Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
How do you feel about spoilers in book descriptions or reviews?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
I dislike them. If someone is putting spoilers in a review I want a warning spoilers. Often authors put hidden gems for readers to find not to be revealed in reviews. I have actually had authors say thank you for not revealing a certain scene. As for spoilers in the description if it happens in the first 3 – 5 chapters I don’t mind as much but when it refers to something in the last part of a book No. I once read a blurb that mentioned a marriage due to circumstances. That was fine but when it didn’t happen til about 3 chapters from the end of the book I wasn’t happy.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group. Remember all comments go into the monthly drawer for a gift voucher.
No I don’t like spoilers at all. I choose most of the books I read by first reading a blurb or review, then saving them to a BOOK file on my computer. Then every now and then I will choose a book/books from the list and buy or borrow them, but only after I’ve forgotten completely what the book is about.
To be honest, I find that many (maybe even most) book blurbs give away more than I want to know. It’s the same with movies (I have a MOVIE file as well). I don’t really want to know anything before I begin reading/watching.
This begs the question, how does one write a book blurb that is intriguing but doesn’t give too much of the story away?
I figure if it mentions what is in the first few chapters (you can normally get a free sampler if buying an ebook) its not so bad but more than that its too much. I was told early on only mention things that happen in the first 3 chapters of a book. You can elude to finding surprises in the book or that the book went in a different direction to what you expected or as in a recent book there was a scene that was so unexpected but also I found moving. It has no detail of what but just what I found moving. But I would be annoyed as would an author if someone said what it was.
Agreed Jenny, that would be very annoying. That’s good advice to only include what is in the first few chapters. As you say you can always hint that a twist is coming without giving away what that is.
I also hate blurbs that hint of twists and turns and then there is none or none that are really noticeable. (Not as bad as red herrings that go nowhere and I am sure is a hint to the mystery.)
I hate end of story spoilers. I don’t mind early ones thwt give me an idea of tropes, etc.
I agree if the blurb happens in the first few chapters (and there is a spoiler) that I can handle. Like if the book I mentioned they had gotten married in the first couple of chapters due to the perceived issue it would have made sense to mention it but when it happened about 3 chapters from the end I wasn’t happy.
I don’t like it when someone puts a spoiler in a review. It’s very easy to share enthusiasm about a book without including spoilers. I have some surprising twists in some of my own plots, and I don’t want anyone to spoil the suspense of the build-up to the surprise for my readers. I don’t want surprises spoiled when I’m reading books by other authors, either.
I fully agree. If someone is going to post a spoiler I want it mentioned this review contains spoilers. Good reads give the choice to tick it contains spoilers. I also know some people when doing a review do it more like a book report and will comment on the whole book. They forget others are reading and will see all the spoilers.
I don’t mind. I’ve never been one for surprises, and often read a plot summary before I’ll watch the movie. Those aren’t so readily available for books outside classics, but the same principle applies. Foreknowledge often enhances my enjoyment of a story.
That being said, if a blurb talks about something, I expect it to happen reasonably early in the plot. Otherwise I’m confused for most of the book.
I often will look up for tv or movies but I like getting surprises in books. Although I will sometimes read the last pages early.
Hi Jenny, This is an interesting question. I do appreciate spoilers that are effectively trigger warnings. I have DNF’d a romance book that unexpectedly included a death. The situation in the book was too similar to the circumstances of someone in my life who had recently passed away, and it was too much. Had I known to brace myself for tragedy, I would have postponed reading the book, and probably enjoyed reading it at a later date.
I agree with the trigger point message. I did that after mum passed away due to a couple books dealing with someone dying with cancer and one was so heavy on the treatment. the other was just the final days. Mum didn’t have cancer but it was too soon.