I see that kind of thing all the time in many genres. I don’t think I’ve ever DNF’d a book. I didn’t know it was a thing till I joined Reddit.

It’s almost a joke as well. Someone will say it was garbage when whatever they’re saying isn’t true. Like there is a series called Dungeon Crawler Carl. I saw a guy who supposedly reviews a lot and he said it was too silly and he quite. Well, it can be, but it’s also pretty dark and has many serious moments. Dude obviously didn’t read very far if he thought it was all silly. As a matter of fact, that silliness is really needed. The authors other stuff is super dark. DCC is good because it has some brightness to it.

I also see people who will get on and complain that a character isn’t ultra-super-final evolution from from the jump. They’ll complain that the character has flaws isn’t the ultimate representation of whatever. Never mind giving them a chance to evolve and change through the story. Why read their journey if they don’t experience change?

I also see tons of dueling opinions. People will scream that one book is garbage because it just dumps them in with no explanation and expects them to figure it out as they go. Then I’ll scroll down to posts and see someone complaining that they’ve been given too much information and they’re committing the sin of telling and not showing.

My general opinion is that people just want to complain and have someone pat them on the head for it. I’ve seen a trend in people wanting to stand out by tearing something down. They’ll search and hunt for something to complain about. Then you get a plethora of screaming seagulls echoing the statement.

I’ve seen many authors who are praised for being amazing, then when they get popular and everyone talks about them, someone has to come out trash talking them and several other people are like, “yeah, I always thought they were trash all along. Also, don’t check my post history.” To me, it’s the equivalent of goth/emo kids saying they’re gonna rebel and teach everyone a lesson by being unique and dressing like every other goth/emo kid and anyone who has a problem like with that can just get over themselves. No one understands them.

I’m fine if someone legitimately has an issue with a book and they’re welcome to discuss it. I just think people take themselves too seriously. When people “review” books, it’s like they think they’re the lone reviewer for the New York Times. In reality, your opinion only matters to you. I’m including myself and any reviews I do in that statement. I always hope my reviews can encourage people to try the book, but I don’t think anyone should just blindly accept my take on it. The only way reviews are valid, just on their own, is if you’ve read many reviews by the same person, read the books under review, and found you generally agree with the person. Otherwise, how do you know you won’t love what they hate? What if they say a book is garbage because it has elves and dragons and that’s kiddy shit. What if you love those things and read anything that has them?

But yeah, I think there is a problem with “critics” taking themselves too seriously and looking for issues to make it seem like they’re super analysts. You just have to take any review with a grain of salt. I’ve enjoyed many books and movies for what they are when they had horrible reviews and everyone crapped on them. I’m much happier being able to enjoy them, than those people are crapping on them.