Review Policy, a Long Overdue Post

Hello everyone!

I was looking back on the blog, thinking about the stuff I wanted to get done before the New Years and what I hope for the year to come, and I realized that I never made known my review policy. Mostly because when I started this blog it was all for fun and never thought I should explain the inner workings of my mind - I also wasn't sure if I could keep it up (the reviewing I mean, I'm often at lose of words when there is something I want to say).

But, here we are, more than a year and a half later!

So I thought it was time.

REVIEW POLICY

Here at AnimeGirl's Bookshelf (or The Bookshelf, for short), I review Young Adult Fiction and Romance novels, within this two big genres I'm open to everything, Historical, Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal, etc.

I give an honest opinion about them and try not to post undue spoilers - though this is hard since I'm a certified spoiler hound - and just share the books I love and try to get more people to read them.

My rating system goes from 2 stars (being the lowest) to 5 stars (being the highest), and it works something like this:

5.0 Must read, a book to keep, can't wait for more of the same author/next book in series
4.5 Loved the book, almost perfect, still a must read!
4.0 Really Good - Liked the book, will look for more by the same author. Minor drawbacks
3.5 OK book, not great but pretty good. Will keep checking out this author. Some drawbacks
3.0 OK book, not rushing to buy more by the same author/next book in series, but will still read eventually. Average.
2.5 Meh - I wonder why I picked up this book. Major draw backs and only some redeemable qualities. Isn't likely I'll read more by this author.
2.0 Meh - Won't be reading more by this author.

Originally I also had these two:
1.0 Horrible - What the hell I was thinking?
DNF - Couldn't finish.

But I definitely reckon that book reviewing is 95% a matter of personal taste - just because I didn't like something doesn't mean other people feel the same - and I don't believe in book bashing. So those two categories were removed from my rating system, when I don't like a book or can't finish, I simply don't review it.

In short, you can see my system on the left-hand side of the page:
There is also one special category for books close to my heart, the re-reads, the books I'll treasure and carry with me forever:

Personal Favorite


Also, I'm a reviewer outside the US, which means I buy pretty much all the books I review - save for those my family or friends gift me with or loan me from time to time. Would I love to get some books to review? sure, but I reckon that living outside the US that's hard.

Anyway, that, in a nutshell is how the site works.