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Why is it too scary? Reviews, imho, really aren't for the writer anyway. They are for the other readers, who are people just like you and simply want to know if a given book is worth their time.
I have several years experience with another niche community (exercise videos) and what I found was that over time, most people who read the reviews come to recognize other people who have similar tastes as they do. For me, there was a woman named Debbie who seemed to like the same things I did. If Debbie liked it, odds were I would too. If Debbie said to pass and I didn't, I was always sorry later. To be, blogs can serve a similar purpose. If someone reads enough of the same books I do, and reads my reviews, they can come to get a pretty good idea of whether they share my taste. And if they do, my reviews will be useful to them.
I have no problems with the authors reading the reviews, and when I do offer a criticism, I offer it constructively. But I really do see the reviews as being written primarily for other readers, and it is to them who I feel more responsible.
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