Since I do so many book reviews on here, I thought I'd tell you a bit of my criteria for my review process. First, I read a LOT of books (as if you didn't know). All of the books that I review on this blog are galleys that I receive, usually before their publication date, through NetGalley. Many times I receive these book two to three months before their publication date, but most publishers prefer that reviews are published no more that a month before the release date. I try to post two to three weeks before the release date. I request a lot of book through NetGalley from various publishers. I mostly read and review Christian fiction, but I dabble in other genres as well. When I receive a galley from a publisher a favorable review is not required. Actually, publishers don't require me to write a review at all, but they appreciate a notice if I choose not to. I don't like to post glaringly negative reviews because I know that even if I don't like a particular book, someone put a lot of time and effort into writing it. Not all books are for all tastes and just because I don't like something doesn't make it a bad book. I try never to write reviews for books I haven't finished, although one does crop up here an there. If I really hate a book, I generally write a note to the publisher thanking them for the opportunity, and explaining why it wasn't for me, rather than giving it a bad review. If I'm reading a book and find that it is totally against my Christian principles I will not review it here. I've also decided that since I have so many, many books that I want to read, if one comes along that I don't love, I'm not going to force myself to finish it. Life is too short to read things you don't enjoy.
Sometimes, though, there are books that I think others will enjoy, that I wasn't able to finish for one reason or anther. I've chosen to share two of those with you today. Consider this my way of tying up a few loose ends and clearing my review shelves.
The first is called Seek and Hide by Amanda G. Stevens. This book is almost scary in it's portrayal of a future where Christianity and reading the Bible are criminal activities that are worthy of jail time. Although I liked the premise of this story, I just couldn't get into it. The characters were good, and the plot seemed interesting, although I did feel that the author stretched the introduction out a little too far. I think this is a great read, and even though it's not set too far in the future, it has an almost futuristic, sci-fi kind of feel.
The second book is one that I hate not to finish. It's called The Price of Privilege by Jessica Dotta. This story was great, and I wanted to continue reading it, but I noticed that there seemed to be parts of the story missing. When I looked it up, I found that this book was the third book of a trilogy. It seemed well-written and the story was so interesting that I hated to put it down, but I really don't want to finish it without first reading the other books in the series. With my current reading list, I have no idea when I will find the time to do that. However, I think if you are able to read Born of Persuasion and Mark of Distinction you will probably enjoy The Price of Privilege. If you do, I'd love to hear if they are as intriguing as they look. I hope to find the time to read them all myself someday.
Now that I've gotten this out of the way, I'm ready to get back to reading! There are some great books by some of my favorite authors coming out this year and I can't wait to read them, and then tell you all about them!
Happy Reading!
Lyndsie
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