Monday, August 26, 2013

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole - ADVISABLE


 
Cole, Kresley Poison Princess, 369 pgs.  Simon and Schuster, 2012.  $18.99 Content: Language: PG-13 (195 swears); Violence: R (torture); Mature Content: PG-13. 
  Evie is a popular cheerleader with a fabulous best friend, a hot football quarterback boyfriend and a wealthy family plantation.  But a new group of kids come to school and she finds herself fascinated with Jackson, a rough kid with a bad history.  When the Flash happens and most everyone and everything is killed, there are few supplies and fewer people left in the world, but thanks to the voices in Evie’s head she survived the Flash.  The voices in her head relate to the Tarot cards that her grandmother taught her about when she was young and she vaguely remembers that she is supposed to be one of the Arcana from the cards, so when she learns that she can control plants and make things grow she realizes that she needs to find her grandmother to figure out her powers.  With other Arcana threatening her and the threat of desperate men who have survived the Flash, Evie and Jackson fight to reach her grandmother. 
  This story is very creative and paced so the action keeps coming.  The main character is likable and the chemistry between Evie and Jack is intense.  The violence and mature content make this book feel more like an adult novel with young adult characters though.  The violence is post-apocalyptic decay and rot as well as torture.  The players are from Tarot cards, so it would have been nice to have some sort of glossary of who is who in the Tarot cards.  Overall, it’s a great story with strong characters and it was hard to put down.  The excessive swearing as well as older content has me putting it as advisable instead of essential, and I would only dare put it in a high school.  All that said, it’s a great series that I will definitely read to the end.  
HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

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