My Star Rating Scale
Since the majority of my reviews are on books, my explanations on each rating will allude to books, but these ratings apply to anything I review, books or otherwise.
5 Stars ★★★★★
Excellent
For a book to get five stars from me it has to blow me away. Everything I review is judged independently, and is truly my opinion. If I give a five star rating I am raving to everyone about this book, it has stuck with me, impacted me in some way, and is something I cannot recommend enough. In short, I am in love, and I could read this book over and over again!
4 Stars ★★★★
Great
A four star review means I really enjoyed this book, loved certain aspects of the story, is well written, and I would recommend. Authors that get four stars are ones that I follow, as I usually fall in love with their writing, characterization, and world building. There might be one small thing that bothered me about the book, which is why it isn't a five star rating, and I always explain why my rating isn't higher. Though it was a great read, I don't think I would re-read this book again.
A three star review means that I liked it, but I might not have loved it for one reason or another. Three stars is average. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. These are books that are entertaining while I'm reading them, and I'm glad I read them, but I most likely would not read them again. There's nothing that made them special, or memorable. I might or might not recommend, depending on the book.
A two star review means I finished the book, but it was not a fun read at all. There was something about the book that made me struggle through, which is always mentioned in the review. It could be plot, subject matter, writing style, pretty much anything that does not jive with me. When I give two star reviews, I do still try to find something positive about the read, and will also mention that in my review but I cannot recommend. I do finish all two star review books.
1 Star ★
Bad/Could Not Finish
For a book to get one star this means it was the worst of the worse. Most books I give the benefit of the doubt, and commend anyone for being brave enough to publish a book, but if I seriously can't finish a book, that's a problem. It is very, very rare that I give this rating, and try to finish any and all books that I start, but if there is a subject matter that is offensive to me or if the writing or editing is so bad that it's unreadable, it will get a one star rating.
