In a desperate attempt to be more consistent in how I review books, I created a measurement system that made sense to me, tracked what was important, and could be projected into star ratings. Because all of these categories are highly subjective and vary drastically from reader to reader, I am providing a framework of what goes into each category that I’m scoring.

Please note that I only review books I have an interest in reading and planned to read anyway. Many have been traditionally published for decades, some are non-fiction, and a handful of authors are personal friends or from the Christian writing community. While I make every every effort to keep my reviews respectful, the occasional snark and sass will come out when I'm thoroughly annoyed or frustrated with the book.

Additionally, if a book does not elicit strong opinions either way in a category, that category will automatically receive a score of “good”.

Immersive writing style: I take into account the author’s general style (aka author’s voice) as well as how the point-of-view character comes across in narration and dialog (aka character’s voice). While I do have strong preferences regarding point-of-view (1st person, 3rd person) and tense (past or present), I have remained as objective as possible regarding the overall experience.

Well-Rounded Characters: In all frankness, I rarely connect emotionally with characters the way many readers do, so this category is more a way to ensure characters have depth, agency, morals, and some kind of compelling growth arc throughout the story.

Good Worldview/Morality: This category is the driving factor behind many of the others, and a low score on worldview and morality can tank a book’s Character, Worldbuilding, and Themes scores. I don’t expect every book to be squeaky clean, but I do expect books written by professing Christians to have an overall worldview and moral code that aligns with Scripture.

Interesting Worldbuilding: Here is where the fun and games come in. I love settings that are rich and vibrant, full of interesting things presented in interesting or unusual ways. I like when the details are important and pay off in big way. The world doesn’t have to function in a rational, logical way so long as the internal logic of the story stays consistent.

Impact of Themes: Not every book has a score in this category but it exists for the books that fail spectacularly at handing the themes they purport to have. If a book claims to be about forgiveness, it needs to handle it well and in a way that aligns with how Scripture tells us to behave.