Book Grading System

Hello!

Ana was amazing enough to create a grading system for us to follow while reviewing, so I'm going to post it here for future reference.

Originality /25
Cover /15
Ending /20
Characters /20
Plot /20

A brief explanation:

Originality:
There are only so many plots in this world, and more often than not authors will recycle the same old, hackneyed stories in their works. Now, this can either be a success or an utter failure. When reviewing we're going to look for clever use of plots. Is this new? If not, is it an original and successful remake of a classic?

Cover:
As the saying goes, "you can't judge a book by it's cover," but, as I see it, the cover helps me decide if I'm going to buy it or not. Ugly covers can be the downfall of good books. Likewise, beautiful covers on lousy stories can be HUGE disappointments. I happen to love when the cover advertises one specific element of a story, it can be such a discreet but effective way of drawing in readers.

Ending:
Good, satisfying endings can be so incredibly hard to write. Authors have to work hard to make the story worth reading, and there are few things worse than getting to the end of a great book and feeling let down. The same goes for books in a series that end in cliffhangers. Annoying as they may be (I know, annoying doesn't even begin to cover it), if done well they can evoke intense feelings in the reader, which is well in the favor of the author, especially if they plan on the next book selling well (hey, it'd be on the top of my list!).

Characters:
Similar to originality, characters can get worn out fast. There are only so many ways of portraying Romeo and Juliet, and, as far as I'm concerned, Shakespeare went there and did that to death (teehee, pun totally intended ;) ). And do not even get me started on Mary Sues.

Plot:
Simple enough-- was it satisfying? Did it draw the reader in? Was it fun to read or did it resemble last year's summer reading nightmare? Was it new and exciting?


Alright, well there's the overview! Ana and I are both working on reviewing our first stories, so expect those up in a few days (if not sooner!).

-Rissa