Double Book Review: Rebel Belle (#1) and Miss Mayhem (#2), by Rachel Hawkins

Review by: Rebecca Schweitzer

“Shouldn't I get to fly? Or at the very least, shoot laser beams out of my eyes? Feeling like a complete moron, I stood up and focused as hard as I could on my closet door. No matter how hard I stared, no laser beams. I even tried muttering “laser” under my breath, but nothing. That done, I gave a few experimental hops, trying to see if I could levitate even for a second. When that didn't work either, I briefly considered trying to jump out the window, but then I remembered Mom's expression when she'd found me in the pool. So no laser, no flying, but superstrength and the ability to kick some major ass. That was something.”

Synopsis:

Harper Price runs her school. She's the student body president, homecoming queen, head cheerleader and every other important position available. After a lipgloss crisis, she finds herself in possession of mysterious super powers that seem to be forcing her to protect her nemesis since kindergarten, student newspaper editor, David Stark. Harper is used to balancing a few different tasks, but with cotillion coming up and her boyfriend feeling neglected already, Harper's new super strength isn't feeling like such a strong point.

Imagine Buffy the Vampire the Slayer as a southern belle instead of a valley girl. That's about what you get with Harper Price. In fact, Harper herself wonders where her “Giles” is when she figures out she's now some sort of super hero called a Paladin. Rebel Belle, the first book in the series, crashes into Harper's new and confusing life. It's a fun ride with plenty of action and a side of romantic tension. Harper may be the model student, but she's not always the best as making perfect decisions, which makes her all the more compelling.

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Book Review: The Vanishing Season, by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Unable to sleep, she peered out into the dark yard. Across the field yellow light from the white house’s windows shone through the rain, giving off a comforting sense of safety and the feeling that something else was out there in the world besides just her and her parents.

Maggie dreamed that night about the lake, black and shining in the dark, with angels spreading their wings on its surface. Open and close, open and close, like the wings of moths.

Official synopsis:

Girls started vanishing in the fall.

For Maggie Larsen, the town of Gill Creek is only a stopgap before college and freedom. Until she meets Pauline and Liam. What starts as an uneventful year suddenly changes. Someone is killing teenage girls, and the town reels from the tragedy. As Maggie's and Pauline's worlds collide and change around them, they will both experience love and loss...

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson turned out to be nothing I expected. Based on the synopsis, I anticipated a mystery or ghost story with a little romance thrown in. It's not really any of those things even though elements of all three play into the book.

The Vanishing Season focuses on discovery. The mood the author creates sweeps over the reader the way a winter wind shifts the snow, covering the landscape in an even, eerie white. Sadly, I read it at the wrong time of year. I still enjoyed it, but I wish I could have traded the early weeks of summer for brisker days of late fall and early winter when the book takes place. The setting calls to mind the smell of the first snow, the chill in the air, the coziness of being inside and the crisp serenity of ventures into the snowy landscape. I recommend one read the entire book in a chilly, gray weekend or afternoon (maybe just after Thanksgiving). Get some cocoa or tea, and venture out into the wintery chill of the evening wrapped in a blanket to read the last chapter. (You don’t have to do any of that, but it will lend a great deal to the mood).

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