How We Review

We’re pure indie - and we’ve seen a gap where reviews need to be transparent and precise.

So Femficātiō evaluates books across three categories: Literature, Message Quality, and Entertainment Value, scoring each from 0 to 5 stars.

• Literature measures a book’s place in the literary tradition - how well it’s constructed, its lasting value, and whether it demonstrates skilful use of form and language.

• Message Quality evaluates whether the book’s ideas - political, social, or narrative - are clear and well communicated.

• Entertainment Value captures how engaging the book is, whether it keeps you absorbed, whether it’s compelling, and whether it’s hard to put down.

Once each category is scored, we calculate an aggregate score by averaging the three. What sets us apart is that a book can receive zero stars in any category. This allows us to recognize both brilliance and shortcomings, giving readers an honest, nuanced view rather than defaulting to only positive ratings.

☆☆☆☆☆ — 0 stars: irredeemable, the work fails on nearly every level.
☆☆☆☆½ — ½ star:
★☆☆☆☆ — 1 star:
★½☆☆☆ — 1½ Stars
★★☆☆☆ — 2 Stars
★★½☆☆ — 2½ Stars
★★★☆☆ — 3 Stars
★★★½☆ — 3½ Stars
★★★★☆ — 4 Stars
★★★★½ — 4½ Stars
★★★★★ — 5 Stars: exceptional, outstanding in every category, a must-read.