I wanted to give this book four stars so bad, but I just couldn’t. As much as I loved it I also have to acknowledge that it could have been so much more.

The writing style was good. I enjoyed reading the word flow. The characters were also solid, unique, and very real. These two components would normally make the book a solid five stars for me.

Not today. Wicked Saints fell short on the plot. For one, the entire time I read the love interest I was cringing. At first I had hope that it would have been a friendship. It should have been a friendship. Then there was the actual plot. So many things were set up to never be followed upon and so many other things happened with no set up. It kind of felt a bit too messy.

This book is a weird mix for me. While I completely acknowledge many things that just did not work, I also could see myself picking it up and reading it again.

I read this book via audiobook. I had reservations about getting this book in audio form from other reviewers, but I also read the good reviews of the books and decided to go ahead. I should have listened and waited for the library book, even if it was past the readathon I was reading the book from.

I did not enjoy the narration of this book at all. The male voices were jarring and there was too much unneeded emotion thrown into the book. It was only after hours of listening to the book that I could, for brief periods, forget about the narrator and enjoy the book. I strongly recommend not getting the audio version of this book.

Unfortunately my review of the book will also be influenced by the narration. I did not really like the characters all that much, they blended together and were not distinct. Yet, again, I think that was more influenced by the narration than the writing. I had to listen to the book faster than I normally would, or I couldn't have handled listening to it at all, and I raced through a lot of the points that I could have used a little more time thinking about. However, there was something about the book that kept encouraging me to finish.

The concept was unique and the world was complex. I also believe I would have enjoyed the characters without the narrators interpretation. I could see myself going on to the second book, but I really hope that they get a new narrator for it.

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet is a light fantasy read that is a perfect summer read. While the book would be an easy read it is entertaining and well written. If you enjoy Homberg's other books then you should pick this up as well.

While not exactly a retelling, this book combines several fairy tails to create a sort of origin story for them. I found the premise unique and enjoyed spotting the various stories throughout the book (admittedly they were not hard to notice).

On the Come Up is Angie Thoma's second book. Her first book, The Hate U Give, was amazing and I was a bit nervous on how I would find this book. I was the exact opoiste of the prime audience - being white and in my late 30s. To make it worse I spent most of grad school with my peers trying to teach me the joy of hip hop, something that I never quite understood. I don't really understand any music to be honest.

However, my daughter's are avid music lovers, are mixed, and are both teenagers. This book was really written for them, except my girls hate to read. I did the only logical thing and bought the audiobook. I then played it while I was driving. My 14 year old actually pointed out the other day, "Isn't that the book you were listening to?" That alone showed it made an impact, although this review is mine. I would say take it with a grain of salt, except this book is brilliant so you should listen to what I have to say - read this book.

Brie is a teenager, she was captured so well that I could not tell the difference between her and my own two teenage daughters. While I understand her POV - as a parent I often found myself siding with her mother. It was an interesting perspective when reading a book. However, I left the book seeing the growth in Brie and the world around her. The story was engaging and gave me an understanding that never quite clicked when my Georgia grad school peers tried to teach a west cost girl about music.

I cannot remember how many times I have read through Harry Potter, especially the start of the series. Yet, I keep coming back to it because it is good writing, with strong characters, and a great adventure.

The third book lost the back story that plagued the second book. You were expected to know what was happening, which is a great thing in the third book in the series, no matter how popular. Even knowing what would happen I could not put the book down. I also teared up a little leaving them for yet another year.

I was so excited for Crown of Feathers that I could not wait to pick it up. Unfortunately, it was not as great as anticipated. It was still an ok read that I am glad to have on my shelves (I mean the cover is still amazing) and I would consider picking up the second book, possibly.

The book starts off slow and the ending was very anti-climatic. The Queen is horrible, but we are suppose to feel empathy for her people and not their enemy's - the Empire. That part did not work for me at all. The writing is ok, but not great. I never really felt like I connected with the story or the characters. I honestly just did not care all that much, even though I really wanted to.

Angela's Ashes is a memoir by Frank McCourt. He talks about his life, from his birth in New York City to his childhood in Ireland. He was a poor child with an alcoholic father and a mother who was tasked past her breaking point.

The story was graphic, but from the viewpoint of a child. The way that McCourt crafted this connection was brilliant. The tale has navigated the years of McCourts adulthood and then more past publication. Yet, it still resonates with the reader.

I had no expectations when I picked up this book. It is one of those works that everyone should read, and some of them I wish I never had. Other books, such as this one, really is a masterpiece.

Even though I quite enjoyed Gemina, I did not enjoy it as much as the first book in the series. Gemina was a bit more of a Romeo and Juliet type plot, with the angsty teenage love. I also did not understand how AIDEN could have such a strong part in the narration. Although, that was explained near the end.

I did really enjoy that most of the main characters are strong females. They are shown as multifaceted able to be both feminine and intelligent. The plot was not as well developed, but still enjoyable.

There was also a formatting issue in Gemina. There were instances of grey on black text. It was extremely hard to read, I found it a poor choice for a graphic designer to have made. It was also a surprising choice, since there was nothing like that in Illuminae.

I am curious as to how exactly there is a whole third book.