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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Actual rank: 1,5. I though Meg could never disappoint me, but I was wrong. There's no character development, Pierce and John's relationship is abusive, the plot is too rushed... I don't know if I'll read the next book.
It has been so long since I read Abandon, the first in this series, but it didn't take me long to figure out what happened and get right into this sequel. I abso-freaking-lutely loved this! Seriously. I have this thing for books revolved around death and the underworld. I don't know why, and I know it's morbid - and considering I'm petrified of dying - but it's just so fascinating! I think part of it is the bad guy image and the...powers, I guess?
Anyway, so Pierce is now in the Underworld with John. She loves him completely. The time scale for this book seems to go over a few days, which all in all isn't a long time, really.
Pierce struggles with her emotions over John and when she finds out one of her relatives is in trouble, she battles with him to let her go and help. She won't stop, and well, when he gives in....things happen. It's like a domino set - one thing happens which leads to another, and so on and so forth.
There didn't seem to be an end to the action and conflict in this and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. The romance was also very good, and you got a sense of how Pierce and John's relationship worked. Although, I think she fell in love with him pretty fast (but then, I don't remember every detail from the first book so I may have that time frame wrong) I still loved how she managed to change John, to become a better person. Well, for someone who's Lord of the Dead, anyway. That must be pretty tricky.
It saddened me that John thought so little of himself and was constantly thinking Pierce was going to leave him. I think maybe that's why I love him so much - and the fact I have a thing for broken men.
The Furies were more involved in this and boy, were they annoying! I swear, they just wouldn't leave them alone. I guess that was the point. I found myself questioning everyone. Maybe that was what was supposed to happen? Every time a character behaved in an odd way I was constantly thinking "They're a Fury!" and then they turned out to not to be. I think I had that problem for about four or five characters and each time I was wrong, so it does keep you on your toes, that's for sure.
I liked how John's crew in the Underworld were introduced, and I found myself really liking Frank, especially. They were all explained a bit... weirdly, at first, but then once you got to know each of them, I felt they were much more likeable. Henry is adorable, if not a little rude.
The ending completely shocked me. I thought it was all sorted - they'd fixed the problem, saved the day, and off they go back to underworld. Oh no. Not this time. Things take a turn for the worse - and without spoiling - I'll just say it gets SERIOUSLY intense. I mean, I thought my heart was going to thump out of my chest.
I cannot wait for the 3rd book Awaken. Underworld really was left on a cliffhanger (although thankfully nothing too major, just enough to make you go "WHAT NO WHAT HAPPENED NEXT OMG" and then you get on with your life. Sort of.) and I'm really hoping Awaken will answer all the questions. And finally defeat those evil Furies, because believe me, they drive me nuts. I hope Pierce and John get their happy ever after (if that is possible in death).
I would definitely recommend putting Underworld in your to-read list if you haven't already. And If you haven't read the first book, Abandon, you MUST!
Meg Cabot, I applaud you!
Anyway, so Pierce is now in the Underworld with John. She loves him completely. The time scale for this book seems to go over a few days, which all in all isn't a long time, really.
Pierce struggles with her emotions over John and when she finds out one of her relatives is in trouble, she battles with him to let her go and help. She won't stop, and well, when he gives in....things happen. It's like a domino set - one thing happens which leads to another, and so on and so forth.
There didn't seem to be an end to the action and conflict in this and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. The romance was also very good, and you got a sense of how Pierce and John's relationship worked. Although, I think she fell in love with him pretty fast (but then, I don't remember every detail from the first book so I may have that time frame wrong) I still loved how she managed to change John, to become a better person. Well, for someone who's Lord of the Dead, anyway. That must be pretty tricky.
It saddened me that John thought so little of himself and was constantly thinking Pierce was going to leave him. I think maybe that's why I love him so much - and the fact I have a thing for broken men.
The Furies were more involved in this and boy, were they annoying! I swear, they just wouldn't leave them alone. I guess that was the point. I found myself questioning everyone. Maybe that was what was supposed to happen? Every time a character behaved in an odd way I was constantly thinking "They're a Fury!" and then they turned out to not to be. I think I had that problem for about four or five characters and each time I was wrong, so it does keep you on your toes, that's for sure.
I liked how John's crew in the Underworld were introduced, and I found myself really liking Frank, especially. They were all explained a bit... weirdly, at first, but then once you got to know each of them, I felt they were much more likeable. Henry is adorable, if not a little rude.
The ending completely shocked me. I thought it was all sorted - they'd fixed the problem, saved the day, and off they go back to underworld. Oh no. Not this time. Things take a turn for the worse - and without spoiling - I'll just say it gets SERIOUSLY intense. I mean, I thought my heart was going to thump out of my chest.
I cannot wait for the 3rd book Awaken. Underworld really was left on a cliffhanger (although thankfully nothing too major, just enough to make you go "WHAT NO WHAT HAPPENED NEXT OMG" and then you get on with your life. Sort of.) and I'm really hoping Awaken will answer all the questions. And finally defeat those evil Furies, because believe me, they drive me nuts. I hope Pierce and John get their happy ever after (if that is possible in death).
I would definitely recommend putting Underworld in your to-read list if you haven't already. And If you haven't read the first book, Abandon, you MUST!
Meg Cabot, I applaud you!
Best Bits: I still get giddy at this interpretation of the Persephone myth. Honestly, if I ever run into her on the street I'll probably drop down to the ground and bow to her. She will obviously think I'm mentally unhinged and will hurry off. Sadface. In Underworld the reader gets to see how conflicted Pierce is about what's happening to her. On one hand, she's safe with John, but she begins to realize what that means for her family...the ones who aren't out to get her, anyway. The change of scenery also allowed for some interesting information to be discovered. The reader gets to see exactly what John is responsible for in the underworld, and Pierce learns more about his past. There are some interesting supporting characters, too. I'm looking forward to seeing how they come into play during the final book.
Nit Picks: I often find that the second book in a trilogy just doesn't quite live up to the first book in the series. This is because the characters have been introduced, we grow to understand and anticipate their reactions to certain people and situations, and it often feels like a transition. Alas, that was the case with Underworld. That's not to say that I hated it, because there were portions that I enjoyed. I just didn't feel the urgency of what was happening until the very end of the book.
Whatever, I will keep reading to see what happens.
I love that the book picked up exactly where it left off.Pierce was brought back to the Underworld to save her from her grandmother who was possesed by a fury.with the new information that pierce finds out along the way she has a theory that humans can resist being possessed by one
She also sees visions using her phone and tries to save alex.for the first time we learn why he is the way he is.what he knows and suspects which he sets out to prove true ignoring all of pierce's warnings.It leads to consequences that no one can foresee
She also sees visions using her phone and tries to save alex.for the first time we learn why he is the way he is.what he knows and suspects which he sets out to prove true ignoring all of pierce's warnings.It leads to consequences that no one can foresee
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I have enjoyed the Abandon Trilogy thus far, but I feel Meg Cabot has done better. Of course, this is just my opinion, but I feel like her more comical series, such as The Princess Diaries and The Mediator, were more enjoyable.
This is definitely aimed at high school readers - as in, the main character is very much a teenager with a teenager's mindset, level of maturity, and vocabulary (and angst). However, I liked where Meg Cabot is taking the story, and I thought it was a well-done sequel to Abondon. I will definitely read the conclusion. The modern-day Persephone story is well-done and enjoyable.
'Only a fool is never afraid, Frank. Heroes are the people who carry on despite their fear, because they know the job’s got to get done.'
Plot
At the end of Abandon, the first book of this series, Pierce Oliviera was taken back into the Underworld by John Hayden, the keeper of the dead, for her own safety. Pierce's world is crawling with Furies; departed souls that aren't satisfied with where they were sent after they died. They're intent on punishing John, and in order to do so, they attack the thing he loves most, Pierce.
John's plan is to keep Pierce in the Underworld, where it's easier for him to protect her, but when Pierce is shown visions of her Cousin in danger, she persuades him to take her back to her own world to rescue him. As she desperately tries to find her cousin before it's too late, she soon learns the truth about how John became keeper of the dead, and why he didn't just die like most people.
Pierce will uncover shocking secrets about John; but as her only hope of survival, can she see past what he's done, and continue to love him for who he is, or will she refuse to live with him in the Underworld for all eternity?
My thoughts
I picked up the first book in this series in the library, and decided to pick this one up at the same time, in case I liked the first one. Luckily, I loved the first one, and as soon as I finished it, I was able to start reading this one. I found that the way the story ended in the first book, and how it started in this book, flowed incredibly well together. At the end of the first book, Pierce was taken back into the Underworld for protection, and at the start of this book, she's dreaming about John, and wakes up in the Underworld. The timescale was realistic, there weren't days or weeks gone by between books, since the second book starts the day after Pierce was taken to the Underworld.
The timescale of the whole story was done really well. There's a real sense of urgency to find Pierce's Cousin, and this is reflected by the whole plot being played out in one day. Sometimes in books, when there's somebody in danger, and loved ones looking for them, there's often delays before they can get to them, and sometimes this isn't realistic, because in the real world, it would often be too late for the person in danger.
The relationship between John and Pierce grows stronger in this book. They learn more about each other, Pierce especially learns a lot more about the mysterious John. I found it very interesting to learn how he became keeper of the dead, since this was touched upon in the first book, but we don't actually find out the reasons until close to the end of this book. I think this worked really well in the story line, it kept the suspense about John going until the end, drawing me into the story and not wanting to put the book down until I found out. Since Pierce is the main Protagonist, we already know a lot about her, especially because the story is told in the first person, so to find out more about John was incredibly interesting for me.
We really get a sense of John's feelings for Pierce in this story. He came across as a bit arrogant, and a bit forceful with her before, turning up when she appears to be in danger, and dragging her away. He could also come across as slightly aggressive with her before, but as we get to know him more, we realise that this is because he cares for her, and wants to protect her, and perhaps, since he's not had any female company for over a hundred years, he's not entirely sure how to go about showing his feelings for her. I think that this was important to the story line; we know he's been living in the Underworld for over a hundred years, and this should mean that he's a bit rusty when it comes to showing his feelings, since he hasn't had any practice in that area. So I felt that the way he was portrayed; quite aggressive, unsure how to show feelings for another person, was done realistically.
The Author
I've been pleasantly surprised by this series so far. A dark romance series from the Author of The Princess Diaries seemed a little strange to me before. But after reading the first two in the series, I'm really looking forward to the release of the third installment 'Awaken.' Once again with this series, I really enjoyed the concept, and think that Meg Cabot did a fantastic job of executing it.
At the end of Abandon, the first book of this series, Pierce Oliviera was taken back into the Underworld by John Hayden, the keeper of the dead, for her own safety. Pierce's world is crawling with Furies; departed souls that aren't satisfied with where they were sent after they died. They're intent on punishing John, and in order to do so, they attack the thing he loves most, Pierce.
John's plan is to keep Pierce in the Underworld, where it's easier for him to protect her, but when Pierce is shown visions of her Cousin in danger, she persuades him to take her back to her own world to rescue him. As she desperately tries to find her cousin before it's too late, she soon learns the truth about how John became keeper of the dead, and why he didn't just die like most people.
Pierce will uncover shocking secrets about John; but as her only hope of survival, can she see past what he's done, and continue to love him for who he is, or will she refuse to live with him in the Underworld for all eternity?
My thoughts
I picked up the first book in this series in the library, and decided to pick this one up at the same time, in case I liked the first one. Luckily, I loved the first one, and as soon as I finished it, I was able to start reading this one. I found that the way the story ended in the first book, and how it started in this book, flowed incredibly well together. At the end of the first book, Pierce was taken back into the Underworld for protection, and at the start of this book, she's dreaming about John, and wakes up in the Underworld. The timescale was realistic, there weren't days or weeks gone by between books, since the second book starts the day after Pierce was taken to the Underworld.
The timescale of the whole story was done really well. There's a real sense of urgency to find Pierce's Cousin, and this is reflected by the whole plot being played out in one day. Sometimes in books, when there's somebody in danger, and loved ones looking for them, there's often delays before they can get to them, and sometimes this isn't realistic, because in the real world, it would often be too late for the person in danger.
The relationship between John and Pierce grows stronger in this book. They learn more about each other, Pierce especially learns a lot more about the mysterious John. I found it very interesting to learn how he became keeper of the dead, since this was touched upon in the first book, but we don't actually find out the reasons until close to the end of this book. I think this worked really well in the story line, it kept the suspense about John going until the end, drawing me into the story and not wanting to put the book down until I found out. Since Pierce is the main Protagonist, we already know a lot about her, especially because the story is told in the first person, so to find out more about John was incredibly interesting for me.
We really get a sense of John's feelings for Pierce in this story. He came across as a bit arrogant, and a bit forceful with her before, turning up when she appears to be in danger, and dragging her away. He could also come across as slightly aggressive with her before, but as we get to know him more, we realise that this is because he cares for her, and wants to protect her, and perhaps, since he's not had any female company for over a hundred years, he's not entirely sure how to go about showing his feelings for her. I think that this was important to the story line; we know he's been living in the Underworld for over a hundred years, and this should mean that he's a bit rusty when it comes to showing his feelings, since he hasn't had any practice in that area. So I felt that the way he was portrayed; quite aggressive, unsure how to show feelings for another person, was done realistically.
The Author
I've been pleasantly surprised by this series so far. A dark romance series from the Author of The Princess Diaries seemed a little strange to me before. But after reading the first two in the series, I'm really looking forward to the release of the third installment 'Awaken.' Once again with this series, I really enjoyed the concept, and think that Meg Cabot did a fantastic job of executing it.