Poison Princess

The Arcana Chronicles #1

by Kresley Cole

An alternate cover edition for this ISBN13 can be found here.

She could save the world—or destroy it.

Sixteen-year-old Evangeline "Evie" Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they're still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

But she can't do either alone.

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can't totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?

Who can Evie trust?

As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it's not always clear who is on which side.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Dystopia, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

369 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Immortals After Dark paranormal series, the young adult Arcana Chronicles series, the erotic Gamemakers series, and five award-winning historical romances.

A master’s grad and former athlete, she has traveled over much of the world and draws from those experiences to create her memorable characters and settings.
Her IAD books have been translated into 23 foreign languages, garnered three RITA awards, a RWA Hall of Fame induction, and consistently appear on the bestseller lists, in the U.S. and abroad.

Cole lives in Florida with her family. Learn more about Kresley at: www.kresleycole.com & www.thearcanachronicles.com

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as I thought I would.

It's probably a case of it's not you, it's me.

Eff it. Okay. I'm gonna get real here.

It's you (book). Totally all on you.

We start with a sterotypical white, blond Pretty-Pretty girl who tragically has "mental health issues".

Essentially, this girl is either A) hallucinating or B) can read the future, control plants, heal herself, make her fingers into claws, and other godlike powers. 50/50

Meds are thrown away, counselling not an option, leaving the audience to wonder if it's real or if it is all in her head .

Then there's the Psycho - totally evil but in a hot way. (And he's close enough in age to Pretty-Pretty so it's not creepy). Psycho keeps girls in his basement for his "experiments."

(One such experiment - I kid you not - is creating a sodium chloride concoction AKA a salt spray b/c the evil post-apocalyptic monsters can't stand table salt. Mmmmhmmm... )

Anyway, Psycho lures Pretty-Pretty into his house and makes her drink sleepy tea and spends the book alternating between EXTREMELY murderous thoughts and WOW she's kinda hawt.

Meanwhile, Pretty-Pretty tells him her entire life story...which can be boiled down to:

--I'm super pretty and yet I just don't fit in!
--I have super cool powers and yet no one understands me!
--The super-cute teenage alcoholic likes me and yet I'm soooo alonnnnnne!
--My nickname is Sugar Tits, wahhhhhh!
--Teen Drunk survived the apocalypse to save me, do I give him my V card???

Rinse and repeat.

On a side note - while I seriously questioned everything that came out of Pretty-Pretty's mouth, I really didn't get her constant jumping to get in a motorized vehicle with Teen Drunk. He literally drank more than he breathed.

On another side note - at one point, we pick up an autistic teen who's (and note the irritation) adorably whimsical, sweetly innocent and wise beyond his years.

Can we have a SINGLE YA book that doesn't use mental illness or autism as a cool/trendy way to further the plot? No? Fab.

Anyway, the book really just meanders through Pretty-Pretty's life (ironically, she supposedly told Psycho this in a single evening in a very drugged state...the audiobook took over 12.5 hours and she spoke slow as molasses whenever we would cut to her...so really? Really now.).

To be fair, there's some weak backstory about the origin of her powers (loosely associated with tarot cards) but it really was just 12 hrs of Pretty-Pretty wandering into danger, being saved by Teen Drunk, being chased by rapey men (because everyone knows the first thing that happens in the apocalypse is the whole "we gotta repopulate the earth" scenario).

Well...ok. That's not ALL there is to the book.

I would be doing this book a disservice if I didn't mention the teenage hormones.

Whenever Pretty-Pretty wasn't complaining or staring at a mirror, she spent her time having savagely lustful thoughts about Teen Drunk and insisting that she wants her "first time" to be special.

Puh-lease. Gurl.

This is the APOCALYPSE.

You'd think that literally everyone you know dying, monsters chasing behind every corner and weird nightmare dreams would probably be sufficient of a downer to quell some of this...apparently not.

I'm just saying do we need tensions to get needle-sharp EVERY time he reaches up and a sliver of his washboard abs is visible?

Apparently, yes. That is the only reasonable reaction after your BFF dies.

AND THEN there's Teen Drunk who is so manipulative, vindictive, passive-aggressive, aggressive, horny (etc) that you really wonder what Pretty-Pretty sees in him.

Oh wait.

I know.

He's like so totally hawt (*fans self*) that it's worth it.

He's a bad boy with a sensitive soul raised on the wrong side of the tracks who needs saving! If only Pretty-Pretty sticks with Teen Drunk, she can totally change him from a lowlife to a decent and loving human being!!

Gag.

All in all, this one was every bit as annoying as Jill (my friend from TCE Bookclub) told me it would be. You were right in every sense of the word.

Audiobook Comments
Surprisingly well-read! And I really mean it. This reader really did a great job with the tone and inflection. So many times I end up hating the reader when I listen to a bad book - not this time.

Just checked on the reader - it was Emma Gavin. Gosh. If I had a nickel for every audiobook read by her I'd have...about $1.45. Still. This girl knows how to read a book. Wonderful job.Two thumbs up for the quality!

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[Tomoe Hotaru · Rating 1 out of 5]

04 Oct. '19
Hold up! before you decide to post a comment professing your undying love for this book; of how utterly wrong I am about Jackson because he's actually seriously like super hot and this is what girls like you fall for or something; or how the beginning of this book completely works for you because of reasons; please don't. Because, umm, I don't care? Ha. Like, write it in your own review. K thx bye.

11 Oct. '14
For those who have read the 2nd book and can confirm things for me, here are my predictions on Endless Knight.

19 Oct. '12
Be forewarned! There shall be a lot of cussing and angriness and bitch-slapping in this review. If you are a fan of this book/author, or/and not a fan of cuss words in reviews, I highly advise you not to read as I do not want to offend anyone.

**********

Like an old, dying, rheumatic ox plowing through a field of mud and shit. All for the promises of a harvest of fresh, delicious, sweetcorn that he will never ever enjoy. That is how I felt as I trudged through this ...... this heap of stink. Plod, plod, plod, and how many times I'd found myself in the middle of this dreck; dirt behind me, dirt before me, dirt all around me -- but my feet were already wet and icky, and sweetcorn! You promised there'd be sweetcorn!
Alas, no sweetcorn for me. Not even one lousy cob. Maybe there will be in the future, but I'm not sinking my hooves in more shit and risking it a second time.

You were promised a (post-)apocalyptic. You will not get a post-apocalyptic before you trudge through half a field of shit. The first chapter -- prologue? It was a right hooker. Totally sucked me in. Even though I had my consternations -- this vaguely rapey vibe didn't settle down too good in my stomach.
But it promised action! Mystery! Everything on the blurb!
So you read on, all jittery and drooling for sweetcorn ...... and then you're slapped with thirteen whole chapters of teenage high school drama that has NOTHING! no importance whatsoever to the plot.

First of all, these thirteen chapters was a recount. Our protagonist, Evie, wandered into a house and was asked to recount her journey. And she did exactly that. In excruciatingly painful detail we would be told of her last seven whole frigging days before the cataclysmic event that hit the entire planet.
So that is thirteen chapters reading about her rich-girl life in her rich-girl school, with all the rich-girl brand names being splattered like rainbow gifs constantly in your face. Constantly! See, this is the first nonsensical part of this novel -- how the bloody hell do you remember seven entire days in such minute detail, especially months after it even happened?!

No matter. Let's assume she has super-special memory. The second issue I have with this is priority in story-telling, people! Why the fuck do I care about your surprise party? Promising your V-card to your boyfriend? Your grades drama?
Why the hell would you spend thirteen whole chapters telling us about this honest-to-God perfect jock boyfriend and strangely devoted best friend, when none of that matters?!
Read it. Go on, read it, and tell me why the hell knowing Brandon or Mel or even Evie's entire bloody life was important. Spoiler, people: THEY DIED! WE SEE NONE OF THEM EVER AGAIN! They had no relevancy to the story at all!
I just ploughed through that field of shit AND YOU AIN'T EVEN GONNA USE IT?!



I want to slap a bitch. And I don't care if in the sequels Brandon magically turns out to have survived. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that indeed happened. Point is, you could've glossed over all of that high school drama bullshit and got on to the meat of the story without wasting all that damn paper!

But do you know what did get glossed over? Two hundred and fourteen days of cataclysmic action. I'm sorry, let me get this straight. You told us, in detail, seven days' worth of your text messages, your pathetic visions in school, your scribbling drawings that I don't give a rat's arse about, your worrying about having sex for the first time, your petty pseudo-racist drama against the new kids in school -- but then after the cataclysmic event, you jumped ahead four months and all of a sudden we have cannibals, pseudo-zombies, militia men, and none of that is explained?
The story-telling was imbalanced and the prioritizing sucked to be awfully straightforward with you.

Third issue that frequently made me want to ragequit was the absolute laziness of the worldbuilding .
How did these zombies come about?! Apparently, humans suddenly mutated (because of ... the sun? The thirst? The sheer stupidity of this book?!) and became attracted to water and hated the sun. Because prophecy!
Apparently all plants and water and "everything organic" was obliterated off the face of the earth, but buildings and houses still stood perfectly well. And of course, some water sources remained in tact. Because special!
Apparently everyone who was outdoors died during the big flash and explosion, but everyone indoors were unharmed. Because sunburst can't penetrate walls, y'all!
I realize that Evie wouldn't have known any of the answers to these logic flaws, but -- the fact that these questions even existed wasn't even touched upon by the characters! No one questions why only plants and animals suddenly turned to dust. Or why buildings stayed in tact. Or why anything! They just took it for granted:

Some say the very tilt of the earth's axis wobbled, disturbing the balance of our world, lowering its defenses. Others claim that the depleted ozone layer--already a peeling scab--ripped open, leaving us vulnerable to heat and radiation.

Yes, of course, because the tilt of the earth could somehow shift and buildings remain perfectly well.

"I'm in your camp. Best not to obsess over it."

And that is how the author attempts to brush it aside and have us "not obsess over it".

You might argue, this was a romance, after all, so I shouldn't expect much in the way of action or whatevs. And I'd say sure, it's a romance. But then puh-lease do not delude the market into thinking this is a post-apocalyptic YA adventure. Boy am I sick of dystopia/P-A and YA being used to market a book. Look. The truth is the post-apocalyptic elements in Poison Princess could have been taken away and it wouldn't have mattered .
I saw P-A here being used as an excuse to have our teens running rampant without parental control, journeying across states or whatever. I saw it as a pathetic plot progression tool. The world could have still been in tact, no cataclysmic event, and these kids and Evie's whole task of killing every other Major Arcana tarot card or whatever could still exist.
As it were, there was no real purpose of having a cataclysmic event hit the face of the earth, other than to prove that Evie and her grandmother weren't insane.

But while we're on the subject -- even as a romance, this book failed me . There was nothing to like about Jackson. He's a rude, crass, insensitive asshole, whose only attraction to Evie was literally based on her wriggling arse and pretty face. No joke.
The rest of the characters were so blah it's not even worth mentioning. All the boys only wanted sex, all the girls only too willing to lap up guys' attention. And of course after the apocalypse, virtually all men turned into pseudo-zombies, cannibals, or lawless men who, upon seeing a girl, can only think of sexing her up.
Because we're animals like that and we have no self-control, you know. And also because Kresley Cole's understanding of human psychology isn't really up to scratch.

Basically, all the characters were unlikable and unrelatable . Let's start with Evie ... oh, I could go on forever about her, but I'll try to keep it brief. She was a popular girl, and everyone's lives revolve around her so much that the entire school knows when she's about to lose her virginity. Every man who sees her leers at her "as if they'd never seen a girl before".
She's one of the richest people in town -- the richest being her jock boyfriend, Brandon, who picks her up in a Porsche? Jaguar? something like that -- and was faithful to her while she was away, so she has to give him her virginity as a reward because damn how else is a girl gonna keep her man?



She's so popular she waves at everyone and stops by every group of people on her way into school because the school would collapse if she didn't play Miss Congeniality. No, seriously.

"If popularity is your My-Little-Pony gundrop-forest of a dream, then so be it. Who am I to piss on your dreams? But know this: The school would freaking shut down without you(...)"

So yeah, meet Mary Sue.

Her best friend was just as unlikable.

"You have two choices, grasshopper. Out-slut Clotile--or go Springer on her ass. I'm down for the assist in both scenarios."

Umm, how about get a boyfriend who doesn't care how sexy other girls are dressed?!

Also:

Mel waved away my concerns. "Ignore your mom, put out for Brandon, tank your grades. If you fail, I'll flunk with you."

Yep, that's her endorsing Evie to give up her virginity so Brandon would stop looking at another girl.



But let's get technical now, shall we? Because in this aspect, Poison Princess also sucked bad. The pacing was poor and off-beat . Again, this had a lot to do with priorities. Seriously, there is this one chapter, where basically Evie tells her love-interest, Jackson, also in detail, about her past. About her asylum days, about her grandma, about the voices she hears ...... all of this we already know and yet we had to read about it all. over. a-fucking-gain!



All the "romance" drama were expanded upon in minute detail, even running out of gas took one too many pages of attention, and the action scenes were too few and far between and piss poor it was hardly worth the wait.

Another technical thing I really found disrupting was the dialogue. Because Jackson is Cajun, he slips in french phrases and words in his dialogue. Often. And every time, Evie would translate it to us. Yeah, I know, if she doesn't, most of us probably wouldn't understand it. But hell, none of those phrases were even important. I don't get why it needed to be there in the first place. Authenticity? Actually, it made it sound pretentious if anything.

So there was nothing that redeemed this book for me. Nothing. I used to think Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead was the crappiest book I ever wasted money on, but that title is now replaced.
I saw this as a vague attempt of another Angelfall type of book, but it fell way short of that.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If you touch me like that again, Evangeline,” he began in a husky tone, dropping to his seat once more, “in the space of a heartbeat, I will have you off this bike and onto the closest horizontal surface. And I woan be picky, no.”

Oh for the love of all things holy, this book is amazing! This was my first book by author Kresley Cole and honestly she couldn't have done it any better. She had me compelled from the very first page with her amazing talent for storytelling and also for her intense and incredible scenes. It's safe to say, Poison Princess is a gripping page turner!

This story follows the life of teenager Evangeline 'Evie' Greene. She's a popular girl, with a loving boyfriend and awesome friends, but even though her life appears to be normal, it's anything but. Evie experiences hallucinations but mostly they are disturbing and horrifying. Not only that but Evie also gets visions of people that she's never met and they come with warnings. But soon it's to late for Evie to figure these warnings out because her hometown - including the rest of the world has been hit by an apocalyptic event called 'The Flash' where most people are wiped out.

Evie is among the survivors and soon enough she finds out that the one person she hates is alive - Jackson. Evie needs answers about her visions and decides she needs to travel to see her grandmother - who she thinks is still alive. Jackson agrees to protect Evie on her mission but as her visions get worse, she soon comes across other people who have been having the same call, and she realises she is not the only who is meant to play out their destiny.

Let me tell you right now, this book is so unique! Twenty two teens who all have special powers based on their characteristics of their Tarot card, so they can play their part in an ancient prophesy between good vs evil. Come on, tell me how unique that is? Honestly, I've not read anything like this book before and I'm still in awe with how brilliant it really is.

Evie is a strong protagonist - one I instantly loved. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders and still she tries to remain upbeat, happy and generally tries to stay sane. Even after the flash, she tries to remain the same even though as Jackson points out on a number of occasions, she can't hunt, start fires or protect herself - but you know there's something bubbling under the surface of Evie and it's just waiting to be unleashed. At time's my heart broke for her because whatever is happening to her, she has no control over and at time's it's very scary. I'm glad she had a person like Jackson to lean on because without him, I think she would have struggled.

Now Jackson, oh gosh, he's a complete bayou boy through and through and with him being Cajun French he has one hell of a sexy accent. However, he can be so harsh and mean sometimes and yes, he does do stupid things but really, you can over look everything because he's a total sweetheart at heart. It was pretty clear from the start that he was attracted to Evie - despite how he acts and even in the end, he'll always go to her. Their relationship is pretty intense, I was just waiting for something to happen.

Then, that ending comes in and no sooner than you started....it's all finished...I could have cried. If this book wasn't unputdownable to start with, wait until you get to the last few chapters because it's even worse. I couldn't stop reading until I knew the outcome and my god, I was not expecting what I got. It was absolutely breath-taking and heart-breaking all at the same time. I'm left with so many questions because of that ending - it really was a killer, and I'm dying for more of this wonderful story.

Overall, Kresley Cole has leaped into the YA market by a storm and it's left me wanting more of her work. I urge you guys to go buy this book because it's not one you want to miss out on. A must read of 2012!

A big thank you to Simon & Schuster UK for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

[Ferdy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spoilers

I couldn't be bothered writing a review, so you'll have to make do with this nonsensical rubbish:

Evie: Woe is me. I have harrowing visions about the apocalypse. Woe is me. I had to spend my summer in a mental hospital. Woe is me. I hope my friends don't know about what a ghastly time I've had lately. Woe is me. I am so rich, popular and beautiful. Woe is me. I am dating the most perfect guy. Woe is me. By jove, who on earth is that new fellow on the motorcycle? Oh my, just one glance at him and I seem to be feeling tingly things in my special place. Woe is me.
Jack: I like your ass..it nice. I look at it. I wanna fuck you but also I HATE you. YOU BE RICH. ME BE POOR. Me mad me poor. Me hate all rich people. Me be likin the ass. I stalk you. Then I fuck you.
Evie: Woe is me. How dare you, I am a lady! And I deserve to be fucked like a lady! Woe is me. I hate you! Stop stalking me! Woe is me. Oh noes! A vision of death. Woe is me.
Jack: You rich bitch. I wanna fuck you. I big manslut and be liking fucking yea. Me wanna fuck rich girl but me hate that want to fuck rich girl. You whore make me feel like wanna fuck you. You whore, like all girl!
Evie: I despise you and your treatment of me. I'm a lady and I need a gentlemen to make love to me. Woe is me.
Jack: I fuck you. Me take belt off, dick come out and then I fuck you.
Evie: Kiss me. Woe is me.
Jack: Hmm, baby. I be stealing your diary and reading it. I need know mind of rich bitch. You no right keep secret from me. You be hearin me whore?!
Evie: How dare you read my most precious diary! I hate you! I don't care about how tingly you make me feel. Stay away from me. Woe is me. Oh my, he read my diary and saw all my drawings of death and doom, what ever shall I do?! Woe is me. Oh my, these plants seem to be calling to me, surely that must means I have the power to control plants. Woe is me. Who am I? I can control plants and I have visions. Woe is me. WHO AM I?!!!! Woe is me.
Jack: BITCH. Hate you. Rich bitch. Why you mad I stole and read diary..you no right be mad. BITCH. YOU FUCK ME NOW. ME POOR YOU RICH. BITCH. ME POOR. ME POOR. ME POOR.
Evie: Goodbye. Oh lordy..my vision has come true, every human, animal and plant is dead for no logical reason. Woe is me. Oh how time flies after an apocalypse, it's already been over 200 days since that vague unexplained thing killed everything. Oh who's that in the distance. Woe is me. Its Jack, he's alive! Woe is me.
Jack: I come for you after 200 days. I no bother before to see if you be dead or alive but it no matter everybody will still think it be romantic that I come check on you after 200 days. We fuck now.
Evie: No. Woe is me.
Jack: What be up with those drawings you did in diary? You be psychic? Bitch, why you no tell?
Evie: I am not psychic, you disgusting dog. Woe is me.
Jack: Okay then. Most women be dead now, you be rare. And all men left be rapists now. They rape you. Let be going from here. Then I fuck you.
Evie: Never… I won't run. Wait okay, I will. Woe is me.
Jack: I help you but I still hate you bitch. You a bitch. Then I fuck you.
Evie: You are such a brute and you are so mean. Woe is me. I have mysterious powers but I keep them secret. Woe is me.
Jack: You tell me your secrets bitch. Women with secrets be evul whores! You tell me now bitch. Then I fuck you.
Evie: Aw, I think I'm falling in love with you. I never knew you could be so sweet. Woe is me. Let's kiss now. Woe is me.
Jack: You be bitch. My bitch. Then I fuck you.
Evie: I shan't sleep with you, you cur! Woe is me. I want to be wooed before giving up my sweet virginity for I am a lady. Woe is me.
Jack : You whore tease bitch! It be because I be poor that why you no fuck me!! You tease me whore. You kiss me that mean I allowed fuck you. Bitch bitch bitch!
Evie: Oh goodness me, more visions about mysterious and nonsensical things. Woe is me.
Jack: You be whore. Oh look there another whore, now I be fucking her! You fuck off, I no help you, I got new whore now. Better whore.
Evie: Oh no! Jack doesn't love me anymore. Woe is me. What if he stops treating me like dirt? Oh, I don't think I could bear it. Woe is me.
Jack: Me like new whore. But what do with old whore?! I keep old whore and help her with her whore things. She be bitch and whore but all girl are.
Evie: Go back to your other lady friend. I need to save my mysterious friend. Woe is me.
Jack: I help you whore. Then I fuck you.
Evie: Well, since you've apologised, I guess that's okay. Woe is me.
Jack: You be a bitch, a slut and a whore. I helped you. Now I fuck you. But first you tell me all your secrets! Only whores keep secrets. I know you be a whore but if you no tell me, I go back to other whore.
Evie: Oh my, I just can't tell you about my secret visions and powers. Woe is me.
Jack: WHORE!! ME POOR YOU RICH! Then I fuck you..No! What I say?! I no fuck you! Never fuck you! Get away whore!
Evie: Oh my tragic life! Woe is me. I shall leave Jack forever. Oh my, who is that random guy? Hmm..he wants me to tell him my life story in return for food and shelter. Woe is me. Oh my, the guy I met a few hours ago is evil. I know, I will kill him with my super secret plant powers! Woe is me. Oh no, Jack came after me and saw me use my secret powers. Woe is me. He'll hate me forever now. Woe is me.
Jack: WHORE! WHORE! WHORE! WHORE! WHORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will the Lady Evie ever stop being a whore? Will Jack ever get to fuck Evie? Will love overcome all that sexy abuse? Only time will tell and I dear friends await in bated breath.

[Ren Puspita]

Young Adult???? Are Kresley Cole follow her dear friend's path, Gena Showalter to write YA?
Ugh, less smex scenes! *shakesfist*

And I want Thad! Please continue writing Immortals After Dark, rather than start new series.

Please, I beg you :'(

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not finish this book...there were several things towards the beginning of the story that just had me laughing, it was so ludicrous. For example, the Big Bad Cajun Motorcycle Gang (also known as the Sharks and the Jets...oh, wrong story). They speak in heavily-accented Cajun patois, they have bikes with stolen, mismatched parts! They wear motorcycle jackets, their hair falls in greasy locks over their eyes! They rumble up to their new school in a crowd of big, bad, wolfery and start chatting up and soliciting all the pretty girls.

Aside from the dirt-poor, uneducated, rude Cajun stereotyping and the clichéd bad boys, nevertheless, I could have tolerated the minor absurdity if there had been some promise to a compelling story, but no. I'm not going to waste my time.

Here are a few quotes very early on in the story that made up my mind for me.

"Beside him was a couple on a bike—a kid in camo pants and a girl in a pleather miniskirt. The big boy helped her off the bike, easily swinging her up—
'Wheh-hell,' Catherine said, 'good to know her panties are hot pink. Shocked she’s wearing them, actually. Classy with a capital K.'
Mel nodded thoughtfully. 'I finally understand who buys vajazzling kits.'

I foresee slut-shaming in the future. Not a fan.

"Then Weasel zeroed in on me with a smirk. 'Ain’t you dat jolie girl in dat Porsha?' His Cajun accent was as thick as any I’d ever heard. 'Turn around, you, and hike up dat dress, so I can tell for true.'"

...really? REALLY?

"'You’re laughing at me?' He clenched those big, taped fists like he was just dying to hit something. Most likely my face.

'Tu p’tee pute,' he sneered to my face. You little bitch."

The above quotes came from the projected love interest. A violent, misogynistic asshole. No. No. I'm just not going to bother.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a tough book to review because there is a lot to like here. The concept behind the book is great, and I loved watching the puzzle pieces unfold, guessing who was who, seeing their powers in action, taking note of the symbolism, etc. But there are definitely some big problems with the book, which make it hard for me to recommend it.

The first chapter is intriguing, but then we're subjected to many boring pages of life before the Flash. The apocalyptic event mentioned on the back of the book and in the first chapter doesn't happen until page 105 or so (in the ARC). That's 100 pages of Evie going to school, arguing with Jackson, having visions, thinking she's crazy, etc. Basically, the book could have started on page 100, because we really didn't need all that backstory before getting to the exciting stuff.

Once the event actually happens things really pick up and I couldn't put the book down. There's the usual surviving the apocalypse stuff, which is fun, but there's also a very unique element here, one that I'm a particular fan of. But since it isn't listed on the back cover I don't want to spoil it - which is ironic, since I would never have picked up this book if I hadn't known about this twist before-hand.

Unfortunately, the book suffers from weak, or downright repulsive, characters. Evie is pretty bland and pathetic for most of the book, and I wish that she'd had some useful skill or something. But then again, I'd probably be a lot like her (terrified, useless) if the apocalypse happened, so I could still relate to her.

But the worst character was the love interest Jackson. I'm not sure I have ever disliked a love interest in a book so much. He drinks whiskey constantly. He beats people to pulps with his fists. He's horrible to the autistic kid. And with Evie he acts like a horny stalker, treats her like a possession, verbally abuses her, and pressures her to have sex with him throughout the entire book.

An actual quote from Jackson (ARC, page 241): "Hell, Evie, you're probably the last girl on earth for me. Would it KILL you to put out?" And trust me, this isn't the only quote like this. I could go on and on. I kept waiting for Jackson to redeem himself, but if anything he only gets worse.

Is this the kind of guy we want teen girls to fall in love with? I was so happy that Evie didn't put up with his crap most of the time, but SO disappointed she fell in love with him anyway. I wanted to put the book down because I was so disgusted by him, but I was so intrigued by the premise I kept reading anyway. I'm still on the fence about reading the next books.

In a time when Goodreads reviews are being called "bullying" I'm very hesitant to post this review at all. But I seriously hope Jackson is made less of an ass before the book actually comes out, because otherwise it was very enjoyable. The author is definitely talented and has a lot of great stuff in this book, but Jackson completely ruins it. I'd love to recommend the book to everyone, but right now I can't.

[Letitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: A+ ... Heat: Sweet

I was nervous and anxious and a tad apprehensive to read this book. Kresley Cole is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite authors. If she writes it, I will read it. As proven by the fact that the moment this was available to preorder – I did. And yet, as excessively excited as I was, I also worried. Needlessly, let me tell you. It rocked. It rolled. It annihilated my expectations. And reaffirmed exactly why Miz Cole is an auto-buy author for me.

Poison Princess is not the same ol’ YA schtick. There are no vampires, werewolves, or angels to be had. Not a one. Instead, the twenty two cards of the Major Arcana tarot deck come to life—the Empress, the Magician, Death, etc., each of which possess unique powers and abilities—in a post-apocalyptic world.

Told both Before Flash and After Flash, there are two distinct tones and settings.

Before Flash is a world that feels very ‘of the times,’  where the teens act like teens. They’re not idealized. Some of them cuss, or drink, or smoke—and (gasp!) some of them are even having sex. And, as our heroine—Evie Greene—is from a well-to-do family, they have expensive tastes. Flashy clothes, fast cars. Skies the limit. Which served as an extreme juxtaposition for the world After Flash. Putting the characters at a bigger disadvantage, giving them more things to overcome.

After Flash, when the world has been ravaged by what could be solar flares (or not…), when anyone unlucky enough to be outside was turned into ash (or worse…), life is no longer easy and is filled with myriad hard limits. Limited food. Limited survivors. Limited women. Militias form, cannibalism becomes a reality, and slavers begin stealing people. It’s a very gritty and murky life for a teenager to be faced with.

And, oh my goodness, does Evie have a lot to overcome. She was, quite simply, a great heroine. She never truly frustrated me. She's not stupid, she's not weak. Thrust into tough situations time and again, she has to learn how to survive in a setting that comes with a steep learning curve. To say she struggles would be an understatement. But, c'mon. She's sixteen. She went from pampered rich girl to scavenger and survivor. She's going to make mistakes. She's not automatically going to be a she-woman survivalist who can skin animals with her teeth and kill people without a second thought. It felt real, and it felt right. She’s human, she’s resourceful—she isn’t infallible.

Then there is Jackson Deveaux (aka the Cajun I am now ragin' for). He’s used to fighting and constantly having to protect himself from danger. He’s a survivor. Rough around the edges and more than a little bit crass, he can come across mean at times. But his meanness comes from a hurt and damaged place deep inside. And, really, him and Evie spar verbally pretty equally. She delivers some barbs herself. The tension and animosity between them doesn’t rest solely on his shoulders. Besides, as a whole, I see him as simply trying to toughen her up. Give her a thicker skin. Actually give her a fighting chance in this new post-apocalyptic world.

Jack and Evie made my heart pang. The road they’re forced to walk down is hard. A constant battle. Life or death. It’s an extreme situation that brings out both the best and worst in them—as well as in the secondary characters. The cast of this book as a whole is fantastic. Guys and gals alike. Supernatural or simply human. The good and the evil. They’re all so vivid and unique and interesting. I’m invested in them and their journey and outcome 100%.

Which is probably why I stayed up till 3:30a to finish this. There was no good stopping point. No moment where things slowed down. I had to keep going, had to know what happened next. And the ending… it left me breathless. I was so keyed up and full of sympathy adrenaline that sleep evaded me for nearly an hour. Scenes from the book kept popping into my head.

Poison Princess is full of myths and magic. Unrelenting action. Drama. Romance. It plays out in your head like a movie. Makes you invest. Care. It throws curves at you - some real humdingers – and keeps you guessing. Miz Cole has written such an energetic and dynamic story that both teens and adults will be captivated. It has, quite simply, ensnared my mind and my heart.

And the second book cannot come out soon enough! I want it. Bad. The wait, it’s going to be torture. I expect I’ll be rereading this one over and over, between releases, like I do Miz Cole’s other books.

Favorite Quote:

I had to know what the look in his eyes promised.
He was staring at my lips, and before I could think better of it, I'd wetted them.
"That's it, bébé," he said in a coaxing rasp. "Ma bonne fille." My good girl.
He wrapped one of his arms behind my back, cupping my chin with his free hand.
"Evangeline, I'm goan to kiss you until your toes curl, until we're breathing for each other."
That was the promise...

-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review.

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[Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

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DNF @ 49% 



I actually felt kind of sorry for this book. It came out when everyone was starting to get sick of TWILIGHT and its ilk, so people really weren't feeling all that kindly towards paranormal romances with insipid heroines and emotionally controlling heroes. Maybe if it had come out today, when dystopians and paranormals are starting to have a resurgence, people would be kinder. But hey, sometimes you draw the short straw in publishing trends and someone always has to be the last one.



Set in Louisiana, POISON PRINCESS is the story of Evie, an ordinary high school student who's well-liked and part of the pretty set. Their lives are disrupted when a group of Cajun students join the school, poor and declasse, but undeniably attractive, and portrayed with every stereotype in the book. Their ringleader is a guy named Jackson who talks like a dirty 40-year-old man in a bar trapped in the ripped body of an 18-year-old.



But Evie has a secret. She sees visions-- dark, terrifying visions that she draws on her sketchbook. Visions of the end of the world. And then one day, it all comes to fruition and suddenly there's plagues, zombies, and worse, and all of the plants in the world just die. Except that Evie can grow them with her blood and maybe has a couple other superpowers up her sleeve, including the power to smell like a flower even when she's not wearing perfume! WOW!!!! Step aside, Superman.



I could probably make it through the whole book if I wanted to. I don't, because it isn't wowing me and I don't really feel invested enough to make myself continue. I personally didn't think it was as bad as some of my friends did, and found myself feeling more bemused than angry with the book. Jackson is a skeeve, yes, which is maybe why the author felt the need to include an incel serial killer who keeps girls locked up in his basement for experimentation and sex... you know, for contrast.



POISON PRINCESS is dark and while that can be a good thing in YA, I'm not really sure the author fully knew what she wanted from this world she created and it shows in the writing.



1.5 to 2 stars

[shady boots · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edit (04/01/2018): Commentary from Present Day Me

So I've been revisiting some of my old reviews, thinking I might do some commentary for them in like, a self-reflection kinda way or just for a good laugh, and... wow this one is pretty cringey. It'd be wrong of me to adjust it I guess since this was just proof of what I was like as a teenager I suppose, so I'm gonna leave it untouched.

However, I do vividly remember this book and how awful and disgusting the hero was in it. It's kind of interesting to see how many people defended his actions in the comments. Says a lot about our culture at the time glorifying all these horrible men. I wonder if we're still like that today? Hopefully we've changed.


My old review (12/31/2012)

Actual rating is 2.5 stars. Or 2.75, not sure. Just lower than 3.

For the first time ever, I might just only be talking about the love interest in this review. Because I have so much to say about him. Well, maybe I'll talk about him 98% of the time or so, but believe you me, I will rip this guy apart and say everything that's on my mind about him, so prepare yourselves.

So, Jackson Deveaux. Ladies and gentleman, the unthinkable has happened. I've finally found a guy who is far far worse than Obsidian's Daemon Black. I had thought no one would ever take away his title has the most horrible YA love interest of all time, but apparently I was wrong.

I'll just give you a list of what this guy is:

- Arrogant
- Selfish
- Abusive
- Violent
- Perverted
- Rude
- A bully
- Has no regards for the main character's feelings
- Will sleep with any living thing that has a vagina
- Controlling
- Has anger issues

Any positive traits? Well... he's protective? More like possessive, really. Add that to the list, too. The author was smart, though. She added his Cajun accent and uses specific words when he's sweet-talking Evie. Like, "Let me take care of you, bébé." The author knew that girls love guys with accents. So I'm guessing that's why most of these girls are swooning for him.

This guy is a horrible human being. From the first half of the book, that was very clear, yet I didn't mind because I thought the main character dealt with him well. Not as well as I wish, but she was aware that he was nothing but a perverted bully, regardless of how hot he was.

But then by the second half, my god, this guy became even more disgusting. He constantly wants to get into Evie's pants, and he even admits it! Evie asked him if all he wanted was to get in her pants, and he said yes. In one scene he was about to do so but Evie refused, and I'd like to give you a direct quote he said from that scene, verbatim.

"Hell, Evie, you're probably the last girl on earth for me. Would it kill you to put out?"

And I'd like to show you what he said a few minutes after this scene, where they meet Selena, the "Other Girl" character.

Jackson turned to me with a devilish smile. In French, he said, "All of a sudden, Evie, you're not the last girl on earth for me."

Guess what happened that same night? He had sex with her. And he called Evie a "miserable tease". And near the end, after they got into another big fight, guess what Evie catches him doing afterwards. Making out with Selena.

I think Jackson Deveaux is a horrible, disgusting human being (and I've NEVER used the word 'disgusting' to describe a love interest before, but I think it suits him perfectly), and it boggles my mind that the author expects girls to actually swoon for him. I mean, WHAT THE FUCK? Even Daemon wasn't this bad. At least he cared about Katy's feelings. Jackson, however, doesn't give a shit about Evie's. Even when she's crying because of her mother dying he's yelling at her.

All through this book, I was begging, BEGGING for a love triangle, and I got it, but it was for Jackson, and it wasn't even a love triangle. More like a sex triangle. Because that's all he's after, is sex! He freely admitted it! -_- What in the world was the author thinking, creating such a disgusting love interest?! And he's the main love interest, too. He's definitely costed this book a lot of stars in the rating, and I'm not sure I even want to continue this series because of him.

Okay, I think I got that off my chest. Ugh, I would suggest you all avoid this book simply because of him, because really, he's the worst.

Some quick thoughts on other things of the book, I liked the paranormal aspect, and how it was mixed with post-apocalyptic. Evie wasn't that bad of a heroine either, though she's way too soft and dependent. She's the popular cheerleader type, sure, but I would've liked if she had a sarcastic & badass personality, like for example Alona from The Ghost and the Goth. If that were the case, then her and Jackson could have nice witty banter. But most of the time they just argue and yell at each other.

I also liked the ending. Initially I liked this book, but Jackson really really turned me off. I guess I'd give the sequel a try. *sigh* I just desperately hope there's a new love interest, because Jackson doesn't deserve to be one. He's a scumbag and a perv, and whoever likes him needs mental help. Like, go to the Dr. Phil show or something, seriously. Or better yet get your brain checked. I'd be genuinely concerned about your mental health.

I think I've said all I wanted to say. I'm going to finish off this review with some GIF messages for the lovely Mr. Jackson Deveaux.









That's all. c: Thank you.

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Come touch...but you'll pay a price.

Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When my wonderful friend Mary told me about a series that includes Tarot cards my interest was caught instantly.
Tarot cards always had something mystic and mysterious about them that I loved.
I started this book with high anticipation, lots of expectations and a really good mood.
And first the book was awesome. It was a funny, entertaining book and Evie was an interesting character. But then the Flash happened and Evie became this whiny mess.
And then a lot of things happened and she met a lot of people and with every page near the end it got more interesting.
Don’t get me wrong, I never really had a clue what’s going on or what would happen, but the love story and Evie as the main character made it “okay”.
But it was still so good that I continued and even finished it (that’s probably a wonder).
So... I’ll continue, I’m sure of it. First of all because Mary loved it and second because I can’t wait to see Evie becoming a super badass with her powers!
You go girl!

Characters ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I started this book with great characters, a sassy best friend and a love interest that caught my interest.
But reading the book I was annoyed with Evie and her whiny I-can’t-take-care-of-myself-attitude and Jackson’s cocky selfloving and sexist personality.
The only thing that got me going was Mary telling me there will be awesome characters, and real cool side characters appearing in the story.
There are badass women, dangerous boys and cute boyish future looking boys.
All in all I wasn’t really satisfied with the main characters, but the side characters made the story better.

World ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Throughout my life I watched and read a lot of magical fantasy series. There were vampires, werewolves and witches.
But you know what never appears a lot in this series? Tarot cards.
And that’s the main thing happening in this book. Reincarnated tarot cards with magical powers that fight each other after the world ended in a flash.
Before the flash Evie had nightmares, delusions and hallucinations about people she never met that had magical powers and looked like tarot cards she saw at her grandmothers place. She saw plants growing near her and visions about a evil red witch.

Relationships ⭐️⭐️
No, no, no, just no.
Jackson - aka the main love interest - is probably the most annoying sexist asshole I have ever read of. He is protective, mean and super discouraging. There’s only a few moments where I slightly liked him. Only. A. Few.
So, I’m pretty disappointed about this part.
But, I mean, Jack could be sweet if he wanted to... "Evie, if you ever get taken from me again, you better know that I'll be coming for you."
He cupped my face with a bloodstained hand.
"So you stay the hell alive! You don't do like Clotile, you doan take that way out.
You and me can get through anything, just give me a chance."
--his voice broke lower
"just give me a chance to get to you."
He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.
"There is nothing that can happen to you that we can't get past."

Writing style ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The writing was really entertaining, but sadly it hasn't many quotable phrases.
Still it had a good pacing with a lot of action, magic and love.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, no. DNF around 100 pages.

This really is not my kind of heroine, romance, story, or crush. At all.

[Daiane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.5

Did I like it? No
Did I hate it? No
So what is it? No idea...

I'm going out to the beach for the holidays and will think more about it lol
And while I'm out, HAPPY EASTER GUYS!!!! Or not... But it's a great time to eat chocolate ;D

[♛ may · Rating 1 out of 5]

Buddy read with the wonderful, Brittany

DNF @ 30%

Looking at other people’s reviews has me very concerned . . . are we reading the same book or ???

Poison Princess is about sixteen year old Evie Greene and her abilities in a post-apocalyptic world? I dunno, The plot is kinda hazy in my head. Instead, I was more focused on the characters and their douchebag qualities.

Allow me to elaborate.

Note: Evie is recounting her story to a literal psychopath –she doesn’t know –so she’s telling about her life before the Flash

Jackson McDouchebag Daniels:
- Calls her a b*tch to her face
- Tries to kiss her (at her birthday party) when her boyfriend is a few feet away
- Says crap like, “Maybe I came back to claim my taste of you.”
- “You doan even know me, and you’re angling for another . . . podna?” (That’s a quote – yes it’s an accent – sooooooo hot, right?)
- But we’ll forgive him cause:
- “sunlight beamed through the window, striking his handsome face, highlighting his gray eyes and chiseled features.”
- “With those cheekbones, squared jaw, and raven-black hair”

:) I think you understand my problem with Mr. Insufferable.

Mellissa Bestie Warren
- “Mel was over at my house, prepping me for date night because she felt the need to sluttify my outfit so I could stand a chance against Clotile’s “free-balling lady lumps.”
- Yep, that’s a quote
- “Eves, on the scale from wholesome to whoresome, you’re practically Amish.”
- “So what are you going to do about Brandon’s hymen safari?”
- Nice to have a best friend that supports you in your choices, huh? :)

And we’re not going to even go into the self-pitying, self-absorbed weakling that is the main character. Bye, Felicia.

I’m sorry, but I did not find any redeeming qualities about the book, nor could I stand to read any more of this.

0 stars (is that a thing? It should be) fine, fine,

1 star!!

[Reads With Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book unironically refers to losing your virginity as a “hymen safari”. No, I am not joking.
Video review: https://youtu.be/CenMsimUAgk

[Wendy Higgins]

Oh my gosh!!! That was the most incredible pararomance I've read in a long time. What a wild ride! And now I'm wishing I would have waited until close to the 2nd book's release to read it because I want to still be in this story world seeing what will happen next! I love how we got to see Evie's world before the Apocalypse and after. I just really can't gush enough, and I can't find anything to complain about with this story. It was right down my alley and exactly what I needed.
But I'll warn you - if you don't like alpha male love interests, this might not be a story for you.

[Dana Kenedy (Dana and the Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review can also be found on my blog, Dana and the Books.

Poison Princess surprised me.  I was expecting a decent and entertaining apocalypse story to keep me busy for a few evenings. I was not expecting to love it as much as I did or devour it as fast.

The story started out with an insanely creepy prologue setting a dark tone from the start. Putting this at the start of the book was a smart move because the next 10% of the book is actually the worst part of the story. Evie is the stereotypical all-American girl: rich, popular, blonde, cheerleader, hot boyfriend. After such a promising prologue I was a bit worried that I'd be let down.

When the apocalypse (the Flash) did happen that's when everything got awesome!  Yes, there were some stupidly cliched eye-rolling moments and a completely unnecessary and ridiculous romantic plot, but I enjoyed the overall journey Evie went through and her struggles to survive after the Flash.

The writing was consistently good throughout with a great cast of characters bringing the story to life. I'm kicking myself for not reading this sooner!

Poison Princess is the first book in Kresley Cole's Arcana Chronicles where there are five books to date. I'm pumped that I now have a new well written series to jump into!

I received a copy in exchange for a review (thanks!)  Post-apocalyptic survival sound like your thing?  Pick up a copy: (Book Depository / Amazon US / Amazon Canada / Amazon UK)

[Parajunkee · Rating 5 out of 5]

PJV Quickie: Holy Mother of YA Goodness…did Kresley Cole write a book! I’m still getting the chills thinking about this ‘Poison Princess!’

Original Review posted here.

Review:

Can I just say that I love Kresley Cole? I think I need to elevate her as my new favorite author. Her writing makes me happy and wiggly and I ponder it for days afterwards. I want to roll around in her words and fall in love with her main characters. Her latest adult addition to the Immortals After Dark series had me all aflutter and now ‘Poison Princess’ was no different. Welcome to Young Adult Kresley Cole, why didn’t you do this sooner?

Evangeline “Evie” Green is your typical Southern Aristocracy. Rich, pampered, popular and suffering from a mild case of mental instability. Don’t fault her, we all are a little bit crazy down here. The difference though, in Louisiana, is that they call you a “character”, not crazy. Unfortunately Evie is still in high school, so when she begins “seeing” horrifying apocalyptic landscapes and events in her dreams and waking nightmares, her mother has her committed. At the beginning of the book she is just getting out from her “time away” and trying to get in the swing of things in school. But it is becoming increasingly hard to do as the hallucinations increase in strength and she seems to be unwittingly drawn to a new addition to her school, Cajun bad-boy Jack Deveaux, a swoon-worthy character if ever there was one. Then just as you are getting settled into high-school life and Evie’s fight for sanity, the end-cometh and suddenly Evie’s hallucinations aren’t just in her head anymore.

‘Poision Princess’ has a richly drawn out and complex plot which left me breathless as Cole sped me through scene after scene. It is non-stop, hard-hitting and emotional from page to page. Cole brings her perfected writing style to the young adult genre and owns it. She found a young adult voice and exploited it in such a rich fashion I wouldn’t have recognized her as the adult paranormal romance writer that I love if I didn’t see her name on the cover. Yet, in signature Cole style, the richly crafted world-building was perfectly construction with all her i’s dotted and t’s crossed. She let nothing slip through her fingers, even though the plot was very intricate. And speaking of plot, the idea behind the characters, represented by the Major Arcana of a Tarot deck was a very original idea. I’m quite familiar with Tarot decks and spent most of the book trying to figure out which card represented which character and I was rather impressed with Cole’s interpretation of the representations. It was beyond interesting.

What also lured me in was the beginning of the book, how she foreshadowed later events that built up anxiety throughout the whole book. I have to admit I even flipped to the end just to see what would happen — even though I couldn’t figure out where everything fell in to place. Worthless exercise – don’t do it.

Then the characters. Oh those characters! I did enjoy Evie, she was just a fantastic heroine, but I was smittten with Jack. I could kill him at times and fall all gaga over him in others. Again, typical Cole with her larger-than-life heroes. Even though this one was human, he still had the makings of a great Alpha. Am I gushing too much?

Read the book. Adults, teens – whatever – get the book read it. Love it.

Recommendations:

Mature teens, there is a smidge of sexual interaction, nothing over the top though, but there is a substantial bit of violence, evisceration, death and destruction. I passed it on to a fourteen year old, but I know she is a mature reader. So, I’ll mark this as a 14+, but parents you might want to read this one if you have concerns. Fans of Julie Kagawa and Kelly Keaton should enjoy! YA Paranormal Romance fans — this is a must read.

[Sophia Triad · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If you don’t listen to the voices, then you’ll die with their gloating whispers in your ear.”

Totally addictive book!

Evangeline"Evie" Greene has spent most of her life as a teenager trying to convince herself that she totally clinically undoubtedly insane. At least her mother thinks so and that’s the reason she makes her daughter visit shrinks all the time. Since she was kidnapped by her grandmother when she was 8 years old (only for a few hours but still..), Evie was never the same carefree girl. She hears voices, sees visions of doom and destruction and draws scary pictures of horrific deaths. Her grandmother tried to warn her but now just before her sixteen birthday she remembers almost nothing. She has been brainwashed not to pay attention to her grandmother's crazy stories about tarot cards, the end of the world and her destiny as an Empress.

An awesome post-apocalyptic tale is unfolded where 22 teenagers and young adults are apparently the representatives of the 22 major tarot cards set in the game of life and death by a bunch of vicious bored gods who don’t care about the innocent human bystanders.

Only one will survive in the end.

Although this is mainly an dystopian book with gory details and nonstop adventure and countless questions and on going mystery and cliff-hangers and incredible world buildings, the haters to lovers story between Evie and Jack Deveaux sets the pace of the book.

[Alaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH LORD!

Poison Princess was fucking amazing. I absolutely loved this audio book. I never wanted to press pause, but of course I did to do some family stuff or sleep. Evie, the main character, was a god damn bad ass. A god damn poison princess bad ass. I love her so much. However, she did kind of annoy me sometimes. She whined a lot and was pretty much useless until the end.

Besides her, there was Jackson, Selena, Matthew, Finn, and Arthur. Jackson, man I loved that mysterious guy. I totally shipped them together in this book but I have a feeling that they might not be an actual couple - it's okay, I'll wait to see what this series will do to my heart. Then there was Selena, god I did not like her in this book. When we first meet her she just seemed kind of desperate to get Jackson's attention and I'm like.. ugh, I hate thirsty thots so much. Matthew and Finn were interesting enough but I only really cared about Jackson and Evie.

Then there was Arthur, oh Arthur. I was confused for a moment, or two, about Evie wanting to see him so badly. Once I came to realization that I hate him and he deserved to die for trying to poison a poison princess (what an idiot by the way!) and also wanted to keep her has one of his creepy captives.. yeah, no. He needed to go.

Overall, I loved this book. I was kind of sad about some of the sudden deaths thrown at me while listening to this wonderful book. Yet, it was such a god damn page turner, or page listener?, that I was so pumped to see how it was going to end. Now I'm already listening to the next book because I'm hooked guys.

Please pray for my ship.

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The CONCEPT of this book captured me more than the actual book, but if you like YA novels and interesting world-building, then you will definitely get into it. Tarot cards embody the main characters of this post-apocalyptic world. I liked everything but the main characters, actually. The main dude in particular I wasn't drawn to, but the plot was SUPER interesting and concept really strong. I really want to see where this goes! Read this for Vaginal Fantasy.

[Lacey (laceybooklovers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a Hot Minute since I last read a YA book but I was craving more from Kresley Cole after reading Immortals After Dark and I decided to bite the bullet with her YA Arcana Chronicles series. It’s the first book in an apocalyptic fantasy romance series about the heroine, Evie, who has hallucinations. She was sent to a mental hospital because of these hallucinations, but then when the apocalypse hits, she realizes that she was seeing visions of the future, and she’s not quite the human girl she thought she was.

The series is inspired by tarot cards, which I thought was really cool. Evie and all the big characters are based on cards like the Empress, Death, the Lovers, the Fool, etc. There’s a romance that starts before the apocalypse happens with the new bad boy who transfers to Evie’s high school. Jack is Cajun and he’s such a classic bad boy. You’re not supposed to love him but you do (well, I did). The two of them end up working together to survive the apocalypse and this is where the romance starts to build! The book gets dark and intense for YA and I was actually feeling like it could almost be NA. Or maybe I was just projecting because I would've loved for this to be adult. I still really enjoyed it – I thought it was a great start to a series and I'm definitely reading more!

[Ashley - Book Labyrinth · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

‘Poison Princess’ was very strange from the beginning, and it doesn’t help that none of the main characters were very likeable. The main character, Evie, was really bland, and despite all her freak outs I never really felt the depth of her emotions. Meanwhile, Jack, the “love interest”, is a lecherous drunk who talks about himself in the third person. There are some tiny hints of goodness in him, but he’s never really a reformed bad boy - he’s just plain bad. He supposedly cared for Evie, but really all I could see in him was crudeness as he constantly tried to have sex with her, and repeatedly mentioned how she was his only option (super charming, right?).

Beyond my huge distaste for the “romance” element I just found the whole concept of the book to be bizarre. I was actually intrigued by the “tarot card characters come to life” gimmick, but I don’t think it was explained well enough in the novel, and definitely not enough to base a whole apocalyptic plot on it. Somehow I ended up reading this book in one afternoon, so I guess readability is one thing that it has going for it, though I think I stuck with it more in a “WTF is going on here?!” kind of way, rather than genuine interest. You guys know that I'm all about being fair in reviews and acknowledging the subjectivity of reading, but in this case I really can't see why there are so many 5 star reviews on Goodreads for this one.

[Christine Wallflower & Dark Romance Junkie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 66%

I think the main reason I kept reading this book, and ignored all the red flags was because of Jackson Deveaux.
Jackson Deveaux, I love you.
But Evie, was one of the stupidest, weakest and most annoying heroines I have ever read. Aside from that, I actually didn't get the point of the entire book. So it's the apocalypse and they're looking for Evie's Gran. Evie's disjointed visions got annoying. I don't know what else to say, I wasn't impressed I guess.

[Wine Country · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Empress doesn't get collared, or caged, or tortured. How artfully she beckons, how perfectly she punishes...."

The Poison Princess is set in a post-apocolyptic world, where after a Flash of light that has wiped out most of the human race, turned others into blood-sucking zombies, cannibals and women raping militia, 22 children are chosen to re-enact a war that has been playing out since the dawn of time. Each a card in the Major Arcana, the trump cards in a Tarot deck, they must battle to the death to become the last one standing.

Evie Greene has just come back from a summer stint in a mental institution and can't wait to get back to school, to her friends, the popular crowd and to her sweet and handsome football star of a boyfriend. But the hallucinations that plagued her at the end of her sophomore year and sent her to the loony bin in the first place have returned and Evie is desperate to hide them from her mother and her friends. To make matters worse, a handsome new boy from south of the basin has just enrolled in their wealthy private school and has his eye on Evie. Trying to balance her growing feelings for Jackson, her hallucinations, her boyfriends pressure to give up her cherry and this weird new ability to feel and talk to plants, Evie has a lot going on. But then the Flash comes, and Evie discovers her hallucinations were actually premonitions. And the world is about to become a very different place. Now this rich small town girl, must embrace who she was meant to become, but can she do it without loosing herself in the process?

I read this book in one day it was that good. Yes there were times when it frustrated me to no end and I wanted to smack Evie, but when I finished the book and sat back and thought about it, I realized I probably would have acted somewhat the same. Evie is the Empress card, the giver of life. She can make plants grow and give life to new plants, and thats just the tip of the ice berg of what she can do. When she discovers this talent early on, she recognizes the power in giving life and can't reconcile with having to take life away. So there were several scenes throughout the book where I wanted her to fight like some of the other characters and she really got on my nerves that she wouldn't do what I thought was necessary, but after finishing the book, I realized she made the right decision every time and she needed to become the Empress in her own time and not forced by the other cards she came in contact with. I felt Evie was a strong character in the end, this was a girl with a lot of privilege that suffered what she believed was mental instability only to have all of her loved ones taken from her in an apocalyptic moment that she could have possibly saved them from if she had only believed in herself and not what someone else told her to believe. So I understand now why after this, she chose to follow her own instincts and not those of others. I found her to be a fascinating character and in the end, one kick ass Empress. I am so excited to see where her character goes in the second book that I have re-read the final two chapters almost five times, getting goose bumps of excitement.

The supporting characters were great, and of course I'm in love with Jackson, and I found myself swooning every time he spoke cajun french to her. He was a strong and loyal character and someone you really wanted on your side in a post-apocolyptic world. I'm eager to see how everything unfolds with him after the cliffhanger. Selena, Finn and Matt were all interesting as well and I'm looking forward to how they play a part in the second book as well as how their powers develop. I'm also fascinated by Death and I'm really hoping we can truly meet him in the second book as well. I thought it was interesting that they seem to have some centuries old bond to one another although it makes sense, she gives life and he takes it away. It should be an exciting story line in the next two books.

I thought Cole's use of Tarot cards, come to life with super natural powers that relate to what they stand for in the deck, was very cleaver and different from the usual greek god and goddesses that are on the market today. I didn't know much about Tarot card reading, yes I have been to a few back in the day at county fairs but since this story was set in Louisiana, full of magic and mysticism, I took the time to put the book down and actually look up all these cards and I was really fascinated with how she took the meaning of each character on the cards and brought them to life with supernatural powers that correlated to their meaning. It was fun and I learned something new which I always love doing with mythological books.

What I was also impressed with was how Cole structured the book. It starts off in someone else's POV as a young women enters his house. You know right off the bat that the guy is evil and throughout the book you just can't get him out of the back of your head. All of this action, adventure and romance is going on in the forefront but at the same time the reader is thinking, how does this tie in with the villain we jump back to periodically. When the ending finally comes, it's absolutely spectacular and one hell of a cliff hanger.

This book was fantastic, it was magical, terrifying, romantic and heartbreaking. As Evie would say... "Come, touch.... but you'll pay a price"

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted on Under the Covers

I should never have doubted Kresley Cole. To tell you the truth, I was worried in the beginning. I adore Cole’s Immortals After Dark series so I wondered how she would fare writing a YA novel. The opening chapter had me lost because it is a complete 360 to what I am used to from her. But I kept with it and found that KC puts a lot of effort into her debut YA novel. She makes use of the frame narrative where there is a story within a story and I found that it works very well with this book. It opens up with Arthur’s POV, which you will learn more about him as you read, and then it goes into Evie’s POV who is our protagonist.

Evie Greene is snatched out of her perfect life. Her designer clothes, lavish mansion and preppy boyfriend are useless when it comes to her hallucinations. Evie has been hearing voices and having visions for awhile now and she just came back from a trip to the crazy house. Now, as school is starting up again, a new crew of troublemakers are making their way into their school and Evie and her friends are not happy about it. The leader of the group is Jackson Deveaux and he is a Cajun hottie. With an accent that is to die for and a motorcycle that makes him a badass, Jack is the hottest thing that has come to Sterling in a long while.

It’s too bad that right off the bat Evie and Jack hate each other. They are from opposite ends of the spectrum – Evie is rich while Jackson is not. And that causes some problems for them. However, there is also this undeniable spark between the two that happens when they first meet each other. I have to say that I was impressed by KC’s ability to straddle the line between love and hate between Evie and Jackson. One moment their hatred for each other is so potent and the next, they are hot and heavy. I wasn’t sure how I would like Jack, but in the end, I found that there were great qualities in him as a character that I had to admire.

The first half of the book explores Evie’s confusion. She has several warnings and visions, yet she doesn’t know what they mean. KC keeps readers in the dark for the first half of the book so that you are as confused but determined to find out what it all means as Evie.

It isn’t until the latter half of the book where I felt all the pieces finally clicked into place. KC does a spectacular job of plotting out this book so that every little detail matches up. I especially loved Arthur’s perspective later on because it only added more excitement to the storyline.

There were parts in this book that were jaw-dropping. Like, I literally stopped and had to pick up my jaw from the floor. The word “shocking” doesn’t seem to cover it. I have to commend KC for being able to pull a fast one on me. It was fantastic.

Many of you are probably wondering about the level of sexiness in this book. As I said earlier, Jackson is a hottie. But I have also read a few YA books and have to say that this one is a little more sexier than previous YA novels. There’s great sexual tension, there’s some angst, some juicy jealously and some heated moments.

I loved the idea of the Arcana and how KC integrated that idea into this series. It’s smart and fun and refreshing because it takes the whole apocalypse idea and gives it a nice spin on it. And also, with an ending like that, I definitely need my hands on the next book! I need to know what happens next!

*ARC provided by publisher

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa!
I didn't think I'd like Poison Princess as much as I did, because I thought it was going to be some cheesy YA with a rip-off Poison Ivy as the main character. Although, she did kinda have some Poison Ivy powers going for her...just sayin'.

I noticed quite a few people were less than impressed with Cole's creation of Evie's love interest, but I thought her choice to make Jack a surly drunken Cajun was perfect. Too many YA books portray the teenage hero as some sort of hybrid girly-man. It made me laugh when Jack got pissed off because Evie wouldn't sleep with him. I mean, it's literally the End of the World! What teenage boy wouldn't think the timing was perfect?
I also saw some complaints because The Flash itself was sort of skipped over. One minute things start looking freaky, and then shazam!...it's 6 months later. Personally, I thought it added a bit of mystery to the events, so it didn't bother me at all.

I loveloveloved that the book starts off with Evie wandering into (basically) a serial killer's house. It was his creepy narration that hooked me in the initial first pages. And the entire time she was recounting her story, it was always playing in the back of my mind that she was telling this to a psychopath who had drugged her hot chocolate!

To be honest, I don't know much of anything at all about Tarot cards, so that part of the plot was a bit of a learning experience for me. I haven't seen it done before, so I definitely found it interesting.

Just be prepared, 'cause the book leaves you with a bit of a cliffhanger, and Endless Knight doesn't have a release date yet!

[Mara YA Mood Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s discuss our female MC for a minute before you freak out thinking she’s weak:

Be patient with Evie, don’t give up. There’s lots of character building for her here. And I like her. To me she’s relatable.

I can be honest and say yeah when shit hits the fan like that, I barely know the first thing about survival and I’d totally attach myself to someone, male or female, who knows what’s up; who wouldn’t think twice about taking a knife to a cute fluffy rabbit when I’m dead hungry. And I’d be a crying mess.

So what? But just like Evie, I would toughen up, get over shit like for survival and I can learn. And I can become stronger.

Not everyone is instantly a hero/heroine in the face of tragedy. And in most YA they are. That annoys me, because it’s not relatable to me. I want to see someone like me or like Evie, who falls apart first in tragedy and then picks her ass back up down the road a while and guts that rabbit like it’s her damn last meal on earth.


Still 5 stars in 2018! I enjoyed this more than the first time around. I usually don’t do re-reads but this is a must.
The Arcana Chronicles are so damn underrated and under appreciated! But I like that, makes it like indie trendy, like only the cool people know what this hahaha.
This is brilliant, purely brilliant. I’m obsessed.

2016


loved it! I finished this book in 3 days, having started it not knowing anything about it. I had picked it up at a Thrift Shop and gave it a go.
As an adult, I enjoy YA Paranormal, although I always wish there was more smut, I tend to gravitate toward teenage romance bc I like to be reminded of how me and the hubby were in Highschool *blissful sigh*. I wanted to throw that out there so you know we're I'm coming from as far as why I enjoyed this book.
It was weird as heck. But I like weird. I'm weird. So it worked for me. And the end left me wanting more.
I was surprised by all the negative reviews but I don't give those much thought. I prefer to make my own judgement and give a book a go. And I'm glad I did!

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT...! THE...! HELL...! 4.5 - Bouncing between 4 and 5. Have to give it some thought.

Okay, so I was a little hasty about the rating right after I finished the book. The prologue was definitely a hooker. And the end was so explosive that it made me literally yell out, "What?!? I can't believe that was the end!!!" To the point that I had forgotten that I DID have problems with this book early on.

So my true verdict a week later? Maybe 3 for the first half, and 5 for the last part. My review IS long, so if you don't want to read the whole thing, here's my summary:
GOOD
•Cool concept regarding tarot.
•Creative integrating of concept with characters involved.
•Likeable main character, and swoon-worthy male interest.
•Awesome start, and even more awesome end.
•Interesting dialogue through the book.
•After the apocalypse, storyline was gripping, leaving readers craving for more.

NOT SO GOOD
•After prologue, slow start too filled with high school drama.
•Not enough leading into nightmares and drawings.
•Once real story started, lack of world building.
•Lack of "riveting action" and only one zombie scene.
•Still not sure the book is about.

Now my thoughts. Do I really need to say much about the prologue other than this – how can just a few pages be SO intriguing? The sinister yet mysterious Arthur, the not-fully-there Evie, the pull that makes you want to scream, "What happened? What happened?" And then the book kind of flopped and continued to do so for the first third of the book.

According to the description, Cole introduces a series with "post-apocalyptic tales filled with riveting action, the dark mysticism of Tarot cards and breathtaking romance." And I think the book lacked the first two of the four listed.

The first third was before the apocalypse. While I understand that it's important to set up the scene, I think it took way too long for the real part of the book to start. Basically it was just your soap opera for high school kids. Don't get me wrong, I still liked it enough to give it 3 stars. I mean, Evie was a likable character, and Jackson was an interesting bad boy. But, with the pretense of what the book was going to be about, I wanted to know more about Evie's nightmares and dreams. Instead, it was too focused on Evie dealing with school, losing her V to her longtime boyfriend, trying to get along with the new kids in school and fighting her feelings for the bad boy.

I think this book would have been a lot more interesting if Cole had incorporated flashbacks throughout the book. I mean, yes, she SORT OF did that with the Arthur scenes, but I kind of those scenes were kind of irrelevant until the end. What I meant is the book to start with the post apocalyptic world, Evie to have flashbacks from before. A really good book that did that was Razorgirl/Tomorrowland by Mari Mancusi. No, I'm not telling Cole how she should write her own book (not really anyway), but the first part was so different from the summary and it took so long that I'm worried some readers may lose interest.

Once the post apocalyptic world did start though, I thought the book kind of lacked in world-building. Sure, Cole has the typical natural disaster that wipes everyone out, and those who remain have to scrounge for food in order to survive, as well as stay away from the flesh-eating monsters. Throw in a group of rebels into the story, and voila. You have your typical dystopian setting. BUT wheres' the rest of the setting descriptions? I have so, so many questions. What caused the world to end? I mean, this thing came from nowhere. I don't think they made it to the cellar, so why did some survive and some didn't? If the flash burned everything in its path, why was only half of their house gone? What caused the flesh-eating monsters? The book said mutations, but what caused the mutation (i.e. nuclear power, etc.)? If it alters their DNA, why is it only transferable by spit and not sweat or blood or other touch?

And really, my questions didn't even really matter because it just seems like the apocalyptic part was just thrown in there. Cole should have just left out the dystopian part and concentrated on the tarot concept. That is, unless that concept has a HUGE correlation to the apocalyptic world (which I'm assuming it does because of Evie's visions). But at this point in the book, it's meaningless because Cole doesn't really explain anything.

So shifting to the tarot concept. Okay, this is why I liked the book so much. What an AWESOME concept. It is truly unique (though not the first book ever that I've read about tarot), but Cole integrated the concept into the whole book, and not just use them as a significant tool for some other concept. And Cole really did a great job writing the characters to fit certain roles. I am truly in awe at this, and I really hate that I couldn't believe the book was over.

And because it was over, I'm just DYING for more. Like right now! I want to know what Evie has in stored for Arthur, and how she came across finding out information about him. I want to know how he fits into the story. I want to meet the others involved in this set. I want to know how they are all connected, and why they have to come together. I want to know what happens with Jackson, and how he will belong in the end. We've learned so much so far, and yet, I still have no clue what the book is really about. LOL. I mean I know, but I don't know.

In hindsight, my review does seem kind of negative. That's because I DID have problems with the book. But, I still liked the book very much through it all. And I really loved it by the end. So that just tells you, that it's worth a read. So until the sequel comes out, I'll be waiting anxiously.

[Maida»-(¯`v´¯)-» · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATE!!

***I would like to thank Kresley Cole and her assistant Brooke Meyer for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review! :D***

Poison Princess is unlike any book that I have ever read. It is Kresley Cole’s debut into the YA world - and I must admit, she entered it with a mind blowing BOOM! In fact, Ms. Cole took the entire post-apocalyptic idea to a whole new level! From the end of the world, to the dark twist on Tarot cards to the intriguing characters - Poison Princess had it all. A spellbinding mix of gripping adventure, knuckle-biting action, mystery and scorching romance - Poison Princess will simply knock you off your feet!

The best way to describe this book would be: mind numbing. Kresley Cole’s brilliant creation of a dark and twisted world had me flying through the pages just so I could get to the final outcome. The story starts with a very alluring scene, in the present, of Evangeline (Evie) seeking shelter at Arthur’s home, whom we don’t know anything about. From there readers are transported back in time, through Evie’s flashbacks, to the very start - before the apocalypse, until reaching the "present" scene once again. The present-past-present concept was simply fascinating and brilliantly crafted - it never failed to bring me to the very edge of my seat.

The best aspects of this book were the prose and the idea of the characters. Ms. Cole has a very unique ability of balancing everything out when the moment required. Where the story itself was full of dark elements, Ms. Cole put in enough light moments - whether it was through humor or romantic interactions, to keep the story interesting. But what’s even more unique are the characters. They are manifestations of tarot cards! There’s Death, the Magician, the Empress, the Fool, the Moon and many more. I was so amazed by this idea - how Ms. Cole used such a simple thing as tarot cards and turned them into something rare, something original! It was a whole new experience for me, one that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

Evie, the heroine, is one badass girl! I actually didn’t like her at first. She was a rich, spoiled brat who got on my nerves, but when the world ends, out comes a whole new side to Evie. At this point, I was experiencing my very first girl crush! :D Evie changed from a prissy girl into a tough girl - an Arcana. She put on her fighting armor, and was ready to face any and all dangers coming her way. It was a lot of fun to see Evie grow as a character. I loved her!

Then we have Jackson....HOT DAMN CAJUN! I don’t know where to begin with him. He’s rugged, charming, smoldering and just mouth watering. A pure bad-boy! What girl on earth doesn’t like those??? But what I drooled over the most was, Jackson’s protectiveness when it came to Evie. When the world goes to hell, and Evie believes she’s all alone, it was Jack who rescued her and put her back on her feet and ever since then, he has been by her side. Their chemistry was electrifying and to die for. So yes, I’m a little star struck....or love struck or lust struck...whatever...I just want to be in Evie’s place! Period.

Another one of my favourite characters was Death....one of the evil Major Arcana. I loved Death’s introduction as the villain of the book. He was everything you would imagine evil to be: terrifying, darkness, seductive and bone chilling terror. If Death doesn’t give you goosebumps, I don’t know what will. Death’s interactions with Evie through epic visions, were beyond amazing. Every scene he was in, showed the future world in calamity - which got my heart beat racing, and sent shivers down my spine. He is a fantastic villain, and I can’t wait to see more of him in the next book!

Creatively dark and highly seductive, Poison Princess is a tale of a twisted world that will have you appropriately terrified, full of angst and completely captivated long after you have turned the last page. With twists around every corner, and an ending that will leave you speechless, Poison Princess will leave you pleading and desiring for more! A definite must read for all YA fans!

My Rating: 5 OF 5 HEARTS!!! (In Love) :D

This review is also posted at: Literary Love Affair