To be blunt, it’s generous to call this piece a “review.” I say this not in defense of Wayhaven, because I think its overwhelming acclaim and reception speaks for itself, and I also don’t think it needs me to defend it. Regardless of intra-fandom interactions, I like to think this forum encourages constructive criticism and feedback, so I’m not criticizing out of a personal bias towards the story (I still haven’t read the second book).
But a review is supposed to be a formal or critical examination or appraisal of a piece, usually with advice to the prospective readers or buyers about their decision to read/buy the piece, and almost always with actionable, constructive points that can in turn be appraised and potentially countered and argued against.
Pretty much all of this is ranting and venting, not a review. There aren’t many points you can counter because they’re so couched in personal preference, subjective opinion, and mostly vitriol and anger. It is a lot of words for something that could be boiled down more succinctly, and for that reason I believe it’s more of a emotional “rant” than a legitimate review. It reads as more of a way to get clicks by inciting fans’ ire—in other words, clickbait—and does not seem to be written as an actual review meant to convince or advise readers to go one way or another.
I am very much enjoying Brian Rushton’s —another COG author—reviews of the COG catalog!