My system takes a lot of inspiration from Goodreads, because I like the general feeling it associates with each star and I don’t want my rating to vary wildly from what I post there when I finish a book.

Technically, my ratings are on a scale of 1 to 10, but I prefer the reduced 1 to 5 so that half points mean more and are easier to quantify.

---

5 out of 5

Nothing is perfect, but this is as close as a book can get for my tastes. Any flaws are at most a nitpick here or there. A significant intersection of great writing, storytelling, and an enjoyable reading experience.

4 out of 5

A great book with some minor problems that hold it back. This is often a book I have really strong feelings about and is very well written, but a few things in the execution or structure nagged at me.

3 out of 5

A good book overall, but with some more glaring issues holding it back. This rating is often a result of disharmony between enjoyment and critical assessment, given either to a book of recognizable quality that I didn’t enjoy reading all that much, or conversely, a more flawed book that was nevertheless good fun.

2 out of 5

A book that is at best just okay, and at worst not good. Not without merits, but the reading experience as a whole was more negative and the writing had severe flaws.

1 out of 5

A book that I flat out did not like. Little to no redeeming qualities, though it maybe includes some interesting ideas, concepts, or characters worth remarking on.

---

Half Marks

0.5 extra may be added to any rating level for a book I feel comes close to crossing into a higher tier, but doesn’t quite make it.

A 0.5 out of 5 rating would be a book that I actively hated yet finished out of pure spite (unfinished books do not get reviewed). This has yet to occur, but I figure I should account for the possibility.