briipearl's reviews
83 reviews

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

adventurous funny fast-paced

5.0

Adding this to my *forever* shelf because I wish I could experience it all over again! Such a fun ride - with wit, banter, cozy elements, and a surprising twist. It had me excited to pick it up every single time I had the chance and the final 30 pages? Man...what a treat. 

Evie is the stuff my dream main characters are made of - my favorite kind of girl to root for. Her progression in confidence throughout the novel spoke to me, as did her humor. The Villain was equally as lovable and I never found myself bored with their interactions. 

The "classic" fairytale setting mixed with modern elements was comical to me. I didn't go into this thinking it was going to be high fantasy - I knew this was going to make me giggle and, boy, did it. I cannot wait for installment #2!

Around the Ocean in 80 Fish and Other Sea Life by Helen Scales

adventurous informative inspiring fast-paced

*After devouring the library copy, I ordered my own copy for my science shelf at home. ☑️ It’s an absolutely beautifully done book: informative, quirky, illustrated whimsically and overall thoroughly interesting. Such a great read!

A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair

adventurous dark tense

3.0

*Pre-Rating review: I’m pursuing the series because I’m interested. Genuinely. I want to know how this all ends up. However, unsure how I feel about this first installment, as a whole. The writing style is hard for me to dissolve into - with too much telling and not enough showing. A lot of “I lifted…”, “I reached…”, “I grabbed…” and “He touched…”, “He walked…” — Starts to read/listen a bit repetitively and monotonously.

The MC’s character growth was well done, IMO.
The social hierarchy and division of “beings” is my favorite part of this universe. (Elf, fae, halflings, magical mortals, etc.)
The evolution of the love story seemed…kind of strange. Too forced and off kilter with instant chemistry and lots of back and forth. But I don’t mind Riven.
The world building piqued my curiosity.
I adored the secondary characters.

It’s a weird mix of likes and dislikes.

I do want to see where the story heads next so I’m jumping into A Shadow Crown.

Who Was Alexander Hamilton? by Meg Belviso, Pam Pollack

informative inspiring fast-paced

4.0

Fun read! Such a big fan of the Who Was books, both as a middle school teacher and an adult reader. This one was informative, easy to process, worked along a pretty quick timeline and had the usual “fun” sub-stories. It’s thorough enough for young readers who are interested in Hamilton or working on a research report.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
Did not finish book. Stopped at 55%.

Ooooof. This was…painful. And felt juvenile. 👎 Fresh out of Assistant to the Villain and Legends & Lattes, I went into this hoping for a fun, cozy adventure. I wanted wit, humor, laughs. — Super disappointing, after reading/seeing all the hype. I used an Audible credit to listen to: a weird southern-medieval drawl with modern slang sprinkled like confetti and odd country euphemisms that didn’t match up to one character’s personality, met other characters who were flat and (mostly) annoying, discovered little to no World-building, lazy dialogue, and ran amuck a disengaging insta love. 

I just…didn’t enjoy myself. *Sorry.*

Nah. This ain’t it, fam. You can keep your “ass whoopin’ alligators” and go.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Ope. Leading favorite for 2024, as of April!

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Suzanne Stabile, Ian Morgan Cron

informative reflective medium-paced

3.25

*(NR) -- There were several things I enjoyed about this book and several things I didn't, however, overall I don't regret picking it up (via Audible) and giving it a listen. I found the section on my particular type (9) interesting, as well as my partner's (8) and enjoyed listening to other evaluations in numbers I could correlate with people I love, work with, or teach. There were bits that felt...regurgitated and my hackles went up a few times, as some of the directness of the book went against how I was raised in the Christian environment/home. Maybe that's where my distaste comes in? Not enough that I didn't finish it out and take away little morsels of self-awareness though.

The Book of Queens: Legendary Leaders, Fierce Females, and Wonder Women Who Ruled the World by Stephanie Warren Drimmer

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

Not quite what I was expecting - definitely more of a coffee table style book or companion. I truly enjoyed 75% of the entries, along with the little supplemental bubbles. Some of the more…”modern” entries weren’t quite what I was looking for though. — My favorite part: the queens of science. I discovered several women I can’t wait to learn more about and requested books to learn further about their discoveries. 

I wanted to check this out for my own middle school classroom purposes. I can say, I’d definitely like to purchase a copy for my history classes, especially around research paper time. ✔️

Wildcard by Marie Lu

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

3.75

Warcross by Marie Lu

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Why did I wait so long to read this one?! Man, I loved it. All of this story’s primary elements combined into what my idea of “YA Science Fiction” is truly all about: internal and external conflicts, unique characters, adventure, new technological developments that as grasp-able, a touch of romance, and decisive Worldbuilding. What a fun book to read! 🤩