All that Glitters is not Gold: Reviews by jonbrain

Author's note (Updated)

In a world where the internet makes it possible for random people to publish whatever they want, one man will tell you exactly what he thinks of it all.

Hey, guys! My name isn't actually jonbrain, but for the time being, you can call me by that name. I'm an Idahoan in my twenties (that's Idaho, not Ohio or Iowa, by the way), I'm the son of an English teacher, and I'm currently in college. My idea of a good time is usually cross fit or long conversations about philosophy and theology, though it should be noted I'm a science major. I'll let my reviews create their own merit as much as I can.

So, my goal with this is to start a conversation. Constructive criticism is rare; I've been active on this site for less than a month, but I have yet to see much of it in even the most popular works I've read. Most comments are meant to show engagement with the material, and while that's important, as an author, it isn't what I need. So, I'm using this platform to provide that sort of feedback. My focus is on story construction, character development, writing style, and thematic material; I could work on typos, but I trust the internet to correct most of that work.

My second goal is to aid readers like myself who want to read but have no idea where to begin with the wealth of Wattpad content and poverty of detail. At the very least, I can tell you what I like and why I like or dislike it; my hope is that that helps you, dear reader, in any way possible.

I will also take requests, if there is a book that you've been considering but want to see reviewed first, shoot me a pm and I'll take a look. If you've written something and you want a very thorough critique thereof, shoot me a pm and I'll take a look. I may or may not publish the review, but at the very least I can give you my thoughts.

I will only post reviews if the book is completed and I feel I have something to say about it. Most things are meh. I will treat them as such. But I will do my best to read and review most works recommended/requested of me.

As I mentioned in the description, I will not read smut. If you have written explicit sexual content, take it elsewhere. I have serious moral qualms with its existence. We can debate this, but until it's proven that all life is meaningless, I will not tolerate smut of any sort. This includes cover art.

I'm also not fond of fanfiction, though I may read it if it contains no smut. Just be aware if I read it, I will probably not understand the universe it exists in (unless it's Star Trek, or the one Continuum fanfic I found and was seriously tempted to look at, or any major franchise, of course). So any fanfic reviews take with a grain of salt.

I think that's all I wanted to say. Thanks for being here! Please respond with comments/questions/concerns, and if you think I'm doing good work feel free to vote and share. Thanks, the real jonbrain.

[Update 12/18/2018]

I've thought about it a bit, and I've decided to change my policy. I will now be accepting incomplete works that have at least five chapters published. I've noticed that authors seem to want this a bit more than completed reviews. I will still publish my own reviews of completed stuff I've read, since I think there's more to be learned from that overall, but if you have an uncompleted work, I will now review it for you. I may have to make these reviews quite a bit shorter than my other works depending on how much is published and how much I have to work with in it. And I can't give it the same degree of scrutiny that I would otherwise, because I don't know if any of the problems I point out get resolved later, or if they're intentional. But I can tell you what I think, and that's probably a more valuable thing to do.

To that effect, please use the following form to request reviews of your works. Thanks again, the real jonbrain