Cat Johnson Braves Doll Lil’s Word Association Challenge!

Day: This is something that I never thought about until we started PBD because well…spoilers don’t really bother me too much. However, I realize that this is a big issue for authors and many readers as well so I try not to spoil at all. I really try to keep things vague and if I include spoilers they are usually to just the first chapters (which are normally released by publishers) and are more teasers than spoilers. If it is a new or advanced readers copy I am pretty careful and will mark the review as containing potential spoilers, if its an older title I may be less cautious. But in reality it’s such a murky area…what one person thinks is ultra spoilery another may not… *shrugs* What it all comes down to is to always be respectful of the author and their fans. Better safe than sorry;)

Lil: My aversion to spoilers has long had a name, it began when I was joining online book clubs and conversations. It became a kind of a joke, ******Lil’s Spoiler Free Zone******, became a familiar boldfaced warning in some circles. I avoid reviewers who find it necessary to include every minute detail of a book, especially when it comes to a continuing series. In some series it’s not a big deal but in a episodical series it would leave me cold to know some important detail out of context.

When I started reviewing I made a conscious decision not to spoiler readers. So when I am reviewing I try to express the over all tone of the book and why I did or did not enjoy it. As far as characters go I will share how I perceived them and how the author may have or may not have pulled me in to the story through a realistic relationship or event.

I feel the need to protect the reader’s experience and to honor an author’s effort to tell the story. Besides I got to experience a “you have to be kidding?”, LOL, WTF!?!, or fight the urge to throw-the-iPad-against-the-nearest-wall moment, why would I want to take that away from a fellow reader?

Mona: YES! I read spoilers! I don’t mind spoilers at all, so when I have an opportunity to read one, I jump at it. When it comes to my own reviews, however, I try to avoid them since many readers don’t want the story ruined for them. When I did include them in Shadowfever, I liked the way Kitt, Noa, and Day made the spoilers invisible unless the reader chose to reveal them. That was a neat way to satisfy both camps.

Noa: Hello, My name is Noa and I’m addicted to spoilers. Yes, I love them, I hunt them down, I seek them out on google search (time and date searches included for most updated spoilers please). I love me a good spoiler because to me, they aren’t spoilers. They’re enhancers. Like a trailer to a movie, I get to see little bits of the book, and that just encourages more discussion, more speculation, more fun…and yes, occasionally, more hype before the book is released.

But hey, just because I like (obsess about) them doesn’t mean others do. So I really, really, try not to include any in my reviews. Sometimes, especially in a series, that gets a bit difficult, since many times a later book in the series will have spoilers for previous books. If that happens – possible spoiler warnings will always be included. I can totally understand my friends who want a spoiler free zone and respect that. They want to open that box of chocolates and get all surprised when they bite into that incredible caramel center. Me? I want to make sure I’m getting the caramel and not the Marzipan!

Chrissy: I know that many readers love spoilers. But, personally, I am opposed to them all together. They’re called spoilers for a reason, they spoil the excitement of the reading experience. I’ve read them by accident in the past, before people started to include the SPOILER tag before such posts, and each time I was very aggrivated. I tend to be quite a stickler when it comes to spoilers, refusing even to read the first chapter of each Sookie Stackhouse book that Charlaine Harris posts on her website annually. I do not post spoilers in my reviews and I never will. The old adage is true: Curiosity killed the cat. I avoid describing spoilery parts of books by giving a basic summary of the novel without including too many details. I will include phrases like “includes a surprise ending” or “full of plot twists that no one will see coming” but never any specific events.

Believer: Spoilers are sticky wicket, really. Frankly – I avoid them like the plague. When I am looking for a new book or series I read several reviews. AND – while I don’t look for spoilers – I will look for long reviews that include almost a page by page description of the book’s story line. If the description includes spoilers, I prefer that this is pointed out and that the reader is given the option to skip that section. I also look for opinions regarding how well the story line worked; was it well executed; and how did the reader feel about the experience.

Kitt: I’m with Lil, Chrissy and Believer, I’m not a fan of spoilers. I want to experience a book exactly how it was meant to be. To me, it feels like when you know ahead of time what’s coming, it diminishes the emotional reaction you would of gotten originally and that’s one of the number one reasons I love reading in the first place. As for my reviews, I do strive to keep them out completely, but like Noa says, if it’s a book for later in a series, sometimes it cannot be helped and there for I’ll put a warning.

What about you? Do you like spoilers or are you against them? Do you seek them out? Or avoid them like the plague? Are you for or against spoilers in your reviews? In our reviews?

Paperback Dolls is made up of women from different parts of the world, with different backgrounds, different tastes and beliefs that were brought together through a love of reading. We like to think of ourselves as a cyber version of "The View" that focuses on books, authors, and reading. We are proof positive that one common love can unite the most opposite of people and form lasting friendships that introduce other ways of life and perspectives to each other.

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