Satu's Rating Method

Each story that I critique will be judged in several categories. Points be awarded for the author's ability of capture my enthusiasm in that category. The points will be issued on a scale of 1 to 5. A score of 1 would be a poor score, 3 is neither good nor bad, and a 5 would be great. To help you better understand my criteria please take a moment to read through the category descriptions.

Presentation
The author's story telling ability is key to the reader's ability to enter that world. A good author should be able to tell a story in a way that is comfortable for the reader to understand and follow.

Pace
The speed at which a story is told is critical to holding the reader's attention. A captivating author keeps a pace that is descriptive without being overly wordy. The reader should feel like they have all information necessary to clearly set the scene without getting bored with reading too much detail.

Plot
The plot of a story should be interesting and complex. Whether the subject matter of a story is interesting is really the product of what the reader finds to be interesting, and can vary greatly from one person to another. The plot should have a level of complexity and and element of surprise while retaining some sort of logical structure. (IE: the story should not be so transparent that the reader can predict its every move, but it should not be so complex that the reader has no idea what they just read or why they read it.)

Characters
The characters in a story should be deep and realistic. Good stories do not have heroes and villains, they have complex relationships that reflect the true nature of humanity.

Originality
Many great stories spring from classic plot scenarios and real life inspiration, but an original story hinges on the author's ability to present those ideas in unexpected ways.

Overall
I want to give an honest overall opinion of the book, and sometimes more weight is put on one category than another. A story may have all the right pieces...deep compelling characters, an epic and emotional plot, a captivating pace...but if the author's presentation style is poor I may not enjoy reading the book. The overall rating is a summary of my enjoyment of the book.