Star ratings: 1-5 stars
Note that star ratings are based on entertainment value or my overall opinion. While the technical aspects of a book may raise or lower its star rating, that would only be because they affect my view of the book as a whole. While I judge this portion mainly by entertainment, I fairly often give an extra .5 star if I feel a technical aspect (writing, character, plot) is exceptionally strong.
5 star – Amazing! I LOVED this book. Usually, this book either made my cry or left me stunned at the ending. It's definitely a must read. :D
4.5 star – Great. Better than plain "entertaining," but it lacked the "wow" factor that comes with a 5 star book. Strong recommendation here.
4.5 star – Great. Better than plain "entertaining," but it lacked the "wow" factor that comes with a 5 star book. Strong recommendation here.
4 star – Very good. Entertaining with easy overlooked flaws. This book comes with a solid recommendation to all fans of the genre or premise. For ones that aren’t as interested, I would still recommend giving this one a try.
3.5 star – Good, but with it's pitfalls. I had some fun times with this book, but there were some areas that prevented me from enjoying the book more. Enjoyable, but not stand-out.
3.5 star – Good, but with it's pitfalls. I had some fun times with this book, but there were some areas that prevented me from enjoying the book more. Enjoyable, but not stand-out.
3 star – Mildly enjoyable. Meh, mildly enjoyable, though fairly your run-of-the-mill, light read. I would say try it out a bit (look for an excerpt or check out your library) before deciding whether or not to read it.
2 star – Not really my type of book. This rating is usually caused by what I perceive to be a technical “flaw,” like an annoying character or lack of plot. While I wouldn’t necessarily be recommending this book to anyone, I would still say to give this one a try. It might not be my cup of tea, but it might be yours.
1 star – Did not like. Period. This was not only not my type of book, I did not like it overall. I would discourage you from reading it.
1 star – Did not like. Period. This was not only not my type of book, I did not like it overall. I would discourage you from reading it.
Romance: Few word description.
Prevalence of romance in the book with a short description. I love reading about romance, so I’ll always comment on what I thought about the romance and how that affected my opinion of the book.
Cover: 1-5 stars
I occasionally will include another sentence or two if I want to elaborate. I usually don’t say anything, but believe me, if I give a 5 star, that means I literally LOVE a cover – like I’d be willing to bring that anywhere just to stare at it. The average rating is generally in the 3-4 star range.
--- note: reviews from February 16, 2011 no longer rate writing, plot, and characters on a 1.0-5.0 scale
--- note: reviews from February 16, 2011 no longer rate writing, plot, and characters on a 1.0-5.0 scale
Writing: 1-5 stars
Writing is a very important aspect for me. Choppy, blunt, distracting, and completely unbearable writing will get a 1 star, especially if there are grammatical errors or extremely vague pronouns (that’s why we have editors!). Will that 1 star ever happen? Most likely not. Nondescript writing will get around a 3, and flowing, vivid, and absorbing writing will get a 5 star.
Plot: 1-5 stars
If I feel there’s no movement in the story, or simply no plot at all? That’s a 1 star. An interesting, simple but enjoyable plot would be around a 3 star, and an intricate, creative, and wicked awesome plot will get a 5 star.
Character: 1-5 stars
Annoying and unrealistic characters automatically get a smack down to a 1 or 2 star. There still may be redemption in secondary characters, but I’ll most likely mention that in the “My Thoughts/Review” section or, rarely, in this section. Relatable characters that make me shed buckets of tears when they're sad get a 5.
