How to Write a Good Review of Books and Anthologies

By Tobi Akanni

Have you ever read an enthralling story that you couldn't stop talking about for days even after you've flipped the last page? Have you read a line in a poem that had you pausing, and reflecting for a minute? Or maybe you finished the final book of a trilogy and was disappointed with its ending? You may have one or two—in fact, many things to say about it. Suggestions on how it could have been better, and you may wish to share this with the world, mostly through writing.

This is what a review basically is - your opinion about a work of art, and because you'll not only be publicly posting this, but addressing someone else's effort, it is necessary to do it right. This piece will help you with that.

How to Review a Book

1. Introduce the book. This should be between two to three lines and a paragraph. Mention the book's title, its author, and a summary of it.
2. Discuss its themes or chapters. Depending on your word-count specification, you can select a few chapters or themes in them to talk about. Quotations from the book would also be useful here.
3. Discuss what you liked and/or disliked about the book and provide specific examples from the text to support your points.. Talk about the characters, and how they and the story's arc made you feel. Was the plot gripping? Was the pacing page-turning? Did grammar get in the way of the reading flow or were plot devices overused?
4. Summarise your opinion of the book and give it a recommendation and/or rating. Even if you do not like the book, especially because of its genre, suggesting it to others who may be lovers of such a genre would be great.
5. Take note of your biases and resist the urge to analyse the book based on them.
6. Be constructive in your criticism.

How to Review an Anthology
If the idea of discovering new talents and analysing a large body of work interests you, then anthologies are the way to go.
Reviewing anthologies may not be as straightforward as reviewing a book, but it is simple and quite unique.
You don't have to read all the stories in the collection, and you certainly don't have to review them all. This can help you focus your energy on writing an exciting review that'll be better appreciated by the public, instead of a perfunctory, overstuffed piece.

Either way, there are few tips to follow:

1. Make notes. This can be helpful for remembering and referencing what is where.
2. Dedicate a paragraph to a story. If you're doing a single full review, then dedicating a paragraph to each of the stories you've read is best. When you're done, review them as a whole and seek out a common thread and synchronicity.
3. Review Independently: Alternatively, you can treat each story as a standalone piece and review them separately, posting them individually.
4. Examine the Anthology Holistically: Investigate the anthology's edition, publishers, editors, contributing authors, and the purpose behind its creation. Is it a celebration of an event, an homage to a notable figure, or a means of conveying a particular message? Analyze the Table of Contents and consider whether the stories can be appreciated when read in a different order.
5. Research the Authors: Go beyond simply reading the selected works of the co-authors. Delve into their backgrounds and styles to enrich your review, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the anthology.