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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 Stars! There were a few minor irritations that kept me stingy with a 5-star rating, but I really, really enjoyed this book. I could NOT put it down! Don't judge this book by it's cliche cover art or un-inspiring name, the story is killer. It's the first I've read from this author and I'll be looking for the sequel immediately!
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
This book was not at all what I was expecting. When I picked it up, I was sort of expecting this quick read that really dragged you in from the start with this intense post-apocolyptic world. That was not what I got, at all. For me the start of the book was a little slow, but I really liked this concept, and so I stuck with it.
The first chapter really drags you in, which was great, but then it slowed down as we got to know Evie in the short week before the world ended. In that time, Evie had a number of halucinations that served to illustrate what was coming for the world, but for me I felt confused and disoriented. I didn't really understand what was going on and while you are supposed to feel as disoriented as Evie does, it really just confused me.
Even thought it was a little slow to start out, I really appreciate that it did give us such a glimpse at what life was like before and what Evie's relationship with Jack was like before she became so dependent on him. I loved that Jack was this complex guy that didn't show all his cards and wasn't this bad guy that he seemed to be in it for himself. I loved that he was so respectful of Evie's mom and of Evie as she quested to find her grandmother.
I really liked the relationship between Evie and Jack because they had so many misunderstandings and they didn't fall right into the arms of one another, but rather they argued and fought and were still so drawn together. I loved that their relationship wasn't rushed and how Jack took care of Evie. Their misunderstandings kept the book interesting. I liked Jack because he was dynamic but at the same time, his accent drove me a little crazy trying to figure out what he was saying. Although, I have to say, I loved every time that he said "Doan" for "Don't" I could clearly hear his voice.
There was a hint at a love triangle that I was decently okay with because it didn't happen until the end and it came to include a girl rather than a boy. It was really frustrating because it happened just as the relationship between Evie and Jack started to take off.
I wasn't really sure how to handle the tarot aspect of the book. I feel like it was sort of sprung on you at the end of the book, but maybe that will be resolved in the next book. I completely can't wait to check out the next book and see what else Cole has in charge for Evie and Jack.
The first chapter really drags you in, which was great, but then it slowed down as we got to know Evie in the short week before the world ended. In that time, Evie had a number of halucinations that served to illustrate what was coming for the world, but for me I felt confused and disoriented. I didn't really understand what was going on and while you are supposed to feel as disoriented as Evie does, it really just confused me.
Even thought it was a little slow to start out, I really appreciate that it did give us such a glimpse at what life was like before and what Evie's relationship with Jack was like before she became so dependent on him. I loved that Jack was this complex guy that didn't show all his cards and wasn't this bad guy that he seemed to be in it for himself. I loved that he was so respectful of Evie's mom and of Evie as she quested to find her grandmother.
I really liked the relationship between Evie and Jack because they had so many misunderstandings and they didn't fall right into the arms of one another, but rather they argued and fought and were still so drawn together. I loved that their relationship wasn't rushed and how Jack took care of Evie. Their misunderstandings kept the book interesting. I liked Jack because he was dynamic but at the same time, his accent drove me a little crazy trying to figure out what he was saying. Although, I have to say, I loved every time that he said "Doan" for "Don't" I could clearly hear his voice.
There was a hint at a love triangle that I was decently okay with because it didn't happen until the end and it came to include a girl rather than a boy. It was really frustrating because it happened just as the relationship between Evie and Jack started to take off.
I wasn't really sure how to handle the tarot aspect of the book. I feel like it was sort of sprung on you at the end of the book, but maybe that will be resolved in the next book. I completely can't wait to check out the next book and see what else Cole has in charge for Evie and Jack.
I really don’t even know where to begin with all the things that bothered me about this book. It really had moments of potential but was so remarkably poor in execution.
Evie started off as such a stereotypical spoiled pretty rich girl, the type of character made infinitely worse when written in first person. I felt like her general snobbishness went away as the book progressed, but she really was a useless thorn who had these amazing powers over plants yet this did literally nothing for her or anyone else till the end of the book; when being attacked by a random serial killer who turned out to also be Arcana tried to kidnap her. She couldn’t have tried to find more seeds or tap into her power to be even a little helpful? She just kind of moped and mooned over Jackson.
And with that segway, let’s talk about Jackson. One of the most vile male love interests I have ever read and that’s really saying something. His absolutely bipolar attitude toward Evie was frustrating to read, and he was such a -pardon my French- fucking asshole. Made worse by the fact that he had moments of being protective and caring that made me want to like him, but then he’d be right back to being a crude, mean, POS. The way that he regularly insulted her and then said he wanted to sleep with her in the same breath was actually embarrassing to read. And telling her that he just wanted to smash cause there were “slim pickings” and she was all there was made my eyes roll so hard they fell out. And any time she didn’t do or say exactly what he wanted, he had an honest to god tantrum about it. He essentially told her that he loved her and she was “the only one for him” and two minutes later screamed that he was done with her because she wasn’t ready to tell him her secret.
In essence, every man in this book was rapey af except for Matthew. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not gonna say it’s unrealistic that in the event of an apocalypse you would get bands of dangerous roving scavengers who would have no qualms about capturing and raping women. But, it felt excessive in this book. Pretty much everyone had a goal of banging Evie and it just seemed...well, excessive. The other big danger bedsides the horny hordes were the Bagmen (I’m still kinda confused as to how they got that name), which were basically zombies that craves fluid. They were drawn to water but would also attack and feed on humans, drinking their blood for said fluid. But they were supposed to be super allergic to salt and blood has salt in it so by all accounts they shouldn’t have attacked humans. I also have no idea where this plague came from or why some people caught it. It was contagious through bites (of course) but I can’t fathom why the plague existed in the first place.
I have mixed feelings on the whole embodiment of Tarot cards thing that was happening here; it has some cool elements but also seems so random and a bit confusing; so I’m divided on that premise. All in all, I wanted to throw this book out the window on more than one occasion.
Evie started off as such a stereotypical spoiled pretty rich girl, the type of character made infinitely worse when written in first person. I felt like her general snobbishness went away as the book progressed, but she really was a useless thorn who had these amazing powers over plants yet this did literally nothing for her or anyone else till the end of the book; when being attacked by a random serial killer who turned out to also be Arcana tried to kidnap her. She couldn’t have tried to find more seeds or tap into her power to be even a little helpful? She just kind of moped and mooned over Jackson.
And with that segway, let’s talk about Jackson. One of the most vile male love interests I have ever read and that’s really saying something. His absolutely bipolar attitude toward Evie was frustrating to read, and he was such a -pardon my French- fucking asshole. Made worse by the fact that he had moments of being protective and caring that made me want to like him, but then he’d be right back to being a crude, mean, POS. The way that he regularly insulted her and then said he wanted to sleep with her in the same breath was actually embarrassing to read. And telling her that he just wanted to smash cause there were “slim pickings” and she was all there was made my eyes roll so hard they fell out. And any time she didn’t do or say exactly what he wanted, he had an honest to god tantrum about it. He essentially told her that he loved her and she was “the only one for him” and two minutes later screamed that he was done with her because she wasn’t ready to tell him her secret.
In essence, every man in this book was rapey af except for Matthew. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not gonna say it’s unrealistic that in the event of an apocalypse you would get bands of dangerous roving scavengers who would have no qualms about capturing and raping women. But, it felt excessive in this book. Pretty much everyone had a goal of banging Evie and it just seemed...well, excessive. The other big danger bedsides the horny hordes were the Bagmen (I’m still kinda confused as to how they got that name), which were basically zombies that craves fluid. They were drawn to water but would also attack and feed on humans, drinking their blood for said fluid. But they were supposed to be super allergic to salt and blood has salt in it so by all accounts they shouldn’t have attacked humans. I also have no idea where this plague came from or why some people caught it. It was contagious through bites (of course) but I can’t fathom why the plague existed in the first place.
I have mixed feelings on the whole embodiment of Tarot cards thing that was happening here; it has some cool elements but also seems so random and a bit confusing; so I’m divided on that premise. All in all, I wanted to throw this book out the window on more than one occasion.
Not gonna lie, in the beginning I didn't like this book much at all. The first 100 pages or so would probably only have scored a 2 or 2.5 rating for me. I was unimpressed with the characters, and it was a bit too cliche for me. Girl meets sexy bad boy who acts like a jerk to keep people at a distance, and they conveniently get stuck as school partners? Ugh. And even though the visions were weird and slightly creepy, I was bored.
It wasn't until the apocalyptic event - the Flash - that things finally picked up. Because then it wasn't focused on Evie and Jackson's annoying rivalry. After that it became a fight for survival, so there was a lot more action. This book got progressively better the more I read. If the beginning had been more like the end, this probably could have been 5 stars for me.
To be honest, for about the first 75% I couldn't stand the main characters. Evie was weak and fluffy as a bunny, always the damsel in distress. She was too girly for me to connect with her, and she was extremely touchy. On the opposite end of the scale, Jackson was a complete asshat, too crude and brutish. While I love bad boys, I don't care for the moody, brooding personality. His mood swings grated on my nerves hardcore. I thought they were going to give me whiplash! He'd be nice one minute, and the next he would be overly rude to Evie; and because she was so soft, she'd get overly offended. It was irritating. It did get better, though, as they got used to each other and the inevitable attachment came.
I don't think I started genuinely enjoying this one until Selene came into the story. Because when she started causing a rift between Jackson and Evie, I finally realized that I actually cared about them being together. After seeing a few cracks in Jack's facade, and softer moments toward Evie, I wanted to see more.
I hated Selene. I wanted to punch her! She was so freaking aggravating, and the fact that she was all over Jackson ticked me off. I was jealous for Evie, even though I still didn't particularly like her. Jackson grew on me eventually, though.
For the most part I didn't care for Evie, but I will admit that she earned my grudging respect in the end. Because she finally grew a backbone...I had been waiting for that the whole story!
This book was really twisted, and honestly I think that's what made me like it as much as I did toward the end. It could almost qualify as horror. Her visions/nightmares were bizarre and gory (even though it wasn't that graphic, just bloody), and I love that kind of stuff. And the Bagmen (zombies, basically) were creepy! The story line was fascinating, even though I was a bit confused at the cryptic and nonsensical comments the voices made. I really like the idea of the Arcana and their abilities - I gotta give credit where credit is due, this book is really original (except for the cliche beginning, anyway). I haven't read anything like it before. Plus it was cool that it was a story-telling within a story. It's set in the now (in the post-apocalyptic future), but it flashes back to what happened as Evie is telling the story.
I almost gave this 3.5 starfish, to be honest. But the originality and the last quarter are why I decided to go higher. The ending was really frustrating, though! The story really improved, and I definitely want to check out what happens in the next book.
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing style: 4/5
Originality: 4.5/5
Characters: 2.5/5
World-building: 4/5
Pace: 4/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Am Anfang etwas verwirrend, aber dann entwickelt sich die Geschichte zu einem richtigen Page-Turner! Sehr tolle, aussergewöhnliche Idee!
Author:Kresley Cole
Narrated by Emma Galvin andKeith Nobbs
Length: 12hr and 36 min
Published 2012
I received this book from Simon and Schuster Audio via Audiobook Jukebox.
Poison Princess is the first book in the Arcana Chronicles, and is a new YA series by Kresley Cole. I have to say that I really loved this book for so many reasons. But the main reason is because the subject matter is totally different from any other YA series that I read. The characters in this series are based on the Major Arcana of Tarot.
There are several characters in Poison Princess, but there are really only two stars Evie and Jackson. Evie Greene is a privileged southern bell. Until several months before her 16th birthday she had the perfect life. But everything changes when she starts having vision about the end of the world. Jackson is the perfect bad boy. He has a ton of anger, but he is super sexy. Both Evie and Jackson are damaged in their own ways.
Poison Princess has everything that a good YA paranormal fiction book needs. Including, romance, strong female and male leads, betrayal, a love triangle and growth of the main characters. One of my favorite characters in the book was Jackson. I fell in love with his character immediately. I could not stop listening to this book. Poison Princess was amazing, and it is going on my favorites list for 2012.
As for the narrators both did a really good job. Emma Galvin did an amazing job with the different characters especially Jackson. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the Arcana Chronicles. If I could give this book more than five stars I would.
Narrated by Emma Galvin andKeith Nobbs
Length: 12hr and 36 min
Published 2012
I received this book from Simon and Schuster Audio via Audiobook Jukebox.
Poison Princess is the first book in the Arcana Chronicles, and is a new YA series by Kresley Cole. I have to say that I really loved this book for so many reasons. But the main reason is because the subject matter is totally different from any other YA series that I read. The characters in this series are based on the Major Arcana of Tarot.
There are several characters in Poison Princess, but there are really only two stars Evie and Jackson. Evie Greene is a privileged southern bell. Until several months before her 16th birthday she had the perfect life. But everything changes when she starts having vision about the end of the world. Jackson is the perfect bad boy. He has a ton of anger, but he is super sexy. Both Evie and Jackson are damaged in their own ways.
Poison Princess has everything that a good YA paranormal fiction book needs. Including, romance, strong female and male leads, betrayal, a love triangle and growth of the main characters. One of my favorite characters in the book was Jackson. I fell in love with his character immediately. I could not stop listening to this book. Poison Princess was amazing, and it is going on my favorites list for 2012.
As for the narrators both did a really good job. Emma Galvin did an amazing job with the different characters especially Jackson. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the Arcana Chronicles. If I could give this book more than five stars I would.