About Me
- Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer
- Cecelia has a Master of Letters from the University of New England. She is available as a literacy tutor in the Adelaide area, and also available for review writing.
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Saturday, October 22, 2022
RF Reviews: Young Adult
The Inked by Kristina Streva sympathizes with the minority.
Darkest Rose by Vera Morgana modernizes the story of ill-fated lovers.
Status Human: Book Two of The Upsilon Series by Daniel Weisbeck presents two novellas featuring robotic beings with remnants of human consciousness.
Victorian by Jordan Elizabet is almost as dark and brooding as it is spooky.
Christmas Magic by Catherine Kean shows love can go comically wrong once a spell is invoked.
Where the Magic Lies by Hermione Lee demonstrates all is not well in Fairyland.
The First Buds of Spring also by Hermione Lee brings magic into the classroom and draws a mortal into the other realm.
RF Reviews: Western
A SouthWestern Adventure: In the Footsteps of First Peoples: Mogollon, Hohokam, Salado and Sinagua by Michael Royea was non-fiction, but it set the background beautifully.
Wild Montana Winds by MK McClintock was a sweet Western romance.
Kincaid: A Mountain Man's Treachery provided a classic, action-based Western adventure.
The Siege: The Mimosa Tales: Book One by Linda Thackeray was absolutely action-based with shocking villains and heroic defenders.
A Perfect Storm of Injustice by Jack A. Saarela was like a docu-drama in that it presented a fictionalized, but realistic account of a falsely accused man. It also dealt with real social issues.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
RS: More Gaming Fiction: Nera Vivaldi
Cookmancer Online by Nera Vivaldi
I wasn’t sure what to think when I saw the cover and read the blurb. I wondered what sort of LitRPG would use cooking – and the talk of scoring points - was the heroine participating in a reality television show like Master Chef?
However, when I got past the uniqueness of the concept, I found Cookmancer Online was an absorbing read. Genuine gaming fiction, with a few twists. Apparently, Earth ought to have become uninhabitable, but it was saved by an artificial intelligence. The opposite of the TERMINATOR plot – but a certain amount of cyber paranoia remains. Is the artificial intelligence truly neutralised – and is it genuinely benign?
The villain is an ex-boyfriend, creating drama and tension. I immensely enjoyed my review copy accessed through Book Sirens.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
RS: Charming Holiday Fiction: Link by Link Edited by Meg Dailey & Thankfully in Love by Anna J. Stewart
Link by Link Edited by Meg Dailey
A charming collection that proves not all
ghosts are scary. Most of the ghosts in this story have returned to right
wrongs and support loved ones. One or two I’m not sure are ghosts; they are
supernatural creatures that only certain individuals or animals can see. The
volume is value-packed, with each tale being so complete that it deserves an
individual mention.
Between the Quiet by Candace Robinson –is a
sweet tale where a friend cares enough to attempt matchmaking from beyond the
grave. The Spirit of You by Elle Beaumont – another sweet tale featuring a
boyfriend who cares enough for a lingering farewell. I Saw Her Again by Lauren
Emily Whalen – is an inclusive story about lost love and regret. Yesterday’s
News by Leslie Rush – explores the ability of a message from the past to alter
the future.
Paw Prints by Kristin Jacques – is an
incredibly cute tale that asks whether pets might actually know best? Coffee
Talk by M. Dalto – is a charming love story. But who are the invisible mentors?
Bound by What by Jess Moore – a morality tale where a woman is tasked with the
burden of preventing a tragedy her selfishness caused. Charing Cross by Pam S.
Dunn –is a unique detective story with “gaslamp” fantasy overtones. The Recipe
for Cornbread by C. Vonzale Lewis – is a tale where Grandmother appears to help
prepare the festive meal. This one dug deep emotionally and I think it was my
favorite.
I read an advance review copy provided by
Book Sirens, and I write reviews because I really enjoy reading.
Thankfully in Love by Anna J. Stewart
Thankfully good! Four excellent holiday romances: they are clean romances, but you can feel the emotions better that way.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME by Anna J. Stewart – verged on being a holiday thriller.
SECOND CHANCES by Kayla Perrin – combined a holiday break up with the dream of “the one that got away”.
DOG-GONE HOLIDAY by Melinda Curtis - employed a bit of magical realism.
LOVE GUIDES THE WAY by Cari Lynn – I don’t know about you, but I found this one to be a tear-jerker.
I read a review copy supplied by Book Sirens, and am happy to recommend any of these stories to someone wanting positively themed festive entertainment.
Monday, October 12, 2020
Readers' Favorite Reviews: Non Fiction
The Wandering Investor by Brendan Hughes contains a survey of
the tourist attractions and economics of several countries. It is partially
investment advice, part travelogue. Countries surveyed included New Zealand,
Australia, Belize, and Iceland. The middle sections cover Peru, South Africa,
Zimbabwe, and Chile. Botswana sounds surprisingly good despite the drawback of
a large desert. The latter half discusses Canada, Colombia, India, Cuba,
Singapore, and Malaysia. Hughes makes Colombia sound frightening, but
apparently, it has good economic prospects. Singapore apparently has strong
manufacturing, health care, and education; as well as tourism. It seems to be
booming. Malaysia has diversified into manufacturing and is growing. Finally,
Indonesia is rated for its strong tourism and domestic activity. Then Hughes
brought things together in the analytical sections: “Travel Lessons Learned”
and “What Makes a Successful Economy?”
The Wandering
Investor is a unique
volume. It was stimulating to read about Hughes’ visit to my own country; and
all his adventures in other countries. Every chapter is introduced by an
account of the Hughes escapades in that particular country. I liked the fact
that the end of each chapter was illustrated with black and white photographs.
I used to read finance magazines, so I was interested in what Hughes had to
say. Hughes’ assessments were generally shrewd; although the situation in
Australia required him to write an “update” section. Some people will want to
read about Hughes' travel, while others will want to read about investments.
There is something in The Wandering Investor for everyone.
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Review Policy
I write for
a number of sites, so I am sumarising my review policy here. In all instances,
I attempt to provide a professional review.
WEEKEND
NOTES
-
Does
not allow me to do self-promotion in a review, but allows the promotion of any other
book or product available to the public.
-
Reviews
are for entertainment purposes
-
Public
interest and the experience of the reader are considered in the point of view.
-
Links
to the product may be included at the editor’s discretion (not mine).
-
Links
to the supplier’s website are encouraged
-
Does
not allow negative reviews. (These would set a poor tone for an entertainment
magazine).
-
Once
posted WN claims copyright. You could quote 10% as “fair usage” when referring
to the review – but not reprint the review.
-
Pays
its reviewers a small amount when views have accumulated. This amount comes
from advertising revenue.
-
Has
editors that check the reviews for spelling errors, misrepresentation and major
red flags.
-
More
terms and conditions are available here: https://www.weekendnotes.com/faq/#what
HUBPAGES
-
Does
not allow commercial use, but is open to literature, self-help, media reviews
and opinion.
-
Requires
original content, so a review posted elsewhere would not be accepted.
-
Third
party contributors (eg. reviewers) retain copyright. However, as the review
needs to be original to Hubpages, it cannot be reprinted elsewhere without
being removed from the site.
-
Has
affiliated sites it may display the review on, if it feels the article meets
the criterion.
-
Limits
what it considers “promotional links”, so may not link back to the provider’s
webpage, or sales platform.
-
Has
a revenue system whereby a very small amount is earned by clicks. This is
generally very slow.
-
Has
editors check articles for formatting, spelling and grammatical errors.
-
Full
terms and conditions are available here: https://maven.io/company/pages/terms
AMAZON
These are “customer reviews”. I consider them different to literary reviews or “peer reviews”, so I will always MAKE THEM SHORTER.
-
The
audience is the general consumer, so reviews will be LESS TECHNICAL.
-
“Spoilers”
devalue the product, so I will be avoiding summarizing the plot or telling the
story.
-
It
is against “Terms of Service” to pay for a review, accept payment for a review
or pressure the reviewer into giving a positive review.
-
As
a keen reader, I am generally happy to give out positive reviews. HOWEVER, I
feel effusive praise reads like advertising copy, and will avoid this.
- Please do not be disappointed if your review contains an honest response or piece of constructive criticism.
-
Other
Terms and Conditions can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G3UA5WC5S5UUKB5G
GOODREADS
-
Goodreads
is a more relaxed site and does not require the purchase of the book.
-
It
allows positive and negative reviews, and to some extent, thought provoking
opinions.
-
The
focus is required to be on the work rather than the person.
-
Links
appear to be allowed, as long as they provide useful information and are not
spam. (Blogs appear preferred to sales platforms.)
-
Content
must be original, so the same review cannot be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Angus
and Robertson and a blog. (These would all have to be written separately).
-
Due
to the above requirement, the review can only be quoted with acknowledgement.
-
Dialogue
between reviewers is allowed so long as it is polite.
-
Commercial
reviews are not allowed.
-
Goodreads
does not endorse reviews and may remove them at their discretion.
-
These
are not so much “customer reviews” – the book may have been obtained anywhere, (eg.
lending library), but “consumer reviews”.
-
Because
Goodreads appears so casual, it is not my primary choice for posting technical
criticism.
-
More guidelines are available at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/guidelines
ALL OTHER SITES
-
The
review must abide by the terms and conditions of that site.
-
The
review will be designed for the readers of that site.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
My Reviewer Profile Generated by Book Sirens
The BookSirens algorithm analysed my Goodreads reviews and returned following feedback.
Preferred Genres:
"Cecelia reads a diverse set of genres. However, Cecelia primarily reviews Fiction, Fantasy, and non-fiction. Cecelia rates Fiction books the highest, on average, with an average rating of 4.2."
"Within Fiction, Cecelia specifically reviews Speculative Fiction, Classics, Romance, Action / Adventure, and Drama.
Things are prone to change over time, so you can check out my current review profile using the interactive widget below.
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