Cole, Kresley. Poison Princess. (The Arcana Chronicles series)

Cole, Kresley.  Poison Princess. (The Arcana Chronicles series)  Simon & Schuster  384p  $18.99  978-1-4424-3664-0  2012  hs/adult  VG  Science Fiction

In post-apocalyptic Louisiana, 16-year-old Evie Greene must join forces with undependable Jack Deveaux in a fight for answers ... and her life.  New York Times best-selling author Kresley Cole introduces The Arcana Chronicles, described by the publisher as “post-apocalyptic tales filled with riveting action, the dark mysticism of Tarot cards, and breathtaking romance”.

Poison Princess is the debut volume in The Arcana Chronicles.  I was completely hooked by the first chapter -- despite the creepy serial-killer/rapist overtones.  The opening unsettled me and convinced me that this is not a teen novel.  Still, reluctantly fascinated, I read on because the initial chapter delivered everything promised in the publisher’s blurb.

Chapter Two is another story -- literally.  The reader is suddenly subjected to a minute account of Evie’s (the protagonist’s) last week before the apocalypse.  This takes up the next thirteen chapters!  The text describes, in detail, seven days of teenage high-school drama that do not move the plot along in any significant manner, although they may provide back story for upcoming sequels.  We are introduced to Evie’s circle of (stereotypical, two-dimensional) rich, spoiled, “popular” friends.  Many brand names are liberally dropped in descriptions of cars, shoes, accessories, and clothing.  Evie is unabashedly upfront regarding her vendetta against the wrong-side-of-the-tracks white-trash transfers, and her angst about her plans to lose her “v-card” (i.e., her virginity) to her Abercrombie-ad perfect star-athlete boyfriend.

The cataclysmic event that ends the world as we know it -- destroying all plants and most water -- leaves buildings intact while killing anyone who is outdoors during the “big flash”.  The aftermath is a world that now includes zombies who are attracted to water and hate sunlight, cannibals, slavers, and many lawless people with little self-control.  Pampered Evie must navigate through this dangerous, gritty landscape to complete her quest, which appears to be to kill every other Major Arcana tarot card character.  The hallucinations that landed Evie in therapy for her entire summer vacation now prove to be prophetic.  She must team up with the one person she most despises, Jackson, in order to see her grandmother, who is the only person Evie believes has answers about her visions.

The concept of twenty-two teens representing aspects of the Tarot deck is intriguing and fresh.  However, the execution drags, especially in the descriptions of life before the apocalypse.  Evie has the potential to change and become a strong, admirable heroine.  She is inexperienced and spoiled, but proves she is capable of learning and could eventually become a successful survivalist.  Instead, she permits Jackson to objectify her, puts up with his verbal abuse, doesn’t call Jackson out on his relentless campaign to pressure her into a sexual relationship, and eventually falls “in love” with Jackson.  And Jackson, the male protagonist, is an arrogant bully -- making him a weak love match for “she-should-savvier-than-that” Evie.  It is to be hoped that Jackson will grow and change in future books.

Kresley Cole is well known for her successful adult paranormal romances.  This text includes sexual interaction and substantial violence.  It may be considered appropriate for mature teen readers, but concerned parents may want to read the novel before passing it on to their children.

Post-Apocalyptic Fiction                                    --Hilary Welliver