Review: Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Rating: PG

Genre: Fantasy

Score: ❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 345

Book #1 of the Rebel Belle series

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Published: April 8, 2014

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.

Review:

PROS:

1. I've been wanting to read this book for so long that I still can't believe I've actually finally read it. I got tired of seeing so many people rave about it when I still hadn't even purchased a copy. So, I finally ordered mine and read it pretty much as soon as I got it and read it within a couple of days. Before I continue to talk about how much I loved it, let me review it for you guys first. 

2. Characters. How I loved them. I thought Harper was such a feisty yet classy girl who used her brains for every situation she ever found herself in. She was very calculated as well as devoted to all things school, success and carrying herself in a respectful manner. Things did get very strange very fast for Harper once she becomes a Paladin, in a very interesting way might I add, but she tries very hard to keep her cool despite her freaking out on the inside. She's a really fun character to follow and I think a lot of people can relate to her. I also loved David and everything he had to offer as a character as well. He was funny, sarcastic and sometimes a bit of a jerk but you just had to love him. His way of keeping cool with things was just as equally entertaining to read about as Harper, their bursts of insanity coming at random with hilarious dialogue that had me smiling from ear to ear. Needless to say, I really wish this one was a movie. 

3. The things that take place in this book are very interesting to read because of things like the time period being modern day as well as the whole Paladin/end of the world aspect. I loved this book because it had a different fantasy element such as Paladins that I didn't really know about before reading this book. It was so much fun to read because of it being placed in modern day but not boring or too out of place as some modern day fantasy stories can be. It didn't drag on since there was a twist and turn every other page and with all the car chasing and combat training, it was very addicting.

4. I also loved that this book had a comedic feel to it which was refreshing. It wasn't too serious of a story nor was it too silly. It was a perfect blend of fantasy, action, contemporary and fun that made reading it such an awesome experience. I also loved the way it was written, how Harper told her story with wit and sarcasm which I fully enjoyed. This book reminded me a little of Agent Carter meets Hart Of Dixie but with magic so I highly recommend this book for those reasons alone.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was simply that the ending felt too rushed. I felt that the last chapter should've been broken down into two or three to get all the loose ends tied up with a little more detail instead of just brushing over things like it did. The story was really good but the ending was just not quite my cup of tea.

I'm still very excited to read the sequel to Rebel Belle, although I've heard that it falls flat compared to this first book so I'm a little nervous to read it. Regardless, I'll be picking up the book soon to find out what happens next! 

I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!