The Poison Diaries

Author: Maryrose Wood
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: July 20, 2010
Source: Borrowed
Format: e-Book
Goodreads Description:
"In the right dose, everything is a poison. Even love . . .

Jessamine Luxton has lived all her sixteen years in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle, with little company apart from the plants in her garden. Her father, Thomas, a feared and respected apothecary, has taught her much about the incredible powers of plants: that even the most innocent-looking weed can cure -- or kill.

When Jessamine begins to fall in love with a mysterious boy who claims to communicate with plants, she is drawn into the dangerous world of the poison garden in a way she never could have imagined . . ."

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I was really intrigued by the concept of The Poison Diaries because the description reminded me of “Rappaccini’s Daughter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The romance between Weed and Jessamine was well done—it was innocent and cute. Even though it was a short story, I felt the pacing was a little slow. However, as the romance started to pick up, the story moved along much more quickly.

I’m really looking forward to Nightshade, the next book in this series. There are definitely some loose ends in The Poison Diaries, and I really need to know what happens next. I really did not predict this ending—I don’t think I possibly could have, but I really need to see where Maryrose Wood is going with this.