Review Policy and Classification

Review Policy



I am currently accepting select Science Fiction and Fantasy books for review. You can send emails to "r_simoes at hotmail dot com" .

I accept ARCs and finished copies, including used copies (if they are in very good state). If the book is a sequel in a series, I will only review it if I have already read the previous books or if they are also provided.

At this time, I am NOT accepting e-books, audiobooks, or interactive media books.

Genres

I am happy to review any style of sci-fi, and fantasy books that are in line with those listed in my SFF library. Within sci-fi I am particularly keen on space operas (bridging multiple books), and I am least motivated to read short stories.

If I accept a book for review, I guarantee that I will perform the review on a time frame to be agreed with the publisher.

Reviews

I will write a review for almost every book I read. Also, I will make every effort to read and review in a timely fashion and with regard to release dates, but I cannot guarantee this. I prefer to receive a book 3 months prior to when you would like the review posted. I always write the reviews in a relaxed manner, and I do not try to push my view on readers. The reviews are not meant to be objective literary critiques.

I write fair and honest reviews, since I feel that anything else would be useless and a waste of both my time and the readers' time. Though most of my reviews are positive (somewhat because I'm selective from start), not all are. The reviews will reflect my opinion on the book, whether I enjoyed it or not.


Rating criteria

I chose only to rate books in terms of how likely I would buy them for a sci-fi fan. I rate them as YES (definitely would buy), LIKELY (probably, but would first check the person's taste and read history), and NO (would not buy as a gift).
I am considering adding a numeric rating at a later stage.

Classification schemes


Book length:
I classify books as short (usually under 250 pages), average (often between 250 and 500 pages), long (anything between 500-1000), and epic (over 1000 pages). I do not strictly follow those ranges, but my subjective take on story length. I personally feel I get more value from a book that combines excellent reading with sufficiently long text, since almost every TPB has about the same cover price nowadays.

Theme:
I do not follow any specific closed list; I try to name a theme that adequately explains what the book is about.

Recommended minimum age:
This is also totally subjective, but I try to use a coherent scheme. "Young adult" means 15-17 years old, "Teenager" means 12-14, "All ages" implies even younger ages, obviously always subjected to parental advice. Anyone over 18 is legally an adult in every civilized country I can think of. I have not tried to use this criteria to impose my own views on how old children/adults should be in order to be faced with specific information, but only use it to point out when a book has enough violence or sex depiction that you might want to learn more before giving it to a child or teenager.