This is the first in a sexy gothic romance trilogy--a tale of love, revenge, and the world of plants that cure or kill, set in the 18th century and...
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reviews
Nov 03, 2010
Kristy
rated it: 
First off, I have to say I thouroughly enjoyed this. This book did it's job, it kept me entertained. Was it mindblowing? No
Was it Fun? Yes
Do I think you should read it? Yes (if you like Young Adult books)
Imagine you can hear voices, voices of Plants. Daisies, Lilies, Trees, Grass, Potato Plants.. sounds good right??? But, you can also hear the voices of poisonous plants, Snakeweed, Moonseed, Larkspur....
They all call out to you, they all have motives.. To save, to More...
Was it Fun? Yes
Do I think you should read it? Yes (if you like Young Adult books)
Imagine you can hear voices, voices of Plants. Daisies, Lilies, Trees, Grass, Potato Plants.. sounds good right??? But, you can also hear the voices of poisonous plants, Snakeweed, Moonseed, Larkspur....
They all call out to you, they all have motives.. To save, to More...
11 comments
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(7 people liked it)
May 17, 2011
Wildbriar
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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5 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Jul 29, 2011
Cara
rated it: 
BLURB -
Jessamine Luxson lives with her father, Thomas, an apothecary, in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle. Thomas’s pride and obsession is his locked garden full of dangerous plants, which Jessamine is forbidden to enter.
When a traveler brings an orphan to their cottage, he claims the boy has special gifts that Thomas might value. Jessamine is drawn to the strange but intriguing boy, called Weed. Soon their friendship deepens into love. Finally, Weed shares his secret: More...
Jessamine Luxson lives with her father, Thomas, an apothecary, in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle. Thomas’s pride and obsession is his locked garden full of dangerous plants, which Jessamine is forbidden to enter.
When a traveler brings an orphan to their cottage, he claims the boy has special gifts that Thomas might value. Jessamine is drawn to the strange but intriguing boy, called Weed. Soon their friendship deepens into love. Finally, Weed shares his secret: More...
3 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Sep 16, 2011
Heidi
rated it:
Three stars: I recommend this book with some reservations.
The Poison Diaries is a book of dark suspense, filled with the innocence of first love and a treacherous betrayal. It is hard for me to review this book. I find myself conflicted on my final rating. While there are aspects of the story I enjoyed, the majority of the book is ominous and it leaves you with an unsettled feeling. This book is about Jessamine, a young innocent, sheltered, flower bud; who for the most part has lived i More...
The Poison Diaries is a book of dark suspense, filled with the innocence of first love and a treacherous betrayal. It is hard for me to review this book. I find myself conflicted on my final rating. While there are aspects of the story I enjoyed, the majority of the book is ominous and it leaves you with an unsettled feeling. This book is about Jessamine, a young innocent, sheltered, flower bud; who for the most part has lived i More...
Oct 14, 2011
Savannah (Books With Bite)
rated it:
In the beginning it was slow. At first I almost gave up in the book, then I hit chapter four, thats when things really started to get interesting. It certainly did pick up when Weed, started to do strange things. I was very intrigued from the start.
Now, this book was written well, and the plot, drama was great. In the end, it had some very unexpected surprises and I really need to know what happens next.....like NOW!
The Poison Diaries is what it is, poison. It seeps into you More...
Now, this book was written well, and the plot, drama was great. In the end, it had some very unexpected surprises and I really need to know what happens next.....like NOW!
The Poison Diaries is what it is, poison. It seeps into you More...
2 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 14, 2012
Elisandra
rated it:
I've try to put this book down cos I have so many books that I need to read for school, but it seams I can't get away from it. It scares me the way that it keeps calling to me and I can't seam to refuse its summoning.
ok,, I just finish it and I need to think about what I've just heard.
Review will have to wait a bit, but it's on it's way
Ok,, after thinking real hard on it I finely come up with a spoil free review.
MY RATTING 3.5 STARS
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ok,, I just finish it and I need to think about what I've just heard.
Review will have to wait a bit, but it's on it's way
Ok,, after thinking real hard on it I finely come up with a spoil free review.
MY RATTING 3.5 STARS
More...
6 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jun 11, 2011
Brittany
rated it:
Jessamine's father leaves her at home alone, when he ventures to London with his satchel full of flowers and remedies. In his absence she cares for the belladonna seeds, that he will never let her plant.Upon his return a man from the local crazy house drops off an unexpected gift. The gift is in the form of a young man who goes by the name of Weed. Weed has a special gift and with such he knows how to use plants to help people. This is a very valuable trait to Jessamine's father, who himself is
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May 25, 2011
Joseph
rated it:
I enjoyed the premise of this book, the interactions between the people and the plants and where the story headed. I must say that until I learned that this apparently is the first book of a trilogy I was not very happy with how the book ended, but I understand why it did end as it did. I'm looking forward to reading more and seeing how things turn out. I'd recommend reading The Humming of Numbers by Joni Sensel if you liked this one, the ideas are kind of similiar.
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Jan 17, 2012
Spark740
rated it: 
The idea behind The Poison Diaries is interesting: magical talking plants. But Ms. Wood could not decide if she was writing Bronte or Morgenstern. At times the characters display irrational passion: but then a plot machination or big inconsequence happens along and you go, "Pwah! This is stupid!" Although the technical quality is reasonable, the beginning is slow, the antagonistic plants have no strong motive, the plot falls falt in the middle, and the characters do character 180s with
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Nov 18, 2011
Kary
rated it:
From the cover:
"My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything...Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.
Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. J More...
Feb 11, 2012
Sara
rated it:
A mediocre book with a ridiculous ending that made me want to knock off any remaining stars it had left.
It started off as a three-star book, readable but unimpressive. I got to the last 100 pages and decided it was a 2-star book. I skimmed most of the way to the ridiculous end, and had it been a paper copy would have thrown it across the room. It was that bad.
The premise is interesting. A boy that can talk to plants—but this reveal isn't made until halfway through the book. More...
It started off as a three-star book, readable but unimpressive. I got to the last 100 pages and decided it was a 2-star book. I skimmed most of the way to the ridiculous end, and had it been a paper copy would have thrown it across the room. It was that bad.
The premise is interesting. A boy that can talk to plants—but this reveal isn't made until halfway through the book. More...
Jan 21, 2012
Miri
rated it:
In der richtigen Dosis ist alles Gift. Auch Liebe
Jessamine lebt mit ihrem Vater, dem Apotheker, abgeschieden von allen anderen, umgeben von unzähligen Gärten. Unter ihnen: der Gift-Garten, dessen Tür für Jessamin seit jeher verboten ist. Eines Tages steht der seltsame Junge Weed vor ihrer Tür, der eine seltsame Gabe zu besitzen scheint. Woher kennt er die verschollenen Geheimnisse der Gift-Pflanzen? Wie kann er so viel Wissen haben? Jessamines Vater will die geheimen Rezepte um jeden More...
Jessamine lebt mit ihrem Vater, dem Apotheker, abgeschieden von allen anderen, umgeben von unzähligen Gärten. Unter ihnen: der Gift-Garten, dessen Tür für Jessamin seit jeher verboten ist. Eines Tages steht der seltsame Junge Weed vor ihrer Tür, der eine seltsame Gabe zu besitzen scheint. Woher kennt er die verschollenen Geheimnisse der Gift-Pflanzen? Wie kann er so viel Wissen haben? Jessamines Vater will die geheimen Rezepte um jeden More...
Jan 15, 2012
Inkbitten
rated it:
Judged by a Cover: Pick your,er, poison
Both covers sport the same photo shopped girl with the same gorgeous typography. What I can see of the girl makes her look very nice, but it really doesn't have enough to really draw the reader in. It conveys nothing about the book. On the other hand, the back is one of the best synopsises (synopsi?) I've seen.
Wolfsbane
In the right dose
Belladonna
Everything is a
Nightshade
Poison
Love
Character
More...
Both covers sport the same photo shopped girl with the same gorgeous typography. What I can see of the girl makes her look very nice, but it really doesn't have enough to really draw the reader in. It conveys nothing about the book. On the other hand, the back is one of the best synopsises (synopsi?) I've seen.
Wolfsbane
In the right dose
Belladonna
Everything is a
Nightshade
Poison
Love
Character
More...
Jan 06, 2012
Shweta's Book Journal
rated it:
I have read about poisons before as a part of the toxicology course which was compulsory for my graduation. At that time I thought nothing could be as boring as reading the various side effects of these plants.I remember mugging up for the test as I hardly paid attention during those lectures. Had my teachers talked about them the way Maryrose Wood did, I would have been singing a different tune.
The best part of the book is the environment created. Even though it isn't overtly dark the More...
The best part of the book is the environment created. Even though it isn't overtly dark the More...
Jan 05, 2012
Danielle
rated it:
I had a lot of high hopes for this fascinating story about a lonely Northumberland girl and her apothecary father. The premise and the cover are both beautiful. So is the writing. THE POISON DIARIES gets off to a tentative start, but there is a poetic beauty in the words that kept me reading. The first person point of view is very well done.
Jessamine is the daughter of a healer who is famous throughout the land for his miraculous cures. Their ancient, rambling home is surrounded by gar More...
Jessamine is the daughter of a healer who is famous throughout the land for his miraculous cures. Their ancient, rambling home is surrounded by gar More...
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 01, 2012
MaryAnn
rated it: 
This was definitely a novel that I'm so glad I ended up reading. Usually, I'm not a big fan of Victorian era novels and maybe it's because I prefer the reality of our time rather than that time, but either way I ended up finding another novel that will end up going on my list of 'awesome reads'. Everything about it pulled me in, the pretty lettering on the cover, the title, the synopsis and the story itself! I finished it quickly (it took me a few hours) because once I began reading, I just coul
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Dec 08, 2011
Aik Chien
rated it:
Poison Diaries is a special story about plants, love and poison. Enchanting and deadly, it will surely lure you into its realms, a place filled with useful, beneficial herbs as well as the most dangerous and poisonous plants, a place where the fates of two souls intertwined.
Jessamine Luxton has never been away from the ancient stone chapel she calls home, or her estranged father who seems more interested in the plants in his apothecary than his own daughter. Her life was boring; she ha More...
Jessamine Luxton has never been away from the ancient stone chapel she calls home, or her estranged father who seems more interested in the plants in his apothecary than his own daughter. Her life was boring; she ha More...
Dec 03, 2011
Charlotte
rated it:
This was perhaps one the shortest books that I have read in a long time, and it seemed to me to be more like a young childs book than that of a teenagers book. However that did not make the story any less addictive than that of the last book I read. In fact the book drawed me in so much that I started and finished it within the space of three hours (yes ok it took me a while but I had breaks between reading it). The story was unusual and different to that of what I usually read. There was nothin
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(1 person liked it)
Oct 27, 2011
H.
rated it:
This was a very quick read, but ultimately a disappointing one. The characters were not fully fleshed out, so much so that I couldn't really get into what what going on in the book. I just felt as if I was reading action after action, without any of it meaning anything. All you get is that the father is strict and Jessamine and Weed fall in love. That's really about it. You don't learn anything about them, how they feel about each other (other than Jessamine and Weed repeatedly saying the lo
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Oct 22, 2011
Mocha ღ Latte
rated it:
More of my reviews at A Cupcake and a Latte:YA Reads, Reviews & More!
This is a combined review of The Poison Diaries and it's sequel, Nightshade.
In The Right Dose, Everything Is Poison...
Even Love.
With an interesting title like "The Poison Diaries" and an equally entrancing synopsis, I was instantly interested in diving into the series. Jessamine Luxton is the daughter of an apothecary, her father using plants and his knowledge of them to cure the ill More...
This is a combined review of The Poison Diaries and it's sequel, Nightshade.
In The Right Dose, Everything Is Poison...
Even Love.
With an interesting title like "The Poison Diaries" and an equally entrancing synopsis, I was instantly interested in diving into the series. Jessamine Luxton is the daughter of an apothecary, her father using plants and his knowledge of them to cure the ill More...
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(1 person liked it)
Sep 08, 2011
Emily
rated it:
So there's a whole weird THING going on with this book. It's related to a graphic novel by the same name, which is by the Duchess of Northumberland. The graphic novel is the Duchess telling a fairly simple but intriguing story as a way to teach kids (I'd say middle grade) about different poisonous plants and their properties and medicinal uses. In the story, a boy named Weed is the apprentice to an evil apothecary who keeps a locked garden of nothing but poisonous plants, and Weed is instructed
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Aug 04, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
The Poison Diaries tells the story of young Jessamine, an innocent young woman who has spent her entire life isolated from the world in her father's cottage with little else beside her garden to keep her company. Jessamine's father is the local healer, a master of herbal cures and poisons concocted from plants. When Weed, a mysterious young man who claims he can talk to plants, comes to live with Jessamine and her father, an expected romance blooms between the two. However, after Jessamine falls
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Jul 28, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
The Poison Diaries is, at its heart, a celebration of doomed lovers in the vein of Romeo and Juliet. It is an exploration of the ambiguity in plants that can either kill or cure, depending on thier use. It has echoes of dark tales of the sidhe - trickster fae, who demand payment for their aid.
As well as that, it is an enjoyable, albeit dark, read. In fact, I would say it is easily the darkest YA novel I've read up until now - maybe not the first part of the novel, but certainly the den More...
As well as that, it is an enjoyable, albeit dark, read. In fact, I would say it is easily the darkest YA novel I've read up until now - maybe not the first part of the novel, but certainly the den More...
Jul 27, 2011
Brina
rated it:
Die 16-jährige Jessamine lebt mit ihrem Vater, der von allen nur der Apotheker genannt wird, verlassen in einer umgebauten Kapelle in England. Als Botaniker und Apotheker genießt ihr Vater hohes Ansehen und er wird für seine vielen Gärten bewundert. Jessamine arbeitet mit an den Gärten und führt ihr eigenes Gartentagebuch, um so die Vielfältigkeit der einzelnen Blumen und Aufgaben aufzuzeichnen. Nur ein Garten ist für sie tabu: Der sogenannte Apothekergarten, der von ihrem Vater allein geführt w
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Jun 06, 2011
CeCe
rated it:
I thought this book would be so much better...
Let me start off with Jessamine. Pros? Eh...apparently she's pretty. Cons? Don't get me started. She is one of the silliest, weak-willed female protagonists I've read in awhile. Naive to an obvious fault, she is willing to tell her entire life story (and her fathers, including the bit about where he keeps all his deadly poisons) to the first stranger that comes along. Naturally, this person is Weed. And, obviously, she falls in love with More...
Let me start off with Jessamine. Pros? Eh...apparently she's pretty. Cons? Don't get me started. She is one of the silliest, weak-willed female protagonists I've read in awhile. Naive to an obvious fault, she is willing to tell her entire life story (and her fathers, including the bit about where he keeps all his deadly poisons) to the first stranger that comes along. Naturally, this person is Weed. And, obviously, she falls in love with More...
Apr 24, 2011
Jess - The Tales Compendium
rated it:
Although I found the premise of The Poison Diaries to be rather interesting, I really struggled to get started. I will admit it now, I am not a fan of reading historically set fiction. I like it set in the present day. I usually find historical fiction boring and tedious. Taking this into account, I didn't really have any urge to continue reading the book as it really wasn't grabbing me. It wasn't until our newcomer, Weed, shows up about a quarter of the way into the book, that I was able to sit
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Feb 20, 2011
Amy
rated it:
WELL. I had it all planned out, what I was going to say, and then when I searched for it on Goodreads I discovered that there is a sequel scheduled to come out sometime this year, so that sort of obliterates what I was going to write because most of it was going to be my anger at the ending. There will still be some of that.
I had no expectations for this book when I picked it up, and it was pleasantly, incredibly surprising. I should have noticed that it is by the same author as T More...
I had no expectations for this book when I picked it up, and it was pleasantly, incredibly surprising. I should have noticed that it is by the same author as T More...
Feb 05, 2011
Peggy
rated it:
This is a very dark story typical of today's young adult literature. Jessamine lives in total isolation with her father. He has made life a study of plants and how they can cure injury and illness and goes throughout the countryside helping to heal people. He has a special garden that is always locked that contains a variety of rare and poisonous plans, as what can kill can also cure if used correctly. Weed, a young foundling, is dumped into their lives. He has a special gift with plants,
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Dec 01, 2010
Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids
rated it:
The Poison Diaries is a story that fascinated me. I liked that a whole story was woven around botany, mixed in with romance and given a twist at the end. Maryrose Wood really set the tone for The Poison Dairies in her setting. The countryside was described beautifully, and yet had a dreary, gothic feeling to it. It was captivating, erie and real. The story introduces us to Jessamine and her father, who live a very isolated life in a small, run down cottage on the out skirts of the Alnwick Castle
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5 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Sep 19, 2010
Savannah (Books With Bite)
rated it:
In the beginning it was slow. At first I almost gave up in the book, then I hit chapter four, thats when things really started to get interesting. It certainly did pick up when Weed, started to do strange things. I was very intrigued from the start.
Now, this book was written well, and the plot, drama was great. In the end, it had some very unexpected surprises and I really need to know what happens next.....like NOW!
The Poison Diaries i More...
Now, this book was written well, and the plot, drama was great. In the end, it had some very unexpected surprises and I really need to know what happens next.....like NOW!
The Poison Diaries i More...
