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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Arcana
This was a really compelling book. Although the naïveté of the heroine got a bit tiresome, I just kept up the mantra "she's just 16" and got past it. Only other quibble was that literally every man found her irresistible, but we'll see if that continues now that's she's come into her own a bit more. I loved the duel perspectives, what a great way to tell the story.
This was a really compelling book. Although the naïveté of the heroine got a bit tiresome, I just kept up the mantra "she's just 16" and got past it. Only other quibble was that literally every man found her irresistible, but we'll see if that continues now that's she's come into her own a bit more. I loved the duel perspectives, what a great way to tell the story.
2022: Part of the re-read leading up to the final book coming out soon.
This one took a bit, as I decided to try annotation for the first time. Kresley does such a good job at foreshadowing & I wanted to take notes. I'm still struggling with the YA aspect of the series, which hasn't changed from the first read-thru. It was a lot more enjoyable this time, as it felt more like the journal style look back it's supposed to come across as. I'm totally TEAM Jack, and this was a fun reminder why. Typical teen angst. He wants her, but totally gets frustrated with her. She's only 16/17 ... and her hot/cold reactions to him and his moods makes for awesome YA drama.
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I'm really struggling with the star rating on this one. I adore Kresley Cole. I'm a huge fan of her IAD series.
I was a bit apprehensive with this new YA direction she decided to take. I admit, I really struggled with the first half of this book and all of the teenage angst. A decade ago, I probably would be able to relate a bit better, but now... oy, it was rough. All of the miscommunication between Evie and Jack were driving me crazy!
The last couple of chapters though . . . wow!! What a cliffhanger!
I have to say, I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book.
This one took a bit, as I decided to try annotation for the first time. Kresley does such a good job at foreshadowing & I wanted to take notes. I'm still struggling with the YA aspect of the series, which hasn't changed from the first read-thru. It was a lot more enjoyable this time, as it felt more like the journal style look back it's supposed to come across as. I'm totally TEAM Jack, and this was a fun reminder why. Typical teen angst. He wants her, but totally gets frustrated with her. She's only 16/17 ... and her hot/cold reactions to him and his moods makes for awesome YA drama.
***********************************
I'm really struggling with the star rating on this one. I adore Kresley Cole. I'm a huge fan of her IAD series.
I was a bit apprehensive with this new YA direction she decided to take. I admit, I really struggled with the first half of this book and all of the teenage angst. A decade ago, I probably would be able to relate a bit better, but now... oy, it was rough. All of the miscommunication between Evie and Jack were driving me crazy!
The last couple of chapters though . . . wow!! What a cliffhanger!
I have to say, I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book.
Decided to listen to all available audible versions in prep for [b:From the Grave|38521606|From the Grave (The Arcana Chronicles, #6)|Kresley Cole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677685519l/38521606._SY75_.jpg|60154213]. I have to say, I enjoyed the audible version more than reading in this case ... but that could be because I've already read the book.
Evie & Jack ... man, I really hope they end up together in the final book. This re-read just reinforces TEAM JACK for me. Yes, he keeps things close to the vest & doesn't tell Evie everything, but that boy LOVES her for her. He pushes to help her learn to depend on herself & trust that if that's not enough he'll be there for her.
Watching her struggle to accept her new reality & abilities is so hard at times. She's only 16 ... and has been committed because her mom thought she was crazy. That has to be a hard dose of reality to realize she wasn't crazy. Even though she's still hearing voices.
Meeting Selena & dealing with the distrust & jealousy that comes with that. Saving Matthew and learning more about the game they've found themselves in. Getting taken & finding Finn ... then Evie fleeing after seeing "Jack" with Selena ... finding & defeating the Hermit ... then Jack seeing first-hand Evie in full Empress-mode.
Oh man, this book packs quite a bit in the first installment.
Evie & Jack ... man, I really hope they end up together in the final book. This re-read just reinforces TEAM JACK for me. Yes, he keeps things close to the vest & doesn't tell Evie everything, but that boy LOVES her for her. He pushes to help her learn to depend on herself & trust that if that's not enough he'll be there for her.
Watching her struggle to accept her new reality & abilities is so hard at times. She's only 16 ... and has been committed because her mom thought she was crazy. That has to be a hard dose of reality to realize she wasn't crazy. Even though she's still hearing voices.
Meeting Selena & dealing with the distrust & jealousy that comes with that. Saving Matthew and learning more about the game they've found themselves in. Getting taken & finding Finn ... then Evie fleeing after seeing "Jack" with Selena ... finding & defeating the Hermit ... then Jack seeing first-hand Evie in full Empress-mode.
Oh man, this book packs quite a bit in the first installment.
I really liked this book. There were some issues I had with Poison Princess that drove me crazy, but aside from that it is an awesomely written dystopian with weavings of Tarot "magic" (I know nothing of Tarot so please don't murder me because I called it magic).
The story line itself is crazy creative, it almost doesn't even need the romance to keep me interested. I'm wholly devoted to finding out how this battle is going to play out but the romance does make for a yummy appetizer.
I like Evie, I do, but my one personal wish is that she would have more of a backbone. Yes Jack can be a total a-hole but I'm positive that if Evie would take him down a notch he would be a whole lot better. I mean come on girl!! You have these awesome powers, you really don't need to let him treat you like you're worthless!! Of course it requires her getting over her fear of said powers in order for her to really enjoy them.
And hot damn what an ending!! That's what I'm talkin about Evie!!
The story line itself is crazy creative, it almost doesn't even need the romance to keep me interested. I'm wholly devoted to finding out how this battle is going to play out but the romance does make for a yummy appetizer.
I like Evie, I do, but my one personal wish is that she would have more of a backbone. Yes Jack can be a total a-hole but I'm positive that if Evie would take him down a notch he would be a whole lot better. I mean come on girl!! You have these awesome powers, you really don't need to let him treat you like you're worthless!! Of course it requires her getting over her fear of said powers in order for her to really enjoy them.
And hot damn what an ending!! That's what I'm talkin about Evie!!
Poison Princess is a prime example of a fantastic concept ruined by the character interactions. I know the author is primarily a romance writer but this is YA and I want adventure and excitement primarily in the form of fights and clandestine missions, not romantic tension and cat fights.
The idea behind this series is that the tarot cards incarnate are going to duke it out on Earth like they did twenty one centuries ago. This first book details Evie’s discovery of her powers and her subsequent mission to find some of the other cards and figure out who is on whose side. Yes, this sounds a bit like the Endgame series by James Frey, but this was a tad more interesting. See this premise promises teenagers with supernatural abilities and I expected kick-ass, confident, and bold warrior like characters. Let’s just say that is not what I got.
Really from the start, this book is poorly thought out. Besides the first chapter, which was fascinatingly creepy, the first third or so of the book was basically pointless. It’s Evie recount of the week before the Flash - the apocalyptic event that kinda wiped out all plant and animal life left unsheltered - and it’s literally filled with high school drama. I don’t want to know about how your school doesn’t have cliques; I don’t want to know that you’re being forced into losing your virginity (totally not okay btw) in order to keep your boyfriend. I want to know about your hallucinations, your grandmother’s teachings, things that are ACTUALLY IMPORTANT to understanding the upcoming battle.
It’s fine that Evie is confused about what’s going on. I get it, she’s as in the dark about what she is a part of just as much as we are but that isn’t an excuse for not trying to find out more. Fine, she thinks she’s crazy before the Flash happens, but that has literally no bearing on the story! See this book should have started after the flash with Evie only briefly outlining her past including the hallucinations and how they came true.
Okay I amend my previous statement; this book is technically all told retrospectively. Evie has been lured into this mad scientist’s house and is telling her story to him. It’s revealed in the end that her boring ass story telling of the before had a purpose but ohmigod we did not need to read about it. A simple acknowledgment at the end like “Oh here’s why I told you all of that” would have been fine letting the readers know that she told the story from before the Flash but also letting us skip out on hearing about it.
All of this doesn’t even begin to cover the problem I had with basically all the characters. The romance is horrid and there’s a stupid ass love triangle that basically generates 1000000% of the problems in this book. Every single character’s personality was infuriating: Evie, Matthew, the Magician (I think that was the card, I literally can’t remember), Jackson, the Moon (can’t remember her damn name either). No one got along, no one was forthcoming with info, everyone was incredibly rude. It hurt to read the dialogue b/c everything anyone said was either lewd, bitchy, or fucking useless.
I want so desperately to know how the supernatural aspect of this book turns out but reading through a reboot of this book another three times is not worth it. If you can get beyond the sheer annoyingness of the characters, then go for the whole series but I will not be going down that road.
The idea behind this series is that the tarot cards incarnate are going to duke it out on Earth like they did twenty one centuries ago. This first book details Evie’s discovery of her powers and her subsequent mission to find some of the other cards and figure out who is on whose side. Yes, this sounds a bit like the Endgame series by James Frey, but this was a tad more interesting. See this premise promises teenagers with supernatural abilities and I expected kick-ass, confident, and bold warrior like characters. Let’s just say that is not what I got.
Really from the start, this book is poorly thought out. Besides the first chapter, which was fascinatingly creepy, the first third or so of the book was basically pointless. It’s Evie recount of the week before the Flash - the apocalyptic event that kinda wiped out all plant and animal life left unsheltered - and it’s literally filled with high school drama. I don’t want to know about how your school doesn’t have cliques; I don’t want to know that you’re being forced into losing your virginity (totally not okay btw) in order to keep your boyfriend. I want to know about your hallucinations, your grandmother’s teachings, things that are ACTUALLY IMPORTANT to understanding the upcoming battle.
It’s fine that Evie is confused about what’s going on. I get it, she’s as in the dark about what she is a part of just as much as we are but that isn’t an excuse for not trying to find out more. Fine, she thinks she’s crazy before the Flash happens, but that has literally no bearing on the story! See this book should have started after the flash with Evie only briefly outlining her past including the hallucinations and how they came true.
Okay I amend my previous statement; this book is technically all told retrospectively. Evie has been lured into this mad scientist’s house and is telling her story to him. It’s revealed in the end that her boring ass story telling of the before had a purpose but ohmigod we did not need to read about it. A simple acknowledgment at the end like “Oh here’s why I told you all of that” would have been fine letting the readers know that she told the story from before the Flash but also letting us skip out on hearing about it.
All of this doesn’t even begin to cover the problem I had with basically all the characters. The romance is horrid
Spoiler
Jackson basically tries to rape Evie b/c she’s the last girl he knowsI want so desperately to know how the supernatural aspect of this book turns out but reading through a reboot of this book another three times is not worth it. If you can get beyond the sheer annoyingness of the characters, then go for the whole series but I will not be going down that road.
4.25 stars
*slight spoilers
Ok, so this book is a bit slower than I thought. I loved it and hated it at the same time. I loved it for it originality of the background mythology- tarot cards! I haven't seen that yet! I really liked the detailing for all 22 of the Major Arcana cards and how it represents each different person as a "good" card or a "bad" card [Selena better be one of those bad cards cause if Evie doesn't trump her with her plants (no pun intended) I think I will probably go crazy.] and their powers.
The plot was a bit slow, but given that it is a first book in a series, it's forgivable because it means it can set up a good stage for the next book. It's not incredibly slow anyways, and I think it was the beginning that was a bit too dragged out- could've been shorter. What I also really liked was the setting- a perfect post-apocalyptic world with a awesome combo of paranormal. It's not like: "paranormal with a side of dystopia" or vice versa, it's perfectly blended.
Now what dropped the rating. Jackson.
Seriously, I loved my bad boys in books but he just..UGGGGGHHHHH WHAT IS UP WITH YOU BOY. He can't express himself in anyway, he's not exactly sweet, he's harsh on Evie, just an all around jerk. I wished we got to see more of the teenage boy behind that harsh wall- I think Kresley just didn't show enough of a sweeter side that he became so badass that it was annoying. Now Death on the other hand sounds kind of hot. :) Taunting and villainous, yet from the sound of it: FREAKING HOT!!!! I'm really excited to see what kind of encounters Evie and Death will have in the future.
Evie did ticked me off a couple times in this book- I was waiting for her to literally go all badass Empress and like take out Selena (YES SHE ANNOYED ME THAT MUCH.) and embrace her inner awesome kick-assness. So that didn't go quite as planned. However, I guess I don't mind that much because that fight scene at the end was EPPPPIC. Now that was a moment to remember. (Now I wanna know why Selena already knew everything.)
I liked how Kresley started out with the epilogue with Arthur and he interrupted midway and finished it off at the end-it was creative to do it that, and although I wanted to see the moment when Evie chose to take things into her own hands and learn how to use her powers, it did give a cool transition and the ending set a good tone for the next book.
Overall, I was fairly impressed with the book overall, although the romance annoyed the crap out of me, but I am very thrilled and anxious for the next book!
Come, touch... but you'll pay a price.
*slight spoilers
Ok, so this book is a bit slower than I thought. I loved it and hated it at the same time. I loved it for it originality of the background mythology- tarot cards! I haven't seen that yet! I really liked the detailing for all 22 of the Major Arcana cards and how it represents each different person as a "good" card or a "bad" card [Selena better be one of those bad cards cause if Evie doesn't trump her with her plants (no pun intended) I think I will probably go crazy.] and their powers.
The plot was a bit slow, but given that it is a first book in a series, it's forgivable because it means it can set up a good stage for the next book. It's not incredibly slow anyways, and I think it was the beginning that was a bit too dragged out- could've been shorter. What I also really liked was the setting- a perfect post-apocalyptic world with a awesome combo of paranormal. It's not like: "paranormal with a side of dystopia" or vice versa, it's perfectly blended.
Now what dropped the rating. Jackson.
Seriously, I loved my bad boys in books but he just..UGGGGGHHHHH WHAT IS UP WITH YOU BOY. He can't express himself in anyway, he's not exactly sweet, he's harsh on Evie, just an all around jerk. I wished we got to see more of the teenage boy behind that harsh wall- I think Kresley just didn't show enough of a sweeter side that he became so badass that it was annoying. Now Death on the other hand sounds kind of hot. :) Taunting and villainous, yet from the sound of it: FREAKING HOT!!!! I'm really excited to see what kind of encounters Evie and Death will have in the future.
Evie did ticked me off a couple times in this book- I was waiting for her to literally go all badass Empress and like take out Selena (YES SHE ANNOYED ME THAT MUCH.) and embrace her inner awesome kick-assness. So that didn't go quite as planned. However, I guess I don't mind that much because that fight scene at the end was EPPPPIC. Now that was a moment to remember. (Now I wanna know why Selena already knew everything.)
I liked how Kresley started out with the epilogue with Arthur and he interrupted midway and finished it off at the end-it was creative to do it that, and although I wanted to see the moment when Evie chose to take things into her own hands and learn how to use her powers, it did give a cool transition and the ending set a good tone for the next book.
Overall, I was fairly impressed with the book overall, although the romance annoyed the crap out of me, but I am very thrilled and anxious for the next book!
Come, touch... but you'll pay a price.
I absolutely COULD NOT put this book down. It was thrilling, disturbing and altogether intense!
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed the premise of the book, but the characters just didn't resonate with me. Honestly? I think it would've been a better book without the romance. It detracted from an interested world and any interesting character growth.