I’ve stopped rating books with stars. Why? Books are too nuanced and there are so many options. Why would I want to yuck on someone’s yum?

“The clearest evidence that justice is the most important of all the virtues comes from what happens when you remove it. It’s remarkably stark: The presence of injustice instantly renders any act of virtue—courage, discipline, wisdom—any skill, any achievement, worthless…or worse.”

The point is… how do you know how to rate a book? How do you understand what others feel when they rate books? It’s difficult to know across the board, but at Beguiled By Books, here’s what the Star Ratings mean.

Words are our tools of resurrection.

Being different conditions you toward cautiousness, even as it demands that you be bold.

Discipline isn’t just endurance and strength. It’s also finding the best, most economical way of doing something. It’s the commitment to evolving and improving so that the tasks get more efficient as you go.

Here are the best books I read over the summer!

Mika builds strong relationships with all the members of Nowhere House while working with the three young witches to teach them to control their powers. When this unique family finds themselves in potential trouble, Mika must choose between following the carefully prescribed rules or following her heart.

When We Were Birds tells the story of two people, Yejide and Darwin, brought together by death and love. They are brought together mysteriously and dramatically while learning about themselves in the process.

A mysterious story of an orphaned teenager discovered by her extended family and brought to Gallant, a country estate with dark shadows, and darker secrets.