I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Abandon by Meg Cabot Series: Abandon #1
Also by this author: Insatiable, Size 12 Is Not Fat with Bonus Material
Published by Scholastic Inc. on 2011-04-26
Genres: Dating & Sex, Greek & Roman, Legends, Myths, Fables, Love & Romance, Paranormal, Social Issues, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld. Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid. Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most. But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.
So, Pierce Oliveria is a bit of a nut job. Only, she’s actually not. You see, she died once, but then came back after 20 minutes or so. While dead, she hooked up with this dude, John Haden who is the Isla Huesos (an island in Florida) version of Hades, God of the Underworld. Anyways, as said, she comes back, has ADD, and is unable to handle school in Connecticut. SO, Pierce moves to Isla Huesos with her mother, who is totally NOT into her Dad anymore. Did I mention her dad is pretty much a BP exec? YEAH. Sooo, Abandon by Meg Cabot brings the drama. Hardcore.
GUYS, I wish Pierce was one of my real life friends. She genuinely cares for people, but she isn’t a dunderhead softie. When the going gets tough, Pierce gets going. In genuine Meg Cabot heroine fashion. I loved that Pierce was ready to face down danger if it threatened her friends or family. The only thing I found irritating about her was all of her ‘little did I know’ asides. That was rather grating. I mean, skip the little did I know and just tell the reader what’s up.
As for the take on Persephone, Abandon isn’t exactly a word for word retelling. Obviously, the era is different. No Greeks running around. Further, I think Abandon is just the beginning of the myth. There’s not exactly the seasonal resolution or anything. I think maybe that comes down the line in the next two books.
What I did notice was the feeling of loneliness that pulsates through the book. I mean, Pierce is a bit of a melancholy girl who undergoes serious tragedy in her life. No one is all that close to her. She doesn’t have a lover. She doesn’t seem to have very close friends. And her mum is a bit clueless, so to speak. Then you have John Hayden, the love interest. Of course he is lonely. It’s just him chilling out in the underworld. It’s not like he has friends to play basketball with or a girl to mack on until Pierce wanders into his world. It’s quite sad. I mean, I would be sad if I was that lonely.
Really, not much else to say about Abandon. It’s basically the first of the trilogy. It’s not exactly action packed and there’s a lot of story/world-building going on. I imagine the next two books are going to have the meat of the story. If you, like me, know that you can always rely on Meg Cabot to tell you a good story, whether it’s an Avon historical romance (hello Nicola And The Viscount), a story about How To Be Popular, or being a princess with some diaries, then I recommend picking up Abandon, as you know you are getting yourself into something reliable.
Disclosure: Received for review.
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I’m a big Cabot fangirl, so I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! I can’t wait to read it!
I wasn’t too fond of Abandon (I guess it just wasn’t my thing), but I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it! =)
It took me a bit to get going with the flow of the story (lots of forward and back), but I ended up liking this one and am looking forward to the next.
After reading Princess diaries and the airhead trilogy by Meg Cabot, I really wanted to read this book because I loved her previous books and this one seemed to be for slightly older readers by looking at the cover. Meg Cabot’s books which i read previously have a female main character and something that happens to her which makes the whole story (eg a simple teenager becoming a princess, two different girls change bodies and now – a girl comes back from the dead?).
After reading this book I can say it is quite different to the previous books I read from Meg Cabot. The style of writing was very interesting to read and quite fast paced. I would recommend Abandon to many friends and I know they would like it, although the main character is a bit annoying sometimes when I read about her outlook on life :).
I don’t want to give out any details of the story, but I can say, I really want to read the next book in the series.
Great review!
Heres mine.
This book is best described as a dark love story. It is quite complex on a lot of the issues it covers, following the main characters near death experience, when she meets the mysterious John in the underworld.
The story is a very clever re-telling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone and the underworld.
I really liked the character Peirce and was intrigued by the dark character of John.
I liked the setting of the book and the island and its strange weather and raised coffins in the grave yard sounded intriguing. The other characters in this book were not so well defined. But what would become of Pierce and the dangers she faced and whether or not her and John would finally get together did keep me reading right to the end.
It was absolutely amazing! Read it in one day can’t wait for the next book.
That’s really awesome,Kimberly! I am eagerly awaiting the next book, Underworld, as well 🙂
We are reading this book in class. We were supose to put it down, but I keep on reading. It is so good! I love this book so much I cant stop reading. I can not wait until we get to read the next chapter! This book has a romantic and mysterous plot and alot of twists! I say YES to this book. My whole group is reading so expect more coments on the way. The big question is; What is going to happen to them and will it change them forever?
I loved this book. And i loved the whole series. I wish Perice is real too. and John is sooooooo hot