Poison Princess (The Arcana Chronicles) Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
#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, killing everyone she loves, 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 trust 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 teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side… In Poison Princess, New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole introduces a dark and intriguing world, full of unspeakable danger and irresistible romance.
Series: The Arcana Chronicles
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (July 9, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442436654
ISBN-13: 978-1442436657
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (870 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #75,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #128 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Emotions & Feelings #242 in Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Myths & Legends #434 in Books > Teens > Romance > Paranormal
Poison Princess (Arcana Chronicles) by Kresely Cole is a surprisingly dark read. The opening format is quite creepy in how the story unfolds, then told in first person narrative by the h, Evangeline (Evie). Evie is a 16 y/o girl from Sterling, LA who lives the lavish lifestyle of the rich and privileged. She is a designer wearing cheerleader in the elite crowd and dates the most popular, rich, BMOC football player. On the exterior, she leads the life that most teenage girls would covet. Internally, she is haunted, plagued by debilitating visions, and nightmares of evil, desolate, and gruesome deaths. She struggles to keep it together in front of her friends and hide her secrets. Adding to that, Evie is developing powers that's scaring her, questioning her own sanity. Enter Cajun bad boy delinquent from the wrong side of town, Jackson Devereaux. The new kid in school with a bad rep and a set of stormy eyes that's lasered on Evie. When Evie and Jack meet, they get off on the wrong foot with the typical haughty rich girl and bitter poor boy interactions until................................The Flash devastates, changing everything, changing them, and destroying life as they know it, leaving a wasteland behind. Evie realizes her visions were of this happening. Adding to this, the voices in her head begins. The world is turned upside down. It's do or die survival. There are The Bagmen (similar to Wendigos) who prey and feed on people. Then there's the evil militia overpowering, capturing, and torturing where ever they go. Lets throw in the slavers and the cannibals for good measure too. With odds stacked against them in a harsh world, Evie and Jackson must leave Louisiana to fight for an uncertain future. Together, they set out to find Evie's grandmother in North Carolina who Evie believes holds all the answers to the meaning of her visions and powers. During their journey, Jack protects Evie at every turn as Evie slowly learns to trust Jack and their attraction intensifies.KC starts this fantastic YA series with a big bang! Compelling, gritty, foreboding, but exciting and thrilling all the same. While the pace is great, the unfolding of events are not readily forthcoming. I wait with bated breath to find out what the hell is going to happen next. So many questions I want answers to but KC keeps us dangling in suspense and darkness. This is an intricate dystopian storyline full of mysticism, subplots, and twists to keep you on your toes. Aside from traveling to find her grandmother to get answers and facing danger at every turn, there's the prophetic Arcana battle game to come. One in which Evie is a major key player representing the Empress card from the tarot. She must find out what her role is and how to stop what's happening to her and what's to come. She is no longer the entitled rich girl. She matures, grappling with her secrets, wondering who she can trust and faces her other identity in this story.They encounter other teenage allies along the way that end up joining them. All with powers, part of the Arcana players in the battle game, and each representing a card from the tarot deck. These secondary characters are also intriguing and I want to know more about them. Finn, I found funny. Matthew, quirky, and Selena, conniving.Then there's the blossoming romance between Jack and Evie that intensifies as the story progresses. Yummy Jack, smoking hot and intense, he is the bad-boy personified. Yet, we see a softer, fiercely protective side too as his feelings for Evie grow. He's also quite the heroic badass! God, I was rooting for for them like nobody's business!!And lets not forget creepy Arthur from the beginning of the book who is completely insane in the membrane! So much going on, all elaborately woven together for some AH-MAZING storytelling. This was an unpredictable story that kept me completely engrossed throughout. I was completely blown away by the turn of events at the end. HOLY CRAP! IMHO, this is darker than her IAD series for sure. I was ensnared right from the first pages and just could NOT put the damn book down. I'm hooked! Bait, line, and sinker. I need the next book NOW! Kresley Cole outdid herself in this one. You MUST read this!
Poison Princess is stunning, fresh, and spectacular. Only a select few books over the last few years can compare to the level of entertainment this novel holds. Cole takes an already interesting--barely explored--idea and transforms it into an exceptionally gripping concept. I keep asking myself where was Kresley Cole hiding in my TBR pile, and why didn't I find her books a lot sooner? What really amazes me about Poison Princess is my gradual reaction and how I went from kind of liking it to absolutely riveted by each word. I haven't gotten this excited for a series in awhile, and The Arcana Chronicles has me amped up for more.Poison Princess is a composition of fantasy, romance, and dystopia. It swiftly annihilates most of the YA books I've read because it fulfills many of my reading expectations. In the course of about 400 pages it has a lot of much-needed character development, loads of action, a dosage of romance, a multitude of plot twists, and a bunch of mysterious characters. The list goes on and on in the pros column. Cole takes an approach that's never been seen before in conjunction with older teens possessing abilities because there's much more to it than that. There is an large supply of history and importance tagged along with the fantasy aspects that help you understand the world better. Repeatedly I remain blasé with the YA genre not because of the writing but because authors choose to reuse the same ideas. It gets to a point where I feel like I've read that story a thousand times before, meanwhile there are some who take risks and write about different topics that aren't vampires, werewolves and other common subjects. I look up to those authors so much because of their imagination and creativity. It goes to show that originality isn't dead and passion for new ideas is still out there. Poison Princess gets away from that and wanders into the dark and twisted world Cole imagined--and it's magnificent.Evangeline "Evie" Greene has popularity, beauty, wealth, a flawless boyfriend, and everything she could ever want. If not for her vivid hallucinations and nightmares everything would be perfect--but it isn't. After fighting her crazy visions and returning to high school from break she's determined to be a normal teenage girl living her glamorous life, that is until a Cajun boy enrolls at her school. Jackson Deveaux is all around bad news - his vehicle of choice? A motorcycle. His way of communicating? Not very polite. Jack's reputation? Extremely bad. Even though he sets Evie off she can't stay away from him, but before she can understand her feelings for Jack her entire world goes straight to hell. Those horrifying visions she tried to block out has finally come to life leaving most of the world dead and gone. It almost seems like a miracle when Evie discovers Jackson survived and that he wants to protect her and help her get the answers she's desperately in search of, but with Evie's prophetic sight comes a shocking discovery she needs to hide from him, and everyone else. The world ending as everyone knows it is only the beginning.At times Evie did get on my nerves in the beginning because she acted preppy, pampered, and shallow. I did a lot of mental screaming and cursing, and then when things start getting intense and the reader more engrossed she breaks away from that behavior. It was the biggest relief and led to me completely being able to enjoy the story the way it was meant to. She really does change and becomes someone respectable. Jackson on the other-hand didn't have a lot of growth going on but it worked, I liked him fine just the way he was: tough as nails, tremendously hot, and an alpha male type. Though he did have his moments where he deserved to be slapped, I enjoyed his and Evie's complicated relationship. They really don't get on in the beginning and when everything falls apart they are stuck relying on each other and that forms a camaraderie. Then there's Evie's unpredictable abilities that are growing more unstable, and half of the time she feels like she's loosing it and it adds a million layers of depth to her actions. I loved seeing the struggle between being normal and being something else. Although I found a few sections to be confusing, by the end the confusion clears up and it all starts to make sense when it comes to a point. Don't let that slow you down because it's explained later. The other characters have their own special talents and how they all fit together in the grand scheme of things is brilliant.Poison Princess is an endless thrill, full of deceit, and excitement. It spirals into a dark, sexy, and addicting read. There are powerful allies, many secrets, concealed enemies, and a wickedly insane ending. If you aren't one for cliffhangers you need to have the sequel at the ready because you will want--no--need it! The Arcana Chronicles is cleverly written, craftily plotted, and a rare treat. Recommended for mature young adults for violence, mild language, and some adult content.
I'm at 3.5 stars, a very different reaction to this book than most other reviewers. There are some very strong points to the book, but also some weaknesses. On the strong side, the writing is superior and the post-apocalyptic world that Cole creates is imaginative and she builds it well. The book is reminiscent of Swan Song by Robert McCammon, which I highly enjoyed (these strong points maybe led me to set the bar a little higher than I might for other books). On the weak side, having built this great world, she doesn't do enough with it. This is a very slow book in places. We have slavers, "bagmen", cannibals, militia, and others, but they make only a few brief appearances - the book is two-thirds gone before we finally have a first hand encounter with a bagman that we been hearing about for 200 pages. So, in short, the book is long on dialogue and introspection, but a tad short on action, which may appeal to many, but may be less engaging to others. Also, the story centers on Evie and Jackson, but they spend the entire book arguing and fighting to the point where you just want them to shut up already. They have a painful, dysfunctional relationship and it got very tiresome for me by the end. Finally, the ending is . . . well, let's just say it's curious--I'm going to hold off on saying it disappoints until I see book 2. Speaking of which, this is only book 1 and there is certainly a lot of room for book 2 to improve on things. And while I do plan on giving book 2 a read, this trilogy is on a short leash with me.
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