I know that I am about 6 years late on this review, but I am so happy that I finally picked this book up. If I’m being honest, I almost DNF’d this book about halfway through, but I have never been happier that I continued a book, as it allowed me to completely fall in love with these characters and this magic system. After I finished this book, I immediately went online and ordered the next one in the series. This is such a sweet Southern belle of a book and I cannot wait to continue with this series. 

 

     In starting this book, it is hard to ignore how very young adult it is. I know that most of the books I read tend to be classified as “young adult”, but I will warn that the writing in this book is a little less mature than other young adult books. If you can get over that aspect, this book is absolutely delightful. The plot of this book is so unique, albeit a little bit predictable at times. It does have some aspects that keep you guessing though, and it never slows down its pace, which I respect a lot. I just don’t have time for slow books, so I always give extra credit to the ones keeping me on my toes. 

 

     I’m not sure you can even call this book’s lore a magic system, but it is the only term I have been able to come up with. The intriguing book is that it acts much like Stranger Things in that it does not explain the entire magic system by the end of the first book. Hawkins introduces components of this system without any real explanation but introduces just enough for us to create our own theories and conclusions until more is revealed. Even by the end of the book, I still had a lot of questions and am excited to learn more as the characters do. 

 

     Speaking of the characters, if I’m being honest, there isn’t a lot that is special about these characters individually, nothing that we haven’t seen before. That being said, the relationships they have with each other and the situations they are put in make you love them instantly and root for them. Harper is a compelling heroine to root for and it is amazing to see how much her character has grown in just one book; I’m very intrigued to see where she will go in the next couple of books, especially as she learns more about the magic system that she is caught up in. David is kind of bland and can get on my nerves at times, but he too goes through immense growth in this story and even has me rooting for him by the end. Even the side characters like Harper’s friends and her boyfriend are pretty entertaining and are actually good people that I also want to root for. 

 

     I think I would’ve enjoyed this book a lot more if I read it in high school, but I still obviously had an enjoyable time with this book. I have high hopes and high expectations for the rest of this series, and I am hoping that the writing style will grow with the characters, but even if it doesn’t, the world-building and magic system will more than make up for it. 5/5 stars to Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins.