{"id":16473,"date":"2026-01-27T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=16473"},"modified":"2026-01-26T20:08:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T01:08:47","slug":"updated-book-rating-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/updated-book-rating-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Updated Book Rating System"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p>This is an informative post for those who enjoy my book review posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, I decided to start a reading journal. As part of that, I&#8217;ve redone my book rating system so I can rate books more evenly. I still intend to share book reviews, but only those where I have a lot to say, good or bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I created a decision flowchart to help me with this new system in the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ratingFlowchart.jpg?resize=720%2C1280&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"rating decision flowchart. text version is after image.\" class=\"wp-image-16476\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ratingFlowchart.jpg?w=720&amp;ssl=1 720w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ratingFlowchart.jpg?resize=169%2C300&amp;ssl=1 169w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ratingFlowchart.jpg?resize=84%2C150&amp;ssl=1 84w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<details>\n  <summary style=\"cursor: pointer;\">View the text version of the flowchart<\/summary>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision Flowchart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision 1: Did I like this book?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes: proceed to decision 2<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No: proceed to decision 5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision 2: Did I like everything about it?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes: 5-star rating<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No: proceed to decision 3<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision 3: Would I re-read this book?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes: 4-star rating<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maybe\/No: proceed to decision 4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision 4: Would I recommend this book to others?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes: 4-star rating<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maybe: 3-star rating<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No: proceed to decision 5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision 5: Did I like something in this book?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes: 2-star rating<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maybe\/No: proceed to decision 6<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision 6: Did I finish reading this book?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Yes: proceed to decision 7<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No: 0-star rating<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision 7: Should I have stopped reading the book?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>No: 2-star rating<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Yes: 1-star rating<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Error Deductions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The flowchart gets me to my base rating. Beyond that, I deduct from the star rating if there are too many errors. Errors I see most often are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Spelling;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Punctuation;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grammar, including missing or misused words; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continuity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I will excuse a random error here and there, especially for self-published books. However, if I notice enough errors that it starts to annoy me, I take off a half-star. And, if the errors are very frequent, or combined with significant issues in pace, writing, or plot \u2014 typically, a 3-star rating or lower \u2014 I&#8217;ll take off a full star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks for reading to the end. Make sure to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.us16.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=d9c28d9c11226013eb8c0544e&amp;id=fb56c60d55\">subscribe to my blog<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/randomly_._rachel\/\">follow me on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0so you don\u2019t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year, I decided to start a reading journal. As part of that, I&#8217;ve redone my book rating system, and need to share it with you.<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/updated-book-rating-system\/\">Keep Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Updated Book Rating System<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[71,39,127],"class_list":["post-16473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-blogger","tag-book-review","tag-books","tag-rating-structure","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/BlogPost-IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-4hH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1506,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/rating-system\/","url_meta":{"origin":16473,"position":0},"title":"Rating System","author":"Rachel","date":"June 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It occurs to me that I've never mentioned my rating system. So, here's a rough idea of how I rate books. If I expand to review other things with any frequency, I'll explain those rating systems later. \u2606\u2606\u2606\u2606\u2606 (0 Stars) The only way I will assign a 0-star rating is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3914,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-elizabeth-darcy\/","url_meta":{"origin":16473,"position":1},"title":"Review &#8211; Elizabeth and Darcy: Ardently Yours","author":"Rachel","date":"February 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Read my review for *Elizabeth and Darcy: Ardently Yours* by Evangeline Wright.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Elizabeth and Darcy Ardently Yours","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/eday.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1539,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-princess-draga\/","url_meta":{"origin":16473,"position":2},"title":"Review &#8211; Princess of Draga","author":"Rachel","date":"June 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Princess of Draga by Emma Dean Series: Draga Court, Book 1 Genres:\u00a0Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction Release Date:\u00a0October 17th 2017 Pages:\u00a0274 Purchase from: Amazon My Rating:\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606 In the first book of the Draga Court series, Princess Adelina\u2019s coming-of-age party will declare to the worlds she is finally eligible to wed.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Princess Of Draga","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/PrincessOfDraga-231x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1619,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-pulse-omnibus\/","url_meta":{"origin":16473,"position":3},"title":"Review &#8211; Pulse","author":"Rachel","date":"July 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Pulse Vampire Series Omnibus Vol. 1 by Kailin Gow Series: Pulse, Books 1-4 Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult Release Date: March 1st 2018 Pages: ~ 988 Purchase from: Amazon\u00a0|\u00a0Barnes & Noble My Rating:\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606 (First book only) This Omnibus contains 4 Full-length Novels in the PULSE Vampire Series, now in development\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pulse Omnibus","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Pulse-300x276.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3869,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-fitzwilliam-darcy-elopes\/","url_meta":{"origin":16473,"position":4},"title":"Review &#8211; Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes","author":"Rachel","date":"February 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Read my review for Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes by Beth Wood.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/fde.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5918,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-heart-impaler\/","url_meta":{"origin":16473,"position":5},"title":"Review &#8211; Heart of the Impaler","author":"Rachel","date":"December 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\"...once it picks up, it's full of drama and intrigue.\"\u00a0Check out my review of *Heart of the Impaler* by Alexander Delacroix.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Heart of the Impaler","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/hoti.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16473"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16479,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16473\/revisions\/16479"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}