User blog comment:RuckusQuantum/Poll 1: Cruelty or Kindness?/@comment-25052433-20150207074654

Honestly I don't think you need to be kind or cruel, as neither of those aspects are a true reflection of a good review.

The goal should always be objectivity. Don't get mad at the story, don't come up with ways to insult the author, and don't slip in petty comments. The trick is to simply read the story, and write down the aspects that appealed to you, and the aspects that you felt damaged your reading experience.

Generally, to give a solid, objective review, you start off with the positives. If there are no positives in your opinion, that's fine, but state that in a manner that is consistent with reviewing a story.

List the angles that simply didn't work, and express why you felt they didn't work. There is no reason to ever be cruel though. This isn't literature boot camp. Our purpose here isn't to break the writer down and then build them back up again. Our purpose is to give our honest feelings as to what went right and what went wrong, and possibly some achievable suggestions as to how they could improve upon their work.

So in closing, as stated above, just review. Be objective. Give constructive feedback. Don't be a jerk.

Follow those steps, and you'll write amazing reviews.