Poison Princess (Arcana Chronicles, #1)

by Kresley Cole

In the aftermath of a cataclysmic event, sixteen-year-old Evie, from a well-to-do Louisiana family, learns that her terrible visions are actually prophecies and that there are others like herself--embodiments of Tarot cards destined to engage in an epic battle.

• ISBN10: 1442436646
• ISBN13: 9781442436640
• Publish Date: 2 October 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[FranJessca @ A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog]

I’ve been a fan of Kresley Cole since I read her Immortals After Dark series, which I started reading in 2008/2009. I loved her writing style and world-building in that series and knew I would enjoy her new YA Dystopian/Fantasy series. 

I read Poison Princess for the first time in 2018. Now that Kresley Cole is releasing the last book in the series, it’s time to reread the Arcana Chronicles for a refresher.

Storyline/My Thoughts: The first time I read it, I wasn’t prepared for where Kresley Cole would take me in this YA Dystopian/Fantasy series. The first chapter alone was creepy and twisted, and I liked it. I couldn’t stop reading/listening to it. Yes, the first time I actually decided to listen to Poison Princess and loved the narrators because they brought the story and characters to life. 

I won’t go into detail about the story because you can read the book’s description to find the premise. I don’t want to spoil anything for readers who haven’t read the Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole. 

Here is why I couldn’t stop reading/listening to the Poison Princess:

1. The storyline of kids being actual Arcana cards and how they must battle against each other until the last kid/card stands. Each kid/card has unique powers that pertain to their Acana tarot card. Examples of the cards are the Empress, Death, The Fool, The Magician, The Archer, etc. I loved the storyline that Kresley Cole created for this YA series.   

2. Kresley Cole takes the reader to the beginning before the world falls into chaos. Readers will be introduced to the FMC, Evie, who has visions of weird people she’s never met and hearing voices she’s never heard. Her mother sends her away to get help, but when Evie returns, she still has them, becoming more frequent and intense. Evie’s mother doesn’t know that those visions and voices are helping her prepare for her future, where she will meet those weird characters. 

3. I enjoyed reading the Before the Flash story of Evie and how she is introduced to a character named Jack, a Cajun boy from the other side who ends up driving Evie crazy several times in the book. He will play a significant role in the book with Evie after the world falls apart around them.

4. I also enjoyed reading the After Flash results and what has happened in the world after the apocalypse. Kresley doesn’t make it easy for Evie at all. Jack, the character introduced Before the Flash, is obsessed with her and will protect her at all cost, but he also finds her unable to protect herself, which drives him crazy. (Jack is a jerk to Evie, which made me dislike him sometimes.)

5. The other Arcana card characters are starting to be introduced in the book. Each one has unique powers. I don’t like the Archer, but that’s because she plays the role of putting a wedge between her and Evie. I felt for Evie when a particular scene happened in the book. I’m not fond of Jack in this book. (Maybe, the odd reader, but I don’t see him being right for her.) 

5. The ending. Fair warning, the Poison Princess has a cliffhanger to it. It’s a cliffhanger that will immediately have you picking up the next book in the series. I know it did for me the first I read Poison Princess. I can’t wait to read Endless Knight for a second time. I did predict in the first book where the book was going with the subtle hints that Kresley Cole had throughout the book regarding a particular character. 

So what do I give the first book in the series? I give it four stars and can’t wait to work through these books again. I’m anxiously waiting for the last book in the series, but do I want it to end? No, not really, but I know Kresley Cole will finish it in a way that makes me never forget this series. It will live on in my head, and I can always reread it. Hurry up, Hollywood, pick up this series for a tv show/movie. Preferably several films that we can enjoy back-to-back.

Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of Kresley Cole’s Arcana Chronicles series, and I highly recommend reading in order.

Cliffhanger: Yes

Would I recommend this book/series? Yes. I recommend this book/series to fans of the YA Dystopian/Fantasy genres. This series is about Arcana Tarot Cards coming to life in a dystopian world. Doesn’t that intrigue you to read it? I know it did me. =)

[liz089]

I loved this one just as much as the first time 3 This book is full of action and mystery and I really enjoyed reading it again. I'm re-reading it because it has been almost 3 years since I read this one.. and I kind of want to finish the series now that the fourth book has come out !
Great main character, I love how we see her evolve and grow stronger during the novel. I still dislike Jackson though.. Team Death haha XD

[wyvernfriend]

Now I'm someone with more than a passing knowledge of the Tarot, rusty knowledge but it's there, so this should have been right up my alley, nope, didn't work for me. It wasn't terrible, but I just didn't give a damn about the characters or the situation. After a catastrophe that ends with many people in a pile of ash and surface water gone, the world is full of water thirsty zombies, militia and no order. Evangeline 'Evie' Greene has survived but the visions she had before weren't psychosis, they were true, and she's still having more.

I didn't care, I don't care and this is a series I won't be continuing.

[lizarodz]

4.5 Stars

The original review can be found here: Reading with ABC

Poison Princess turned out to be surprisingly good. I use the word surprising because it started rather slow and scary, and turned out to be awesome.

This book probably had one of the most disturbing beginnings ever! Five minutes into the book I was tempted to quit listening. Thus the story starts on a creepy note with Evie telling her story to the Alchemist. Most of the story is told by Evie in the first person, in a flashback to her life before and after the apocalyptic events that took place. We have the chance to learn, as she does, what is happening with the world and the inexplicable things that are happening to herself and her fear of going crazy. I have to confess that I was very confused for a good portion of the book and I did believe she was loosing her mind.

Evie is not easy to identify with, but I did like her at the end. It is nice to see a popular, rich, and beautiful teenager that is not mean and a bully. She is loyal to a precious few, she is suspicious of everyone and doesn’t have the survival skills needed in the post-apocalyptic world. She doesn’t know what is going on with the world and with herself. Her grandmother was supposed to be her guide, but she was sent away to an institution, thus leaving Evie unprepared.

Jack is a conundrum to me. He is rude, protective, and cautious to the point of paranoia, with strong survival instincts. In other words, exactly what Evie needs. The problem is that he strives to be as unlikable as possible. He’s also fully convinced that Evie could never like, love or understands him because he was poor and lived in the bayou. It seems like he’s more prejudiced than he is. As a couple, they are attracted to each other, but have a lot to learn about communication.

Other characters are Selena, Matthew, Finn and death. They are all Arcana, in other words, cards of the tarot deck. They are interesting, especially as they learn more about each other and their powers. I cannot say much more without spoiling all the fun for you.

The pace, at least for the first half of the book, is really slow. The plot is very original. Who would have thought to create such a fascinating and harsh story around tarot cards? The writing is really good, straightforward, and easy to read. It would not be the last book I read by Kresley Cole. I do have to warn you that Jack as a heavy Cajun accent that might aggravate some readers (I was fine with it.)

Overall, Poison Princess was a really good book and start to the Arcana Chronicles series. I already purchased Endless Knight for my Kindle and I’m half way through it and I can tell you that it gets better and better! Dead of Winter, the next book in the series will be published early next year (why on earth did the change the beautiful covers?)

About the narration: I didn’t care for the narration too much. The part of Evie was good enough, but I didn’t like Emma Galvin as Jack. The only thing distinguishable was Jack’s accent. I had difficulty figuring out who was saying what. Keith Nobbs narrated for the Alchemist and he did a great job.

About the cover: The cover is what made me want to read the book in the first place. It is gorgeous. I love the way the couple looks, the background clouds and fire, and the font too.

[Kelly]

Luuuuurved 'Poison Princess'. I really didn't know what to expect when I started reading this novel, was it more Paranormal? Dystopian? Post Apocalyptical? It was brilliant and original, thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Amber]

It's been a while since I read a book that completely sucked me in from the first page. Even Unwind, which I adored, took some effort. But with Poison Princess it was effortless and once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I stayed up all night reading it, and then I went on to have a dream about it because that's what happens when I experience awesome.


Poison Princess is set up slightly differently than one would think. We start with a prologue which is told from another character's point of view. In this prologue, we meet Evie, the main protagonist, through the eyes of this other character. Then Evie goes on to tell her story to this character, and that's when we get to see how Evie arrived at this point. I LOVED IT. It was such a great way to set it out, and it made everything several times more intriguing and suspenseful. It flowed flawlessly, and I don't think I need to comment on Kresley Cole's writing style.

I loved the characters. Like Evie, it took me a while to actually like Jackson, but that was AWESOME because that meant character development and growth and all that good stuff that should come with every book. And guys, Jackson is HOT. He's got a sexy Cajun accent, he's tall, dark and he speaks French.

Evie was awesome right from the start, and much like Jackson, she went through a hell of a lot in just this first book. I can't wait to see where the next book(s) in the series take her, because she still has a lot to do. Judging by the ending of this one, her journey is gonna be AWESOME.

I am so upset about the ending! And totally hooked on these characters and this story. Have any of you read this book? I desperately need someone to discuss with.

I want to reread this again and again. Starting right this minute! Please, please check this one out. It's definitely one of the best books I have read this year. I don't know how I am going to stand the wait for the next one, especially as a sequel hasn't even been announced yet.

My thoughts, in summary: ASDHSOITHWSIHTKHSFKBSDG *KEYBOARD SMASH*