Eva Lazar is a fast reader. A corporate banking advisor by day and book reviewer by night, Lazar lives in Sweden and has posted hundreds of reviews for authors at Amazon and Goodreads. Her rates are low, but her expectations are high.
Right now Lazar has her hands on Swallow Publishing’s first title, A Sampling of Life, One Taste at a Time.
“When picking up a book, I want to be able to dive into the story without the writing style holding me back,” said Lazar.
She added some authors write in such a way, it’s like they are merely telling a story in the way a friend would tell you about a movie they saw, and said that when she devours a novel, she just wants to be transported to a different world — not unlike any other reader.
“I always hope the author has created a world that expands with every page in a way that is both natural, yet deliberate. A tall order, undoubtedly, which is why I rarely find myself awarding a book five stars.”
Because she’s always been a fast reader, Lazar said she used to finish virtually any book she started. Lately, however, her appetite for quality literature has increased, as access to cheap e-books grows ever larger. She knows she must be picky.
With books coming out at a faster rate than anyone could possibly read them, she confessed there’s no sense in wasting her time on a story she doesn’t enjoy.
Lazar said that, as a rule, she gives a book 100 pages to make an impression. While a strong start is an advantage, even if it’s lacking she softens at the idea the author had a compelling reason to write it, and they deserve an honest chance.
“The least I can do is give them time to make a case for their work. If my interest still has not been piqued after 100 pages, I force myself to put the book down.”
But Lazar added there are exceptions to the rule, stating it took her roughly 230 pages to start enjoying Lord of the Rings the first time around, and she was ever grateful that she pushed through.
She shared that her top 3 favorite novels of all time are Davita’s Harp by Chaim Potok, Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë. Lazar is also a huge fan of everything Dostoevsky wrote.
If you’d like to get an honest review from her, Lazar, who shared with Swallow Publishing that reading is her life, hopes you will choose her to evaluate your book. She truly believes a lot of benefit can be gained from having someone with nothing to lose (but a few hours of their time) take a look at your work.
Eva Lazar’s Review Rates
- $5/book for books under 250 pages
- $10 for 250-350 pages
- $15 for any books exceeding that
- $5 added for 1 week turnaround
Delivery time: about 3 weeks
Contact: evalazar95@hotmail.com / evalazar95 on Twitter & Goodreads
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