Mad Libs Reviewing

It surprises me sometimes how many people are uncomfortable reviewing books. I don’t mean a professional, paid review for the New York Times, but just a note on the blog or Amazon or wherever. A lot of people have told me they just don’t know what to say, or they don’t believe they can write a good review.

Fear not good people, for I have the solution. Mad Libs Reviews take the stress from reviewing, and make for a much more entertaining read. (In some cases, probably more entertaining than the actual book.)

If I were a programmer, I’d set up an app to do this automatically. But I’m not, so we do it the old fashioned way. Choose your words, then read your review of a hypothetical goblin book. Feel free to share any particularly fun lines in the comments. (But remember, this is a family-friendly blog.)

Have fun, and tune in next week when I use Mad Libs to write the promo piece for THE SNOW QUEEN’S SHADOW!

1. Noun: ________________
2. Noun: ________________
3. Adverb: ________________
4. Animal: ________________
5. Verb: ________________
6. Noun: ________________
7. Name: ________________
8. Verb: ________________
9. Adjective: ________________
10. Noun: ________________
11. Adjective: ________________
12. Noun: ________________
13. Emotion: ________________

I just finished reading Jim C. Hines’ latest novel, GOBLIN __________ (1). In this book, Jig the goblin sets out with his fire spider Smudge to stop a crazed __________ (2) wizard.

The book starts out __________ (3), but really picks up around chapter three when Jig and Smudge encounter an angry were-__________ (4) who wants to __________ (5) them both.

Throughout the book, Jig continues to struggle with the events of GOBLIN WAR and the pressures of his new __________ (6). A visit from __________ (7) only adds to his conflict, until he begins to question whether he’ll ever be able to __________ (8) the goblin lair.

This is a __________ (9)¹ addition to the goblin series, full of Hines’ traditional __________ (10). The cover art was a bit __________ (11) for my taste, and Jig’s confrontation with the wizard’s __________ (12) at the end felt rushed. Overall though, I expect fans of Jig Dragonslayer to be completely __________ (13) with the book.

—