"Poison Princess" by Kresley Cole

POISON PRINCESS - Kresley Cole (released October 2012)
(first book of the Arcana Chronicles)

Could easily become my new favorite book series!

The title alone would tempt me to pick up this book, but adding two very attractive models to the cover, and it's a for-sure pick up.

Over the summer, Evie was admitted into a psych ward because of hallucinations she was having about the end of the world, only to find out, they weren't hallucinations...  On her sixteenth birthday, the Flash happens, causing the end of the world.  But the end is just the beginning for Evie and the other Arcana.

Before the Flash, Evie was a  popular, fairly wealthy girl, with a dream boyfriend living in Louisiana... who had hallucinations about controlling plants, evil witches and Death, and the end of the world.  On the first day of school, after her summer spent in a psych ward, five new students, including Cajun bad boy, Jack, transfer from the Bayou to Evie's school because a new levee is built.  While Jack puts Evie on edge, but the reader can't help but fall for him.

After the Flash, everyone and everything outside burned to ash - including Evie's best friend, Evie's boyfriend, and all plant life.  Evie is trying to keep things together on her farm with her mother, while she keeps having hallucinations, but once her mom gets hurt, Evie is lost.  Until Jack, the Bayou knight in a tight black shirt who rides a motorcycle, comes to see Evie and "rescue" her.  Only problem is - Evie believes she is apart of a larger war going on, involving the Arcana, and she has no idea what to do!

Poison Princess is told as a story that Evie is telling to a stranger that offered her refuge from the world, but her "rescuer" isn't all he's cracked up to be.  The reader sees the world, and Jack, through Evie's eyes the entire time, so they get to try to figure things out about her and him right along with Evie - which I love.  (I hate figuring out important information chapters before the lead character does.  [Ref. The Hunt])

Cole wrote the characters with such truth.  I love how Jack acts like an asshole one minute, and then steals your heart the next.  He acted like a true 18 year old boy, which made him feel so real to me.  The same goes for Evie.  Her insecurities, doubts, and attitude made me believe I was listening to a real 18 year old girl.  The love story between Jack and Evie is heartbreaking and frustrating, but in a way that makes you want to keep reading.  I haven't read a book that got me so emotionally invested in the story in quite awhile!  (The only other book series that have done this to me are Vampire Academy and Hush, Hush.)  It was VERY hard for me to put this book down.  I would stay awake until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning reading because I didn't want to stop!  And when I was at work, I couldn't wait to get home to continue reading.  I was obsessed.  This book was like crack for me.  After I finished, I was very tempted to start over and read again!  I found myself daydreaming, and even DREAMING about this book weeks after I finished read it.  The second book to the series doesn't come out until October 2013 and I can hardly wait!  In fact, I will probably read this book again once I'm done with book I am currently reading, because I loved this book so much.

Final say:  A MUST READ if you are a YA lover!  This book has everything a YA reader would want - action, conflicted romance, a bad boy who is sensitive, and a girl who is believable, but is also secret bad ass herself.  I would recommend this book to anyone, and if they didn't like it - then I don't think we could be friends.

Note:  I reread the book in a weekend again after I posted this, and I feel in love with the story and Jack all over again!  I love, love, LOVE this book!