rating policies
A Cuppa Books will always rate a book honestly, giving a fair and considered review. Reviews are personal, my opinions.
NOTE: I don’t review books I don’t finish, neither on my blog nor on any retail sites.
rating criteria
the story: Does it draw me in, and keep me engaged? Does it make me feel like I am present in the story? Do I just not want to put it down? Does it have it’s own uniqueness, as opposed to other works?
the world-building: Was the setting easy to imagine? Did the characters feel appropriate for that world?
the mood: Was the mood and tone easily felt?
the writing: Is the book well-written? Is it disjointed, or distractingly wordy? Is it descriptive, or overly so? Does the writing promote the progression of the story, or hinder it?
the characters: Can I relate to the characters? Are they believable? Are the characters well developed and is their “profile” appropriate to the story and their role in it?
the pacing: Were the events of the story paced well? Were the reveals worth the journey? Was
emotional significance: Did the story evoke an emotional response from me as a reader? Did it make me think about something in a new light?
the conclusion: Does the story end with enough explanation? Am I left with too many questions left unanswered? Does it leave me wanting more?
rating system
overall ratings
⭐: It was a struggle to finish the book. Wouldn’t recommend.
⭐⭐: The book didn’t do it for me, but it might do it for others. Might recommend.
⭐⭐⭐: I didn’t love it, but I did like it. Would recommend.
⭐⭐⭐⭐: The book was great. Would recommend.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: The book blew my mind. Would recommend.
spice ratings
0🔥: no sexual content/references
🔥: no sexual content on page/some references
🔥🔥: behind closed doors/off page
🔥🔥🔥: open door/at least one intimate scene on page
🔥🔥🔥🔥: explicit open door/at least two intimate scenes on page
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥: explicit and frequent
language ratings
0🤬: no cussing/explicit language
🤬: mild/infrequent use
🤬🤬: mild to moderate use
🤬🤬🤬: moderate use
🤬🤬🤬🤬: frequent use (f-word occasionally used)
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬: explicit language