Review: A Fierce and Subtle Poison By Samantha Mabry
Series: (Stand Alone)
Published By: Algonquin Young Readers
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, and Magical Realism
Format: Paperback
RATING: Stars
Pages: 288 pages
SYNOPSIS (from Goodreads)
Everyone knows the legends about the cursed girl--Isabel, the one the señoras whisper about. They say she has green skin and grass for hair, and she feeds on the poisonous plants that fill her family’s Caribbean island garden. Some say she can grant wishes; some say her touch can kill.
Seventeen-year-old Lucas lives on the mainland most of the year but spends summers with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico. He’s grown up hearing stories about the cursed girl, and he wants to believe in Isabel and her magic. When letters from Isabel begin mysteriously appearing in his room the same day his new girlfriend disappears, Lucas turns to Isabel for answers--and finds himself lured into her strange and enchanted world. But time is running out for the girl filled with poison, and the more entangled Lucas becomes with Isabel, the less certain he is of escaping with his own life.
2 Star Rating: It was okay, but it lacked in some aspects.
I really love the whole idea of this book. I love how original it is and the idea of a girl with green skin, grass for hair, and a touch that could kill sounds pretty freaking awesome. I was really looking forward to this. But, when we are finally introduced to the "cursed girl," Isabel, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Her character and overall personality just didn't really do it for me. I can't really explain it! There is just something about her... Also, Lucas didn't really do it for me either. Pretty much all the characters in this book had me feel this way. I can't explain it. Also, it was kind of weird how the two interacted with each other within like the first day of meeting. The way she talked to him, as if she has been friends with him for a long time. Within like the second day she was talking about him always doing this and that, etc. It was just stuck out as weird to me the way they would talk to each other sometimes.
Now for the plot! I think overall the plot was pretty good. I love how unpredictable it is and how you never really know what is going to happen next. Like I have said about 3,000 times in this review, I think the idea of this book is awesome, and pretty original. This book, however, I think lacks in some aspects. It never really goes into depth about anything in this book, and the pacing was too fast at times. IT tends to jump around a lot. It never really stays in one scene for long. The duration of those scenes are over too fast, and it just left me wishing that the book dwelled longer in some parts of the book.
Overall, this book was okay but, it lacked in some aspects.
Have you read this, your thoughts?
A special thanks to Algonquin Young Readers who gave me this book in exchange for an honest review!!
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