Rating System and My Reading Preferences

Rating System


Before an analytic explanation of my ratings, I'd like to say that I have no professional experience on the matter and these all are my personal preferences. Still, I like to be as punctual as I can because I think that it helps everybody - me being objective and you being picky. Each full star equals to a scale of 10 points - for example, a book rated with 3.5/5 stars has 3 full principles that grand a star, and partly another principle but not enough to be worthy of a full star.

You might notice that in my reviews I use the same words over and over, and that is because what I am basically doing is explaining my rating. The principles I think are worth rating in a book are the following:

★ Story Cohesion

First of all, a book should have continuity, which means, NO plotholes. There should be a flow of events, and when there isn't, the parts that seem foreign should be later weaved into the main body.  

★ World Building

World building is the ability of the writer to create a world that feels solid and interactive. Imagine being in a play, where all the scenery is 3d and while you are watching, you are not doubting if what you see is real. This is what I am after in books.  

★ Character Development

Another very important aspect is Character Development. When you are meeting people in real life, their gestures, way of speaking and expressions always have a background story, usually rooted in childhood or family conditions etc. In order for a book character to be believable, he should have some certain trademarks as a person, and a certain motive of behavior. The absence of these results in spineless and immemorable characters that are unable to develop strong dynamics between them. Consequently, this read has no chance to feel real or touching.  To me, World Building, Story Cohesion and Character Development are the most important ingredients in a book and if they are nonexistent, it's a reason for me to quit reading it

★ Originality

Lets make a hypothetical scenario, in which we have a book consisted spotlessly by Story Cohesion, World Building and Character Development. It is already worth of 3/5 stars and is far from bullshit but... You have already read this kind of stuff a hundred times over and over. This is where originality comes in. It's not a big thing, just a bunch of fresh ideas here and there, that are gonna build suspense and make you anticipate an unpredictable ending.

★ Impact

Impact is the most personal principle, I think. The first 5 points of Impact are the amount of excitement this book you read is causing to you, that didn't let you sleep at night and you where thinking of it during your daily tasks. The rest of the points, I will give them to a book that when I'm finished with, I will be left with that warm feeling of satisfaction that I read something awesome that was tailored to my tastes. For example,  the book "A game of thrones" by George Martin: I rated it with 4.5/5. It is a truly incredible book, and I would recommend it to everyone of you, but It wasn't for me - for example, I don't like cold blooded violence and this book has plenty of it.  


My Reading Preferences


Personally, I am more of a reader with a light taste. I read in my free time, when I want to escape from reality and all the ugliness and the troubles that come with it. I have a strong likeness for Fantasy and Paranormal, because those genres can be the best mental escape and on the contrary, I distaste Horror, Gore, Violence and Romance (of course, I like it when Romance and Fantasy or Paranormal are on the same table, I just shy away from standalone Romance). Currently I am enjoying  the genre named Young Adult. Wikipedia says:

"  Young Adult Literature uses a wide array of themes in order to appeal to a wide variety of adolescent readers. Some of these themes include: identity, sexuality, science fiction, depression, suicide, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, familial struggles, bullying, and numerous others. Some issues discussed in Young Adult Literature include: friendship, love, race, money, divorce, relationships within families.  "

Aside from the fact that I am still in the age range that Young Adult covers, I like reading books with the above theme and I think that there is nothing wrong with reading it, even if I wasn't. There is no such restriction as "Books for Adults" and "Books for Young people", and there is no pride in reading something just because you think it makes you sophisticated or special. I read what I feel like reading, until I will not like it anymore. 

I hope you'll stick around with me in this reading and reviewing journey, either in my blog or in Goodreads or Booklikes. If you wish to add me there, click on the links to be redirected to my profiles.

Greetings,

Demetra

“We read books to find out who we are. What other people, real or imaginary, do and think and feel… is an essential guide to our understanding of what we ourselves are and may become.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin