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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
I'm going to start of with what I don't absolutely love about this just to get it out of the way.
1. The cover. I'm not a huge fan. It's simple and interesting but not one that would have pulled me in immediately, I'm sorry to say. I like the color scheme, I just am too much of a cover snob to be in love with this one.
2. I don't have the sequel in my hands yet and it's freaking killing me. I won Nightshade through a giveaway over six weeks ago. And the ending to TPD left me craving, needing, living to know what happens with Jessamine next.
And that is all the bad I have to say about this. Now onto the good.
The Setting
I got a gothic, dark sense throughout this whole book. It was gloomy, cloud-covered with the threat of rain, creepy and all together menacing from start to finish. Even as Jessamine and Weed laid in the grass, I didn't get a sense of spring and skipping through fields that that sort of scene would normally invoke. But that's a good thing! I love experiencing a setting that is consistent throughout and makes sense for the story-line. And I think this was meant to be dark and eery.
Beyond the general feel of the book, Alnwick castle and its gardens provides a perfect scene for this one. I mean, obviously a garden is necessary but the castle itself comes with enough intrigue and mystery.
Also, placing this ambiguously in history adds to the gothic feel - very appropriate.
The Characters
The three main (human) characters, I felt, were so well developed that I have carried them with me long after I finished reading.
Jessamine is me, essentially. Curious, almost to a fault. Eager to please. Unsure of the world (though I didn't live isolated for any amount of time, let alone 16 years). Even a tad bit naive.
Thomas Luxton is what I would equate to a modern day Marine veteran, turned father. Hard. Loving, but in his own different sort of way. Knowledgeable about things that we as kids could never even begin to understand... nor should we. Difficult. Flawed. Emotionless.
And then there's Weed. How is it possible that his love for and with Jessamine could blossom (pun intended) so easily? But it does and it makes sense and it's beautiful. Weed is the quintessential bad boy but with his own little quirks. He's got a mysterious past. He suffers. He has other-worldly abilities. He's not altogether there and yet he is Jessamine's perfect match. He would do anything for her.
Prince Oleander. Oh wow. How perfect was he!? I recently looked up oleander because I knew really, nothing, about it. He's beautiful, naturally. And extremely poisonous in all parts, but only by ingestion. He was an amazing villain. Those sorts of villains that make you think they're good, when they're really not are my absolute favorites and it was handled wonderfully here.
Before opening the first page, I was concerned about the whole "conversations with plants" bit. I kept catching myself humming along to "You can learn a lot of things from the flowers..." from Alice in Wonderland. And given the gothic nature that I caught onto immediately, I worried that that sort of appeal would ruin the story. Maryrose Wood did an excellent job of squashing those fears and managed to keep it creepy for me.
The Ending
I kept trying to guess the end. And every guess I made (all six of them, I think) was wrong. And I'm miserable for it. Why? Because the ending left me hanging by a thread and I need to know what happens next. I appreciate the writer(s) keeping me on my toes but they hook-line-sinkered me.
After all that good, why just four stars? Well, I don't see myself rereading this one throughout the years to come. Five star books for me meet that criteria and this one doesn't fit the bill. I loved it, yes, but I can't bring myself to give it a perfect score.
I would recommend this to just about anybody, specifically those who enjoy dark reads, cliffhanger endings and YA fiction with a fantastical twist.
1. The cover. I'm not a huge fan. It's simple and interesting but not one that would have pulled me in immediately, I'm sorry to say. I like the color scheme, I just am too much of a cover snob to be in love with this one.
2. I don't have the sequel in my hands yet and it's freaking killing me. I won Nightshade through a giveaway over six weeks ago. And the ending to TPD left me craving, needing, living to know what happens with Jessamine next.
And that is all the bad I have to say about this. Now onto the good.
The Setting
I got a gothic, dark sense throughout this whole book. It was gloomy, cloud-covered with the threat of rain, creepy and all together menacing from start to finish. Even as Jessamine and Weed laid in the grass, I didn't get a sense of spring and skipping through fields that that sort of scene would normally invoke. But that's a good thing! I love experiencing a setting that is consistent throughout and makes sense for the story-line. And I think this was meant to be dark and eery.
Beyond the general feel of the book, Alnwick castle and its gardens provides a perfect scene for this one. I mean, obviously a garden is necessary but the castle itself comes with enough intrigue and mystery.
Also, placing this ambiguously in history adds to the gothic feel - very appropriate.
The Characters
The three main (human) characters, I felt, were so well developed that I have carried them with me long after I finished reading.
Jessamine is me, essentially. Curious, almost to a fault. Eager to please. Unsure of the world (though I didn't live isolated for any amount of time, let alone 16 years). Even a tad bit naive.
Thomas Luxton is what I would equate to a modern day Marine veteran, turned father. Hard. Loving, but in his own different sort of way. Knowledgeable about things that we as kids could never even begin to understand... nor should we. Difficult. Flawed. Emotionless.
And then there's Weed. How is it possible that his love for and with Jessamine could blossom (pun intended) so easily? But it does and it makes sense and it's beautiful. Weed is the quintessential bad boy but with his own little quirks. He's got a mysterious past. He suffers. He has other-worldly abilities. He's not altogether there and yet he is Jessamine's perfect match. He would do anything for her.
Prince Oleander. Oh wow. How perfect was he!? I recently looked up oleander because I knew really, nothing, about it. He's beautiful, naturally. And extremely poisonous in all parts, but only by ingestion. He was an amazing villain. Those sorts of villains that make you think they're good, when they're really not are my absolute favorites and it was handled wonderfully here.
Before opening the first page, I was concerned about the whole "conversations with plants" bit. I kept catching myself humming along to "You can learn a lot of things from the flowers..." from Alice in Wonderland. And given the gothic nature that I caught onto immediately, I worried that that sort of appeal would ruin the story. Maryrose Wood did an excellent job of squashing those fears and managed to keep it creepy for me.
The Ending
I kept trying to guess the end. And every guess I made (all six of them, I think) was wrong. And I'm miserable for it. Why? Because the ending left me hanging by a thread and I need to know what happens next. I appreciate the writer(s) keeping me on my toes but they hook-line-sinkered me.
After all that good, why just four stars? Well, I don't see myself rereading this one throughout the years to come. Five star books for me meet that criteria and this one doesn't fit the bill. I loved it, yes, but I can't bring myself to give it a perfect score.
I would recommend this to just about anybody, specifically those who enjoy dark reads, cliffhanger endings and YA fiction with a fantastical twist.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I really enjoyed this book. I like how the author writes. I LOVE the story and the characters (although a few I disliked). This is definitely a great book to what promises to be a great series. I do have to warn you though: I loved this book till the last page. The ending is abrupt and totally left me thinking "WHAT?!?". Needless to say, I cannot wait till the next one to find out what happens.
http://dragonflowersandbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/poison-diaries.html
http://dragonflowersandbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/poison-diaries.html
This started off pretty decent but then turned weird real quick.
This book just wasn't for me... I liked the concept with the plants and poison, but I didn't like the characters, the love story was really cliché in my opinion. I thought the writing wasn't that great, and way too dramatic (I read the Dutch translation, so maybe it went wrong there). This was a pretty short book, but I still struggled to get through it...
I don’t know how long ‘The Poison Diaries’ has been sitting on my shelf but after reading many mixed reviews about this book, I grew curious enough to pull it from my to-be- read pile to find out what they hype was all about. I was not disappointed.
A unique and unusual story, I thought this book was beautifully written and the descriptions of the cottage and its gardens were colourful and vivid. Having spent many a weekend in and around Alnwick myself, I can agree that the book was spot on.
Although while I think the story gets off to a slow start, a few chapters in the real drama begins and I soon found myself completely captivated. With a very dark and twisted plot, the book carries within it the themes of first love, betrayal and sacrifice, all portrayed through the lives of three equally fascinating characters. Weed, Jessamine and her father Thomas.
However I must say this book was not the light-hearted read I was expecting. Intriguingly cruel in parts the story is quite dark and towards the end certain chapters really creeped me out – but in a good, ‘I cannot sleep until I finish this book!’ kind of way.
Therefore overall I found this book an interesting if unusual read. I loved the premise of the story that everything is a poison but the book itself also made me really aware of the harsh cruelty both man and nature is capable off. For this reason I would probably recommend this book to readers of 14+
However despite its dark elements ‘The Poison Diaries’ always tempted me to read on and with questions left unanswered, I’m particularly looking forward to reading the rest of Weed and Jessamines story, continued in ‘Nightshade’ (recently released in the UK on September 1st.) Toxic and deadly, ‘The Poison Diaries’ was a chilling and thought provoking book, beautifully written by Mary Rosewood, the current Duchess of Northumberland.
A unique and unusual story, I thought this book was beautifully written and the descriptions of the cottage and its gardens were colourful and vivid. Having spent many a weekend in and around Alnwick myself, I can agree that the book was spot on.
Although while I think the story gets off to a slow start, a few chapters in the real drama begins and I soon found myself completely captivated. With a very dark and twisted plot, the book carries within it the themes of first love, betrayal and sacrifice, all portrayed through the lives of three equally fascinating characters. Weed, Jessamine and her father Thomas.
However I must say this book was not the light-hearted read I was expecting. Intriguingly cruel in parts the story is quite dark and towards the end certain chapters really creeped me out – but in a good, ‘I cannot sleep until I finish this book!’ kind of way.
Therefore overall I found this book an interesting if unusual read. I loved the premise of the story that everything is a poison but the book itself also made me really aware of the harsh cruelty both man and nature is capable off. For this reason I would probably recommend this book to readers of 14+
However despite its dark elements ‘The Poison Diaries’ always tempted me to read on and with questions left unanswered, I’m particularly looking forward to reading the rest of Weed and Jessamines story, continued in ‘Nightshade’ (recently released in the UK on September 1st.) Toxic and deadly, ‘The Poison Diaries’ was a chilling and thought provoking book, beautifully written by Mary Rosewood, the current Duchess of Northumberland.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed it finished in 2 hours. I was able to visualize the whole book. The ending was confusing tho and a little rushed
This story started as a good one. Unfortunately it changed into an unrealistic and bad book.
**********Spoilers ahead***************
Don't read further if you do not wish to learn about the content of this story.
I really liked Jessamine and her innocence as she knew nothing apart from her father's knowledge because he kept her at home at all times. Since her mother's death she lived alone with him. She looks after the house and tends the garden (except the poison garden) and her father locks himself in his study to write about his poisonous plants and ways to cure sickness and ailments or travels to help patients.
Some day a stranger appears at their doorstep and leaves a mysterious boy for them to take care of. Jessamine does so willingly as she has longed for someone to talk to besides the few words she exchanges with her father at the times he is at home. This task proves difficult however as Weed which is the boy's name doesn't say much at first. They slowly get to know each other and their relationship develops into a fragile love.
Weed's character starts from being unable to describe to a somewhat normal boy who is able to communicate with plants. This proves useful whenever there is someone that needs to be cured. Jessamine's father however soon sees this as his opportunity to be able to learn about all of Weed's ways to cure patients as he suspects his secret. He even goes so far as to poison his own daughter.
While Weed tries to rescue Jessamine from her sudden illness, she meets the Poison Prince in her dreamlike state. He shows her what kind of tasks Weed fulfills in order to save her and she doesn't approve of them. He even breaks his promise to never go inside the poison garden again.
In the end Weed almost kills Jessamine's father as he would like to punish him for what he did to his daughter. The Poison Prince however prevents him to do so as he can only receive the herbs to cure Jessamine as long as he leaves her and doesn't kill her father.
Conclusion:
If the story had continued throughout the book as it had started I would have loved it. However, it got worse the farther I read.
Therefore I can only give the book 2 stars.
**********Spoilers ahead***************
Don't read further if you do not wish to learn about the content of this story.
I really liked Jessamine and her innocence as she knew nothing apart from her father's knowledge because he kept her at home at all times. Since her mother's death she lived alone with him. She looks after the house and tends the garden (except the poison garden) and her father locks himself in his study to write about his poisonous plants and ways to cure sickness and ailments or travels to help patients.
Some day a stranger appears at their doorstep and leaves a mysterious boy for them to take care of. Jessamine does so willingly as she has longed for someone to talk to besides the few words she exchanges with her father at the times he is at home. This task proves difficult however as Weed which is the boy's name doesn't say much at first. They slowly get to know each other and their relationship develops into a fragile love.
Weed's character starts from being unable to describe to a somewhat normal boy who is able to communicate with plants. This proves useful whenever there is someone that needs to be cured. Jessamine's father however soon sees this as his opportunity to be able to learn about all of Weed's ways to cure patients as he suspects his secret. He even goes so far as to poison his own daughter.
While Weed tries to rescue Jessamine from her sudden illness, she meets the Poison Prince in her dreamlike state. He shows her what kind of tasks Weed fulfills in order to save her and she doesn't approve of them. He even breaks his promise to never go inside the poison garden again.
In the end Weed almost kills Jessamine's father as he would like to punish him for what he did to his daughter. The Poison Prince however prevents him to do so as he can only receive the herbs to cure Jessamine as long as he leaves her and doesn't kill her father.
Conclusion:
If the story had continued throughout the book as it had started I would have loved it. However, it got worse the farther I read.
Therefore I can only give the book 2 stars.
