tess1209's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
palomapepper's review against another edition
1.0
I was so excited at the concept of this book. Puerto Rico + magical realism in a YA novel? Sign me up!
...Color me disappointed.
My main issues:
- Puerto Rico was depicted as one big stereotype of itself (complete with sexy Latin lovers). The Spanglish felt "off", and was clearly written by an outsider - was it that hard to run it past someone who hears this stuff on a regular basis?
- The island is basically a colorful backdrop for the stories of two white American characters. Puerto Ricans themselves only seem to play the role of servants or redshirts.
- While reading this, I scribbled out an entire page of fact-checks, including: the Taino language went extinct in the 19th century; Puerto Rico is simultaneously its own nation AND part of America; your average Puerto Rican isn't necessarily listening to salsa on a daily basis; Puerto Ricans are not always a socioeconomic underclass (especially on their own damn island).
- The main character didn't feel like a real person, and his motives didn't make sense to me. He seemed mainly driven by... ennui?
...Color me disappointed.
My main issues:
- Puerto Rico was depicted as one big stereotype of itself (complete with sexy Latin lovers). The Spanglish felt "off", and was clearly written by an outsider - was it that hard to run it past someone who hears this stuff on a regular basis?
- The island is basically a colorful backdrop for the stories of two white American characters.
Spoiler
(Technically, one is revealed to be half-Dominican, but he's a blond-haired American who seems to identify as white.)- While reading this, I scribbled out an entire page of fact-checks, including: the Taino language went extinct in the 19th century; Puerto Rico is simultaneously its own nation AND part of America; your average Puerto Rican isn't necessarily listening to salsa on a daily basis; Puerto Ricans are not always a socioeconomic underclass (especially on their own damn island).
- The main character didn't feel like a real person, and his motives didn't make sense to me. He seemed mainly driven by... ennui?
portraitofareader's review against another edition
3.0
It felt like it couldn't decide if it wanted to be magical or mundane.
marmoset737's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting magical realism pick for teenagers - particularly interesting as it could likely appeal to teenage boys given the depth and realism of the central narrator. The book also captures the culture of Puerto Rico, and weaves an exciting mystery/love story/coming-of-age tale that is sure to appeal to older readers. Some of the magical realism might alienate more reluctant readers - although if they are hooked by the book it could be a good entry point to the
form and style for them.
Full disclosure: I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Alongquin Young Readers for an honest review of this title.
form and style for them.
Full disclosure: I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Alongquin Young Readers for an honest review of this title.
lunar_reader8273's review against another edition
1.0
Whoever did the cover art, kudos, but otherwise this book was quite underwhelming, I usually love books that are literary, but this one just didnt hit the spot. I found Lucas quite obnoxious and it was very hard to like him at all, I feel like the story of this book would have been much more interesting if any other character would have been the MC, I would have loved it if Isabel was the MC with the missing girls used as alternate viewpoints. Overall, very underwhelming book with a terrible protagonist
ginnikin's review against another edition
when you can leave a book for 2 weeks and have no curiosity about it, the book is not for you
anniedelsignore's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting read. I really liked the magical realism and the loved the setting. It was a little hard to get into but it was quick and entertaining.
paintedgiraffe's review against another edition
3.0
Conflicted. The author is clearly talented and I love the way she describes all five senses. HOWEVER, like others have said, the culture is woefully unexplored, seen though the eyes of a spoiled white boy who's the son of a land developer. On the one hand, okay, I appreciate the "outsider's" perspective. But gah, he never got into the plot or truly cared about the characters. His relationship with Isabel I read more as a mere obsession than actual compassion. I don't regret reading this, as a story set in Puerto Rico is always a gem. (Underrepresented cultures ftw!) Even slopshod together, I did get a positive feeling of the beautiful country. This was sort of a miss on account of the main character being irritating, but I'll read another work by this author.
aggleeson's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
missprint_'s review
3.0
Lucas spends every summer with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico. The resort there, an old convent, sometimes feels more like home to Lucas than the mainland ever does.
The stories he hears there about the cursed girl with the green skin and the poison in her veins sometimes feel more real than any of the girls Lucas spends the summer romancing as a diversion. Lucas has always wanted to help her; imagined himself breaking Isabel's curse once and for all.
This summer, when his latest girlfriend disappears and Lucas starts receiving letters from Isabel herself, his life becomes inextricably entwined with the island, the curse, and a desperate search to save another lost girl before it's too late in A Fierce and Subtle Poison (2016) by Samantha Mabry.
A Fierce and Subtle Poison is Mabry's debut novel. It's easy, while reading, to see how the seeds of this story led to her subsequent novels All the Wind in the World and Tigers, Not Daughters.
Narrated by Lucas, this novel explores colonization and gentrification. Lucas witnesses firsthand the entitlement of white tourists and the damage his own father's resorts cause to the island's often fragile history.
Mabry expertly blends suspense and magic realism in this story of poison and disappeared girls although by the second half of the book it begins to feel like too many things are thrown into the plot as Lucas learns more about Isabel and her past.
A Fierce and Subtle Poison is a subtle story of longing and growing up. Recommended for readers who want to follow along with characters searching for their own compass--moral or otherwise.
Possible Pairings: Girl Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust, The Careful Undressing of Love by Corey Ann Haydu, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, Bone Gap by Laura Ruby, Sadie by Courtney Summers
The stories he hears there about the cursed girl with the green skin and the poison in her veins sometimes feel more real than any of the girls Lucas spends the summer romancing as a diversion. Lucas has always wanted to help her; imagined himself breaking Isabel's curse once and for all.
This summer, when his latest girlfriend disappears and Lucas starts receiving letters from Isabel herself, his life becomes inextricably entwined with the island, the curse, and a desperate search to save another lost girl before it's too late in A Fierce and Subtle Poison (2016) by Samantha Mabry.
A Fierce and Subtle Poison is Mabry's debut novel. It's easy, while reading, to see how the seeds of this story led to her subsequent novels All the Wind in the World and Tigers, Not Daughters.
Narrated by Lucas, this novel explores colonization and gentrification. Lucas witnesses firsthand the entitlement of white tourists and the damage his own father's resorts cause to the island's often fragile history.
Mabry expertly blends suspense and magic realism in this story of poison and disappeared girls although by the second half of the book it begins to feel like too many things are thrown into the plot as Lucas learns more about Isabel and her past.
A Fierce and Subtle Poison is a subtle story of longing and growing up. Recommended for readers who want to follow along with characters searching for their own compass--moral or otherwise.
Possible Pairings: Girl Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust, The Careful Undressing of Love by Corey Ann Haydu, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, Bone Gap by Laura Ruby, Sadie by Courtney Summers