Review: Rebel Belle

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

Confession time: like The Truth About Forever, I've already read this week's book. (Although I haven't read it fourteen times, that's for sure.) But with the recent release of its sequel, I decided that now was as good a time as any to give it a quick reread.

So, without further ado, here is my review on Rebel Belle, by Rachel Hawkins!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Southern belle Harper Price is a lot of things--student council president, head cheerleader, and cotillion debutante. But after a strange run-in at the dance, Harper receives the most badass ninja skills she's ever seen--far greater and deadlier than any self-defense class could teach her. She discovers that she's now a Paladin, an ancient warrior charged with protecting a certain individual.

To her dismay, said individual is David Stark--school newspaper editor and arguably her least favourite person.

Harper is thrown head-first into a world of swords, oracles and mages, struggling to keep her footing as she throws her new Paladin duties in with her already-overflowing schedule. Already in over her head, her possible feelings for David don't make things any easier--and neither does the mysterious prophecy looming over their heads, hinting at the possibility that David's own powers could very well destroy the Earth.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

First things first: humour? Absolutely on point. The dialogue is excpetionally witty, especially between Harper and David. The chemistry between them was outstanding, and I have to say that I am an absolute sucker for characters who bicker like these two do.

Hawkins made an excellent choice on setting, as well. Her descriptions of Magnolia House and the other large, grand houses had just the right amount of detail. She also did a great job of establishing a small town setting; as someone who hails from a fairly small city, herself, it felt very real and very accurate. Small towns have a special kind of vibe from them, and that vibe was definitely present in this book. The action was well described, as well, and fast paced enough to hold my attention and keep me on edge.

I loved the narrating style, really I did. I loved how it genuinely sounded like Harper was telling us the story later on. The only problem with this, though, is that there were a few minor inconsistencies. Harper says right off the bat that she doesn't like swearing, and won't include it in her story because it's her story, and that's all fine and dandy...but I noticed, on several occasions, that she included words that weren't exactly family friendly. She never dropped the F-bomb--that, at least, remained consistent--but "shit" was a word that was used a couple times throughout the text. It's a small thing, a nitpicky thing, but something that stuck out to me nontheless.

And although it was cute, her using "eff", and other variations, instead of the actual word...it got a little annoying, eventually, with her having to point out whether or not the person said the actual word. (This was a trend that continued throughout the second book, but we'll get to that next time.)

Hawkins ended her chapters really well. Like, really well. No matter what point of the story, she somehow always managed to leave the chapter on a cliffhanger. So pro tip: never tell youself that you'll stop at the end of a chapter. 'Cause you won't.

And finally, my favourite topic of any new review: character development. Harper's devleopment was slow, but noticeable. I enjoyed watching her grow and mature into her powers and the responsibility that came with them. Even after all was said and done, she still had much more room to grow--which is fitting, since she still has two more books to do so.

All in all, this excellent mix of fast-paced fight scenes, fantastic elements molded with a good sense of reality, and a dash of exceptional humour makes this a perfect read to kickstart a new series.

THE STAR-Y BIT

Five stars. Completely enjoyable, even a second time around.


Until later,

- Justyne

Colour

I spend more time daydreaming than anything else. More than writing, more than Sims, more than the time I waste on every social media site combined. I do it at night, as I'm falling asleep, and in the morning before I can be bothered to get out of bed. I do it when I'm commuting to and from work; hell, I do it while I'm working. I have enormous dreams and countless fantasies, all playing out in the confinds of my mind. There's a reason most of my internet screen names are "day-dreamer-101". It's the biggest and best way to describe my personality.

I also consider it to be super fundamentally important to my life and identity as a writer.

I've talked before about the reason I became a writer, but I only briefly touched on how I really got from watching and fantasizing about Sailor Moon to writing my own story inspired by it. Before there were words, typed into existence on my family's computer, there were daydreams.

Do you know how many times I dreamt up my first story before I actually wrote it down? Dozens, at least. Hell, the only reason I wrote it down at all was because the story changed every time I played through it in my head. I just wanted to remember what pieces I had already put together--the idea of actually being a writer came later.

Before writing, there was daydreaming. It's been the constant in my life, the thing that defines me better than anything else. It's the reason I read so much, why I get so emotionally invested in these fictional stories, why my dreams are as big and as bright as they are. It's my method for getting through a stubborn case of writer's block, the way I envision a story before I start it, and the reason I'm able to tolerate long commute times. It's the most productive form of procrastination I have.

When you're pursuing any sort of creative career, you need a big imagination--and what better sign of a big imagination than the ability to daydream so colourfully?

My imagination is one of my proudest qualities. I'm grateful that I'm able to dream as big as I did as a child, that this sometimes cruel world has not yet broken me down like it has others. It's not pure determination that fuels me to keep trying--it's the idea that it's possible, that any dream I can cook up can come true.

One of my favourite quotes

Without imagination, the world can be a very grey place. I'd much rather see it in colour.

A Bad Combination

I am very, very bad at concentrating. I'm not sure when I first realized this; if it was a sudden epiphany or a sort of slow realization over time. But it has become clear to me how frequent my pauses mid-action are; how often I drop my pen or let my fingers hover over the keyboard, allowing my eyes to switch to Facebook or Twitter or the mere air around my workspace, my mind thousands of miles away from the current task.

In the past, I've enjoyed calling myself a "Master of Multitasking", which in reality means that I enjoy having half a dozen Chrome tabs, a Word document, and a sketchbook open in front of me and pretending that I'm getting stuff done. I hated focusing my energy on only one task at a time, mostly because I thought that allowing my brain to jump from project to project at whiplash speed would be more productive than trying to focus on just one.

Pro tip: it's really not.

By nature, I am a very ambitious person. If  I get an idea for a new project, I don't want to wait the weeks or months to finish whatever it is I'm currently working on--I want to start it now. I have so many things that I want to do, and I want to do them all today--not tomorrow, next week, or next year...today. I hate the idea of having too much free time because, hello, that's free time that I could be using to DO things! When I dream, I don't half-ass it--I go all out.

When I first decided that I wanted to be a writer at age nine, I didn't just want to be published. I wanted to be best-selling, creator of a hundred books and a franchised series, complete with movie and TV show adaptations of my stories. I always figured I'd go to college, sure, but I always thought I'd go just for fun, because I'd already be set for life with a successful career. Duh.

Turns out, though, that an abundance of ambition alone is not enough to accomplish anything. When you pair it with my utter lack of ability to concentrate, along with a bountiful supply of laziness, lack of motivation and crippling fear of the unknown, and you get a very, very bad combination.

It's scary--and often discouraging--to think about how many of my projects I could be done already if I had learned how to properly apply myself. How many new projects could I be working on? HOW PRODUCTIVE COULD I REALLY BE? We'll never know. And it sucks being constantly aware that, in some ways, I've already disappointed my 9-year-old self.

I've tried so many times to dig myself out of this hole. I wake up early, work my way through my morning routine as a Super Motivated Person, convinced that today is the day that I change everything. I have become an expert at creating a Master Plan, so clearly fool-proof that it absolutely cannot fail.

But the problem with making a Master Plan, with making such a large and daunting to-do list, is that I get overwhelmed. I get so overwhelmed, in fact, that I throw it all to the side, leaving it up to Future Justyne to sort out while I distract myself with Sims or Netflix or literally anything else.

Past Justyne is a real bitch. Present Justyne doesn't want to turn out the same way.

It's hard, trying to focus on one thing. I've never liked the idea of taking baby steps--I'm far too impatient. The only way to break this trend, though, is to do just that; to narrow my focus, shorten my to-do list, force myself to focus on one thing at a time. It's hard, but it's necessary.

I fumble. I screw up. That much is still the same--but if I don't forgive myself and move on, then who will?


Until later,

- Justyne

The Importance of Stories

"I will not tell you our love story, because--like all real love stories--it will die with us, as it should." - John Green, The Fault in Our Stars (pg. 259)

The words that followed these ones, in text and in film, were ones that broke me down into a weepy puddle of tears. The words that followed were so emotional and vital to the story, in fact, that I completely forgot about this sentence entirely. I saw the quote online, and after flipping through my copy of the book, lo and behold: there they were, plain as day, existing there beyond my memory the entire time.

The words that followed these ones are ones that I love. But I'm sorry, Hazel; I strongly disagree with you on this front. Because I believe that no story, love-related or not, should ever die.

Stories mean something to us. A big something to us. Just ask someone who grew up reading Harry Potter, or anyone who ever stood in line at a book signing to tell the author how much their book helped them. Ask anyone who's ever related something to their best friend in tears over the phone, or in person with arms and bodies to comfort them. Ask anyone who ever wrote a biography, or read a biography. Ask anyone who grew up believing in fairy tales, anyone who insisted on writing everything down. Ask anyone who has ever related to another person, real or fictional.

Stories change us. They help us. They act as maps and compasses, guiding us through life. We get inspiration from text and from film, motivating us to get up and accomplish things we've only ever dreamed of. The best advice is given to us through stories from those older and wiser, tales of catastrophies and mishaps and giant mistakes that, while cringe-worthy, were never truly regretted. We feed relationships with our stories, our reasons for being who we are. Our best and closest friends know everything because they are there, experiencing it with us, or waiting at the finish line to hear the whole story.

Stories intrigue us. They fuel us. They promote curiosity and creativity and conversation. Stories are meant to be shared. It's why I write, why I'm constantly discovering and experimenting with new mediums. I believe that stories matter.

And in the world of Hazel Grace, a world of asshole writers and miracle drugs and pre-funeral eulogies, she is wrong. Because if their story was not this book in my hand, it would be remembered. It would be held in the minds and hearts of her family, and the family of Augustus Waters, and their friend Isaac. It would be held in the mind of Van Houten, the drunken author, and his assistant who helped them experience so much. They would be remembered by the doctors who treated them, the teachers who taught them. Their love story may be broken, split between witnesses, comprised only of pieces that don't quite fit to make the whole...but it would still be there.

And someday, it would be told, as best as it could be, in any way possible.

It only takes one person to remember a story. It only takes one person to pass it on, down the line. It's how legends are born, how urban myths are created, how cultures thrive.

Real love stories do not die with the lovers, nor should they. They are left to simmer, to grow and develop, until they are ripe and ready to be told. And then they are.


Until later,

- Justyne

Micro Fiction Monday: One Part

Every Monday, I post a piece of flash fiction--a story clocking in at around 300 words. Each story can also be found on my deviantART page. Enjoy!

~~

He fiddled with his neck pillow, fluffing it and adjusting it before settling back into his seat. He closed his eyes for a moment, if that, before fiddling with the pillow again. He reached for the packet of gum tucked into the seat pocket, purchased from a stand in the airport. He fumbled with the packaging, dropping the first piece onto the floor, before he popped one into his mouth. He chewed it quickly and aggressively, so much so that his jaw quickly grew sore.

He jerked back in his seat as the plane moved forwards, gaining speed quickly. He gripped the edges of his seat, so hard that his knuckles turned white and the tips of his fingers went numb. He kept his eyes focused on the TV screen in front of him, his destination outlined on the map.

His eyes darted to the side only once, and he took some comfort in the fact that the young woman beside him looked just as nervous as he felt. Perhaps, he mused, he was not the only one new to flying.

~~

This wasn’t her first time on an airplane. Her family travelled to Florida when she was seven, again when she was ten. She flew to Mexico at age fifteen, and back and forth from the West coast once she started college at eighteen.

Her nerves didn’t derive from the sudden jolts of movement, or the force of gravity as they lifted up into the air. She twisted her hands nervously in her lap, afraid that this plan was futile; that he would find her, no matter how far she went. She was scared that she had left behind some clue, or that he would notice her absence too quickly. He had held his grasp on her for so long...a part of her didn’t think she could get away.

Another part of her didn’t want to.

~~

Until later,

- Justyne

How To: Write Every Day

Writing every day is hard. Really freaking hard.

Even after eleven (!! I'm so old) years of writing, I still haven't quite mastered it. But after ages of experimentation, filled with countless trials and errors, I think I've learnt a few things.

1. Stickers are fantastic motivators. Or any streak-counting system, really. Keep a separate, blank calendar somewhere within view of your writing space. Every time you meet your writing goal for the day, put a sticker on the corresponding day on the calendar. I found that the longer my writing streak gets, the less likely I am to break the chain. (I am super ridiculously competitive, so this works EXTREMELY well for me. I have a separate streak counter for this blog, as well.)

If you prefer to go digital, Goal Streaks is a good app for Apple products. (I haven't gone looking for apps for Android yet, so unfortunately, I can't help you there.) The Write Chain Challenge is also a great online community, if you're looking for partners in crime.

2. Flex those goals! Unless you have a super strict schedule that you absolutely do not stray from, every day--which, let's face it, you don't, so stop lying--then you probably aren't going to be able to write the same amount daily. I've struggled with this in the past; I didn't want to set a goal too high, in fear that I wouldn't be able to make it on busier days, but I also didn't want to set a goal too low, that I could easily surpass when I have a day off.

The solution? Change your goals. Earth shattering, I know.

Every day, I look at what I have planned, and what other commitments I have, and I set my writing goal based on the time I have left over after everything else is done. Where's the rule that says your writing goal has to be the same every day? Trick question; there isn't one. So be flexible with your goals, and let them change daily or weekly as your needs do.

3. Aim for a word count. For over a year, I tried to set aside time to write--half an hour when I had to work, a full hour when I didn't. This was good, in theory, but in reality? Not so much. I found that I would spend the majority of my half hour staring at a blank screen, or getting distracted with something on the internet or something sitting in my room along with me. Once my timer rang, I'd stop working. "Oh well, so much for that. Tomorrow will be better!"

I don't think I have to tell you what came next.

A word count goal gives me a more solid thing to strive for. Not only that, but it provides more motivation; if I finish my work early enough, I can work on an extra side project...or goof off and play Sims.

And the best part is, you don't have you give up your specific Writing Time if you don't want to. After a few months, I began to recognize what I could achieve in what given time. (For example: on my laptop, I can type 1000 words in half an hour. At work, I can manage around 250-500 words by hand, split between my various breaks.) So if you want to set aside half an hour for just writing, go ahead--learn what you can accomplish in that time, and set that word count as your goal for the thirty minutes.

You don't have to pick one or the other. You can choose both, if that's what works for you.

4. Clean your damn desk! Ok, I'll admit: I haven't perfected this one yet. But if there's anything I've learned over the last few months, it's that a clean and organized workspace can make a world of difference. Messy can be stressy! (So cheesy and cringe-worthy, I know. And yet, the phrase made me giggle as soon as I thought of it.)

Although I am super guilty of letting myself and my life get disorganized, I do make an effort to clean up every now and then (believe it or not). A clean workspace eases my stress and makes it so much easier to work.

Clean your workspace. Treat it like a workspace.

5. Dress the part. Pyjamas = Netflix marathon. Don't even try to deny it. I will admit: growing up, the idea of being able to stay in my pyjamas all day was one of the most appealing aspects of being a full-time writer. But actually staying in my pyjamas all day doesn't actually do much for my productivity levels.

If you want writing to be your job someday, then treat it like one. Take a shower, put on proper (and comfortable) clothes. Do your hair, your make-up, too, if you want. Dress like you would if it were any other day, and you were planning to go out to the store or to work. I've found that being dressed like a regular, productive member of society increases my ability to act like one.

You're not dressing up for other people; you're dressing up for you, and for your writing.

6. Take your work on the go. I find that limiting myself to one location is extremely inconvenient. While I'm not saying that you should try writing in the living room, with loud kids / spouses / roommates and a TV blaring in the background, you should definitely try to write when you have to leave your writing space behind. Learn to write at work, on the bus, at the Starbucks you guiltily go to every morning, anyway.

Don't limit yourself. You'll get so much more done.

7. Don't beat yourself up. So you sat in bed all day and watched Netflix--congratulations! I did that just the other day.

You are human. You have setbacks. Life gets in the way, and sometimes you just won't feel up to the task, and that's fine. You're allowed to call in sick to work every now and then, and writing isn't any different.

And if you catch yourself procrastinating in the middle of the day, don't get mad or disappointed. And for the love of God, do not throw the remainder of the day away, thinking that all productivity is lost. Just take a breath, re-examine your to-do list, and start over. It's not game over yet.

8. Know yourself. What works best? What works not so well? What have you had trouble with in the past? Know what conditions you work best under, and use them. Don't try and force yourself into and routine that doesn't work; you're only hurting yourself. Take every piece of advice--even mine, as fantastic and as fool-proof as it is--with a grain of salt. Take what you need, what works, and leave the rest. Don't be afraid to experiment and change things up, if you need to.

Don't worry about having everything figured out. Because I certainly don't.

Until later,

- Justyne