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Poison Princess Free Preview Edition: The First 17 Chapters

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#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….

147 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2012

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About the author

Kresley Cole

74 books27.8k followers
Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Immortals After Dark paranormal series, the young adult Arcana Chronicles series, the erotic Gamemakers series, and five award-winning historical romances.

A master’s grad and former athlete, she has traveled over much of the world and draws from those experiences to create her memorable characters and settings.
Her IAD books have been translated into 23 foreign languages, garnered three RITA awards, a RWA Hall of Fame induction, and consistently appear on the bestseller lists, in the U.S. and abroad.

Cole lives in Florida with her family. Learn more about Kresley at: www.kresleycole.com & www.thearcanachronicles.com

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5 stars
625 (56%)
4 stars
261 (23%)
3 stars
126 (11%)
2 stars
55 (4%)
1 star
42 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
1 review
May 30, 2024
love love LOVEEE this book, its something different, theyer love and mystery, i mean i literally had a mini stroke reading it because it was so good i HIGHLY recommend
Profile Image for Lexie.
28 reviews12 followers
December 5, 2012
BOOK: Poison Princess Free Preview (The Arcana Chronicles)
AUTHOR: Kresley Cole
MY RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars
GENRE: Dystopian/Paranormal

I just finished reading the "Free Preview" of Poison Princess - I'm hooked! This is the first of any Kresley Coles writing that I've read! I'ma "young" Mema, that loves reading YA paranorm/dystopian genre, for the reason that I honestly don't get into all the extreme hot-explicit-sexual-scenes that you get in "most" ADULT paranormal! Not saying I don't read Adult Paranormal, I just try to avoid the heavy-romance ones! If I want "hot-sex-scenes" >I'll grab hubby and make my own! LOL
Anyway, I really fell for the characters in Poison Princess, the rich & poor, the good & bad! Our Heroine/Empress~sometimes tuff as nails and sometimes I could slap her - buuuut - let's not forget, the poor girl is
only 16, with ALOT on her plate and I'm thinkin she's lacking a helluva lot of sleep! Especially after reading the Prologue>Then go into Chapter 1, now you know you gotta read the rest of this book, to find out what actually happens! In the beginning I thought "aww...how sweet Brandon is, but then I realized he was just another "rich-get-in-her-pants-jock/doofus"! As for Jackson? hmm - the bad boy exterior/good boy interior? Of course I realize WHY he's got such a "hardened" exterior, from the life he's grown up in, but underneath? is he a teddy bear? Protective? I don't like his "thieving" ways, for sure! I DO blame him for what happened to Melminus the theiving part!! lol I DID love his French Cajun accent, and how Ms Cole wrote just how he would talk, that was pretty cool>>I've learned some of his language even! Ohhh>and then there is Arthur!! Uggh!! OMG!! One word to describe him: HORRIBLE!! He's one of those "horrible" men you hear about on the news that preys on & kidnaps young girls/women, and does "horrible" experiments on them (he thinks he's some kinda scientist or something & Powerful)! He also had a bad life growing up, that really F'd him up, baaaad! Nothing like Jack, in fact, makes you love Jack even more!! As I read, I yelled at Evie~~"DON'T go up on that porch...NOOOO>do NOT knock on that door...omg, PLEASE don't go inside", just like when I'm watching one of those movies where you find yourself yelling at the girl/TV~~>"don't open that door...DON'T go investigate that noise you dumb-ass" >and damn if they don't listen to ya! Hubby just looks at me like I"M the crazy one! lol
As for Kresley Cole's writing? Excellent!! One hell of an imagination! I was sucked in from the beginning! Very pleased with her details, her portrayal of each character AND - VERY pleased with something different & unique. Apocalyptic = world end, Characters represent each Tarot card = magical, bogeymen/bagmen = zombiesabout. Not the normal "vampire/werewolf" type books that you get in the paranormal genre(not that I don't love my vampires>omg those bodies - and my
furry-loveable werewoles> that remind me of my beautiful German Shepherd laying beside me, cept she don't turn into a "hot-werewolf-guy!! lol
My ONLY complaint: I should've checked out the price of this E-book BEFORE reading the "Free Preview", being on a "fixed" income~(hubby gets paid, I fix it), it's a tad pricey for me:( I try not to go OVER $5 for an
e-book~especially if it's gonna be a SERIES!! Starts adding up, above my "alotted-monthly-book-expense"!:(
Sooo - is this book good enuff to pay the "e-book-price"? well, now that I read the first 7 chapters>I guess I'll have to!! I'll just read less this month and dust off my Nintendo DS or play my Pogo.com games!

Profile Image for Alyssa.
13 reviews
January 16, 2022
I’ve yet to venture further into the series beyond its first instalment and my feelings were slightly mixed.

The premise was phenomenal and I loved the intricacies of the tarot symbolism along with the construction of the world it existed in. The way each character had traits and components that embodied their card was a detail that added depth to each character.

I particularly enjoyed the side story/narration style that took place with the hermit tarot and his incredibly twisted character and narration style served as an interesting representation. I also enjoyed the portrayal of the creatures within the series.

However, where this instalment fell flat for me was the characters. The lead falls into a tortured artist, mentally I’ll girl who seemed to only be flawed by that facts. She was picture perfect outside of that to a fault.

The main love interest was also somewhat insufferable. He was flaky and treated the protagonist poorly and his disgust tied in with his religious roots nearing the end also didn’t sit well with me. His redeeming qualities or his certain ‘bad boy’ charm fell flat for me. He was violent, volatile and frankly misogynistic which made the more enticing elements of his personality null in void.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kirsten Lenius.
503 reviews38 followers
November 25, 2012
Another young adult paranormal book. It seems that so many are writing for that audience at the moment . This seems to be a reasonable start to a post apocalyptic series, though it has many items that hit my 'squick' buttons. I also don't care for the fact that this was presented as a book, but is really just a portion of one and to read the rest, you must buy the whole book and start over.

I am not entirely sure that I will continue with this one, despite the fact that I usually like Cole's work and have no problem reading YA things, as long as the story is good.

Profile Image for Nikki Hoehne.
46 reviews
November 20, 2012
I knew I shouldnt have read this!:( Lol I KNEW I was going to want to finish it but it costs $10 and I dont have $10! It was sooo good... Im going to have to get the money somehow...haha
Profile Image for Terzah Horton.
186 reviews2 followers
February 26, 2022
While I put this on the light-hearted romances to read before bed based on the author, the book was more horror and apocolytic. The heroine is a 16 year old Lousiana rich girl and there is no sex in the book--the closest is kissing scenes and the heroine is most often not involved. The book starts out with a creepy dude that you think is going to kill the heroine. But then you get the 9/10 of the book as a backstory and learn that the heroine is not as fragile as she is made out to be. There is a love interest, but the interaction is emotionally laden and physically tame.

Spoiler alert: The main characters, with one exception, are all reincarnation of Tarot cards. WAIT!! don't abandon the book quite yet. Some of the Arcana characters are just stupid, including possibly the heroine, who get poison claws when agitated. She also moves around plants, even when there aren't any. So it takes a healthy suspension of belief to get through the book. The plot is intense (post apocolyptic with very few women surviving) but the shocking/horrific is rare. If you start reading about either magots or the scholar, brace yourself.
4 reviews
November 30, 2020
Good premise. Interesting characters. Story is a little slow to start, but does get interesting as it goes on. Jack is a confusing character, but likeable I think. The background of the ,sin heroin I think is very confusing and jumps around a lot. Unique take on a dystopia genre, did enjoy and will read more.
Profile Image for Rose  F.
61 reviews2 followers
February 20, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I read the book and not the preview edition. I haven't read too much by Kresley Cole but I am really becoming a big fan. I enjoyed the way the story came together in the writing. Can't wait to read book 2.
Profile Image for Catelyn Talks.
7 reviews
August 1, 2023
I love this book, it starts slow. We are learning Evie, her life, personality and morality. That way we see how she truly changes as the story progresses. In the end the story is beautiful and I feel for the MFC.
Profile Image for Damaris.
14 reviews
February 24, 2018
I have no words this books ending has my heart torn out. I need to get the next book and SOON! Or else i swear i'm going to go crazy!
49 reviews2 followers
February 9, 2020
Best book ever

Love the characters I love the storyline I love everything about this book the author writes amazing the characters are going to fall in love with
1 review
July 11, 2020
😲 OMG AGAIN AND AGAIN VERY NICCE 📚 Btw you should tots read it
3 reviews
August 23, 2014
A book that will pull you in!!!

I downloaded this book for free and expected the norm of free books, boring, predictable and corny. after the first chapter, I was hooked. once I was done with the free preview I realised I had to purchase it. I love the uniqueness of the storyline but the simplicity of the concept that makes you read any all through the night. Kresley Cole is a remarkable writer!!!!
Profile Image for Vero.
1,668 reviews9 followers
April 26, 2014
Not bad. <p> </p>
<p>But I had to realize again that I don't like YA.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This was a good one, but the characters were still not interesting to me.</p>
<p>The bad cajun boy was too mature for an 18 year old. And the 16 year old heroine seemed artificial. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The world-building with the ominous flash was too complicated for me and so I lost interest.</p>
Profile Image for Sarah.
39 reviews3 followers
November 3, 2012
Wow, not what I thought it would be when I downloaded it. I didn't bother reading ant description on this beforehand, just saw it was a Kresley Cole. I started reading it and was hooked. She creates such a fascinating world, such description and imagery, you can totally fall into her world. What's going to happen next?
Profile Image for Keshia.
229 reviews47 followers
July 3, 2013
I'm still not sure whether I am going to buy this one. I am curious to know where exactly the story is going but it's still far from a favourite of mine. We'll see. I think I'm curious enough to carry on.
Profile Image for Theresa Jones.
Author 10 books130 followers
January 5, 2013
I shouldnt have read this, because now I Have to buy the book!!
UGh!
SO good! dont read this free version unless you are prepared to purchase the whole copy, or you might go crazy!!
Profile Image for Amanda vasquez.
331 reviews2 followers
December 29, 2012
I have a love hate thing going on with this book but i think i will buy it and finish it
Profile Image for Joy.
2 reviews
September 27, 2013
Blew my mind hole. Dare I say, I loved it more than anything on the Valkerie's. wish I had book 2 on Audio right now. Unbelievable characters - can't believe I'm reading young adult.
Profile Image for Stacey.
434 reviews50 followers
November 8, 2013
looks like I'm gonna have to get the full book.
Profile Image for Laura Thornberg.
16 reviews
January 23, 2014
Beyond awesome. Grabbed book two and completed in2 days. Not sure how to handle the wait for book 3 to come out.
Profile Image for Aaron Jackson.
25 reviews
October 23, 2014
Started off pretty interesting, but by chapter 3, I lost interest. Definitely a YA story.
305 reviews1 follower
October 15, 2015
Another great one from one of my favorite authors. Keep up your fantastic work.
Profile Image for Susan (Suz).
313 reviews10 followers
March 13, 2013
Great free preview, def makes me want to get the full book so I can finish it!!! :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews