This is very similar to the Prince and the Pauper with a gender role reversal. I felt myself getting a little lost in parts of it and had a hard time with the characters at times. I think this book is going to do well with the teen market because there isn't really something exactly like this out there and I think a lot of them will like the role reversals and the magic. It had elements I liked and some I didn't. Not a bad read, will be purchasing for the library collection.

A gender swap of the tale of The Prince and the Pauper with a little magic added.
Emilie born from a wealthy family, who's mother wants her to learn the "midnight" arts (divination, illusions, scrying & such, considered feminine), versus the "noonday" arts (warrior, physician, considered manly) that Emilie wishes to study. Annette is a young lady from a poor family, she wishes to study the "midnight" arts desperately but her mother tells her she's not good & she wouldn't do well.
Unrest is stirring in their kingdom & Laurel, is trying to bring to light that the king isn't for his people but for himself.
Emilie sees Annette in a crowd of people & creates a plan so that they can both get what they want.
As they continue on in the story they realize that they must do more & it becomes more & more difficult for them to keep the secrets of their identities.

I enjoyed reading this & would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys this genre of novels.

Told from two different views, that of Emilie and Annette. Emilie and Annette trade places so they can both follow their dreams. They find out that it takes courage and an open mind to make their dreams a reality. Surprising twists I wasn’t expecting and an ending that was both exciting and satisfying.

A sort of prince and the pauper gender-swap set in a magical world that seems heavily influenced by the French Revolution. Emilie is born to wealth and luxury, but her one desire is to be a noonday artist (magician/physician). Noonday arts are considered masculine, so her mother refuses to let her study them. Annette is a poor girl who wants nothing more than to be a midnight artist. The two girls switch places and Annette goes to school in Emilie’s place. Emilie goes to the university on the cusp of a revolution and both will have to choose their loyalties wisely to stay alive.

Using peasants as “hacks” to draw magic from is a clever updating of how the aristocracy treated peasants and why the common folk wanted to revolt. The two different magical arts were fascinating and original.

There are several surprising twists and an exciting conclusion. Both girls have gentle subplot romances. Emilie with another physician and Annette with another girl from school (no spoilers!).

This historical with original magic is highly recommended for fans of Nadine Brandes FAWKES.

Set in a magical decidedly French-like world, wealthy Emilie swaps places with commoner Annette in a word that divides magic by both sex and class. The swap initially permits both girls to learn the magic they wanted (Annette the Midnight Arts, which she was too poor to access and Emilie the mostly male Daylight Arts where a lowborn girl can at least get a job as an expendable hack), but both are rapidly drawn into the revolution that threatens to upend the monarchy. The cast of characters are diverse in ethnicity, sexuality, and gender but the gore is at times a bit much. Despite the publisher's claim that this is a "stand alone" novel, it's pretty clear at least a sequel is on the way,

Belle Révolte is an interesting idea that suffers from a lack of clear plotting and character development. Simply put, I did not care about most of the players in this story of magical education and internal political revolution.

This story is told in dual POVs of two women who swap places so that each can attend the magic school of their choice. One of the women is a royal and one is a commoner (this really doesn't matter ultimately, as neither of the reveals is particularly eventful) and both are extraordinarily strong at their perspective magic preference. A revolution against the monarchy is on the cusp of exploding and the King decides to go to war with a neighboring country as a distraction. Lots of bloody, gross stuff happens.

Unfortunately, none of the characters in this story were particularly intriguing. Twists were pretty predictable and the tension was just oddly flat. Ultimately, I didn't care too much about this story and its conclusion. There were a few scenes of interest but they were way too few and far between. I would probably recommend this book to someone looking for a YA book that's lighter on romance with a bunch of magic, gore, and political machinations.

A solid start to a promising series. Characters come alive between the lines, the setting sparkles and intrigues. A fresh plot packing twists will cement this book on many favorites shelves.

I’m grateful that Linsey Miller created bold, confident female characters for her novel BELLE RÉVOLTE. In this gripping YA fantasy, two young women refuse to be trapped in the roles assigned to them by class and gender, and swap places and identities, pursuing studies in magic and medicine that better suit their passions. There is political intrigue, and war caused by dark magic, but I liked best the central theme of two smart, talented young women seizing the chance to prove their worth.

I kind of believe the beggining was going to fast like "hey we've just met but do you want to trade life with me?" but the more I read the book the more I was loving the world and how magic was used. I really loved the relationship between Emilie and Annette and how their friendship grew stronger everytime.
As a french person, I loved reading a french inspired fantasy! I will definitely check out more of the author's work.

Belle Révolte is a fantasy novel featuring two women who swap lives to follow their dream of studying in different fields of magic. Emilie wants nothing more than to become a physician, to be more than the noble lady her mother has been forcing her to be all her life. Annette wants nothing more than to be trained in magic, and to show her family that she is stronger than they believe she is, and that she was born to study the ways of divination.

In a world where mostly men get to train to become physicians, and where only the nobles get higher, safer positions in their chosen field, these girls must fight obstacle after obstacle to gain the recognition they deserve. It was a pleasure to watch them learn and grow in their field, and to see them crush any doubt that they were just as strong as their peers.

This book has everything I love in a fantasy novel. It has great characters, it has magic, it has world-building, and it has the twists that keep me from putting down the book. I was intrigued from the start.

My favorite part of the book was the relationship between Annette and Emilie. From the start they needed to put a level of trust in each other that most people would not be able to do. And that trust? It grew as months went by, as they realized that this is where they belong, and if not for the other girl, they would have never been able to achieve it. They protected each other so fiercely. I fell in love with their relationship instantly. Annette and Emilie were like lost sisters reconnecting for the first time. It was a pleasure watching their relationship grow.

There was also romance in the book, for both characters, and I did love watching their relationships blossom to something more - but the friendship between all of the characters was still my favorite part. They found family in each other, and it just melted my heart.

The other side characters, from Charles, Coline and Yvonne, to even the small amount of time we got to see the Kalthorne artists, all intrigued me. While it did end on a good note, and this could be left as a standalone novel, I would not mind another book in this series. Especially if it has more about the Kalthorne people.

A great book. I will definitely be going back to check out more of Linsey Miller's work.