Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Published: April 8th 2014 By: Putnam Juvenile

Genres: Young-Adult, Supernatural, Romance

Format: Kindle Book Source: Purchased My Rating: 3.5 Stars

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Harper Price, peerless Southern belle, was born ready for a Homecoming tiara. But after a strange run-in at the dance imbues her with incredible abilities, Harper’s destiny takes a turn for the seriously weird. She becomes a Paladin, one of an ancient line of guardians with agility, super strength and lethal fighting instincts.

Just when life can’t get any more disastrously crazy, Harper finds out who she’s charged to protect: David Stark, school reporter, subject of a mysterious prophecy and possibly Harper’s least favorite person. But things get complicated when Harper starts falling for him—and discovers that David’s own fate could very well be to destroy Earth.

With snappy banter, cotillion dresses, non-stop action and a touch of magic, this new young adult series from bestseller Rachel Hawkins is going to make y’all beg for more.

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REVIEW

 This book is really fun and witty; two things that I like in my reading. I love the Southern setting – you know, me being an Alabama girl myself. I found myself laughing, and admittedly rolling my eyes – but I very much enjoyed the whole book. Except…… the love triangle. Maybe I’m too old to be complaining about a YA book when it’s obvious target isn’t my age group. And maybe teen girls love this type of thing. Can we please stop having these heroines choosing between two guys? This book could have done without that little hiccup, trust me.

Harper is the epitome of a Southern Belle. She’s smart, beautiful, elegant, outgoing, popular, loves all things pink and cute, and has the perfect boyfriend. So, it’s no surprise that she is about to be crowned Homecoming Queen. While she is in the ladies room preparing to gloss her perfect lips, chaos ensues. The school janitor locks himself in the bathroom with her. Okay… I almost freaked out with Harper. I was thinking that he was about to rape the poor girl or something. He’s bleeding from a wound on his stomach and it’s pretty obvious he’s about to die. As Harper tries to make a run for help, he stops her and starts mumbling about protecting someone and – here’s the kicker – kisses her. I know, ewww right? Well, it’s not a kiss per se. He’s breathing something seriously cold into her mouth. In comes the history teacher. He obviously is the person who did this to Mr. Hall. After a few words exchanged between the two, Harper gets all superheroish on him, and he’s dead. The only thing left to do is find out what is happening to her. Of course, she’s like any other sane person, she thinks that it’s all a dream and that when she gets to school on Monday, all will be well. Wrong.

The other side of this coin is David Stark, Harper’s foe since grade school. Of course he’s the person she’s to protect. Paladins, prophecies, oracles – seems cool to me. But, there wasn’t much going down here to make it be really kick-butt. The whole Southern Belle turned Paladin thing is very distinct. I loved the humor, the gowns, the banter between Harper and David. It’s a fun read that you can easily get into on a rainy or snowy day. I loved the fact that Harper, being this poised young lady, can curse like a sailor. I think that was key here, because had she been so perfect, it may not have worked for me.

I kind of like Harper’s boyfriend Ryan. He was a true Southern gentleman when warranted. Of course, he’s also a teen boy and he gets jealous like the rest of them when another guy is pissing on what’s his. Harper is an overachiever. So, you can only imagine how this has affected her. But, she is a strong young lady and makes do with what she has. Super powers aside, she really is a great character. I love all that she stands for, and this is girl power at it’s finest. I think this book will definitely appeal to the younger crowd because of the school setting. There’s magic, a little mayhem, frilly dresses, high school drama, mythology, and the perfect amount of humor to make this book, what I call, brain candy. Very fun. Recommended.