Not your average 1-5 star ratings.
Because there are many factors that make up a book, there are also many things that make up how or why I like it or didn't like it. I may love the story, but hate certain elements of it, and not all of that can be wrapped up in a single rating from one to five.
Sue me. I grew up in the age of Dick Clark's and my reviews tend to reflect that.
Things that factor into my reviews at one time or another:
Sneak factor:
Or, how many times did I sneak off to read when I probably shouldn't have been. With some books, I don't. With some, I'll get to my son's soccer practice 45 minutes early to read. With some, I'm hiding my phone and reading on my Kindle app at work and/or I'll sit in the parking lot at work for an hour after I leave to finish the book.
A book will also rate high on this one if I stayed up until the wee small hours finishing it.
Romance factor:
By 100%, was I as in love with the couple as they were with each other?
Mechanics:
How many times did I reach for a pen to circle a SpaG error? I will never fault a book for spacing/whacked out formatting because that is rarely the fault of the author and almost always the fault of whomever converted the novel for the Kindle. If the book has someone filling a "vile of blood," however, that's all on the author.
Plot:
The general believability of the story. Stories that have more holes than an interstate after a hard winter will score low on this one and more often than not land the book in the Legion of Doom.
Characters:
This could be anything from having small issues but making allowances for age/gender to wanting to reach through my device and smack someone upside the head.
I don't love everything, I don't hate everything, and I make no apologies for the way I react to stories. There are books out there beloved by many that are in my DNF pile. There are some I finished but still don't get why people are gaga over them. And there are some books I love that no one else does.
We're all different, we all like different things, and that's what makes life fun.
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