Rebel Belle

Hawkins, Rachel. Rebel Belle. 2014. 345p. ISBN 9780399256936. Available at FIC HAW on the library shelves.

Beautiful and refined, Harper Price is the poster child for the Southern Belle. President of the Student Government, head cheerleader, with the perfect boyfriend and the perfect life, Harper is looking forward to this year’s Cotillion, which will mark her debut.

Perfection, however, is only a facade. Harper’s older sister died in a car accident after she got behind the wheel drunk. Her relationship with Ryan is on the rocks. And with her junior year in full swing, she’s already thinking about colleges and her future. And winning this year’s Homecoming Queen award is only one more milestone.

A fortuitous encounter in the bathroom just before the grand announcement changes her entire life. The school janitor storms in, bleeding. Before Harper knows it, he kisses her and dies. The door opens again, and her history teacher enters, carrying a sword. He attacks her, but she manages to kill him. The whole incident terrorizes her, but she regains her composure enough to realize that the scene of the bloodbath is completely clean. Is Harper going crazy?

It turns out that she has become a Paladin, part of a lineage going all the way back to Charlemagne. Imbued with superhuman strength, and trained in the arts of fighting and killing, she has been charged to protect the Oracle. Unfortunately for her, the oracle is David, her nemesis and long-term enemy.

Can the two of them get along quickly enough to prevent David’s death? Will putting everything on the line for David cost Harper everything she has worked for? Fans of this book should also read the Hex Hall trilogy.