ARC, 345 pages
Release Date: April 8, 2014Published by: Putnam JuvenileUntitled Series, #1Source: Around the World ARC ToursFor fans of: Action, LOL, Sparkly Covers, Fantasy, YAHarper 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*
Not going to lie, I’m not the biggest fan of pink, so when I saw that the cover was pink i was a little put off, but I was more interested in the reason that there’s a huge knife and a string of pearls there. So I decided to give it a go. And lo and behold, I LOVED it. It really surprised me.
“Honestly, what is wrong with this country when striving for excellence means you need anti-depressants?“
pg. 43 (ARC)
Let’s start with the characters. I LOVED Harper. She’s a real, authentic Southern belle. She doesn’t even like cursing. But then, something come up and turns her entire world upside down. She becomes a Paladin. And when this happens, she becomes KICK ASS. She thinks its cool… Until she finds out who she’s supposed to protect. Which brings me to David Stark. He is a jerk of all jerks in the beginning. But then there’s that one time when he actually gets pretty swoony…… In case you can’t tell, I fell for him lol He is super sweet and I could tell from the beginning what was going on. All the secondary characters were great as well. Saylor and Bee were my favorites.
“Who are you?’ David asked for the second time that day. “International assassin? Ninja? Vampire slayer, maybe?.“
pg. 95 (ARC)
Then there’s the action and suspense. In the synopsis where it says non-stop action, they were definitely not lying. I was left with my mouth hanging open on so many different pages. I really had to ask out loud “WTH?” sometimes because so many unexpected things kept happening. But the action was part of the reason I loved this story. The action was good and the fighting scenes were amazing. I was never bored.
“So, Harper Jane Price. are you ready to accept your destiny?.“
pg. 153 (ARC)
And of course there’s the writing style. Hawkins is one of my favorite authors. She’s so funny and her voice makes me want to read everything by her. If it wasn’t official after I read Hex Hall, it’s definitely official now… I will read ANYTHING she writes. And it’s absolutely clear how much research she does. Everything she knew about the South was dead on. From the sweet tea, to the cotillion, to the accents let me know she knew exactly what she was talking about.
“I… I want to be a good woman. […] One who does the right thing, not only for her community, but for herself. Who follows her heart even if it’s not the most popular thing to do.“
pg. 176 (ARC)
Rebel Belle is easily one of my favorite reads of 2014 so far. There’s action, romance, and even a little bit of the South that I adored. There was so much going on, but it was a good thing. Rebel Belle was a very exciting read and I can’t wait to see what else happens. I’m already excited for the sequel!
Overall, I give this
OOh nice review! I can't wait to read this one! I loved her Hex Hall series and I remember being hesitant to start that one! But it's amazing how quickly those hesitations leave once you start reading Rachel's books! Great review!