After reading two different book reviews I recognize the significance of getting blessed with a fine review. The reviews that I read really had a strong impact on my opinion over the two books. The first review was titled “Survivor,” and written by a woman named Katie Roiphe. It reviews the book Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. From the first paragraph she had me asking, “Where can I buy this book!” The author opened the review 
with the sentence “What if the future were a giant reality television show in which children were pitted against each other in an elaborate fight to the death, in which politics, war and entertainment had finally become indistinguishable?” Which reader wouldn’t be captivated by such a sentence? However, I do believe that the book that is being written about plays a big role in the success of the review. If there were a bad book it would be pretty hard to make it sound good despite the author’s best efforts. After describing the intense plot the author went on to compare parts of this book to certain acclaimed works such as 1984, A Clockwork Orange, Harry Potter, and The Chronicles of Narnia. She picks various well-known works from different genres to help sell Mockingjay to all types of readers. Roiphe focuses on the style of writing more than the plot of the book. She uses lines such as “The trilogy balances seriousness with special effects, a fundamental furious darkness with fast-paced storytelling,” and “contain[s] a sharp satire of celebrity culture, mindless tabloidism and decadence, as well as crusading teenagers trying to save the world,” that really help the reader get a feel for the book without actually spoiling the plot in any way. She also compares the book’s main character to main characters of other books such as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which are popular now. Overall the author helps us picture exactly what Mockingjay will be about and let’s us know what we’re getting into before actually picking up the book. 
On the other hand Michiko Kakutani’s review of Patricia Engel’s Vida does not stir up my interest about the book in any way. It is merely a plot summary of an otherwise boring book. In the article “How Colombia meets America, but Not Quite,” I felt like I was reading Spark notes of Vida. There was no sense of how the book was written and I did not know what I was gaining by reading this book. The author did try to compare this book to Harold Nicolson’s Some People, but I could not relate due to the fact that I have never heard of that book. Again, I think the book under scrutiny played a big part of this review. The book sounds uninteresting so therefore the review is automatically brought down a level. However, the way the article is written is inexcusable. Besides giving us a plot summary this article didn’t leave me with much. It was just excerpt after excerpt from Vida, and it was as if the author did not know he was writing a review. Therefore I doubt you’ll ever see me reading Vida. Sorry Patricia!
I agree that mere plot summary is not enough in a review. Some books may seem boring if only given the plot, but sometimes the characters and writing style in those books make them worthwhile.
I agree that the impact of the review also depends on the quality of the book. I guess the reviewer would be more enthusiastic about writing the review if he/she liked the book.
I read the two first books from Collin’s series. I didn’t know Mockingjay was out! It’s a pretty good series, but I think it was meant for a younger audience. It’s still a fun read though.