My Rating and Reviewing Process

rating-and-reviewing-process

Hello guys !

The other day I went through my Read shelf on Goodreads and saw that my rating standards were way lower than they are right now and well … I changed the rating of most of my books but that’s besides the point, although it made me think of this post. Why don’t I talk to you, amazing people, about the way I rate and review the books I read.

I am fairly new to this whole reviewing thing because I started it with my blog and it is barely 2 months old but the rating part of it I’ve been doing for years which explains why my ratings were so high, they were based off of feelings and exclusively feelings which tend to fade and change with time, I also noticed that I used to give a butt-load of 5 stars ratings. tumblr_mpp0veAnGW1qfisvuo1_500

So, now that I review, I learned to dig deeper and to pay attention to other things than what the book made me feel right there and then. Plot, pace, writing, characters, world building etc… Which brings us to my first point :

How Do I Review ?

THE BEFORE :

First of all, I always have a notebook on my bed-side table. So that when I’m reading (Which usually happens in my bed) I can jolt down all the thoughts, ideas, and feelings that I have while I have them. To be honest, at the end, I find that some of them are unusable in a constructive review haha, as they often are What the fucks ? Oh my gods ! and such.

Then, once I’m done with my reading I put my first spontaneous rating on Goodreads and take a few days to reflect on what I read then I come back, see if the rating still stands and write my review.

THE ACTUAL REVIEW :

My first month of blogging was basically me trying to figure out the way of organizing my reviews that suits me the most which I finally came to 2 or 3 reviews ago. It is pretty basic actually. I don’t use rubrics whatsoever but I organize them into paragraphs in a precise order which is:

  1. My presumptions and where the book stands against my expectations.
  2. The writing.
  3. The plot/storyline and the pace.
  4. The world building if there’s any.
  5. The characters.
  6. My feelings.
THE AFTER :
There is not much to say here. I just go back and read it again a few times, correct any mistakes that slipped, make some changes if I feel the need for them, re-arrange the format and so on until I’m happy with the way it looks.

My Rating System :

Do keep in my mind that those ratings are strictly personal and would not necessarily apply to you. They’re based on my opinions and only mine.

One last thing, I do not rate books that I DNF. It just seems unfair as I didn’t finish the book and didn’t get the full effect.

1 star

Hated it. I couldn’t find anything about it that I liked.
1.5 stars
Didn’t like it, not even a bit. But the lonely star seems too harsh. (Because 1.5 is not haha)
2 stars
Didn’t like it as a whole but some rare parts of it were okay.
2.5 stars
It had potential but I didn’t like the way it was executed.
3 stars
It was enjoyable but I had quite a few issues with it.
3.5 stars
It was good, I had some issues. It is more than a 3 but doesn’t quite reach the 4.
4 stars
Great read. I loved it.
      4.5 stars
Wonderful read. I adored it.
5 starsAbsolutely MAGNIFICENT read.You and your dog and your neighbors should all read it NOW.

That’s it until next time.

How do you rate and review your books ?

Hope you enjoyed, write to you soon.

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15 thoughts on “My Rating and Reviewing Process

  1. Oh I love this post idea! Might have to do my own version some day. I find it so interesting to find out how other people do it. Your method is a lot like mine – especially with the notes not being usable by the time you type it up haha 😀

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. I give way to many five star ratings, but the way I justify it is that actually a lot of them are 4.5 stars that I have had to round up on GoodReads. Also, where I explain my rating system I specify that I have two different types of five star ratings. The this was good, doesn’t have any flaws and the OMGOMGOMG MY MIND IS BLOWN.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Pingback: A peak into my brain: How I review the books I read. | Word Wonders

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