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 against another edition
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
pixe1's review against another edition
2.0
I admit that I bought this because the cover and title appealed to me. But I was disappointed by the story - it seemed weirdly random and chaotic.
beccam22's review against another edition
Just didn’t vibe with the writing and felt to young for me
kyliereads341's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
goth_hearted's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really enjoyed the bulk of this book, the character were interesting, and the premise was great. But the ending felt really rushed and a bit abrupt, which spoiled it for me. Could have easily been a 4.5 or 5 stars with a stronger ending