Poison Princess

Arcana Chronicles, Book 1

By: Kresley Cole

Narrated by: Emma Galvin, Keith Nobbs

Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

22 Arcana cards. 22 young assassins. May the best hand live. Introducing The Arcana Chronicles from number one New York Times best-selling author Kresley Cole.

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 ii's not always clear who is on which side....

©2012 Kresley Cole (P)2012 Simon & Schuster, Inc

LOVED it!

“Poison Princess” is one of the most intriguing books that I have read this year. I have been utterly captivated with it. I have listened to the entire audiobook at least twice, bought it for my Kindle to study specific parts, and re-read or re-listened to some sections a half-dozen times or more. Let me repeat … UTTERLY captivated. The story was so unique, the characters were complex and richly drawn, and I loved the way the author constructed the story's timeline.

Emma Galvin, who narrates Evie’s POV in the audiobook, is too fabulous for words. This story defied my expectations on many levels, and Galvin is at least partly responsible. As a native Southerner, I am frequently annoyed by bad Southern accents from narrators. Galvin’s was great, not overdone, and she caught a few of the subtleties of Louisiana cadence. Her rendering of Jackson’s Cajun drawl, and especially the Cajun French, was AWESOME, and I have listened to those sections of the books for hours on end. Keith Nobbs, who narrated the character Arthur's POV, was appropriately creepy, and I liked that each time we switched to Nobbs' narration, I knew we were switching between past and present in the story.

I can’t wait for the next book. I thought the ending of this one was spectacular. While the story is clearly “to be continued,” and I am dying to see the reactions of every single character to the last scene of the book, it didn’t end on a “cliffhanger” in the way of some others. There were twists within twists, and we got a satisfying number of reveals, yet there is a world of story left to tell here. Kudos to the author, and the audiobook narrators, on a fantastic reading experience!

Can't wait for more

This was a great listen... I couldn't stop listening to it. I love Emma Galvin too as the narrator. She is one of my favorites. I loved how the heroin in the book starts out weak and how she grows and learns as the story unwinds, and I can tell that this is just the start of her progression. I can't wait until the next book comes out- seriously mad I have to wait. I love Jack's character as well. It is sort of frustrating that the story is only read from Evangeline's perspective and it is maddening to not know what Jack is actually thinking/feeling vs. what Evie thinks he is, but that is part of the fun too. I love a guy character with a lot of layers. It has a interesting story line and I am hooked.

Downside? Waiting for the next book!

Any additional comments?

Big fan of previous Cole books, however I was tentative to spend the bucks on a YA novel. Love the sizzle & steaminess of the Immortal Series, totally erotic. It worried me the author's departure into the Young Adult rating would kill the magic so to speak. However, the attraction & anticipation of the characters is well-placed and relatable. Poison Princess kick starts pretty quickly, and constantly has interesting new developments. Thanks to the 'Cajun', 'bad boy' hunk Jackson... this dystopian world is one any gal would gladly inhabit. Eve is young, beautiful, frustrating, naive' and faceted with a depth that other YA novels lacked. The narration was good but in the beginning chapters I was disappointed and didn't like the way Jackson's voice was portrayed by the narrator. However, it grew on me but that is probably a bigger credit to the author!

Very good!!! Great new series not just for the YA!

Would you consider the audio edition of Poison Princess to be better than the print version?

I don't read, i only listen.... and i very much enjoyed this audio book!!

What did you like best about this story?

I really like to get to know the characters and Kresley Cole is the best at character developement! I fell in love with Evie and Jack!!

Which character – as performed by Emma Galvin and Keith Nobbs – was your favorite?

Evie was performed brilliantly!! Jack was quite good too .... They were all done well and i could tell who was talking and distinguish their characters perfectly!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

at the end... i know she needed to leave us hanging... but i don't like how it went down with Jack and Evie...

Any additional comments?

I am quite fond of Kresley Cole as an author and am addicted to her adult series which is narrated by Robert Petkoff.... (can't go wrong there!) ... I do listen to some YA books and this one was very good for the genre. I do prefer a bit more adult situations... but she managed to get in some real teenage angst and some discovery as well... which is nice... i like to have the characters evolve during a story... which they all did!!

I will definitly purchase the second installment in this series when it becomes available!!

What a surprise!

Where does Poison Princess rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is right up there with every Kresley book I have read/listened to.

What other book might you compare Poison Princess to and why?

This book is so different, so unique. The complex situations and world she created is so amazing.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending was great....

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did not, more like.... HOLY CRAP!

A great way to incorporate Tarot cards in a story.

Let me just start off with how much I loved the IAD series and decided that since I don't mind YA genre I would give this book a try. It had me engrossed from the start. Kresley Cole can write and spin a story that has so much happening, I was amazed. I love the spin on the Tarot Cards, this is a new concept for me how it is woven into the story. Of course I had to cut and paste a copy of the Arcana Tarot cards that I found on the internet to my desk so I could cross reference them when the Arcana card characters were in play. Don't be fooled and only think that YA can read this book, adults can enjoy it too. While this book is clean of sex, there are some close calls and some mention of Slavers and what they do to girls. I will defiantly be getting the next book in the series soon. Narrators both do a good job, but I am not a fan of duel narration and I wish that only Emma Gavin had been reading. If you are a fan of books such as The Hunger Games, The Road, or the TV series Carnivale, this may be a book for you, but in no way are the stories similar only parts that reminded me of these stories.

Slow start

This story had a slow start but it was pretty good. I will read the next book in the series.

Very Cool Concept

Firstly, I really like the narrater Emma Galvin.

I debated this series because I thought it was about tarot cards and I'm not into that sorta thing. However, it's based on the identities of each tarot card being a real person (teen) who must play to the "death" in a game that happens each century. I've enjoyed this book so much when I finished listening at 1 am I bought the second book and started it.

Worth your time & credit/money if your into the YA / fantasy stuff.

LOVED this story and the Narration!!!

What did you love best about Poison Princess?

The apocalyptic plot and the well-developed romance between Jack and Evie.

What other book might you compare Poison Princess to and why?

Though it shared some common characteristics with other popular YA books, the story was quite different from anything else I have recently read.

What about Emma Galvin and Keith Nobbs ’s performance did you like?

They were both incredibly enthralling in their roles, LOVED Emma Galvin's performance!

Any additional comments?

Though I am sometimes hesitant to read YA books (as I am an adult) I really enjoyed this read, which was especially great as an audiobook with the great narration. Relationships were developed over time and seemed realistic, I really liked the lead characters and enjoyed the plot development. Really glad I gave this book a chance!!! Was hard to put it down!!!

shocking!

this book would have to be one of the best books ive ever read!!!! great read!!