Hey everyone! I decided that I wanted to do weekly discussions, which are going to happen every week on Fridays, I'm going to call this Forum Friday. Without further ado, here's my first topic:

Spoilers in reviews?

I'm sure I'm not the only book blogger that includes a little summary in my reviews. All reviews are bound to have some spoilers, right? Or, is it possible to review a book with no spoilers at all?

That also leads to this question—what exactly is a review?

I think this is open to interpretation, but a review is a personal opinion regarding a book, often including a summary. The book may be compared to others, described using eloquent language or simple speech.

Some reviewers and review readers get frustrated when a blogger "accidentally spoils" a book through their review. I try and keep spoilers out of my reviews, but often there are small facts or hints that the reader could figure out and interpret as a spoiler. I talk about character relationships a lot in my reviews as well, so some readers may not like that I have "spoiled" the relationship. In the case that it is a highly unlikely relationship or a relationship that does not exist on the book's dust jacket or back cover, I won't directly mention it, but maybe do so in a subtle or misleading way.

In my opinion, these kinds of spoilers I've mentioned above are okay. But if a book review is to talk about a book, there must be some plot details discussed, right? Skirting around the 'plot' will only confuse readers. All book reviews must contain some spoilers.

What do you think? Please leave your opinions below!

– Cas