Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins

 Title: Miss Mayhem

 Series: Rebel Belle #2

 Author: Rachel Hawkins

 Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

 Date Published: April 7, 2015

 Genre: Paranormal

 Pages: 288 (Hardcover)

 Age Range: 13+



        Summary:

     Life is almost back to normal for Harper Price. The Ephors have been silent after their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago, and best friend Bee has returned after a mysterious disappearance. Now Harper can return her focus to the important things in life: school, canoodling with David, her nemesis-turned-ward-slash-boyfie, and even competing in the Miss Pine Grove pageant.
     Unfortunately, supernatural chores are never done. The Ephors have decided they’d rather train David than kill him.  The catch: Harper has to come along for the ride, but she can’t stay David’s Paladin unless she undergoes an an ancient trial that will either kill her . . .  or make her more powerful than ever.


                                                           Review:

     This review will spoil both the first, and second book so if you haven't read the book, I suggest that you keep on scrolling. I will, however, have a mini review at this point that will be non-spoilery. Here's the non-spoilery review. This book was disappointing. The first one was very light and funny, action-packed, and it read like a contemporary. This one was....less so. It was heavier, it had a lot of little things that made me really angry, and the characters have changed so very much.
     Things will now get spoilery, and ranty, and angry, but mostly spoilery. I read this book in four hours because I couldn't put it down. That being said, I am very upset. The first few pages or so of the book were pretty much the same as the first one (which I LOVED) and it picked up pretty soon after the events in the first book. Then, we started changing. By changing, I mean the whole over-all prose wasn't the light, funny, in-charge Harper that I had loved so much. Instead, things felt heavy, dark, and...angry.
     The characters have changed so much from the first book. I LOVED Harper in the first book, but in this book I liked her a little less. I felt bad for the poor baby, but she really needs to relax and let some things slide. While Harper was busy trying to do everything, and keeping a little secret from David, and trying to be all Paladin-y, her best friend was getting on my nerves. I liked Bee in the first book, but here I flat-out disliked her. She wasn't a very good friend like she was in the first book, and I dislike that she's a better Paladin than Harper. Bee might have grated on my nerves, but Ryan started to shred them up. After book one, I still kinda loved Ryan and might have still shipped him and Harper. After book two, I wanted to slap that fool with this book in the face. First off, he cheated on Harper (NOT OKAY) and then he dumps Mary Beth for Bee. I HATE Ryan and Bee together. I really do. They better break up soon, because I will throw up if they continue to be an item. Ryan may have shredded up my nerves, but David set them on fire and threw them into a batch of gasoline. Oh, my God. I was so upset with half of the things that David did, and I really hope that Harper decides to stay broken up and live a happy life by herself because that fool...
     Alexander the Ephor was an amazing plot device to have, but he was kind of meh for me... The whole thing with Blythe just dying and not even being a problem in this book was upsetting because it made me feel like she was never an issue. I disliked how much petty drama we had intertwined with some highly major issues. I hated how much we had people sneaking around behind each others back, and how insensitive people became. David with the whole thing about Bee becoming his Paladin was mean to both Bee and Harper. And even though Harper never should have gone around with Ryan to block David's powers, I understand why she did it, and I hated how much David despised her for it. The whole book I was waiting for Bee to do something awful to everyone because I thought that she had been hijacked by Alexander. And the entire ending, I was screaming at Ryan and Bee because they were being horrible people, and I was cursing out David because, well, I dislike him right now.
     I did like some of the cute moments between David and Harper, and I did like some of the smaller moments in the book, but I really hope that book three will go back to its roots.