Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Release Date – October 2, 2012
Publisher Website –  Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 384 pages
My Rating- 5/5
**obtained from publisher via BEA for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole introduces The Arcana Chronicles, post-apocalyptic tales filled with riveting action, the dark mysticism of Tarot cards, and breathtaking romance.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 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….

"Come, touch.... but you'll pay a price". Vivid hallucinations, infuriating Cajun boys and a beyond creepy opening are just some of the things that await you in Poison Princess. Did I mention these all are in the first few chapters? Kresely Cole grabs you from the first page and takes you on a breath stealing, action packed journey.

This novel was unlike anything I had read before. It has elements that may seem familiar, but they are woven together into something unique. The use of the tarot cards and their history felt fresh. The plot shows how well researched this aspect was and we’re just getting started.

The pacing of the novel is superb. It never lets up. It kept me on my toes and fully engaged me from start to finish. The fantastic world building and complex characters combined with this writing style made this a novel that was hard to put down.

The post apocalyptic world Kresley has created is filled with chilling horrors. Ranging from militia men hunting down any female survivors, people resorting to cannibalism to survive and severe weather patterns. The world Evie navigates is filled with dangers and kept me on edge.

Evie is presented as a troubled young woman who suffers from horrific visions, and a possible mental illness. Once the flash hits Evie realizes her visions may have been warnings and sets off to discover what they mean. It was refreshing to see Evie presented as a regular girl. Her and her mother survive after everything is destroyed by living off meagre supplies and some luck. She’s not suddenly gifted, in fact, she’s scared, unprepared and confused. She is not able to take care of herself, and I found I could relate to that.

Readers will be falling in love with Jackson, the infuriating (and to Evie infuriatingly sexy) Cajun that prompts many emotions. I was not as drawn to him as others will be. I was actually borderline repulsed by him. I felt he ran a little too hot and cold with Evie and he often came off as a jerk. His pressuring of Evie to have sex was really off putting as well. I believe fans of the more typical “alpha male” romance characters may be drawn to Jackson more than I was. I was happy that I was able to get past it because I loved everything else in the novel.

We meet other characters that I quickly grew to like. Matthew the adorable, possibly autistic guy that may help Evie see things clearly. Finn, a self assured surfer type. Selene, the stacked and gorgeous girl with a penchant for motorcycles and archery.  Matthew is the character I found myself enjoying the most. His sibling like bond with Evie was one of my favourite relationships in the novel.

Some of backstory of this ancient prophecy and the epic battle that is to be waged is presented in this novel. Kresley gives enough information to set the story, and yet holds back just enough to tantalize. The battle is just getting started, all the players are getting in place, and this sets the pace of the story.

Kresley Cole has taken the dark mysticism of the tarot, added in an intense post apocalypse setting and one heck of an amazing main character to create something exhilarating. In the end death beckons, setting up an excruciating wait for the second instalment.  This sexy and dangerous thrill ride will leave you breathless.