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erin_reads_boooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very strange, but engaging story. Involved magical realism, which isn't my thing usually, but I did enjoy this one.
idamasic's review against another edition
3.0
The concept and premise of A Fierce and Subtle Poison is very intriguing. It is wonderfully written and the style of writing really fits the mood of the novel. I found it easy to get into the story and once I started reading I was immersed in the mystery and the tales surrounding the cursed girl. There was a point for me about three-quarters of the way through where my attention waivered and my interest and excitement for the story decreased, which I feel may have been as a result of a lack of connection to the characters. There are many different avenues a story like this can take, especially when it comes to YA novels, and I appreciate where the author took the story and how it left off. While I wish I could have connected more to the novel as a whole, I did find it interesting and enjoyable. A Fierce and Subtle Poison is a wonderfully written debut with a compelling premise that I would recommend to fans of magical realism and mysteries.
*ARC provided by NetGalley. Publication date: April 12, 2016.
More reviews @ aboutabook.wordpress.com
*ARC provided by NetGalley. Publication date: April 12, 2016.
More reviews @ aboutabook.wordpress.com
pmgunter's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful book. It was full of such imagery and everything that a good magical realism book should have. I love that this book stirred up such emotions.
genevievefrye's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I thought this book was beautiful. I thought the premise was original and Mabry's writing style is gorgeous. I loved the way she described Puerto Rico and I felt like I really got to know Lucas as though he were a real person. However, the end of the book made me have more questions than answers. Maybe this was the point, to leave the reader curious, but it left a lot unexplained and was honestly very confusing.
saragrochowski's review against another edition
5.0
This stunning debut from Samantha Mabry is a seamless combination of magical realism and murder mystery. 17-year old Lucas spends his summers on the island of San Juan, indulging in summer romances and enjoying the local stories, like that of the cursed, poison-filled girl that grants wishes and can kill with a touch. His summer of leisure comes to a halt local girls - including his almost-girlfriend -are found dead on the beach. Then a mysterious note revealing a dark mystery appears in his room... a note that can only be from the cursed girl. Only Lucas and Isabel, a mythical girl with a sorrowful history, can unravel the truth of the recent murders before Lucas is blamed. Readers will sink into this lush and distinctive setting, losing track of fiction and reality.
dashie's review against another edition
4.0
There is a thing about magical realism; it takes you for a joy ride at breakneck speed down precarious roads hugging round, round mountains and then tosses you off the edge of the cliff into oblivion.
When I first got into a magical realism phase, I was maybe 17? And was way too young - mentally? - to come to grips with that phenomenon. I read a few books and they left me bleeding purple prose and sick with a sense of longing and loss for a tragic fiction life that wasn't mine, in the least. It made me want to break things, to run fully clothed down a sandy beach and toss myself into the waves.
So I stopped.
I don't know why I picked up this book two days ago.
It was in my December TBR, I think I got it for review from someone eons ago and I can't remember who.
It wasn't a heavy story. The plot itself was very, very simple and if you are the kind of person who tries to work out the ending of the book early on, you'll know everything, you'll know how it ends.
But don't think you'll know it all because despite it being somewhat the same as urban fantasy, magical realism has a way of getting under your skin and staining your fingernails and dredging in your hair. It's all the stories you grew up listening to, the legends that are unique to the people in your town or village. It's magic but it's also real, it's at the edge of your vision and you can never really focus on it.
Mabry's Puerto Rico is lush and wet and unforgiving and purple and orange and yellow and blue. It left me wanting to write songs on my guitar and also run screaming down to the river, my arms pinwheeling behind me.
It isn't the story, it's the overall experience and that, imho is what makes magical realism so very hauntingly real.
When I first got into a magical realism phase, I was maybe 17? And was way too young - mentally? - to come to grips with that phenomenon. I read a few books and they left me bleeding purple prose and sick with a sense of longing and loss for a tragic fiction life that wasn't mine, in the least. It made me want to break things, to run fully clothed down a sandy beach and toss myself into the waves.
So I stopped.
I don't know why I picked up this book two days ago.
It was in my December TBR, I think I got it for review from someone eons ago and I can't remember who.
It wasn't a heavy story. The plot itself was very, very simple and if you are the kind of person who tries to work out the ending of the book early on, you'll know everything, you'll know how it ends.
But don't think you'll know it all because despite it being somewhat the same as urban fantasy, magical realism has a way of getting under your skin and staining your fingernails and dredging in your hair. It's all the stories you grew up listening to, the legends that are unique to the people in your town or village. It's magic but it's also real, it's at the edge of your vision and you can never really focus on it.
Mabry's Puerto Rico is lush and wet and unforgiving and purple and orange and yellow and blue. It left me wanting to write songs on my guitar and also run screaming down to the river, my arms pinwheeling behind me.
It isn't the story, it's the overall experience and that, imho is what makes magical realism so very hauntingly real.
stormmyy_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
truestorydesu's review against another edition
5.0
I rarely finish a book in a day, mainly because my attention span is shot and I'm a slow reader, but I tore through this book in a few hours. Basically: I liked it a lot and enjoyed it immensely. It reminded me a bit of that Nathaniel Hawthorne short story, Rappaccini's Daughter. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's what this whole story is based on - it's just Rappaccini's Daughter in modern Puerto Rico. And it's awesome. Going to have to actually buy a copy of this book. Someday. When I have money. Sigh. At least the library lets me borrow books for free.
thelibrarian's review against another edition
1.0
★☆☆☆☆
I....didn't finish it - I really didn't like it so I didn't see the point of torturing myself further.
+ The only thing I like is that it's set somewhere besides London, the US, or the "middle of nowhere". And the Puerto Rican culture is incorporated into it! So yayyy
+ The main character is totally a masochist; which, isn't a bad thing, but it's weird in this context.
Uh
+ Also the whole "Oh no! People have a vendetta against me bc I'm white!!" schpeel. I mean maybe, but you probably don't need to say anything about it.
It's true he's done next to nothing to deserve their mistrust (that we know of) but he just keeps citing that his dad is white and rich so ppl hate him. And I just. Can't. stop. rolling my eyes.
+ Sleeps around but is apparently super worried and attached to a girl he's been dating for 2-3 days. This is stupid.
+ He went from polite gentleman to siding with Luke's dad to? Raging maniac?
Isabel wyd????
Review originally posted on Devour Books
I....didn't finish it - I really didn't like it so I didn't see the point of torturing myself further.
+ The only thing I like is that it's set somewhere besides London, the US, or the "middle of nowhere". And the Puerto Rican culture is incorporated into it! So yayyy
+ The main character is totally a masochist; which, isn't a bad thing, but it's weird in this context.
Uh
+ Also the whole "Oh no! People have a vendetta against me bc I'm white!!" schpeel. I mean maybe, but you probably don't need to say anything about it.
It's true he's done next to nothing to deserve their mistrust (that we know of) but he just keeps citing that his dad is white and rich so ppl hate him. And I just. Can't. stop. rolling my eyes.
+ Sleeps around but is apparently super worried and attached to a girl he's been dating for 2-3 days. This is stupid.
+ He went from polite gentleman to siding with Luke's dad to? Raging maniac?
Isabel wyd????
Review originally posted on Devour Books