ARC Review: Nightshade - Maryrose Wood

Sixteen-year-old Jessamine Luxton is heartbroken.  Her true love, Weed, the strange and intriguing young man who came into her life so suddenly, has disappeared.

Jessamine suspects that her own father, Thomas, may have been involved.  Thomas was obsessed with poisons and discovering Weed's secret understanding of dangerous plants. 

This suspicion and her own growing expertise with poisons have changed her.  She is no longer innocent.  So when Jessamine learns that Weed is alive and in danger, she will do whatever it takes to be reunited with him, including killing whoever gets in her way

Poison Diaries Trilogy:
The Poison Diaries
Nightshade (1st September 2011)
No title is currently available for the third book in the trilogy

The Poison Diaries series is written by Maryrose Wood and based on an idea by the Duchess of Northumberland. Visit Maryrose Wood's website or The Poison Diaries website for more information

Review:
After really enjoying The Poison Diaries I have to admit I was excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of Nightshade and I couldn't wait to start reading it.  Although Nightshade goes in a completely different direction to the one I was expecting and is a lot darker than The Poison Diaries I still really enjoyed it.  In fact I think I liked it even more because it managed to surprise me!  The story is a quick read and one I was able to whizz through in one day, the action is fast paced and you never know quite what will happen next which definitely kept me turning the pages.

Jessamine has done a lot of growing up since the first book, the discoveries she made about her father have changed her dramatically and I was pleased to see her stand up for herself more this time around.  Although there were times I wanted to shake her for listening to Oleander it was easy to see why she turned to him.  With Weed missing and her trust in her father destroyed she has nowhere else to turn and this makes her an easy target for the prince of poisons.  If Jessamine is to have any chance of finding Weed she has to hope that Oleander will help her but he has plans of his own and it isn't going to be easy for her to remain focused on her goal.

Weed is also searching for Jessamine but even the plants don't seem to know where she is.  Weed is having to try and fit into the human world while he tries to find his lost love and I enjoyed seeing things through his eyes, he actually becomes much more comfortable around people which was nice to see.  I still love Weed's character but I was a bit disappointed that we don't really get to see as much of him in this installment.  While this was understandable considering what is happening I missed reading about him and hope he is more prominent in the next book.

Nightshade is a much faster paced read than the first book but it is still a beautifully descriptive story and I loved the setting of the gardens that Weed finds himself in during his quest to find Jessamine.  I can't say too much because I don't want to give spoilers but I liked the contrast between the new garden and Thomas Luxton's poison one.  The story ended on a killer cliffhanger and I can't wait to read the final book in the series and see how things turn out, I wonder if the author will manage to surprise me again with the direction the story takes next? 

If you haven't started this series yet I'd highly recommend picking up your copy of The Poison Diaries now, the series is totally different to anything else I've read and stands out all the more because of that.

Source: Received from Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Poison Diaries - Maryrose Wood

Jessamine Luxton lives with her father, Thomas, an apothecary, in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle. Thomas’s pride and obsession is his locked garden full of dangerous plants, which Jessamine is forbidden to enter.

When a traveler brings an orphan to their cottage, he claims the boy has special gifts that Thomas might value. Jessamine is drawn to the strange but intriguing boy, called Weed. Soon their friendship deepens into love. Finally, Weed shares his secret: He can communicate with plants. For him they have distinct personalities—and some are even murderous. From the locked garden the poisonous plants call to Weed, luring him with promises of deadly power.

When Jessamine falls inexplicably ill, only Weed’s relationship with the Poisons can save her. But Thomas is determined to exploit Weed’s abilities, even if it risks Jessamine’s life—or drives Weed to the brink of madness.…

Poison Diaries Trilogy:
The Poison Diaries
Nightshade
No title is currently available for the third book in the trilogy

The Poison Diaries series is written by Maryrose Wood and based on an idea by the Duchess of Northumberland. Visit Maryrose Wood's website or The Poison Diaries website for more information

Review:
Jessamine and her father Thomas live a quiet life in the ruins of Hulne Abbey spending most of their time tending to their gardens.  There is one garden that it is forbidden for Jessamine to enter though - her father's poison garden where he keeps the dangerous plants he uses to make medicines.  Thomas is the local apothecary and is constantly searching for new uses for his plants.  One day a stranger arrives, bringing with him an orphan who is said to have an incredible knowledge of plants.  Thomas takes in the orphan hoping to learn from him but Weed is determined to keep his secrets.

It is so nice to come across a book that is so different to anything I've read before, The Poison Diaries is a beautifully descriptive tale full of mystery, love and deceit.  I really felt for Jessamine, her father is so wrapped up in his research that he often leaves her alone for days at a time.  She isn't allowed to talk to the other villagers in case she gives away some of his secrets so her life is a lonely one.  She spends her time taking care of the gardens, looking after the house and cooking for her father but although she longs for company she doesn't sit around feeling sorry for herself.  She is thrilled when her father allows Weed to live with them, finally she has someone to talk to and I enjoyed watching their friendship develop.

When Weed first arrives he is nervous and withdrawn, he has never had a family and is afraid to trust Jessamine and her father.  As Jessamine takes him under her wing he gradually comes out of himself and begins to trust her but is still scared to tell her his deepest secret.  I'm not going to tell you what that secret is because I don't want to spoil the story for you but it added a wonderful element to the book and I was completely hooked from the moment it was revealed.  The more we learn about Weed the more likable he becomes and I can't wait to get to know him better in the next installment.  What I loved most about Weed and Jessamine's relationship was that it wasn't another case of instant love, the two characters spend time together and their feelings develop slowly which made their relationship so much more believable.

The setting of the story is almost a character in it's own right.  It was easy to picture the ruins of Hulne Abbey and the surrounding gardens that Thomas has created and I felt like I was walking alongside Jessamine and Weed as they explored the area.  From the first time they step foot in the poison garden you feel a real sense of foreboding and this only increases as you discover more about Weed's special abilities.  When Jessamine falls ill Weed has no choice but to face his fears if he wants to save her but it isn't going to be easy for him.  I did have a fairly good guess at part of the ending but there were quite a few twists that took me by surprise and I can't wait to see where the rest of the series takes us.  If you're looking for a magical tale that is a little different from the usual paranormal stories then I would definitely recommend checking out The Poison Diaries.

Source: Purchased

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