Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins Series: Rebel Belle #1
Published by Putnam Juvenile (4.8.2014)
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover, 345 pages
Source: Library
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.
My thoughts
In the beginning, I wasn’t sure I’d like this book at all. Actually, I was weary of picking it up in the first place. Cotillion and couture aren’t really my thing. The only thing that pushed me to try anyway was the fact that it’s Rachel Hawkins, and I loved her Hex Hall series.
In the beginning, I didn’t like it. I found Harper to be extremely shallow. The whole book seemed shallow. I mean, there was an in-depth discussion about lip gloss for crying out loud. And it was a scandal that Harper wasn’t wearing any. Gasp! Naked lips!! -insert eye roll- Makeup and fashion is NOT something I give a rat’s ass about. I hate lipstick, I rarely ever wear makeup, and the discussion of shades of lipstick was making my eyes cross. I don’t buy into fashion or popularity, and Harper was big about both. She also seemed really stuck up – also not my thing. So, this book bugged me. I can’t stand superficial, and Harper was the poster girl for it. Forgetting her lip gloss was a catastrophe, but she poked fun and turned her nose up at role playing games. And video games in general. So completely opposite to me that I didn’t think I would connect to this book at all.
As it turns out, I ended up being pleasantly surprised! The beginning was a bit rocky, but as soon as Harper accidentally became a Paladin, I was hooked. The concept was awesome! The whole Oracle/Mage/Paladin connection was intriguing and unique. There was also plenty of snark and banter, which is one of the things I really loved about Hex Hall. And somewhere along the way, I started to like Harper. The things about her that annoyed me in the beginning became endearing. Her refusal to use swear words and her unwavering politeness, for example.
“That was very nice of you, David. Now hold on because I’m about to drive into a fence.”
I love that Harper and David pretty much hated each other in the beginning, were forced together, and slowly fell for each other. I absolutely LOVE those kinds of romance stories! There was plenty of time for their romance to develop because it took the whole book to happen. They were both in denial over their feelings for each other, it was kind of adorable.
Surprisingly the love triangle didn’t bother me. Harper wants so badly to cling to her normal life, and she doesn’t realize she’s falling for David, so it makes sense for her to stick with Ryan. She didn’t really have a choice to be around David, so it didn’t bother me like it would if she had willingly put herself in the situation to fall for another guy.
All in all, this book was pretty fluffy, but it was very fun to read! It had me giggling and smiling to myself quite a few times, and yes, even in public (DON’T JUDGE ME, RANDOM PEOPLE AT THE GYM).
Favorite quote
Since when did David Stark have biceps? How did you get any muscle tone when all you did was type and be annoying?
Overall Assessment
Plot: 4/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 4/5
Originality: 4.5/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Pace: 4/5
Feels: 2/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 4/5
I never expected to like this one as much as I did and I ended up having so much fun! It was hilarious too. XD Glad you enjoyed it as well!