Rating System

Reading level: The ranking is a DABS system. What is a DABS system? Great question! Let me explain it to you!

D - Difficult - This is challenging even for a long-time reader, possibly written in another time where vocabulary and the use words were different, might use a lot of words that relate to a specific field of study and difficult for a casual reader to understand. Think Shakespeare and quantum physics.

A - Advanced - The writer doesn't speak down to the reader, creates his own language through the use of words, uses plenty of big words, usually long chapters, lots of world building and details, format might be tight and fill up the pages. Think Lord of the Rings and history books.

B - Basic - The writer doesn't challenge the reader with a lot of unusual vocabulary, the sentences are generally short, chapters aren't too long, there's a quick pace without too much detail, story focuses more on action. Think Harry Potter and magazine articles.

S - Simple - The writer doesn't use many long words, uses short sentences, short chapters (if there even are chapters) and possibly lots of pictures to tell the story. Think Dr. Seuss and the funny pages.

Story: How is the story of the book? Is it interesting? Does it work or make sense? Is it complete, or are there plot holes that aren't addressed?

Characters: What are the characters like? Are they interesting? Do I care about them? Are they memorable?

Style: How is the style of the writing? Does it flows well? Does the narration work for the type of story being told? What is the perspective and does the author make it interesting?

Cover: What does the cover look like? Is it good? Does it draw in a potential reader, or turn one away? Especially for Indy books, does it look professional?

Presentation: How is the layout? Is it illustrated, and do the pictures work for the story?

Epicness: Does the book resonate with me? Does it make me wish to meet the characters for real? Am I left wanting more?