Hey, all! As promised, I won’t be posting a full review this week, but will instead be doing a mini post about how my rating scale works. I recently updated how I’m rating things, so if you go back to older posts you may notice different ratings from when you originally read them. Nothing drastic just a half a point here and there. But a little updated all the same. My mom asked me about how I rate things recently, which is what prompted me to go over it, change things, and eventually write this. So, without further ado I’ll get into it.
Well, I haven’t had to use 0 stars yet, but ya never know. 0 stars would mean that this is one of the worst books I’ve ever read. A did not finish, horribly written, trash novel. So, I probably won’t be giving out any 0’s soon!
1 star is more likely than 0, but still very rare. 1 star means I likely did not finish the novel due to it being so bad that I couldn’t go on. This could be because of the writing, story, or just general dislike of numerous aspects of the novel. If I rate something as a 1 I would not recommend it to anyone.
2 stars is something we’ve seen before… I think? A 2 means that I didn’t overly like the novel, but it wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read. The novel has one or two redeeming qualities that didn’t make me completely hate the novel. And, while it may appeal to others I had glaring problems with either the story, characters, or writing. I am unlikely to recommend a 2 star novel to anyone unless I think it could be of interest for a specific reason.
A 3 star rating means I liked the book, but didn’t think it was great. There were multiple areas I thought could be improved upon or further developed. And, while the book was easy enough to get through it doesn’t stand out to me against other novels. A 3 star novel is one I would likely recommend to someone specifically interested in the type of story, but wouldn’t necessarily recommend for everyone.
4 stars means this was a GOOD book. I thoroughly enjoyed a 4 star novel and will definitely be reading more from this author. However, there were still some issues to be had with the novel. These typically are smaller problems like minor consistency issues or a specific character or situation that turns me off. Basically, my issues with a 4 star novel will be more surface level than about the actual writing style. Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend 4 star novels for most people!
Another rating I have yet to give out is 5 stars. That’s because a 5/5 means absolute perfection. A 5 star book has to truly WOW me. If I rate a book 5 stars it means it will stick with me for a long time. Whether that’s because of the story, the characters, how the book made me feel, or the author’s specific writing style. But, for a book to be a 5 star book it has to have no negatives. Not one. And, unfortunately, I’ve yet to find a book that I didn’t have some problem, no matter how minor, with. So, don’t expect to see a 5/5 any time soon, but if you see 4.5’s out there just remember they’re practically perfection! I definitely recommend 4.5 or 5 star books!
Well, there you have it—how I rate novels. Also, I know I do a lot of .5’s in my ratings and I didn’t really include any here, but I figure based on these general descriptions you’ll all be able to understand what I mean with my half points. I hope this helps anyone who was curious like my mom about what the numbers really mean. Also, I hope you all liked this mini post! I think I may do more in the future for little updates and maybe a fun one about the books my tattoos are based on? Let me know in the comments or however you feel comfortable getting a hold of me if you’d be interested in that. Thanks for reading.
See ya in 2 weeks for my review of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro!
If you can’t wait till then, make sure to check out my last reviews of How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House and The Kindest Lie. Or, head over to my instagram profile @bartenderwithabook to stay connected with me!
Teghann
Very informative, Teg, thank you. Another post could let us know how you decide which books to review: Are they best-sellers? Long-overlooked classics? Favoured authors? Or just titles you’re curious about/up your alley?
Looking forward to what you think about Klara and the Sun, one of many on my list. I’m also eyeballing Viet Thanh Nyguyen’s newest, The Committed, but I think it’s a sequel of sorts to The Sympathizer, so first things first! Hope you check those out (like you yourself don’t have a looooong list!), if you haven’t already, and lemme know.
Love YFA
Hey Auntie Robin! That’s a great idea. I’ll write that down for one of the future mini posts. I’ll have to borrow The Sympathizer from my mom! I have such a long list, but (hopefully) I’ll get through it eventually!