While it's not rocket science, a good rating system seems a significant part of summing up any review.  Ideally, each book or website review will include a rating between one and five.  My rating's system will look like this: ❤ (No Comment) generally means I haven't finished, nor will I finish, the book. It's so rare that I'll find a book I genuinely dislike, so you'll rarely see this rating because I truly believe that every book has some redeeming quality. In all my years as a reader, and as an English student, I've encountered exactly one book that would qualify for this rating and even then, I read the whole book.


❤❤ (Ugh, Not Recommended) means that I finished the book, but that I could not recommend it. Each book is unique, so there's no broad generalization to be made here. I try to refrain from giving a book a low rating based upon such factors as point of view. Structure is structure, and books should have good editing, but when I read a book I do so for the story.


❤❤❤ (Just Okay) is where I begin to recommend a book. A three might mean that I had trouble following the book in places, I couldn't sustain suspension of disbelief or become completely immersed, or that the story was somehow under-developed. What it does not mean is that I didn't like the book, because often times, that's not the case at all.


❤❤❤❤ (Delightful & Recommended) means that I, without reservation, recommend the book. Simple as that. It might also mean that I enjoyed it and would consider re-reading it at some point in the future. A book earning a four is well plotted, original, and consuming. If the book is the first in a series, I'm going to hunt down book number two, and possibly three.


❤❤❤❤❤ (Simply Wonderful & Highly Recommended) means that not only do I recommend it, but that I loved it. Unlike a one, you will definitely see this rating because there are books that I just genuinely love. A five will be well plotted, original, consuming, and reach me emotionally. If I can fall in love with the characters and/or the settings, the book stands a better chance of seeing a five! The Hunter Games books were all fives.