Book Review: Poison Ivy Thorns by Kody Keplinger
Have you ever wondered how the feminist icon Poison Ivy came to be? Read on for a full book review of Poison Ivy: Thorns, a new gothic-esq retelling of Poison Ivy’s origin story.
New York Times bestselling author of The DUFF Kody Keplinger and artist Sara Kipin reimagine an iconic DC antihero with a gothic-horror twist.
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Poison Ivy: THORNs Review
In Poison Ivy: Thorns, Pamela Isley is different from other high schoolers. She is a loner who also hides a secret from her fellow high school classmates. Her mother is ill and her father is trying to find a cure but everyone just thinks that her mom is off on a research trip. In reality, Pamela’s mother is in a coma in the basement of the family home. Staunchly private, Pamela’s unstable father makes the curious decision to invite Pamela’s classmate April into their home. Pamela would prefer to get lost in the school’s greenhouse but as a male classmate begins to harass her, Pamela makes a decision that will change the course of her life.
The character of Pamela goes through a change mostly because of the abuse she endures from the men in her life. Her father is emotionally and then physically abusive as is her classmate Brett. This abuse shapes her into the woman who eventually becomes Poison Ivy. Author Kody Keplinger parallels Pamela’s experiences with men and compares to the plants who get abused by these same people. Eventually, Pamela fights back and none of her abusers get a happy ending which is how it should be.
Poison Ivy: Thorns has a dark gothic-type feel to the illustrations. Lots of blacks and greens fill Pamela’s world in this novel and her features sharpen throughout the course of the story as she resolves to get revenge on her enemies.
One confusing aspect was the behavior of Pamela’s father who forces her to participate in experiments as he researches a cure for her mother. He has a tragic end but I didn’t quite understand his reasoning. Did he blame Pamela for her mother’s illness? Was he mentally ill himself? Why did he expound on the virtues of privacy if he was going to invite April into their home. None of that made sense.
For the most part, Poison Ivy: Thorns is a really solid origin story that includes diversity and a same-sex relationship which queer teens will appreciate.
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