖 I hope to get back to blogging more regularly, though Twitter is also one of my go-to places, that is if social media is your thing, haha.
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Thanks, Marie. I just got out of bed, so I’m drinking coffee and prying my eyes open. I’m not much of a twitter user as my blog is crazy busy, but I do try to get on there once in a while. Happy Blogging and Reading!
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I’ve only recently just returned to blogging, so my blog isn’t as busy as yours might be. I’ve found some friends over on Twitter too, so I also hang out there to talk about books and things. Anyway, thanks again! Happy blogging and reading and writing to us both 😊
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