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eesh25's review
3.0
2.5 Stars
It's been a few months since the Cotillion and things are almost back to normal. Yeah, Harper is still a Paladin, David still an Oracle, Ryan the new Mage and Bee still missing, but no one's trying to kill them and the Ephors have backed off, so things are good. Until the "backed off" Ephors come back and claim they want to train David and that Harper has to go through some, potentially, deadly tests to truly become a Paladin.
Now in my review of the last book, I said that one of the reasons I was going to read the sequel was that the book wasn't annoying. The same cannot be said for Miss Mayhem.
In fact, for the first half of the book, I was so thoroughly irritated that almost stopped reading. But then I read the last chapter and decided it would be worth it. But even if I hadn't read the ending, the book got better sometime after the first half was done. It became more interesting, less annoying and less full of superficial stuff (though that didn't entirely go away). And, like I said, the ending was good.
The main reason the first half bothered me, other than the talk about pageants and the fluff and all that crap, was Harper. I really didn't like her.
She was a self-important , inconsiderate, control-freak with a severe lack of empathy and I hated her. Ryan never had much of a personality to begin with, Bee was simply an attempt at putting friendship in the book and Harper squashed David's personality, so we only has her, which made me hate her more.
The hate was somehow reduced afterwards but I'm nowhere near liking her. Maybe the third book will help. Yes, I'm reading the third one. These books are short, easy to read, and I'm curious.
Okay... what else is there to talk about? Oh yeah, the plot. There wasn't much to it. Very weak and not even important. Has zero relevance to the series as a whole. It was just there because you can't have a book without at least some plot.
Overall, this was a bridge-book, and not a very good one at that. I'm giving it the same rating as the first one but the that one was better. Let's hope I have more luck with the third and final book.
kathydavie's review
3.0
Second in the Rebel Belle urban fantasy series for young adults and revolving around Harper Price, a high school Paladin in Pine Grove, Alabama.
My Take
This was disappointing and not as exciting as Rebel Belle, 1, although I did appreciate (and feel sad) about the Ephors' predicament. As for Harper, I get that she wants to protect her friends, but David is right too. People have to live their lives. Even if it means that David will turn into a thing.
It's an obvious conflict trope: let us take over your lives if you want to live. And believe that we're your friends. Uh-huh… I guess it bugged me. Alexander all smarmy with his "we're too powerful for you, so you have to play it our way", and then David giving it up to them. After the Ephors have spent David's entire life trying to kill him. It was too easy. Hawkins should have made Alexander work for this.
I do hate arrogant know-it-alls who think they can do anything they like, and we just have to suck it up. "Hesitate to trust??" Oh, yeah, I "hesitate", all right. The tests he puts Harper through that endanger others? Alexander flips back and forth so much between you must and no big that my head was spinning. Nor did it make sense. It was as if Hawkins couldn't be bothered to smooth this out, make it more believable.
There's more flipping about with Bee and Ryan ganging up against Harper, and then thinking, well, duh, maybe we shouldn't have. Leap, leap, leap… David wants Bee as his Paladin, so he and Harper can be a real boyfriend-girlfriend. Harper is such a control freak, always thinking she knows better than anyone else. I enjoy the story concept; I do not enjoy her character. She twists events around to suit her own views. Which only makes me want to smack her upside the head. She is such a girl, *eye roll*
All this secret-keeping is taking a toll on Ryan, David, and Harper, and each has weird thoughts running through their heads all of which leads to that annoying ending. There's everything in it that says to leap up and head out, and it really ends with a placid sort of acceptance. Oh, well, I guess it is consistent with the rest of the story.
The Story
Life is never going to be normal for Harper Price. Not since she became Paladin to the Oracle, since she, her current boyfriend, and her ex became twisted up in a magical threesome that forces them to work together to protect David.
Luckily, their enemies have been quiet since their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago. Lucky that is until Alexander shows up and tries to take over Harper's and David's lives.
The Characters
Harper Jane "Pres" Price is David's Paladin and the SGA president. Leigh-Anne is the older sister who died two years ago. Her dad is a tax attorney. Her mom. Aunts May, Jewell, and Martha live together and are absorbed in their card games and social clubs. And they ain't stupid, lol.
Bee Franklin is Harper's absolute best friend, kidnapped in Rebel Belle, 1. Brandon had been Bee's boyfriend before she was taken. Now he doesn't know her at all.
The nerdy David Stark is the Oracle and can tell the future. He's also Harper's all-wrong boyfriend. The gorgeous and preppy Ryan Bradshaw is Harper's ex, and as David's new Mage, he has mind control powers. "Aunt" Saylor Stark had been David's Mage while Christopher Hall had been his first Paladin.
Grove Academy is…
…where Harper, David, and Ryan attend school. Mary Beth Riley is Ryan's new girlfriend. Michael and Chie are friends of David's on the school paper. Abigail and Amanda are twins and Harper's friends and about to make terrible mistakes. Lucy McCarroll is the sophomore class president. Mrs. Carter is the English teacher. Dr. Michael DuPont is the now-dead history teacher. Martin Dunn is the headmaster.
Sara Plumley is in charge of the Miss Pine Grove Pageant. Rebecca Shaw is also in the pageant.
The Ephors are…
…a group of men who owned the Oracles for centuries, using their visions for success. Only the female ones. The males were considered too dangerous to live. Alexander is their leader. Blythe was the Ephor Mage intent on taking David.
Sigma Kappa Nu is a fraternity. Spencer is the frat brother Abigail is fated to marry.
A Paladin is a super-powered warrior charged with protecting the Oracle. The Peirasmos is a test Harper must pass or die.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a pale yellow background with a golden statuette of a pageant beauty, pink sash, pink roses, and a gleaming sword in hand, surrounded by deep pink rose petals. The author's name is in a deep red script and a glowing sans-serif title in all-caps in the same red. And I do appreciate Hawkins putting the series info on the cover.
Miss Mayhem is the title earned by Harper as she struggles with the test.
My Take
This was disappointing and not as exciting as Rebel Belle, 1, although I did appreciate (and feel sad) about the Ephors' predicament. As for Harper, I get that she wants to protect her friends, but David is right too. People have to live their lives. Even if it means that David will turn into a thing.
It's an obvious conflict trope: let us take over your lives if you want to live. And believe that we're your friends. Uh-huh… I guess it bugged me. Alexander all smarmy with his "we're too powerful for you, so you have to play it our way", and then David giving it up to them. After the Ephors have spent David's entire life trying to kill him. It was too easy. Hawkins should have made Alexander work for this.
I do hate arrogant know-it-alls who think they can do anything they like, and we just have to suck it up. "Hesitate to trust??" Oh, yeah, I "hesitate", all right. The tests he puts Harper through that endanger others? Alexander flips back and forth so much between you must and no big that my head was spinning. Nor did it make sense. It was as if Hawkins couldn't be bothered to smooth this out, make it more believable.
There's more flipping about with Bee and Ryan ganging up against Harper, and then thinking, well, duh, maybe we shouldn't have. Leap, leap, leap… David wants Bee as his Paladin, so he and Harper can be a real boyfriend-girlfriend. Harper is such a control freak, always thinking she knows better than anyone else. I enjoy the story concept; I do not enjoy her character. She twists events around to suit her own views. Which only makes me want to smack her upside the head. She is such a girl, *eye roll*
All this secret-keeping is taking a toll on Ryan, David, and Harper, and each has weird thoughts running through their heads all of which leads to that annoying ending. There's everything in it that says to leap up and head out, and it really ends with a placid sort of acceptance. Oh, well, I guess it is consistent with the rest of the story.
The Story
Life is never going to be normal for Harper Price. Not since she became Paladin to the Oracle, since she, her current boyfriend, and her ex became twisted up in a magical threesome that forces them to work together to protect David.
Luckily, their enemies have been quiet since their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago. Lucky that is until Alexander shows up and tries to take over Harper's and David's lives.
The Characters
Harper Jane "Pres" Price is David's Paladin and the SGA president. Leigh-Anne is the older sister who died two years ago. Her dad is a tax attorney. Her mom. Aunts May, Jewell, and Martha live together and are absorbed in their card games and social clubs. And they ain't stupid, lol.
Bee Franklin is Harper's absolute best friend, kidnapped in Rebel Belle, 1. Brandon had been Bee's boyfriend before she was taken. Now he doesn't know her at all.
The nerdy David Stark is the Oracle and can tell the future. He's also Harper's all-wrong boyfriend. The gorgeous and preppy Ryan Bradshaw is Harper's ex, and as David's new Mage, he has mind control powers. "Aunt" Saylor Stark had been David's Mage while Christopher Hall had been his first Paladin.
Grove Academy is…
…where Harper, David, and Ryan attend school. Mary Beth Riley is Ryan's new girlfriend. Michael and Chie are friends of David's on the school paper. Abigail and Amanda are twins and Harper's friends and about to make terrible mistakes. Lucy McCarroll is the sophomore class president. Mrs. Carter is the English teacher. Dr. Michael DuPont is the now-dead history teacher. Martin Dunn is the headmaster.
Sara Plumley is in charge of the Miss Pine Grove Pageant. Rebecca Shaw is also in the pageant.
The Ephors are…
…a group of men who owned the Oracles for centuries, using their visions for success. Only the female ones. The males were considered too dangerous to live. Alexander is their leader. Blythe was the Ephor Mage intent on taking David.
Sigma Kappa Nu is a fraternity. Spencer is the frat brother Abigail is fated to marry.
A Paladin is a super-powered warrior charged with protecting the Oracle. The Peirasmos is a test Harper must pass or die.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a pale yellow background with a golden statuette of a pageant beauty, pink sash, pink roses, and a gleaming sword in hand, surrounded by deep pink rose petals. The author's name is in a deep red script and a glowing sans-serif title in all-caps in the same red. And I do appreciate Hawkins putting the series info on the cover.
Miss Mayhem is the title earned by Harper as she struggles with the test.
smart_girls_love_trashy_books's review
3.0
So, I finally read the second book in this trilogy. And it was.....fine. My thoughts are the same as everyone else's, that this book was just fine. While I don't necessarily think it was filler, a lot of stuff just...happens in the book without much of a purpose. Of course, it really picks up in the last seventy pages or so, and as usual, that action is really good. It's not as good as Rebel Belle, in my opinion, they're roughly about the same. However, I'll be reading the third book soon, hoping that it's the penultimate end to this trilogy.
vlookup's review
3.0
A world where your bestfriend is a slut and your ex, a man-whore. If there's anything I liked, it's how the author left me wanting to read the third book because no matter how horrible majority of this book is, I still want to know what happened to David.
letsbebookfriends's review
3.0
I put dnf-ed this book 3 times last year, and finally finished it by listening to the horrific audiobook. It was much slower than the first. And I was I very disappointed.
Where was the action?Where was the humor? Where was cute tug and pull romance?
All I ended up with a blah YA contemporary with some magic thrown in.
Where was the action?Where was the humor? Where was cute tug and pull romance?
All I ended up with a blah YA contemporary with some magic thrown in.
charlotte_rose485's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kkoerth613's review
3.0
It was a bit slow, but most books in the middle of a trilogy end up that way anyway. There could have been more plot twists, but it still had good turns. Hoping the build was for something and the last book is better.
harleyrae's review
3.0
3.5/5 Stars
I'm a little unsure with what I exactly feel for this book. It had its ups and downs. But it was a fun and quick read that I enjoyed so i'm really torn on my true feelings for this book.
The things I didn't like:
1. The beginning. It had a very sluggish start.
2. The romance. I was utterly and completely bored by the romance.
3. How story line was done. I wish the overall story had possibly taken a different route.
4. I wish we had learned more of what had exactly happened to Bee.
5. The southern Charm. It seemed to be all but missing. I was very disappointed in it, since the southern appeal was one of my favorite aspect of theses books.
6. Now i'm not sure what this is, but I felt that something was missing, I just don't know what.
The things I liked:
1. The ending. The last 40 pages were pretty exciting.
2. How entertaining this books was.
3. How it was a quick and easy read.
All in all this was an OK book. I prefer the first one to this one though. None the less I did enjoy this book, and plan on continuing with the series.(If there is going to be more books, I honestly have no idea how many books there are suppose to be in total.)
I'm a little unsure with what I exactly feel for this book. It had its ups and downs. But it was a fun and quick read that I enjoyed so i'm really torn on my true feelings for this book.
The things I didn't like:
1. The beginning. It had a very sluggish start.
2. The romance. I was utterly and completely bored by the romance.
3. How story line was done. I wish the overall story had possibly taken a different route.
4. I wish we had learned more of what had exactly happened to Bee.
5. The southern Charm. It seemed to be all but missing. I was very disappointed in it, since the southern appeal was one of my favorite aspect of theses books.
6. Now i'm not sure what this is, but I felt that something was missing, I just don't know what.
The things I liked:
1. The ending. The last 40 pages were pretty exciting.
2. How entertaining this books was.
3. How it was a quick and easy read.
All in all this was an OK book. I prefer the first one to this one though. None the less I did enjoy this book, and plan on continuing with the series.(If there is going to be more books, I honestly have no idea how many books there are suppose to be in total.)
bookdevouringmisfit's review
2.0
This was such a boring read!!! What a painful experience for me :( I don't think I'll still be reading the last book even though this one ended with a cliffy.