Well, I agree that authors should be careful to use the correct codes for their stories, so readers can avoid the topics they personally don't enjoy, and also search for those they do find interesting. Like you, I am dismayed when I read a story and find it contains a topic that's a turn-off for me. My list of turn-offs includes snuff, incest, and underage characters.

However, I don't give a bad review on the basis of a missing or incorrect story code. I will mention it in the review, but I base the review on my perception of the quality of the writing, and I do make an effort to explain why I rated it as I did.

Quote Originally Posted by bisarah
i try to review the stories i read that i think are really good. however, sometimes i read stories that contain things i don't find sexually stimulating (snuff, incest, etc.) that are not listed in the little box under the title. i have given some less than good reviews because i didn't like the story and wasn't prepared for the content. why don't the authors make sure the reader's know up front what the content of their work contains?