REVIEW POLICY

IN GENERAL

My goal before anything else is to provide honest, thought out reviews. I always aim to be spoiler-free, but if spoilers are present in any of my reviews, a warning will be provided.

All books that are reviewed are bought by me or borrowed from loved ones unless stated otherwise.

WHAT I REVIEW

The genres I enjoy most and focus on are mystery, thriller/horror, contemporary romance, and dystopian royalty. Most – if not all – of my reviews will be of adult/new adult or young adult books.

I will sometimes review books of other genres but they are definitely less common. The genres/tropes I do not and will not read under any circumstances are listed below.

What I Do Not Read/Review:

  • Children’s books
  • Dark romance
  • Age-gap romance
  • High fantasy

THE SYSTEM

Aside from providing criticism – both negative and positive – I use a five star rating system. I sometimes utilize half star ratings if I’m truly on the fence. The quantity of stars are defined here:

  • One Star ★ – I hated this. There are little to no positive qualities and I regret reading it. Very rarely will I manage to finish a book and give it a rating this low – because I would have just DNFed it.
  • Two Stars ★★ – This was alright, but nothing great. There are more negative than positive qualities, but it wasn’t all bad. I most likely will not recommend this book to the masses, but might think its suited for a specific type of reader.
  • Three Stars ★★★ – An average book. There may be a few more positive qualities than negative, but it could also be a complete split down the middle. I most likely will recommend this book, but won’t sing its praises in the long run.
  • Four Stars ★★★★ – An above average book. A near perfect read, but there are a few negative qualities holding it back. I will recommend this to most people and am likely to rave about it after my read.
  • Five Stars ★★★★★ – A perfect read. Fits my three crucial criteria for a perfect book (outlined below). I am going to tell everyone about this book and will recommend it to every reader I know. My poor friends will never hear the end of it.

WHAT ARE THE THREE CRUCIAL CRITERIA?

When reading, it’s extremely hard for me to give out five stars because I have three things that I believe a novel should have in order to be classified as a perfect book. Is this overkill? Most definitely, but five star ratings are special to me, and this assures I don’t just hand them out to any book I enjoy.

CAN I UNDERSTAND THE MAIN CHARACTER?

I don’t necessarily mean liking, or rooting for them, but just understanding them. The point of any novel is to be in the main character’s head – so at the very least, I should be able to understand who they are and why they do what they do.

IS IT WRITTEN WELL?

While this might seem self-explanatory enough, I feel like not everyone puts as much weight into cohesive writing than others – and that’s totally okay! But for me, the writing itself is the most important element in a novel, so it matters a lot.

I put a heavy amount of emphasis in the actual writing as compared to the plotline or likability of the characters.

IS IT SPECIAL?

This seems obvious enough and is probably the most common criteria for any reader giving out a glowing review. For a book to get five stars from me, it had to have been something exceptional not only while reading it, but also when compared to other books just like it.

HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT ME TO READ?

I’m always open and excited to discover new authors and stories! If there’s something you think I may enjoy please don’t hesitate to send it to me on Instagram (@krystaslittlelibrary) or email me at krystaslittlelibrary@gmail.com.