Rating Guide

This is my rating guide for my book reviews. According to my Goodreads my average rating is a 3.15, therefore I may be slightly more picky and selective than the average reader. As you will see my book reviews vary in format quite a bit, but more times than not they’re super long. Therefore I tend to use bold text to highlight the main points when the posts are lengthier. And I promise to always indicate the spoiler level at the beginning of a review. Anyway, I hope you find this rating guide helpful! 😀

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5: Perfect. Or near perfect.

These books usually have made quite an impact on my life in some way, whether it be because I stayed up extremely late to finish them (I’m a night owl anyway) or that they left a great lasting impression for the values and morals it taught/reminded me. So they can be insightful or inspirational. The writing is often times beautiful or the very least well written. There’s a compelling storyline that I can buy into (this doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be fast paced though). Even if it’s fiction, the events are still realistic and believable. Lovable characters (that don’t have to be necessarily good-they can be appropriately “bad” or unlikeable as well). Had all of Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals. Definitely made my all-time favorite list.

In other words: I would tie you down for a couple of hours to finish the book.

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4.5 – 4: Really Good.

These titles proved to be highly enjoyable but I didn’t love them for one reason or another. They’re usually still well written and comprise of a great cast (because the writing and characters are everything to me). Compared to a 5 star book, there was probably a small problem that made me deduct 0.5-1 star. However, like I said, it was still a really good read though. It’s likely or possible that it made it to my all-time favorite list.

In other words: I would demand you to read this within a year’s time of me reading it, so we can fangirl (or fangirl/fanboy, for you males out there) together. 

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3.5 – 3: Good.

Overall enjoyable, with overall being the key word. These could possibly have all the elements of a 4 – 5 stars book but didn’t quite make it to the top tier because of a flaw in writing, character, plot, originality, or credibility. This could have been a book that was slow to get into but became really good too late. It also could have been a wonderful book but just wasn’t for me, because I have been a victim of “it’s not you, it’s me” on several occasions. There’s a slim but possible chance it made it to my all-time favorites list if it was very entertaining despite the reservations I had.

In other words: I would maybe recommend you reading it sometime in your lifetime, but it’s not an urgent read.

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2.5 – 2: Pretty bad.

Unlike 3 – 5 stars books, these are ones where I felt completely indifferent towards. These often make me feel nothing emotionally. Such titles could still possibly be another reader’s 5 star book, but the story and/or themes just rubbed me the wrong way. The writing can range from average to stellar. I may have had a hard time liking the main protagonist or couldn’t sympathize with him/her. The storyline could be unoriginal or even confusing. But, for some reason, there were parts I still enjoyed.

In other words: I would say read it if you must or have nothing to read. 

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1.5 – 1: Bad. 

There is something very wrong with these books. The writing ranges from being mediocre to acceptable. There could have been some purple prose or too much roundabout, useless verbiage. There’s a great chance I had no idea what was going on. These many times are ones where I hate the narrator’s guts or couldn’t sympathize with him/her at all. The characters were cliche. This plot reminded me of another book, and not in a good way. It’s likely that I skimmed parts of the book.

In other words: I would advise you to not bother wasting your time with this one.

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0.5 – 0: Awful. 

I’m really not a bad person. All authors are human; they’re people with feelings and I respect their efforts. I’d never give a book a 0.5 or 0 rating. I always round up to at least a 1 star rating (though I know that doesn’t sound that generous).

In the words: I wouldn’t let you sneak a peek.