Abandon - Book Review

Title ~ Abandon
Series ~ Abandon Trilogy #1
Author ~ Meg Cabot
Release Date ~ April 26, 2011
Age Group ~ Young Adult
Publisher ~ Point
Source ~ Reading Teen

GOODREADS SUMMARY

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.

REVIEW

I had such a sweet surprise when I was reading Abandon. I didn’t know that it was based on the Persephone myth complete with Hades and the Furies. There are references to the myth, but there is enough uniqueness to the plot to keep you guessing. YES!  It is a mythological retelling that doesn't retell so much as it TELLS in its own way.  Sometimes retellings are just too close to the original for me.  I can figure them out too easily.  That is not the case with Abandon.  I had to guess at what might happen, and then I was wrong anyways.  So I had to guess again.  Wrong again.  Love that!

Pierce died in an accident, but was brought back to life. What happened while she was dead is haunting Pierce and she can’t seem to break free of her fear of the Underworld. And then there’s John Hayden, who seems like a stalker because he’s always around right when Pierce needs help. Did you notice his last name sounds a bit like Hades?  Indeed.

There is a whole really complicated puzzle that explains how and why Pierce died.  Complicated in a good way though.  Even with the teasers into Pierce’s past, I was shocked when I learned the truth. Meg Cabot has this great way of leading her readers, but not giving away too much. I am reminded of why I liked The Mediator series so much.

This dramatic start to the Abandon Trilogy left me anxious for more stories of the Underworld. 

RATING

5 Loved

COVER COMMENTS

Pierce looks like she is dead, but dead in a pretty sort of way. The swirly flowery corners are pretty. Check out the fancy letter A in Abandon. It’s a nice cover, but not overly exciting.