Skip to main content

Do you spoil it for everyone else??

Do you post spoilery reviews??

I'm interested in what people think about this question. Personally I try not to write reviews that are spoilery. It's not that I think people who do are awful horrible reviewers who should be poked with sharp sticks I just never have done myself.

When Mockingjay came out there was a lot of fuss made because a lot of people were posting their reviews of it very quickly and spoiling the ending for fan who had been waiting patiently and eagerly for it for months which I can totally understand and had I read one before I read the book I would have been mightly annoyed!

I never really questioned this until recently. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Last Sacrifice early and had to sign all kinds of embargo forms to get it. When I wrote my review I tried to keep it spoiler free so mot to spoil it for others. I was looking at my stats on blogger and about the time I posted the review I got loads of hits through google for the phrase "Last Sacrifice reviews with spoilers" meaning there must be people out there that want to read spoilery reviews.

So my question to you is

Would you prefer reviews that are spoiler free or spoiler full??

Comments

Spoiler free for sure. I tend to avoid reading reviews that look too lengthy if its a book I'm looking forward to reading...I'm always afraid they'll reveal too much...
I TRY not to be spoilery unless I happen to have a issue with a particular something in which case I will say in the subject line that it has spoilers (which I did for my Mockingjay Review). Mostly I just try to give general impressions of the book in my review.
Spoiler free for me! Unless l know l won't read it or have read it.
Maybe you could do a spoiler part and just warn people .. l do that if l want to include a spoiler but work VERY hard to not include spoilers and ask to be told if l do.
l come across some blogs with large followers who post reviews and a lot are spoilers and your not warned.
Things which don't seem like a spoiler to someone who has read the book is for someone who hasn't
E.g if the guys name isn't mentioned in the blur saying "l love her and him together" is ruining who gets together!!!
Erin said…
Great question!

I prefer to read spoiler-free reviews, so I also write spoiler-free reviews! For me, one of the most enjoyable parts of reading is finding out what's going to happen the characters we grow to love. But I don't want to find that out before I even open the book!

I do like when people give vague references, like saying there's a twist at the end, they didn't like the end, or it ends on a cliff-hanger until the next book. Those kinds of things I like to be prepared for. But anything specific is too much for me!

Quitting My Day Job
I try my hardest not too but I don't find it really difficult sometimes knowing just how far I can talk about something without spoiling it and especially when I'm reviewing a series, it's hard not to spoil it's predecessors!
I wouldn't want anything spoiling for me which is why I try not to and if I think I've possibly go too far or my review may spoil the previous books in the same series I will warn readers at the beginning of the post! :) x
Sarah said…
I prefer to read spoiler free reviews so always try to write them that way too. Sometimes with a seris it is impossible to discuss the new book without mentioning major spoilers for earlier books but I always warn of that at the beginning of my review and there are never spoilers for the actual book I'm talking about.

I can only think of one instance where I had spoilers for the book I was reviewing. It was a book I had major issues with because of some of the things that happened so when I got to that part of my review I put up major spoiler alert warnings so people could choose not to read further. I put another large note at the end of the spoiler so people could just scan past and easily spot where it was safe to start reading again.

I can't understand why anyone would want spoilers for a book they've not read yet but I do like to discuss books I've read with others who have also read them. I don't tend to do that on my blog though as I'm wary of spoiling for others.

Then again I was shocked to discover that some people read the last page / last chapter of a book before they read the beginning - that would ruin the whole book for me LOL. I guess that those people wouldn't mind a spoiler full review!
Sarah said…
I just realised what an essay I wrote for you there - sorry about that LOL
Michelle said…
Spoiler free. Even though there have been times when I've googled a series (Mortal Instruments anyone?) But for the most part I like to be surprised with the ending.

Hooked to Books
Vicki said…
I definitely prefer reading spoiler free reviews, and try to make mine that way (and hope I succeed) I'm with Sarah in that it can be difficult for series but I usually warn people who haven't read the previous books before I start my review.
Claire (Cem) said…
Spoiler free no question!! I loathe spoilers. I've discovered that sometimes writing spoiler free reviews is really hard, but I always try my best for them to be so, because I'd hate to ruin the book for anyone, knowing how much I hate spoilers myself. And I always use spoiler warnings if I'm reviewing a series book and I'm giving away big events from the previous ones as well. I had the big death at the end of Harry Potter 5 ruined for me by my sister about 4 chapters before I got there (she was even further behind, but her friend had told her) when I first read it within release week. I was sooo mad!! Never been able to stand spoilers since.
Lynsey Newton said…
Spoiler free for sure but perhaps with some hints and teases that make me WANT to read the book.
Fi-chan said…
Spoiler free, of course. But if and when I do want to read spoilery reviews, it's because I want to know what happens without actually reading the book LOL. And it's really hard to write spoiler-free reviews D:
Daisy said…
Spoiler free, I hate it when I already know how it ends, it takes the excitement away for me. I always try to write spoilerfree and else I post with huge warning or as I have lately done: post it so you have to light up the passage to read it.
With series it's difficult, cause everything you mention about the storyline is spoilerish for the first book in the series, but I always mention this right on top of the review, so people are warned.
I avoided Mockingjay reviews (and the Goodreads page) like the plague when I hadn't read it yet, because some people thought it would be nice to announce the whole storyline and who dies or doesn't. After a year of waiting for it, I would have been SOOO angry if I'd read that!
iffath said…
Spoiler free please! It's pretty hard to write a spoiler-free review though, so I'm not hugely bothered if a blogger has let a few minor bits slip, but if it's more than just a teaser, just no.
Sally said…
OK I am going to go against the consensus and say that reading a review with spoilers doesn't really bother me at all. I don't go looking for reviews with spoilers but it will not put me off if they reveal some major plot details or even what happends at the end of the book. I am one of those people who will read the last page of a book mid-way through it - I don't like to be too surprised. However when writing reviews I try not to reveal anything major - I find this quite difficult to do but I am a new blogger so I am hoping it becomes easier with time.
Spolier free all the way, I try my best not to write reviews with any spoilers in them - it can result from me in some really tiny reviews (smaller than my normal ones) - but I'd rather that than give something away.
Anonymous said…
I try really hard to write spoiler free reviews because that's what I would want to read.

I don't mind bloggers putting spoilers in their reviews as long as they tell me BEFORE I get to it so I can chose whether to read it or not.

I hate it when I read a review and there's a spoiler right in my face without any warning. That makes me mad. I hate knowing all the major twists and turns before reading the book myself.
Mel said…
I try hard to make my reviews spoiler free but I'm pretty sure that I don't always succeed - especially when reviewing sequels and a series. It's difficult to get the balance between teasing and spoiling. Often the back cover of books give a fair bit away...sometimes people's view of a spoiler varies!

It's an interesting question though - I don't have enough will power not to read a review when it has spoiler warnings, but I don't purposely go out looking forward spoilers!
Blueicegal ♥ said…
Spoiler reviews are a no no. Sometimes I understand your over excited or frustrated and you can get carried away because it happens to me. If that is the case though it's important to mention Spoiler ahead. Bloggers count on reviews to give them a hint of whether they will like a certain book or not, not to ruin the whole plot for them.
BookGeek said…
I personally don't like to read spoilery reviews, so I tend not to write them. I DO appreciate those bloggers that post warnings though. Nothing like reading a spoiler by accident! Grr. BUT, this is just me and others might feel differently.
Alexia561 said…
Great discussion! I don't mind reading spoilers after I've already read the book, but prefer a warning so it doesn't take me by surprise. I try my best to not include any spoilers in my reviews, leave it vague, and maybe mention a twist that I wasn't expecting or that I wasn't happy with the ending.


Alexia's Books and Such...
For sure, spoiler free. I've read several spoilerific reviews of a book before I'd had the chance to read the book myself and it made me feel very stabby. I try my best to make my reviews as spoiler free as possible, but with a clear warning if it can't be helped..