Positive Reviews
I only review books based on their positive attributes. This is partially because, as an author, it can get fraught quickly to give criticism to colleagues, but it’s also because – as a person – I prefer to focus on what I loved about media instead of what I didn’t. That means my reviews will talk a lot about parts of the books that worked well and/or that I loved but will not attempt to be inclusive of negative thoughts or talk about areas I feel could have been better.
I do not give books quality ratings and I do not review books I did not love here. Which means that if I’ve written a review, I recommend that book – if you’re the kind of reader the book was written for. (But, of course, if I read a book and don’t write a review, I might have loved that one, too, and just not written a review for a ton of possible reasons.)
Book Basics
Each book review will provide the following:
- Title, series title (if applicable), and author name. (Obviously!)
- Release date (is this an upcoming release or has it been out for a decade?)
- Genre(s).
- Point of view and tense.
- Notable tropes and vibes.
- Major themes in the book.
- Common triggers.
- What did I personally love about this book?
- What do I think this book did really well?
- I recommend this book to readers who…
Book Rating Scales
Each book will have a value out of 5 for the following metrics:
- Characters
- Worldbuilding
- Language
- Romance
- Steam
- Spice
These ratings are not quality ratings, but rather “how much” ratings. So, for example, if “Romance” is rated 2/5 for a book, that likely means that there was a minor romance subplot, whereas a 5/5 probably means it’s a contemporary romance with little or no other significant plot elements. No value of any of these is inherently “bad” – it’s more like an ingredients label than a scorecard.
The other thing that gets nuanced here is that sometimes an author might intentionally downplay certain elements of a book so that the book itself focuses elsewhere. Simpler characters might make it easier to focus on big action sequences; simpler language might make it easier for readers to focus on getting lost in the plot. Lack of attention on a given element doesn’t necessarily mean that the book did that element poorly.
Still, I recognize that these are going to be subjective ratings. While no system or scale is perfect, and while others might have very different experiences reading the same books, here’s roughly the way I’m using these scales in my reviews.
Characters
How fleshed out are the characters, and how much of the book focuses on them?
This is what it says on the tin: How much did I feel the characters in this book were developed as people? Alternatively, how easy was it to “connect” with a character as an external person versus self-insert onto a blank slate?
I usually prefer books of either a 3 or 4 on this scale.
| no characterization: this may be poetry or another non-narrative style of work. | |
| 🧑 | characters are extremely simple, likely stock characters being used to facilitate a focus on some other element of the book or designed to allow readers to self-insert. |
| 🧑🧑 | characters are mostly simple, though main characters may have another layer or two added to a basic trope. |
| 🧑🧑🧑 | characters are moderately complex, but this is balanced with other elements of the book. characterization may directly serve the plot arc, or it may be used with other plot elements to explore a theme from different angles. |
| 🧑🧑🧑🧑 | this is a strongly character-driven book; most or all named characters are complex and much of the story hinges on this complexity. other plot exists primarily to explore the characters. |
| 🧑🧑🧑🧑🧑 | this book is focused on characterization, and might sacrifice plot or other elements for this focus. may be a literary fiction piece exploring an aspect of humanity. |
Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding: How much time was spent creating a setting?
This term is usually used to relate to science fiction or fantasy stories, but I use it more broadly to refer to setting, whether that be in space, in the fae realm, or in a real-life city. Books with more worldbuilding spend more time on details about and immersion in a place.
I usually prefer books between a 2 and 4 on this scale.
| no worldbuilding; this was likely written without a setting intentionally or is a non-narrative genre. | |
| 🌏 | setting doesn’t play an important role in character development, plot, or vibes. |
| 🌏🌏 | worldbuilding plays a negligible role, and/or the reader must draw on previous knowledge/experiences to fill in the gaps. could be a contemporary book in a recognizable setting or genre romance that relies heavily on understood tropes. |
| 🌏🌏🌏 | worldbuilding plays a significant role in the book but is not a driving factor; if a paranormal or fantasy romance, it may serve to create conflict points that could not exist in a contemporary setting – eg a vampire love interest or “fated mates” – without the worldbuilding itself becoming a focus. |
| 🌏🌏🌏🌏 | worldbuilding plays a massive role in both the plot and the “vibes” of the book; this is likely a genre fantasy or scifi, but it may instead have something like a small town setting and a lot of work done to make that town come to life. |
| 🌏🌏🌏🌏🌏 | this book was likely written primarily to explore an imagined world or ideas on a societal scale. worldbuilding is the primary focus and other book elements facilitate it. |
Language
How is language used?
This metric is about simplicity versus complexity of vocabulary and sentence structure and how language is used to communicate the story or change the reading experience. This metric does not take profanity into account.
I usually prefer books between a 2 and 4 on this scale.
| no language; this may be a comic book without dialogue. | |
| 🖊️ | simple, readable language is used in this book; many children would be able to read and comprehend it. |
| 🖊️🖊️ | language is easy to digest; this book is easy to speed read without missing key elements. |
| 🖊️🖊️🖊️ | the book uses some complex language elements, and likely uses poetic descriptions, word play, or similar techniques at some points. still accessible for most casual readers. |
| 🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️ | book relies heavily on complex language elements and takes more brainpower for most to follow. may be literary fiction or another style where wordplay is a draw. |
| 🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️ | complex language techniques are likely the main draw for this book; this may be a book of poetry. |
Romance
Romance: How much of a romance arc is there?
For romance arc, we’re looking at emotional connections between two or more characters. This metric is about relationship growth – whether characters are getting together, and, if so, how much time does the book spend on showing that connection build? (It does not take sex into account on its own, though sex scenes may also be emotionally connecting scenes.)
I usually prefer books between a 3 and 5 on this scale.
| no romance | |
| 💖 | someone might get paired up, but it’s an afterthought. the epilogue may show characters who never dated on-page get married. |
| 💖💖 | romance gets a small role, maybe a couple of scenes, but is not a significant focus. |
| 💖💖💖 | romance is a strong side plot; there’s a clear arc but it’s not competing with the main story. |
| 💖💖💖💖 | romance plays a large role and most of the book is focused on the growth of the relationship. this may be a genre romance that spends considerable time on other plot (for example, fantasy or scifi romance) |
| 💖💖💖💖💖 | this book is primarily about a romance arc between two or more people, and it does not spend considerable amounts of time on other story elements. |
Steam
Steam: How sexy is this book?
Or, perhaps: how much of this book is based on sexual tension or release? I use this metric to estimate how much of a focus sex, attraction, and similar “steamy” elements get throughout a book.
I usually prefer books between a 1 and 4 on this scale.
| no steam: this book does not even imply sexual tension, let alone have any. | |
| 🔥 | some stated attraction, maybe a kiss. |
| 🔥🔥 | attraction is a recurring theme. someone makes out on page. there may be fade to black sex. |
| 🔥🔥🔥 | open door sex, but it plays a minor role and is likely more emotional than titillating. this is likely a genre romance with 1-3 scenes at pivotal moments. |
| 🔥🔥🔥🔥 | sex plays a major role and impacts the plot significantly, but other plot elements shine through too. |
| 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 | this book is primarily sex, likely erotica. |