Review: Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Warning! This review contains spoilers for Rebel Belle, book #1 in this series. 

Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Goodreads link: (click here)

Ok, so I'm never sure how to approach reviews of sequels, but I'm going to give it a try. There was just something about this book that made me want to get my thoughts out. First, I'll just say that I didn't like Miss Mayhem as much as I liked Rebel Belle. I'll get into that later. 

First, a synopsis: 

Miss Mayhem begins where Rebel Belle leaves off. Harper Price is a Paladin. She got that way by accidentally killing the previous person that held the position in an unfortunate incident in the girls bathroom at school. It is now her sacred duty to protect David Stark, her former nemesis and current boyfriend (or "boyfie"), who is also a very powerful Oracle. There are bad guys called Ephors who are out to get them, and they all have survived a recent attack at Cotillion where Harper's best friend, Bee, was kidnapped and her ex-boyfriend was basically turned into a wizard. Crazy, right? Well, Rebel Belle was a lot of fun and it was quite kickass (you can see my original review HERE). 

Now, The Ephors are at it again, and this time, they don't want to kill David, they want to use him. They also have plans for Harper. According The Ephors, represented by the mysterious Alexander, before Harper can become a real Paladin, she must go through three trials. She won't know where or when, but if she doesn't pass them, she'll die. If she passes, she's promised more power. She has no choice but to wait for the trials to begin and hope for the best. 

Between her secret Paladin duties, relationship issues with David, working with her ex on a supernatural level, competing in the Miss Pine Grove Pageant and keeping up her grades, Harper sure has her hands full! Hopefully she can make it through everything alive.

My Thoughts:

Soooo, it wasn't as good as the first book. While Rebel Belle made me laugh out loud and was filled with excitement, Southern Charm and snarky humor, Miss Mayhem wasn't quite as, I don't know...fun. I'm hoping it was just a bit of "Middle Book Syndrome", but the way it ended was kind of puzzling. I think it was a cliffhanger, but it was a bit of a tame one. Miss Mayhem also lacked the Southern Charm that I loved so much from the first book. The pageant in Miss Mayhem didn't serve much of a purpose and the "trials" Harper had to face weren't really much of anything at all. It also didn't kick nearly as much ass as Rebel Belle. The whole book was actually a bit tame.

I also had some issues with the way Harper treated and thought of David. I get that they had a "hate turned to love" relationship, but it was obvious that she still thought she was better than him. Harper constantly mocked his clothing, talked down on him (occasionally directly to him, but mostly to others and in her own thoughts) and she often acted like she was above someone like him. Harper is a debutante-cheerleader and David is a hipster-geek, they are total opposites, but neither one is better than the other. Harper acts like she's doing him a favor by dating him. David is a smart, good guy and she isn't doing him any favors if she thinks that his "ugly" shirts and skinny jeans make him any less of a person than she is. If the roles were reversed and a guy was acting like that, he'd be considered an ass. Her snark was less funny this time and it kind of came across as mean to me. This just really bothered me.

I still like the series and the Oracle/Paladin premise and want to continue, but I hope Harper can be a little bit nicer and less bratty in the next book. "David freaking Stark" (what she actually called him at one point) is an important Oracle and was supposed to be her "boyfie", treat him like an equal, please!

Actually, the way it ended, I'm not sure if there is going to be another book. It kind of just...ended. It was confusing. It could go on, or that could have been it. 

I was really looking forward to Miss Mayhem, but it didn't live up to the first book for me. But, that is just my opinion. Others might love it. It's up to you to decide. I did love Rebel Belle, so I'm holding on to hope for another book in this series that will make me laugh and kick some butt. 

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<3 Michelle