Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion
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Stars while reviewing - what's your system/criteria?
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I wish there was a half star rating too but I give books 5 stars- if they made a huge impact on me, kept me at the edge of my seat, kept me up a night, made me feel intense emotions and if it made me want to devour it in one seating and if the characters have depth to them.
*should have WOW and UMPH!* if that makes sense
4 stars- My criteria here is pretty much the same as above but a little bit toned down. Especially when it come to the feelings. For example some stories that I gave 4 stars probably made me chuckle or made me tear up.
*should still have the UMPH factor*
3 stars- These are the books that probably made me a little bit annoyed but as a whole I enjoyed reading them and the positives out weighed the negatives. The really really short novellas that I've read usually had 3 stars.
2 stars- This actually means "OK" to me which I got from Goodreads ratings. I rate books 2 stars if they constantly annoyed me until the very end but there were still some good scenes that are enjoyable to read. Also, I rate 2 stars if the story was bland and plateauing. You know? If it's not good but not bad either.
*Does not have the Umph! factor*
1 stars- I only rate one star if the book constantly made me angry or irritated me. If finishing it was such a pain for me or if I constantly have the urge to throw my reader through the wall.
I don't rate books that I've never read (some people do this I don't know why) and I always always finish books that I started on so I could give it a fair chance before I rate it. :)
Oh, the lament of half stars -- we can't all be wrong! If I want to go more than a half star I ratchet up to the next full star - but mention it was below a full star rating. If I want to go less than a half star it gets the lower full star (i.e. 3.5 = 3star but a 3.75 = 4star). The mechanics (writing skill, plot, pacing, arc, characters, etc.) also play a major role and can make or break a book for me.
5stars: the characters stayed with me, the story was coherent, great mechanics - I didn't want this read to end and did everything with one hand so I could hold the reader. I actually continued to read until my eyes blurred or the book ended. Sleep has been lost for this book and this would be a book I'd take anywhere and re-read anytime. I also completely connected with the characters. This author’s next book is most likely an auto-buy.
4stars: Not as intense as a 5star. I really liked these characters and the mechanics were very good. I enjoyed the story and notice when this author has new work.
3stars: This book failed me in a major area. Something was good about it but the bad held me back. I’d take a chance on this author at least another time or two.
2stars: This book made me dig in my heels because I’m sure there is something good about it – I just have to find it. I might read something else from this author if it was highly recommended by someone I trust or if it was a gift.
1star: Why the hell did I put myself thru this!?!? Life is too short – I would rather clean PUBLIC toilets than read anything else by this author ever. Neither love, money nor pride would let me read graffiti by this person.
Mod
And I think I've given maybe 3 1's in my life--and all of THOSE were books that I actually could NOT finish. And, since I am one stubborn reader, well, you get the idea.
2 stars are--well, I managed to finish it--but it just did NOT impress me. I might have put it down and picked it up because the story couldn't hold my interest. It might also have several of my peeves--not quite enough that I absolutely hated it, but enough that I could only take the book in small doses.
3 stars--it was OK. Not great, didn't keep me up all night, not really something I'd recommend to anyone.
And, having said all that--I too wish we could do half stars. IF we could, I'd have fewer 4 and 5 stars. Because a lot of books deserve that quarter/half/three quarter star.
Maybe the solution would be to go to ten stars instead if five so we felt like we had more wiggle room?
5 -> perfection4 -> LOVE it but with some flaws
3 -> meh... but "okay la"
2 -> more meh than meh
1 -> *shredder fodder*
I dont spent too much time thinking on the ratings since I normally do long review as it is.
Well for me it goes like this5-loved it, will read it again many times, buy whole series now
4-really liked, will read it again, will continue with series
3-liked, might or might not continue with series
2-ok but didn't grab me, didn't finish, won't read again or continue with series
1-didn't like it, abandoned, won't continue with series
For me all books start with 3 stars and go up or down from there. So...5= really loved it, hard to put down
4= really liked it but was able to put it down
3= it was okay
2= finished the book but didn't like it all that much
1= didn't finish it
I mostly rate books 3 or 4 stars. If I give it a 5, then it was so great that I couldn't put it down, and didn't want it to end. The characters & story were great.
If I give it a 1, then I was barely able to finish it and the characters were lousy along with the story.
If I give it a 2, then the characters might have been ok, but the story was boring (or vice versa).
A 3 means that it was a good story and the characters were good, but it was full of grammar/spelling issues or had some boring spots or just didn't grab me enough for a 4.
A 4 means that the story & characters were there but something just didn't grab me enough for a 5. It could be a boring ending, slow start, or too short/long.
A book that is so full of misspellings and grammar issues that it interrupts the reading, then it usually drops the stars down.
5 stars – I really loved the book. It goes directly into my “must purchase the next book” list. The writing, the editing, the story and world building makes it memorable. I will go out of my way to help you market the book in places I think will help.4 stars – I liked the book. There may have been some editing or plot discrepancies that distracted me, or perhaps I am waiting for the next book to see if the story continues to be as good as the first one, or even better.
3 stars – Either: this book is okay, I enjoyed it well enough, but there were some issues that kept me from really enjoying at as much as I could; Or: I really did not like the book either in premise or storyline, however, it is well-written and others might enjoy it. Details will be in the review.
2 stars – I didn’t like this book, but managed to finish it.
1 star – This book was so horrible that not only did I not finish it, but I flung it across the room – unless I read it on my Kindle and then I just delete it and go read something I know is good to clean out my mind. I am also totally capable of writing scathing reviews as to WHY the book deserved the treatment I am giving it. Fortunately I don’t run across too many of these. I go out of my way not to.
Leiah wrote: "5 stars – I really loved the book. It goes directly into my “must purchase the next book” list. The writing, the editing, the story and world building makes it memorable. I will go out of my way to..."This sounds about right for the way I rate as well :) Also, to get a 5 star rating the book doesn't have to be perfect in my eyes and I'll overlook some flaws if there is a plot point or character type or whatever that is my weakness/favorite.
I dont' rate many books that highly. A 5 is a book I'd reccommend.
In my country's educational system students get grades from 1 to 6. It used to be from 2 to 5 when I started school. With 5 meaning very good. 4 - good, 3 - good enough, sufficient, 2 - mediocre, 1 - 'unsatisfactory'. 6 is remarkable, exemplary and very rare. And so I apply these to goodreads grades even without thinking.
I totally agree with your rating system because that is exactly how i rate books.All ratings should start at 3 stars and go up or down from there.
5= really loved it, hard to put down, could reread it a million times and still be entertaining and i can recommend it to everyone!
4= really liked it but was able to put it down
3= it was okay, i liked it but something about either the hero/heroine character was annoying.maybe the book had to much detail and didn't get right into the story etc
2= finished the book but didn't like it all that much
1= didn't finish it and don't want too, deleted pile
Overall, I agree with your rating system... This is mine (at the moment)5 - original story, well constructed, awesome characters - had to finish quickly... (usually a day or 2)
4 - clever ideas, good story & interesting characters. Read in less than a week.
3 - an okay story, nothing radical - not gripped, took longer than usual to finish.
2 - weak plot, not interested at all but finished it! I only review as a 2 if the book just wasn't my kind of read but might appeal to someone else.
1 - I don't give a 1 rating... I don't see the point of reviewing someone as a 1 since the book said nothing to me, best to not review at all! It was either really bad or not for me. The only time I gave a 1 was to the new JK Rowling book. I was appalled by the book and could not get past chapter 3 - worst £10 I ever spent at Waterstones!
My rating system seems to fall in line with a lot of the ones mentioned. I normally rate books between the 5-3 star range, with the occasional 2 & 1 stars but those are usually reserved for certain disappoints. 5 - Absolutely awesome. Great plot, great characters, good moments between characters, the story moved along at a great pace and normally a 5 star book is added into my keeper shelf because normally it's one I'll want to read multiple times in the future.
4 - Still a good book but there was something that kept it from that 5 star. Whether it be I didn't connect with the characters as much as I wished or the story was just a little unbalanced in some way. Either way it didn't blow me away but it's something I would still recommend and possibly reread/keep in my collection in the future.
3 - Completely middle of the road. Didn't adore it, didn't hate it. Occasionally this is also reserved for those books where I would have strongly liked or even loved the book if it wasn't for one of the few plot device that turns me off or I just don't enjoy as much. Example: Lisa Kleypas, fabulous author, one of my favorites (if not my favorite) for historical romance but I didn't like the (view spoiler) plot in Someone to Watch Over Me, despite enjoying the characters I couldn't give this higher than a 3/3.5. If it's an author I love I will still keep it (if I bought it) but most of the time it goes in the sell/donate pile.
2 - Books I'm bored with. Books I've skimmed to get to the end. Books that took me a long time to read. Books that had crappy characters or a crappy romance. There might be something I liked about the book and that's why it's a 2 but it wasn't enough to lower this to a 1 or elevate it to a 3. Sometimes a 2 star is also an indication that there were too many inconsistencies for me to ignore and I can ignore or explain away a lot. A very slim chance I'll try another book by the author (if it's a new author for me) or if it's from an author I love I'll start getting the books from the library before I shell out any more money.
1 - Mostly these books are ones I hate or books I didn't even finish. Usually the plot sucks and the characters aren't much better sometimes they are worse.
Margarita wrote: "Since this isn't an actual review, I put it in the general discussion folder instead of the review folder. I feel bad when I review because I RARELY give 5 stars to anything, or even 4. five star..."
I am so one of your peeps!!!
I have given out 4 5 star ratings on 458 books.
Most of my books are 2-4 stars.
Two stars = It was just ok - I didn't hate
Three stars = I enjoyed it and it kept my interest
Four stars = I'm really IN LIKE verging on Love with this book
Most books get threes in my world...but if I can't read the whole thing it gets a one or two...Very few merit a four, and only my favorites get fives...
One star-If I can't get past chapter one, or trudge through it and then regret doing so.
Two stars-Could not get through the whole book, even though it had some redeeming features...
Three stars- I finished it, but did not really enjoy it. Won't be adding other books by the same author to my to read list. Might take them off...
Four stars- Enjoyed it, but it didn't rock my world. Bad editing, an unsatisfying ending, or something else took away from the experience. But good enough to try another book by that author.
Five stars-Need to seek out and add ALL books by this author. Loved it, will add it to my go to list for rereading and recommending.
It's all about how I feel about a book...but then that is why I read. Because I love it!
I feel bad when I review because I RARELY give 5 stars to anything, or even 4. five stars for me means 'THIS BOOK CHANGED MY LIFE. I couldn't work, I couldn't sleep, I tried to take my kindle into the shower so I could keep reading. I cried when I finished the book because it was over and I'm going to miss reading this"
[Okay, I admit, I've given 5 stars to authors I'm trying to help on goodreads too. but that was only, like, 4 books I swear!].
Four stars means - WOW, I'm reccing it to all my friends, really enjoyed it. Would buy two copies just for kicks.
Three stars - I liked it. I was entertained. Good book. Worth the purchase.
Now, most of the stuff I read I feel falls in the the 3-4 category [and goodreads doesn't let you 3.5 stuff]. But then I see all these other 5 star and 4 star reviews and I'm wondering - Am I too hard on books? And I wonder if people see my 3 star ratings and think 'Oh, this must not be a good book. Only 3 stars' - because to me, 3 stars is "Hey! Liked it!"
I'd love anyone's thoughts on this!