Why U No Give Out Five Stars?

If you've been following this month long recollection of my favorite reads of 2015, you might have noticed something a bit... odd. That is; there are barely any five stars among the group. And if you read the reviews, you might be a bit baffled as to why they aren't five stars.

I didn't even notice this myself, until they were all put one next to the other. But, yes, I am extremely stingy about handing out five stars. It's quite shocking considering how I was the complete opposite in 2012, when I opened my first blog.

I was... overly generous back then.

Back the the point; books like Vicious, Of Beast and Beauty, Shadow and Bone etc that I absolutely loved and adored and had nothing bad to say about (which is reflected in the reviews) got 4.5 stars instead of outright 5.

Right. No where in the review do I mention why they were reduced that half star. What makes them different than Written in Red or Love Shaped Hack? 

So, here's the deal. I keep the remaining half star reserved for books that not only blew me away like all these 4.5s did, but books that I am certain, without a doubt, that I would re-read over and over and over again. Which is how it came to be that there are only two 5 stars in my 2015 archive.

Written in Red & Heart Shaped Hack are both books that I know I would re-read. The first one I already did, the second I've been battling the urge since I read it, especially in times of depression.

So you see? 4.5 stars is actually the highest rating I can give a book - but 5 is that extra something.