Throughout an author’s career, a one-star review is bound to happen. Everyone has their own opinion–a book can be five stars and one star simultaneously; a book can be wonderful and terrible; the pace can be too fast or too slow; the characters endearing or annoying, etc.

Whenever I feel down about my reviews (I know, I’m not supposed to read them, but I can’t help it), I think of all the great authors I love who have gotten one-star reviews on genuinely good books. It makes me feel better and it reminds me that reviews are subjective.

Let’s take a look!

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Sorcery of Thorns is one of my all-time favorite YA fantasies and there’s so much to admire in it–the pacing, the characters, Rogerson’s unique take on demons…so reading this was kind of like jumping into a bathtub full of ice cubes.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

I thought Harrow’s characters were flawed and interesting. There are qualities Opal has that are not endearing, but I always thought that was the point. And her relationship with Arthur is a surprise, but not unwelcome. And I loved how the children’s stories/fantastical novel tied together with the strange behavior of the house, and when all hell breaks loose. I thought this was a very imaginative, original book.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

I actually really love this book. It made T. Kingfisher an auto-read for me. I thought this was dark and whimsical at the same time, full of original ideas and humor amid some very serious, traumatic things. I didn’t have any issues with the characters, although I did sometimes forget the lead is supposed to be 30 years old. But that was no dealbreaker for me. I enjoyed myself throughout the book.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

I actually love the entirety of the Folk of the Air series, but I selected The Cruel Prince because I think it might be the most polarizing due to Cardan’s treatment of Jude and other characters. This book’s folklore and fantasy dazzled me and it was a page-turner. I couldn’t guess what was going to happen!

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

I actually found this book completely enthralling and found it so suspenseful and tense that I actually had to put it down a couple times just to regroup and continue on. The horror elements with the ghosts and frightening visions of the past stuck in my mind for a long time, plus the real-life horrors of Jim Crow South. I thought this was a tremendous work and fully deserving of the 2024 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel and 2024 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

I was assigned to read this in graduate school and it made me love epic fantasy again because it felt so original to me. I loved the gods in this book–Nahadoth and Sieh especially–and Yeine was a complex protagonist who I rooted for. I liked that she didn’t shy away from being sexual, either–no shame there. I thought this book was wildly creative and I loved reading it.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

This book was foundational for me. A revisioning of the fairy tale The Wild Swans, it showed me that a fairy tale adaptation can be amazing and original. I thought the romance between Sorcha and Red was great…and overall this was the book that made me want to give novel writing a serious try.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

I had to stick another Rogerson book in here because I really love her work. This was the first book of hers I read, and I really enjoyed her take on the fae (I found Rogerson and Holly Black to be inspiration for my own interpretation of the fae in Son of the Siren.) Anyway, I also enjoyed the love story and the premise that painting a fae with humanlike emotion is a sacred violation of the fae. What a unique take!

The Ill-made Mute by Cecilia Dart Thornton

To be honest, I can hardly remember much about this book anymore, only that I thought it was overflowing with the fantastical. It came out when I graduated from high school and I randomly picked it up from the library. I loved the sea ships travelling on the air and the explanation of how that worked; the seelie and unseelie wights, and other Celtic influences. Truth be told, it was my first fictional encounter with a Each-uisge (water horse) and it stayed in my mind for so long that I included one in the forest of Elythia in Son of the Siren.

The Shining by Stephen King

I keep going back and forth between having The Shining as my #1 King book, or Pet Sematary. The Shining won out. It’s one of the few books I’ve read multiple times, and the imagery and hauntings and mood really got to me as I consumed it. I even have some snippets of it memorized. This wasn’t my introduction to horror, but I think it was my first adult horror novel. I love it to this day.

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

This is the original novel that inspired the movie Hellraiser. I thought the concept was unique, where pain is so immeasurable and constant that it can create sexual pleasure. The cenobites were a wholly original creation, and I enjoyed the prose. I consider this a horror classic.

A Rose in Winter by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

So, I think I love this book for the sake of nostalgia–it was the first romance novel I ever read, and I adored it. I read it again a few years ago and realized that it’s definitely an artifact of its era, with some issues and stylistic choices that wouldn’t fly today. But whenever I attempt to write romance in my books, I consult my memory of this novel–how it made me feel while I read it. And to me, it was romantic, adventurous, tantalizing. Although the ending/plot twist leaves something to be desired. I would give this four stars–definitely not one.

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What can writers learn from this?

True, one-star reviews signal the worst rating (the lowest rating) and indicates that a book was problematic or disliked…but have you heard that one-star reviews can also entice readers to check out your work?

For example, I watched a book review from Reads with Rachel about Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna. It was a negative review, but the plot and characters sounded really interesting to me despite some valid points she was making about her experience reading. So I went ahead and got the book. And because I collect books that are beautiful, I got the UK covers to the entire series and own the trilogy now. I’m only partway through Belladonna (got distracted by other books) but I like it so far!

Probably the bigger lessons writers should take away from getting a one-star are:

• Reviews and readers are subjective
• No single book out there is perfect
• In your writing career, you are bound to get one-star reviews; it’s normal
• A one-star review inspired a passionate response from your reader, so your book definitely is capable of touching people
• They show that your book is trustworthy in that there aren’t an overabundance of positive reviews, but a well-rounded take on your book–no bias is there
• Reviews are for readers

At the time of writing this, the only book I have out is Son of the Siren, which has garnered two-star reviews, but no one-star. I consider myself lucky, but I’m also expecting to get one eventually. And if not with Son of the Siren, with The Name and the Key trilogy. I look at these one-star reviews to make myself feel better–even the best books out there are disliked, which has nothing to do with the quality of books, but rather, a reader’s opinion. I hope this adds a layer of strength to me for when the time comes when I get one-starred reviews.

Readers, have any of your favorite books gotten one star? How do you feel about it?