Confessions of a Five-Star Slut

Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, this doesn’t mean what you think it means…

I’m talking about giving five-star ratings to books. And yes, if you look at my Goodreads account or my Amazon reviews, you might notice that I am a bit of a five-star slut. In fact, I give MOST of the books I finish five stars. Occasionally four stars. Almost never three stars or lower.

There are three good reasons for this: 1) I give a five star rating not just to “perfect” books (whatever that means) but to books I love. 2) I almost never finish a book I don’t love. And 3) I usually don’t give ratings to books I don’t finish.

1) If we’re thinking of a scale between 0 and 100 percent, and there are five (or six) options within that scale (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), it doesn’t make sense for the “5” range to JUST be 100%. In fact, even if we compare it to a grading scale (in which an F is everything between 0 and 50!), the “A” range is everything between 90 and 100. And 90 is far from perfect, but it’s still very good. And I can love a book while also having qualms about specific things in it.

2) I’ve learned over the years that finishing books I don’t love – or, at least, really like – is a waste of time, especially when my TBR pile is, well, piling up. So that means the books I finish are always going to be four or five stars.

3) For the most part, I don’t feel comfortable giving a rating to a book I don’t finish. There are exceptions to this. For example, if I don’t finish a book because the plot is a hot mess and the characters suck, and I know the author can do better because I loved the first book of the series (::cough cough:: Iron Flame), I feel I can justifiably give an opinion even if I don’t finish it. Same goes for books that are of extremely poor quality (spelling, grammar, style issues galore). But a lot of times, if I don’t finish a book, it’s because it just wasn’t for me. A recent example of this is “Immortal Dark” by Tigest Girma. Girma’s writing style, dialogue, and world-building were good; I just wasn’t in the mood for an enemies-to-lovers romance and an overly-complicated (in my opinion) setting. Or sometimes I’m reading a nonfiction book and, while the author is doing a very good job accomplishing what they set out to do, I’m just not in the mood for nonfiction. It doesn’t seem right to punish an author for not keeping my interest when it’s personal preference that’s driving my desire not to finish the book.

Actually, it’s pretty rare these days that I don’t like a book I’ve started reading. As the years pass, I get better and better at figuring out what I’m going to like and what I’m not going to like. As it turns out, I like A LOT of things, because I’m VERY open-minded about genre. This means – again – that, when I choose a book, I’m usually going to end up choosing a book that I love (or, at least, really like).

So, here’s a list of the books I read this month. They’re all from different genres, and I gave all of them five stars on Goodreads, even though I could certainly be nitpicky about certain things I didn’t like (as you’ll see below):

The Shepherd King Duology (One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns) by Rachel Gillig.

Genre: fantasy

Though the magic system does seem a bit overly complicated at first, and Gillig occasionally abuses the English language (particularly in the first book), this is a series that will hold a special place in my heart. It feels so immersive that you can taste the salty tang of magic as you read. The romance is top-notch (low on the spice scale, but very emotionally satisfying), and the way Gillig weaves together the strands of the plot in the climactic final scenes is masterful (even if the “plot twists” were fairly predictable). I cried at the end because of the way it truly transported me into another world and ran me through the emotional wringer!

The Return by Rachel Harrison

Genre: horror

Again, this book isn’t perfect. But this is the second book I’ve read by Harrison (though it was her first to be published) that has left me in absolute awe of the way she manages to combine two utterly different genres, namely, horror and “chick lit.” She delves into the complexities of female friendship while also creeping you TF out. Talk about talent!

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

Genre: historical fiction

If you get a chance to listen to this as an audiobook, do it. The author is a fantastic narrator, and both his accent and his comedic timing do wonders to bring this tale to life. But I would have loved it anyway. I love that, despite the setting in the distant past, Lennon makes his characters feel modern and alive. I love the combination of irreverence and heartbreaking emotional resonance, its meditations on how we can find joy and glory even in the depths of despair, even as we slip in the mud and blood around us…And it made me laugh out loud more than once!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

Genre: magical realism

Though the pacing is somewhat uneven and I find myself sometimes feeling oddly distant from the narrator, this book still packs a hell of a punch. It’s about the power of imagination, the inexplicability of love, the strength of found family, the unfathomable complexity of the universe, and the corrupting nature of wealth and status. When January discovers that even those she trusted are subject to corruption, you feel the devastation with her, and you cheer when she finds the strength within herself to stand up to them. Also, this is the first book in a long time that I felt the need to copy several quotes from. Harrow is an extraordinarily talented writer!

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Genre: sci-fi

This was a re-read for me. I needed to feel joy and hope and comfort, and I knew this would do the trick. If you ever want an easy, quick read that will make you feel like the world is beautiful and you are perfect just the way you are, a book that will make you laugh and cry in the span of a few short chapters, this is the book for you (oh, and its sequel. And everything else Becky Chambers has ever written…).

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Genre: supernatural thriller

Fast-paced and genuinely creepy in parts, but not overdramatic like many thrillers tend to be (though the climax is VERY exciting). I absolutely LOVED the premise and the way the illustrations added to both plot and ambiance – what a cool idea! I’m genuinely curious how this one would work on audiobook though (LOL). I loved Mallory’s sweet relationship with Teddy, and I felt deeply her helplessness and frustration at being misunderstood. The twists were actual twists without being completely nonsensical (you have to suspend disbelief a little bit, but I think that’s the case with most plot twists). I’ve seen some negative reviews of this book that have very political interpretations of certain plot points (I can’t go into detail without spoiling), but I don’t personally have the same interpretation (let’s just say I think the epilogue helps A LOT).

Anyway, there are my reviews for the month of January. Feel free to comment below! And, as always, subscribe if you want to be kept up to date with my posts!

In Proximum, Regina Vestra