I don’t NEED spoilers, but sometimes knowing that a book contains something I particularly like or or dislike helps me spend my time and money more wisely.

[I voted "yes" in this poll, so I'm not advocating a particular reviewing style just admiring a well written review.]

I also think it’s practically impossible to write a review without any spoilers at all that doesn’t boil down to a mere “I liked/didn’t like it; the plot was good/bad and the characters were great/stupid.”

What I don’t want is to have major plot elements revealed without any warning, and I don’t think the answers to mystery plots should be given away. Nor should things that are meant to have a shocking impact or a big emotional punch. Not without HUGE spoiler warnings, at least. I like to see spoiler warnings: let each review reader decide how much they want to know.

Of course I always read the ending of any book I pick up first. I hate surprises in entertainment AND in real life. It’s the only reason getting tv shows later than the US is a good thing… because by the time they air for me I’ve read all the recaps and know where things are going!

No book has ever been ruined for me because I knew too much about it going in, but PLENTY of them have left me with a bad taste in my mouth because I wasn’t prepared for something. Which has led to me buying fewer books by some authors or in certain genres.

Angie

I choose to read for comfort, but also for entertainment. That’s why I don’t want to know what happens beforehand. I want to enjoy the journey and the slow unfolding of the story, so to speak, and that includes all the twists and turns that the book (or movie) contains. When all the pertinent facts are known prior to beginning the story, it’s difficult for me to understand how it can be very enjoyable. I guess that’s why re-reading is a very low priority for me; the surprises are all gone. It’s everyone’s personal choice, though, and an interesting one at that.

I think the majority of readers/tv watchers/movie viewers want predictability in their entertainment.

I don’t quite get it, but I see it time and time again.

Otherwise, shows like “Pushing Daisies” would’ve been #1. :-)

The more specific the review is about the details of the book, the more I will be able to tell if it’s worth my money or not. Specific plot twists, cliches done right (or done wrong), whether the book is more focused on external plot or internal conflict, HEA or HFN, love triangles, TSTL behavior, etc — I want to know. This helps me avoid things I dislike (convoluted external plots or love triangles — hey, I’m a simple girl) and find tropes that I love. I know generally how a romance is going to end, what I want is to find a book that pushes my happy buttons.

I am one of those readers who will read the last chapter of a book if I’m struggling to get through the beginning because if the ending is worth it, I will trudge. (To quote one of my favorite cheesy movies, “To trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who has nothing left in life except the impulse to simply soldier on.”) Knowing the outcome doesn’t lessen my enjoyment of the rest of the book, quite the opposite when it comes to romances, in fact.

Spoilers are also a good way to get me into a series. I could read all about Miles on Wiki before I started the Vorkosigan saga so I went into it knowing not to root for Elli Quinn or get too attached to his mercenary career. (I don’t think I would have liked Quin even if I had read the books as they were published…). Same with the Jaran books by Kate Elliott. I read spoilers and knew to avoid the rest of the books like the plague.

My only thing is that they should be clearly marked and people should have ample warning, because, fervent spoiler supporter that I am, there are still some things I don’t want spoiled. Go figure.

It doesn’t bother me if I know a plot twist or what happens by the end but I do have friends that don’t like to be spoiled so I do behave and not tell around them.

Unfortunately I have come across people who insist they don’t like to be spoiled but then pester you to tell them what happened before they read/watch something. I never know if I should or shouldn’t tell them when this happens because telling them can (and frequently does) backfire on me!

Angie

Spoilers don't bother me in the least- and it's not because I have a tendency to freak out over certain scenes or conclusions. It's just that I enjoy the journey more than the *surprise* ending.

Interesting. Others have said this type of thing as well in support of their pro-spoiler stand (i.e. that they are more interested in the “journey” than the destination,) but (for me) spoilers can ruin the journey that the author intended the reader to take. I suppose that for a lot of books that really does not matter too much since what is going to happen is pretty obvious, but it seems a shame to “blurt out the punchline” of a more intricately constructed plot.

I have a hard time writing reviews without spoilers myself, perhaps because I’m trained as an academic and must always support my claims with examples. I can write a brief reaction in general terms, but nothing in depth without lots of specifics; avoiding spoilers often means avoiding the things most worthy of discussion. I’m skeptical of reviews that don’t give me examples of what is being praised or criticized.