She now holds an MFA in fiction and is the author of the Mask of Shadows duology, Belle Révolte, and The Game. Originally from Arkansas, Linsey has previously worked as a crime lab intern, neuroscience lab assistant, and pharmacy technician. If you love YA fantasy, you should pick this up. While not revolutionary in terms of the overall setup, it’s still enjoyable and provides a fun and fairly compelling reading experience. However, that is entirely subjective, and I know how hard it can be to do a standalone fantasy in a world that loves series. I did feel like the ending was a little rushed, trying too hard as a standalone fantasy to finish the story off and tie things together with a bow.

The LGBTQ+ rep was also well done, with one of the leads being ace and biromantic (so exciting!), with various other characters that are part of the community as well.

Their friendship and the relationships they build with the people they encounter along the way were very genuine. I really liked the characters, especially the leads, Emilie and Annette, and how each of their respective passions is explored after they trade places. And while upon starting it, I didn’t know how to feel, as it took a while to become fully invested, the payoff was worth it. The French feel (complete with a political uprising a la the French Revolution), the summary evoking elements of The Prince(ss) and the Pauper (is it weird to say Barbie version was everything to me for a while growing up?!)…I was sold. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.Įmilie and Annette swap lives-Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.īut when their nation instigates a frivolous war, Emilie and Annette must work together to help the rebellion end a war that is based on lies.īelle Revolte intrigued and excited me when I first heard about it.

But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.Īnnette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. ISBN-13: 978-1492679226 | $17.99 USD | 372 pages | YA FantasyĮmilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician.

Belle révolte by linsey miller