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Below_the_current leave a nice honest review.

I prefer honest reviews. You can say what you didn't like in a review and still be nice about it.

A review that's civil is nice. There's a person behind the story's creation. Some readers tend to forget that.

Below_the_current I also afraid of giving a review when I found a novel I don't like. But, as an author in this community myself, I tried to think from a different perspective when I need to review someone's novel.

—I have to understand what I don't like about that novel. I need to know, is it my problem or the writer's problem that I can't get into this novel? This thought is pretty subjective, so we need to be careful when reviewing.
—When you don't like the novel, you can focus on the point that you don't like inside the novel. Tell the writer why you don't like it. If the fault falls on you; eg... The novel is not in your taste. Just say it. But, don't say it's bad because it's still the hard work of that author.
If the fault falls on the author, eg. Bad grammar, no paragraph break, messy writing... Tell her that it needs to be changed. Send her tips or something, in other words... Constructive criticism and not a complaint.

Below_the_current

Tear their work to shreds. Seriously, what’s the point of a review system if it doesn’t net valuable feedback for authors?

I try to comment on what’s written fairly, but I never hold back. If something is well-written but I don’t like it, then I state that in my review. If something is poorly-written, but I like it, then that’s what I say. By the way, both stories might get a similar rating because of how the rating system works.

The system allows you to rate different categories so you can give credit to what an author does well and mark them down for what they do right. Two stories with the same rating might have vastly different grammar, but also very different levels good characters or plot. Therefore, a story with a great plot and bad grammar might have a similar score to a story with great grammar and a terrible plot.

The part where you write a comment allows you to explain why you rated the way you did. Hopefully, authors will look at that and start fixing things. At the very least, you were honest so they know what you really thought. I’d rather have that then wonder why no one is reading my “5-star” story.

You are supposed to review the novel. Judge the novel. But never judge the author :)

Below_the_current I generally try to breakdown the review by category since I've found that the author often struggles in one area (say has a ton of little grammatical mistake or can't really set the pace) but excels in another or something (say super impressive world building or story idea).

I essentially, honest review or review swap, pretty much follow the same format for reviewing: pick a couple of things that I liked about the novel or that I thought the author did good in, and then list a couple of things that I thought the author could work on, and if I feel like it, list some additional tips as well. It's called constructive criticism, not destructive criticism, after all. Also I make sure that the tone with which I write the review is generally encouraging and on the positive side, because something a bit too negative could discourage an author from writing. Also keep in mind: is it something that the author can fix in a moment or over a long period of time? If you didn't like how the plot turned out or an aspect of a character, who knows, maybe the author intended it to be that way. But grammatical mistakes, on the other hand, are something else. Author's do appreciate corrections, and constructive criticism encourages maturity.

And please, even if you think a work is utter trash, never say that. That is something that the author has worked hard on. Just say something along the lines of "could use improvement". There is a delicate balance to find, an art to reviewing. And be mindful of how your words might come off as. Don't be overbearing over things like plot, character, and theme, because the author might have a specific vision in mind. It is their story, after all.

TL;DR: Constructive criticism, not destructive criticism. Give compliments as well as critique. Keep in mind that this is the author's story, and that they have feelings, but also remember that author appreciate feedback and honesty.

You can leave a review and still be respectful. This isn't an either/or deal. If you see a weakness point it out and if you have a suggestion for fixing it, let them know. Telling them what they did well never hurts either, even if it's a simple as I like the premise of your story, or your antagonist is interesting. That sort of thing always helps the author. The worst thing you can do is make it a personal attack. Nothing is worse for an aspiring author to be made to feel like they have no business writing a novel. I've been there, 0/10 would not reccomend.

I participated in the review swap thread some time ago.
I remember being extremely disappointed by one particular review. On the surface, the reviewer gave me 5/5 and sugarcoated everything with nice words, but it was so generic and was absolutely devoid of any meaningful content. Upon closer inspection of the reviewer's profile, I discovered they had a couple stock reviews, which were then copy-pasted for mass review swaps so they can rake in ratings and viewcount. It was blatantly obvious the person doesn't even read past the synopsis of their countetparts' stories. Zero hours of reading time!
I'd rather take a brutal yet honest dismantling of my work, because hey at least it's constructive and also a clear sign of somebody has actually read the story thoroughly enough. It's far better than a nicely worded review that doesn't really say anything.

It's better to leave honest review if you can. Honest and constructive reviews are the best.

However, those who review only after reading less than 10 chapters in a long novel shouldn't leave a review. If you don't like it then drop it. Not every novel is as fast paced as the others. Some of them needs a build up before the plot truly unravel itself.

There are also others who only look at the intro and give harsh reviews that was only based on one chapter as if everything they pointed out should be explained right there and then. But when an author really did that, they would then cry for too much infodump. Smh

Below_the_current Always be honest. Give constructive criticism instead of just dissing the author/book. It will be highly appreciated and the author will also learn.

JenniferHughes Spam...? :/

Being honest and giving constructive criticisms would actually please most authors. 1. It's proof that you really read their work/s; 2. It would help them to learn and develop their writing.