A burning book in a dark fantasy setting - symbolic of my feelings toward Goodreads.

Goodreads ratings don’t matter and real readers know it

ByTC Marti

Goodreads rewards critics, not readers. Here’s why real fans of Spirit and Fire, and stories with purpose, should speak up where it actually counts.

Let’s talk about Goodreads. You know, the platform where some readers treat three stars like they’re handing you a participation trophy and expect you to thank them for it.

The same place where a book can be called “well-written and engaging”… and then rated two stars because the main character “wasn’t likable enough.” Or where someone admits they didn’t finish the book, and still felt the need to rate it.

Welcome to the dopamine playground of literary judgment.

I’ve seen it all. A five-star review, a thoughtful four, then boom! Someone fires off a two-star grenade because, apparently, I didn’t meet a wannabe gatekeeper’s personal canon of trope subversion, moral purity, or pacing perfection.

And here’s the thing: I don’t care, because Goodreads ain’t built for real readers. It’s built for critics looking for serotonin hits.

Real readers don’t care about serotonin hits or a dopamine rush

Readers, the real ones, don’t obsess over whether a book ticks off the Goodreads-approved genre checklist.
They care about:

  • Heart
  • Fire
  • Escape
  • Purpose

A story that punches them in the soul and leaves something burning when they close the final page is what they’re after.

That’s what I write. Not to win over every low-status, self-anointed reviewer who thinks their word is the ‘truth and the way.’ Not to get “justified feedback,” or any of that B.S. Nah, I’d rather connect with people who want rebellion, intensity, and a world that challenges the one we live in.

What else do I care about?

I care about readers who:

  • Downloaded books like Spirit and Fire and see Mali for who she really is
  • Got swept up in my universe’s magic, the Sacred Texts’ prophecy, the injustice
  • Walked away wanting more—not less

If that’s you, I want to ask you a favor: Leave a rating or review on Amazon for Spirit and Fire. That’s where real readers find books, and where your voice actually helps the next person discover something different.

Leave a review of Spirit and Fire on Amazon, and Goodreads can keep their two or three-star dopamine rush. I’ve got better things to build. Like a fandom that actually gives a damn.

Thanks for being part of that. Oh, and if you haven’t yet read Spirit and Fire, make sure you check it out if you like dark, libertarian fantasy with a main entree of lean meat—not pizza.

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