How I Rate Books
I use the CAWPILE rating system. CAWPILE is an acronym for Characters, Atmosphere, Writing Style, Plot, Intrigue, Logic/Relationships, Excitement. This system is used as a way to evaluate books’ overall quality across different aspects. What if I liked the plot but not the writing style? This method provides a more balanced review, rather than focusing on an overall feeling. Ratings are typically done on a scale, with the sum of these factors determining the final score for the book. Using this system as a base, I fleshed it out a little more for clarity and consistency and added a few extra categories.
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The cast of the story and their likeability and relatability, their arcs and archetypes.
10 • I would die for them!
9 • Can’t stop thinking about them
8 • Most of them are really good
7 • I really like some of them
6 • They were fine but didn't love them
5 • No strong feelings
4 • Most of them were bland
3 • They all needed more workshopping
2 • I couldn't care less about them
1 • If they died, I’d be happyTotal Points: 10
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This is the story’s world-building and the reader’s feelings summoned by all that make up this story and how the author built it.
10 • The world-building is epic!
9 • I want more
8 • Some scenes were awesome, and the setting works
7 • There were some holes
6 • A few cool scenes, but something is off
5 • No strong feelings
4 • Not unique, underwhelming, flat mood
3 • Couldn't understand the world some times
2 • Very weak world-building
1 • I am lost and boredTotal Points: 10
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This category is scored on tone, sentence structure, word choice, and vocabulary particular to the author. There are also two extra categories for grammar and formatting.
10 • Masterful storytelling
9 • Clever and smart word usage
8 • Smooth read
7 • Engaging/little profanity
6 • Decent, but a little amateur
5 • No strong feelings
4 • Some sentences didn't make sense
3 • Didn't like the author's style/lots of profanity
2 • Feels like a rough draft
1 • Throw it away4 • No grammatical errors
3 • Some grammatical errors
2 • Noticeable grammatical errors
1 • Many grammatical errors4 • No formatting issues
3 • Some formatting issues
2 • Distracting formatting issues
1 • Formatting needs help!Total Points: 18
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What the book is about—the events that make up the story’s beats
10 • A masterpiece!
9 • Did not want to put down
8 • Unique and well-paced
7 • Enjoyable but fast-paced
6 • Decent plot but had some plot holes and slow-paced
5 • No strong feelings
4 • Predictable or riddled with holes like Swiss cheese
3 • Choppy and aimless
2 • A struggle to read
1 • What is happening???Total Points: 10
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This term feels vague to me, so I’ve just taken it to score how excited I was to find out what happened next.
10 • Binged it it one sitting!
9 • Didn't want to put it down
8 • Could not stop thinking about it
7 • A plot twist kept me hooked
6 • Engaging and needed to know more
5 • No strong feelings
4 • Wanted to put off reading more
3 • Put it down a lot
2 • A chore to finish
1 • I wanted to quitTotal Points: 10
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Two categories that focus on character relationships and plot logic. Did they make sense and move the plot forward?
10 • Perfection
9 • I understand and love it
8 • I understand but not impressed
7 • Mostly explained, but I have questions
6 • Everything feels too convenient
5 • No strong feelings
4 • Many unexplained scenes
3 • Huge illogical gaps
2 • Mostly illogical
1 • Nothing made senes4 • Characters fit well together
3 • Some characters didn't fit
2 • Most characters didn’t fit
1 • Characters did NOT fit togetherTotal Points: 14
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The likelihood of me sharing this book with others. Does it need moe or less hype? Would I even consider special editions some day?
10 • I won’t shut up about it!
9 • I have told my friends about it
8 • I’m sad it’s over
7 • I had a good time
6 • I’m glad read it but not impressed
5 • No strong feelings
4 • Just meh
3 • So glad this is over
2 • Likely donated it
1 • Never want to think about it againTotal Points: 10
Once I’ve tallied up my scores from all seven categories, I will have a number out of 82 (this is the sum of all total possible points across the categories).
Characters: 10/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Writing Style: 17/18
Plot: 8/10
Intrigue: 7/10
Logic/Relationships: 11/14
Excitement: 9/10
Total Points: 68/82
So how does this turn into a star rating? There are two ways we can get to a rating: Broad Score and Acute Score. The difference is precision.
For the Broad Score, just match your total points to the corresponding grid below and there you go.
For the Acute Score, we gotta do some basic math:
We take our total points scored (in this case 68) and divide it by the number of categories we have (in this case 7)
This gives us 9.714285714285714
“What?!”I know, that’s a ridiculous number, so we round it to the nearest tenth. (9.7 because the hundredth place was less than 5 so we round down)
Now we have a score of 9.7!
“But there are only five stars.”Right, so now we go over to this handy little table and match it to the corresponding star rating:
| No Rating | 1 Star | 2 Stars | 3 Stars | 4 Stars | 5 Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0-1.0 | 1.1-3.2 | 3.3-5.3 | 5.4-7.4 | 7.5-9.5 | 9.6-11.7 |
| 0-7 | 8-22 | 23-37 | 38-52 | 53-66 | 67-82 |
Since we have a 9.7, that corresponds to a 5 Star rating!
The awesome thing about this system is you can totally customize it to your preferences! I hope to go through all my reviews on this blog and add their CAWPILE breakdown for more clarity and/or reread them with this rating system.
