Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Release Date:
10-2-2012
ARC received from Simon & Schuster at ALA
Reviewed by: Middle
Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say:
Copy of How to Survive the End of the World As We Know
It: $11.56 on Amazon
Survival Kit including backpack, water, liquor, energy
bars: $39 on Amazon
Trekking across a post-apocalyptic wasteland with a gorgeous
Cajun: Priceless
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….
Words cannot describe the amazing-ness of this book! It is by far my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE of
2012! And…I get to meet her at ATBF next
week! *Dances around the room singing
You know you make me wanna SHOUT!* Prepare yourself for an insane amount of
gushing.
I just loved Kresley Cole’s world—bathed in desire and
passion, filled to the brink with unknown forces, and laced with poison and
death; Kresley’s post-apocalyptic world won’t just bring you to the edge of a
cliff—it will throw you right over, straight into a game of chess. A game where checkmate means much more than
game over.
I have never read anything like Poison Princess. This book centers around the end of the
world, but its not global warming or an alien invasion or the like that caused
this catastrophe. No, it’s much more
than that…and it’s happened before! That’s
all I’m going to say about the “apocalypse” because you’ll have to find out for
yourself. But what’s even more unique is
that certain characters are the embodiment of tarot cards. Yes, that’s right—you have Death, the
Empress, the Magician, The Fool and so many more! I just love that she has brought these cards
to life—given them a driven purpose—one that will drive them all to complete
and utter desolation.
The prose was perfect!
I wouldn’t change a thing.
Kresley was poetic when she needed to be, yet rugged and grotesque when
the moment required. My absolute
favorite part of the book was when someone said (I won’t tell you who), “The
last two monarch butterflies are thousands of miles apart and flying away from
each other.” ARC pg. 280. I just love this quote because it shows how
delicate our world is—how one decision, which way to fly, which road to take,
which boy to kiss—can destroy you, or save you.
Evie, the heroine, is probably my favorite ya heroine! At first she’s this little rich girl who is
slightly curious about the rugged Cajun that just enrolled in her school. But as the world quickly goes to hell, she
builds a rugged shell and becomes the tough, in your face, Empress she is
destined to be. It was so much fun to
see her grow into a warrior. Kresley
does such an amazing job using words to mold her into something more than a
girl—an Arcana. Forever changed by loss,
immersed in a world full of secrets, and forced to come to grips with her
heinous future; Evie’s journey to truth
will sweep you away.
And
The
Cajun.
“At that moment, I was dying for the Cajun boy to kiss me…I
had to know what the look in his eyes promised.” ARC, pg. 75
Jackson is so unbelievably rugged. Translation:
HOT!!!!! Another
translation: Heart-breaker. Another translation: Savior? He shows up just as Evie’s world plummets
into an abyss, and he manages to drag her up and out of it. His raw sexuality just oozes off the page,
and there were so many moments when I wanted to snap my fingers and trade
places with Evie! He is charming, not so
romantic, but 100% pure bad-boy. His
body language is smoldering with heat, his words are dripping with sex, and his
actions are obsessed with protecting Evie.
He’s perfect—in every way!
Have I gushed too much?
Don’t judge me! Just a bit more.
And
Then
There
Was
Death.
One of the many “evil” Major Arcana make their appearance in
this book, and I’m sure the rest will show up in Book 2. I loved Death—revenge, hatred, anger,
passion, darkness—all rolled into the ultimate killing machine who has only one
goal: KILL THEM ALL. He will send a shudder down your spine and
your heartbeat with quicken whenever this Arcana is near. And now—Death’s vengeful eye is fixed…on
Evie. And let me tell you, this makes
for some amazing scenes and visions! And his words—laced with threats and hints of
what the future holds! He’s such a great
villain, and I love that he’s not the only one!
So….I’ll wrap it up!
This book had the most unique concept I have ever come across in
YA. Every chapter held a new surprise
and the ending left me speechless. But
not for long—within a day of reading it, I had loaned it to my neighbor (who
LOVED it) and then my mother (who also LOVED it). The ending is a cliffhanger, but not one that
will make you angry or frustrated. It’s
one that will make your pulse quicken with excitement for what’s to come.
This book was perfect!
Perfect I say!
