Rating System

 

Couldn’t finish it. I would probably rather stab myself in the eye with a rusty spoon than finish this book. I do write DNF reviews on occasion, but only when I have enough material to support my decision to DNF. If I don’t have enough material, it goes into my monthly Books I Didn’t Finish post.

Didn’t like it at all. I struggled with all my might to make it through, and there will more than likely be a long and sarcastic rant when all is said and done.

It was okay. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t all that good, either. I probably wouldn’t recommend it, but it still had some redeeming qualities.

Liked it. While it didn’t blow me away, it was still enjoyable. Usually 3 heartbeat books are those that I like while I’m reading them, but they don’t necessarily leave a lasting impression.

Really, really liked it! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would read it again, even if it wasn’t quite bookish perfection.

LOVED it!! This book is perfect, if such a thing exists. 5 heartbeat ratings are few and far between for me, so when I do give one, you know I thought the book was truly amazing! These are the books I could read over and over.

On the rare occasion that I find a book that absolutely blew my mind, I will bestow my Hail to the King award. These books probably left me with a raging book hangover that rendered any following books insignificant. These are my all time favorites!

I do use half ratings when my opinion falls somewhere in the middle. (i.e. I really loved it, but it still didn’t manage bookish perfection, so it gets 4.5 heartbeats. It was meh, but I kind of enjoyed it in some parts, it gets 2.5 heartbeats.)

Overall Assessment

At the end of every review I do a breakdown of my assessment. It goes like this:

• Plot: The story line and whether it had a point.
• Premise: The idea behind the story. Sometimes I love the idea and not much else!
• Writing style: The author’s prose and level of writing. Was it sophomoric? Too dry? Too descriptive?
• Originality: How unique the story was. This is very important to me!
• Characters: How well I connected to the characters, and how fleshed out they were.
• World building: Detail of the world and its elements. Did the author think it out? This is also very important to me.
• Pace: How quickly the book moved. Did I get bored? Was I engrossed?
• Feels: How well I connected with the book. Did I feel anything while reading?
• Narration (audiobooks only): If the narrator’s voice was desirable enough to listen to for hours on end. Did they have an annoying voice? Did the inject the right amount of emotion?
• Cover: Because this is the first thing I notice about a book, obviously!