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Book Review of Poison Princess (Arcana Chronicles, Bk 1)

Poison Princess (Arcana Chronicles, Bk 1)
ophelia99 avatar reviewed on + 2527 more book reviews


I have wanted to read this book for some time. Right now there are at least five books planned for this series. The fifth one is supposed to publish Spring 2017 and will be called âThe Dark Callingâ. This book wasn't what I was expected but it did end up being an engaging read that is part fantasy/magic and part apocalypse.

The prologue to the story is incredibly creeper in a serial killerish kind of way. We find out that something has happened to the world and are hearing from the view of a man who preys on females. He is trying to lure a young girl into a trap. This was kind of freaky and really made me wonder what kind of book I had picked up.

However after that opening it takes a bit for the story to get going. First we meet Evie and learn about her struggles with visions and other supposed mental issues. Quite a bit of time is spent on visions in the beginning of the book and strange occurrences that are interspersed between Evie's standard high school days. However, you know something big is going to happen because each chapter takes place a small number of days BF (before flash).

The second part of the book is very post-apocalyptic with a lot about survival and bagmen (creatures that are a lot like zombies). Woven into this is the concept of tarot cards being actual people who can determine the fate of the world. The second part of the book is very different in tone compared to the first part of the book.

This constant shifting of tone makes it kind of hard to grasp what kind of story this is supposed to be. At times it feels a bit disconnected and left me a bit confused about exactly what type of book I was reading. Is it a thriller, a zombie book, a high school drama book, or a paranormal fantasy of sorts? I thought it could have flowed a bit better.

However, despite the above I found myself incredibly intrigued by the whole concept of tarot cards as actual people who control the fate of the world. I was also drawn in by the Flash and curious as to what caused it. By the end of the book I was pretty hooked; I loved some of the end scenes and desperately wanted to know what would have next.

Overall this book was a good blend of high school drama, paranormal, fantasy, thriller, and post-apocalyptic elements. It blends a lot of things together which can get a bit overwhelming at parts. However, I was completely sucked in by some of the concepts and story elements and plan on continuing the series.