6-Point Nutshell

I have decided a rating form is needed—-basically a few bullets to summarize my opinions and ratings of a book in a 6-point nutshell. Here’s how it works:

I will rate:

1. Violence level
*. . .* *.no violence 
**. .*a little, but still light and appropriate 
*****consistent violence through the entire novel 
*****violence is high and very noticeable. (may still be clean, however) 
***** excessive and inappropriate descriptions and amount of violence

2. Romance level
*. . .* *.not an ounce of romance
**. .*mildly touched upon; innocent
*****plays a main part in the story. There may be physical interaction
*****major theme in the novel--may reach inappropriate or serious
. . . . . . levels.
***** excessive. Inappropriate focus or interaction.

3. Christian theme/focus level
*. . .* *.no Christian focus in any way
**. .*a little, but hard to notice. Underlying themes that are difficult to
. . . . . . catch.
*****consistent Christian focus, but not over-the-top. Slightly hidden in
. . . . . . the writing.
*****obvious Christian themes throughout the story.
***** every aspect of the story revolves around God/Christian-themes.
. . . . . . Obvious messages.


4. Readability level
*. . .* *.very easy to read. Almost too easy, doesn't really push the reader.
**. .*easy to read, simple (but not bland) writing.
*****easy to medium read. Makes the reader focus, but is not confusing.
*****a little difficult to read--either due to writing style or confusing
. . . . . . descriptions/story
***** very confusing. Difficult to understand much of the story due to
. . . . . . poor/unclear/over-the-top writing.

5. Story-depth level
*. . .* *.not much depth. Cliche, simple writing. Unoriginal.
**. .*a little depth and creativity, but below reading level of target age.
*****plenty of thought and effort put into the story. Interesting, but only
. . . . . . a little thought-provoking with limited plot layers.
*****thought-provoking with several layers of plot that are still fairly
. . . . . . easy to follow.
***** Story is well-planned and insightful, makes the reader think and
. . . . . . ask questions. Several important underlying themes and messages
. . . . . . with a page-turning plot line.

6. Personal recommendation level at the end of each post.
*. . .* *.not recommended; does more damage than good to the reader. (I'll
. . . . . . probably sell/toss it).
**. .*not recommended; not edifying to the reader, but not seriously damaging.
. . . . . . (Won't ever re-read it)
*****neutral recommendation. It is doubtful the book will damage or
. . . . . . edify the reader one way or the other. (Probably won't re-read it).
*****recommended; above-average read with interesting themes. (I
. . . . . . may re-read it)
***** highly recommended. Edifies the reader and leaves him or her at a
. . . . . . more positive level. Fully exceeds my expectations. (I'll definitely re-read it)


For an example of a five-star novel, see the new post on Jill Williamson's 2nd novel, To Darkness Fled!

For future readers’ sake, I am going to add these ratings in to the former posts. If you want clarification on any ratings, please feel free to ask!

God bless.