Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Release Date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Series: The Arcana Chronicles, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Sullivan and Partners
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

She could save the world–or destroy it. 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 Derveaux.

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...

I remember the buzz for this book a few years back. I definitely wanted to read it, but I never managed to get my hands on a copy, so I let it be. Flash-forward to 2016, and I finally get the chance to read Poison Princess. I honestly had no idea what to expect, other than what was given, but I knew that this series had garnered a lot of interest over the years, so I dove right into it. I honestly didn't expect to love it as much as I did! It does have that supernatural-esque vibe from young adult novels that came out around the Twilight era, but damn–it was good.

I absolutely abhor the trope of the super pretty heroine–who *apparently* doesn't know it–who all the good guys and bad boys want, and who also just so happens to have this power that can save everyone, but has no idea how to control it. Evie, however...(and I begrudgingly admit to this)...grew on me. For some reason it just WORKED for me. Or maybe I just didn't pay too much attention to that because there was Jack Derveaux to focus on. I kind of have mixed feelings about his character. For one, I don't like his attitude towards women, but on the other hand DAMN THE SWOON IS REAL. The romance in this book reads just a tick more towards "adult" rather than "young adult," which is fair considering that Cole does primarily write books for an adult audience, but holy smokes–Evie and Jack's relationship was one of the primary reasons why I couldn't stop reading this one, and is one of the reasons why I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

I have to admit that I was a bit confused with how the book started out. You kind of have to pay a teeny tiny bit of attention–only sometimes!–to the day the chapter is set on. Sometimes it flashes forward (like the prologue in this one), but most of the time the story is in chronological order. It all makes sense in the end, which is what matters. 

I also had no idea what was going on with the whole tarot card thing at first. I for one have never really seen a tarot card deck, so maybe that was the problem to begin with? Anyway, it was pretty interesting learning about the different cards and characters featured in the deck, and the powers and characteristics they posses. I'm definitely looking forward to learning more about certain characters, especially one who everyone seems to want Evie to end up with, but doesn't make too much of an appearance in this novel.

My heart is aching a little bit with sadness, because now I'm going to have to try to figure out how to get my hands on the next books in the series. With fantastic world-building, a race against an unknown supernatural force, and a cast of intriguing, fierce characters–Poison Princess was enthralling. Kresley Cole's first young adult novel hits the mark, and has me begging for more.

▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Caroline at Sullivan & Partners for sending me an eGalley for review! ▪ ▪ ▪

If you like this, try...

• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare ● Goodreads
• Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter ● Goodreads