Should we take time to read low star books?

Since starting this blog, one consistent element of how I review the books I have read is by using a star rating system; ranking books on a five point scale, with 5 stars representing the best possible books and one star representing books that don't hold my attention... but does this help or hinder the book market?

Now, of course, everyone is open to their own view of books on the market; and once you have these opinions you can express them how you like (legally of course), but is rating a book badly in your opinion stopping other people from reading them... even if they may in fact like them?

I am starting to think that rating books the way majority of reviewers do is beginning to make a cliché, where readers are only buying the books rated highly by their favourite reviewers without considering what they may find in the book that the reviewer did not. This all came about from a recent comment on my most recent review; Sofia (Bookish Wanderess9) said how the book 'sounded incredible' but that she  was 'sorry it didn't turn out to be as good'; making me think that giving the book three stars had somehow tainted its chances of being read. Even though many of the reasons I lowered the star rating was because of personal preferences in a book?

 

Of course, star ratings can be important; when your deciding which book to buy or what book to pick up next, referring to a star rating may in fact, make the decision an easier one. But, saying that; I would definitely recommend looking at several reviews, some by reviewers that you know and regularly visit, but also reviewers that may not have crossed your path before... you never know whether your tastes are different from the reviewers you always turn to... and you never knew that your tastes are different because you have always relied on their opinions.

 

Okay, I obviously still want readers to value the reviews I post but I also want to encourage people to read books to form their own opinions... even if I find a book slow or confusing, you may not.  Now we may think 'why waste our time on 1 star books?' Clearly someone would like it or it wouldn't make it into the bookstores or published for that matter... so please give it a chance.