Rebel Belle

You might not know this about me, but I’m actually not a huge girly girl. I don’t really like pink, I don’t wear makeup, I wouldn’t dream of casually wearing heels, and I think beauty pageants are just ridiculous. Instead, I usually rock jeans and a nerdy t-shirt, spend my time reading fantasy books or gaming with my guy friends, and I swear worse than my sixteen year old brother. So just looking at this cover had me a little hesitant, and when I read the summary, I was ready to chuck this book in the fire. But, through the sheer power of will and the overwhelming fear of being murdered by my reader friends if I didn’t finish this book, I started the first page. And didn’t put the book down once. Yeah, you heard me. I busted this book in a few hours, finishing at about one in the morning, very alarmed to see it was that late because I hadn’t even noticed the time passing. I liked this book. I liked this book with it’s pink cover and perky heroine and silly dresses and lighthearted magic stuff. It was actually kind of… cute.In Rebel Belle, we meet Harper, the sort of girl that I probably would have avoided in high school. She’s head of practically every club or leadership related thing in the school, she says cutesy little things instead of swear words, she spent over a thousand dollars on her Homecoming dress and she keeps her lips perfectly glossed at all times. Right off, I did not like Harper one bit. But as the pages flew by, she started to grow on me. Under that perfect, perky exterior, Harper had a tough, loyal, fun side to her that I adored. She ends up getting super Paladin powers from her janitor, and suddenly she can kick ass. Like, really kick ass. Like, she stabbed someone in the throat with her heel. Suddenly, girly shoes became a lot more interesting to me. She was fierce and strong and confident, and I love how self sufficient she was. This girl doesn’t need anyone, and I loved it. Harper actually had more layers than I expected, an unending arsenal of witty comebacks, and a whole lot of spunk.Then we meet David, the boy that Harper is supposed to protect with her new-found powers. Because he may or may not be very very special. The only problem is, they absolutely despise each other. I mean, they hate each other with a fiery passion. David is the hipster guy that wears corduroy pants and writes stories for the school newspaper, occasionally pointing out bad things about Harper, which is unacceptable. But when they are forced to work together, she realizes that David might not be so bad after all. I adored David. Let’s just say that it takes a special kind of guy to deal with Harper. And he is such a cutie, I almost couldn’t handle it. Did I mention that he likes Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings and probably a plethora of other adorable nerdy things? Cue the wistful sighing. Anyways, David has some secrets of his own, but most importantly, under those layers of v-necks and striped sweaters, he has a big heart of gold.One of the only problems I had with this book was the big fat love-triangle that was determined to drag itself out through the whole book. Harper of course, starts to deal with some questionable feelings about David, all while she is dating the most perfect boyfriend possible, Ryan. And Ryan is a good guy and a pretty awesome boyfriend, I’ll give him that. The things is, as far as love triangles go, this is probably the type that I find to be the most acceptable. Where the girl has a steady boyfriend then meets the new guy and starts to like him. That’s an okay thing to happen and a lot less annoying then two guys suddenly taking an interest in a girl and fighting to the death over her. No thanks. The problem in this book though was that it just went on and on. And I get that Harper has this weird thing with having to be the best and keeping things perfect, so possibly not liking her perfect boyfriend is scary and all, but she should have dropped him from like page one. Watching her run back and forth between the two of them got frustrating after like the first ten times it happened.As far as the plot goes, it was really cutesy and fun. Rachel Hawkins really has a way of making her books just an enjoyable, lighthearted read while still making you care about the characters and I love it. Since I adored the characters and their interactions, it made the book a million times better. The only problem was that not a whole lot really happens. The beginning took right off with Harper getting her powers and killing a guy, then finding out what all she could do and a few things including a car chase. I mean, it was a great start and it really draws you in. But then, things start to slow down. Now I obviously loved this book and raced through it, but once I was done, there was kind of that moment where I looked back and realized not a whole lot actually happened. Most of the book is just character interaction and trying to solve a few mysteries and a few bad guys trying to do bad stuff, but not a whole lot besides that.Also, the whole Paladin, while original, was a little lacking. I enjoyed it just because it was a new thing I’d never read about, but there just wasn’t really anything about it to make it unique or memorable. Basically, Harper being a Paladin just meant that she has super fighting skills now and a strong urge to protect David from harm. So while I did like the magic elements in this book, everything seemed kind of mashed together with no clear connection. We are given some back-story to the whole Paladin thing, but it wasn’t really a strong mythology and seemed a little discombobulated. But by the end of this book, it feels like there are still lots of things that Harper and David don’t know yet, so maybe we will get more explanations in the next book, and hopefully it can bring the mythology together a bit better.The thing about this book though is that despite the few things that I didn’t like, I still had a great time reading this book. I was giggling and cheering and covering my eyes at the embarrassing parts. I loved Harper and David and their friends and the little Southern town they live in and all the people in it. This book is definitely a cutesy book, but it still won me over purely because it is so cute and fun. Honestly, if you have any girly bone in your body, something about this book will probably appeal to you, as long as you can deal with the few technical issues.

This was so much better than I was expecting!When I started reading it, I was a little worried that it was going to be a more younger YA vibe, but after the first few chapters, I got used to the narrator and the momentum just took off; I could not stop reading. Seriously, I flew through this book, and it made me so happy! It was such a fun, easy, and quick read! I was seriously invested in the characters; Harper and David are just the cutest, and I love them together so, so much!This book made me happy, and I'm looking forward to the next one! It's a total nice, comfort read, and I'll totally reread it whenever I need a mood booster.

So I broke my rule for starting Rachel Hawkin’s Rebel Belle trilogy, I said I would binge the trilogy when the last book came out and then I heard she would be coming to St. Louis this month and that plan went out the window! Rebel Belle is the start of a new trilogy that’s just as fun and action packed as her Hex Hall series! Harper is kind of like Sophie in some ways and I think that was part of the fun with this new series.Unlike the Hex Hall series this one’s not so paranormal like. Sure, we get introduced to Oracles and Paladins, but I’m getting ahead of myself there! Harper is your typical Miss Popular kind of girl. She gets good grades, she does a lot of extracurricular activities, she has a perfect boyfriend and a circle of great friends. She has it all! Then on the night of homecoming, she witnesses a murder between the janitor and one of her teachers. When the dying janitor “kisses” her, something happens and Harper suddenly has amazing abilities.Her life changes completely after that moment. While waiting around for her “Giles” to turn up and start explaining things to her, she learns that despite all her amazing abilities, she can’t hurt the one who antagonizes her most, David. David is her arch-rival in all things. They’ve been at it since they were kids and when there’s moment when she really wants to slap him across the face, she finds she can’t.Soon her “Giles” makes an appearance, and it’s the last person she expected it to be, David’s Aunt Saylor. A somewhat stubborn old woman who was never really on Harper’s nice list. But when Saylor explains what’s going on, Harper realizes she has to protect David at all costs, even putting her life on the line. She’s his protector among other things.A lot of the book dealt with Harper trying to learn about her new abilities and harnessing them. She’s constantly trying to juggle her Paladin duties with school, all her extracurricular activities, her friends, boyfriend, and family…it becomes a little too much for her. She starts to withdraw from her boyfriend, and you can pretty much see where this is going. But despite that I really liked the hate to feelings relationship Harper and David had. It was enjoyable. Yet I feel like we never really learned what ignite the animosity between them. They just pretty much hated each other since day one. And that lack of moment in history bugged me. I wanted to see a reason for the hate, not just seeing the hate itself. But really, it’s such a tiny thing it hardly matters in the grand scheme of things.The pacing to this one was perhaps a little slow, but maybe because it’s a book one thing. There’s a lot to know about what Harper is now and all the history behind that as well. And I liked how we got just enough details about all that history and not have it bombard us with facts and dates and all that kind of stuff. It’s a simple history lesson in a way. The character development through this pacing was nice as well. Though again, I am missing that moment. Harper and David still don’t really get along all that well, but once things were explained and they are forced to be together due to forces beyond their control, a friendship is formed, of sorts. But again, there didn’t seem to be that moment, or click when they started looking at one another in a different way. It was just sort of seamlessly happening before our eyes. Sure a little thing or two might have happened, but I felt like there should’ve been more depth to this budding relationship. But this could totally be because I read too much and have been spoiled by other reads! ;)The end to this one was quite shocking! A lot happened and then we’re left with an ending that kind of leaves you wondering what will happen next. Not cliffhanger territory exactly, but more the calm before another storm! Thankfully I have book 2 at the ready so there’s no waiting involved! But what I say after finishing that one will be something totally different!Rachel Hawkins brings us a brand new story that’s as exciting and lovable as her previous one, but in a less magical way. There’s still the usual snark which I was especially glad to see again! If you haven’t read Rachel’s books yet, I highly recommend them! They are fun, quirky reads that are sure to bring a smile to your face!Overall Rating 4/5 stars

When a girl has superpowers and suddenly has to protect a boy (what?), we call it Rebel Belle.I bought the book fully expecting a nice chick-lit book a la gossip girl. But I was really wrong - again I could have read the back of the book or the goodreads summary but hey, I’ll never ever learn.As someone who despises most supernatural stories, this book started off as a challenge for me. Harper Price is the main character - a Southern beauty queen-ish girl who is suddenly given the responsibility to protect David Stark. She’s his Paladin, an ancient protector who has supernatural powers.Obviously, Harper can’t stand David - though for unexplainable reasons, they ALWAYS interact with each other. Harper is worried that this new “job” will ruin her relationship with her flat-charactered boyfriend Ryan and her friendship with her best friend. Instead of trusting people, and showing them that she has superpowers, she decides to hide everything from everyone (because that’s always a good idea?).Rachel Hawkins, the author, knows how to write, which makes this book a pleasant read. It’s difficult enough to keep a reader interested while at the same time keeping a good, and quick, flow in the story. This is a skill - one that Rachel has managed to master. Action scenes are followed by conversations and there is enough diversity in this book to please any YA reader.Harper is not an unpleasant main character, but she didn’t really do much for me. She makes a journey from average high school pretty girl to kickass protector of the most important person on earth. I would expect some major personality changes to accompany this transformation, but there really weren’t. She has some doubts about accepting her role, but she knows that David will die if she doesn’t help him, so it’s not a real surprise that she casts those doubts aside pretty soon.David Stark is the cliché quiet guy who turns out to be pretty damn charming. Does he really change? No. But we do get to see more and more from him as the book progresses.The real disappointment in this story comes from Ryan and his role in the story. He’s described as the perfect boyfriend - handsome, sporty, popular… Everything a teenage girl dreams of. BUT when he’s in scenes in the book, he just falls completely flat for me. He was boring, uninteresting and really, does he have nothing to say about anything at all? Ryan was also doomed from the being to end up in a love triangle with his complete opposite David.Is that love triangle necessary? Not really, but teenage girls these days apparently love to read about a girl who has two guys drooling away after her (I don’t know why there are so many of these books anyway). Is the flat boyfriend and love story a reason to not read this book? No. There is enough action to please an anti-romance reader and the Paladin thing is original enough to keep a reader interested.Overall, Rebel Belle is a good YA read and one of the more original ones I’ve read so far. It would have been totally perfect if some characters were less flat and just more… like teenagers.

Brilliantly witty and funny book! The harpers is one of the coolest and brilliantly kick-ass characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Rebel belle is the epic first book of a new trilogy and I literally can't wait to get my hands on the next one but *sigh* that's going to be a LONG wait from now.One of my favourite things beside Harpers brilliance, is the chemistry and sparks between herself and David. I was literally melting from either the sexual tension or cuteness every time I read them. The ending I would also like to add was a stroke of brilliance and I couldn't stop laughing at the sheer irony of the whole situation, which also is why I'm desperate for the second book!!

I didn't know if I should give this a 3 or 4, but I didn't want to be harsh for my own stupid preference. The sides were a little marred which I don't like as I'm very particular about my books. I kinda wish I got the paperback instead but the condition of the book is good and the price point was great too

I had heard such great things about this book, which is why I wanted it. Also the cover is gorgeous. However I struggled to understand parts of it, and couldn't finish it.

I really liked this book it kinda reminded me of buff the vampire slayer in a way. I got really into this book was easy to readnot hard to follow.