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ptothelo's review
2.0
Like the first book of a traditional trilogy, this one is just a lot of build up. There are interesting bits and I will be waiting to see where she takes it.
4saradouglas's review
1.0
This book was pretty awful. When I heard it would be a new take on the myth of Hades and Persephone I literally yelled "OMG YES!!" But.... yeah, it didn't live up to that excitement even a little. There's no chemistry between the characters at all. The guy shows up to save the girl a few times, but they don't really talk. The girl spends the whole book complaining about the guy but suddenly he confesses he loves her and she gets all teary and happy. Whatever. The writing was just horrible. Constant blatantly annoying foreshadowing and flashbacks. An actual quote: "My voice trailed off, because when I glanced up into his face, I saw that his mouth was pressed into a flat line… like the one my heart had gone into the day I'd fallen into his world." Absolute garbage!
good1kenz's review
5.0
Abandon was an absolutely fabulous book. It left me begging for more, can't wait to read the next one. Meg Cabot NEVER disappoints me!
charms1976's review
3.0
I am a fairly new reader of books by this author. I have read Insatiable by her and loved it, but I haven't read any of her other books before that one. When Abandon arrived to me for review, I jumped into it excited to read about how she was going make a story based on Greek mythology. Seeing how I never actually paid attention in high school -- and my grades will confirm that -- my mythology is a little rusty. I did however recognize the great writing that the author used in the book!
While I am not a huge fan of the story, I can see the appeal and desire to read the book. I liked how the author made the characters seem so real. While she didn't go overboard on descriptions, I still felt the characters come alive in my head while reading the book. Yet, while the author kept me interested in the story, I kept finding myself wishing it would have revealed some things sooner rather than later in the book.
For instance, we don't even find out what what actually happened to Pierce and the event that is questioned through out the chapters until well over half of the book. I can understand needing it for the wow factor, but the constant referring to it and not revealing much kept me feeling frustrated. I also didn't like how it was slow going for a long while, and then near the end a ton of stuff happens with not enough resolutions. I can understand the author wanting to leave you with a cliffhanger, but I also expect some things to be resolved before I finish the last page.
Would I read the next book in the series? Absolutely. I want to see how the author is going to work out some of the problems from this book and hopefully structure the plot better to make it more appealing to the reader.
If you are a big fan of this author, you will more than likely enjoy her take on the lore and mythology that this book contains as a step up from what the author usually writes. If you are a new reader to this author, you could enjoy it based on the fact that it has the elements that this genre is well known for as well. You will just have to be patient with the story and be willing to see the book through and future books in the series.
While I am not a huge fan of the story, I can see the appeal and desire to read the book. I liked how the author made the characters seem so real. While she didn't go overboard on descriptions, I still felt the characters come alive in my head while reading the book. Yet, while the author kept me interested in the story, I kept finding myself wishing it would have revealed some things sooner rather than later in the book.
For instance, we don't even find out what what actually happened to Pierce and the event that is questioned through out the chapters until well over half of the book. I can understand needing it for the wow factor, but the constant referring to it and not revealing much kept me feeling frustrated. I also didn't like how it was slow going for a long while, and then near the end a ton of stuff happens with not enough resolutions. I can understand the author wanting to leave you with a cliffhanger, but I also expect some things to be resolved before I finish the last page.
Would I read the next book in the series? Absolutely. I want to see how the author is going to work out some of the problems from this book and hopefully structure the plot better to make it more appealing to the reader.
If you are a big fan of this author, you will more than likely enjoy her take on the lore and mythology that this book contains as a step up from what the author usually writes. If you are a new reader to this author, you could enjoy it based on the fact that it has the elements that this genre is well known for as well. You will just have to be patient with the story and be willing to see the book through and future books in the series.
sandeeisreading's review
3.0
We all wonder what it would be like in the afterlife.
Will be taken to heaven, hell or will we remain in the in between.
Pierce had a glimpse of what lies after we die.
Pierce died.
She caught a glimpse of what it was like in the Underworld.
She was supposed to stay there until she successfully escaped.
She thought everything would be back to normal.
But she was wrong.
She hasn’t been normal since.
Pierce and her mother moved to Isla Huesos where they thought they’d get a new start.
But the more Pierce tried to run away, the more she gets pulled towards the world that she has escaped.
The man that she was avoiding.
The man who she thinks she maybe falling in love with.
This book was definitely better than the other book I read.
I decided to read two myth-inspired books last week and was extremely disappointed with the other book. (Fury by Elizabeth Miles).
Anyways, what do I think about this book?
Definitely better than the other but not best, not outstanding, it was just okay.
This is a YA-Paranormal Romance novel right? Because if it is, the romance part was kind of lacking for me.
It was good that Pierce and John were not all lovey-dovey because that was getting old.
But a little more spark between them would have been good.
It was lacking something.
Chemistry maybe?
Pierce was I dunno a little dull for me.
So was John.
This would be my first Meg Cabot book.
It was good.
Not really really good that you’ll never forget this book.
It was a bit boring for most part.
A bit dragging.
There were loads of flashbacks but I thought the transitioning was good.
It wasn’t confusing which was good because most of this book was about the flashbacks.
Anyways, I am giving this book a 3.5.
Will be taken to heaven, hell or will we remain in the in between.
Pierce had a glimpse of what lies after we die.
Pierce died.
She caught a glimpse of what it was like in the Underworld.
She was supposed to stay there until she successfully escaped.
She thought everything would be back to normal.
But she was wrong.
She hasn’t been normal since.
Pierce and her mother moved to Isla Huesos where they thought they’d get a new start.
But the more Pierce tried to run away, the more she gets pulled towards the world that she has escaped.
The man that she was avoiding.
The man who she thinks she maybe falling in love with.
This book was definitely better than the other book I read.
I decided to read two myth-inspired books last week and was extremely disappointed with the other book. (Fury by Elizabeth Miles).
Anyways, what do I think about this book?
Definitely better than the other but not best, not outstanding, it was just okay.
This is a YA-Paranormal Romance novel right? Because if it is, the romance part was kind of lacking for me.
It was good that Pierce and John were not all lovey-dovey because that was getting old.
But a little more spark between them would have been good.
It was lacking something.
Chemistry maybe?
Pierce was I dunno a little dull for me.
So was John.
This would be my first Meg Cabot book.
It was good.
Not really really good that you’ll never forget this book.
It was a bit boring for most part.
A bit dragging.
There were loads of flashbacks but I thought the transitioning was good.
It wasn’t confusing which was good because most of this book was about the flashbacks.
Anyways, I am giving this book a 3.5.
ines2914's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
darastar's review
2.0
So, this book is fairly infuriating.
The main character, Pierce, is simultaneously very smart and independent, and then completely idiotic and clingy. She doesn't seem to have much of a personality, and when she dies (this part is not a spoiler, because it happens at the beginning of the book) - it's for a dumb reason, and the explanation of it is even dumber. Seriously: she's running around her family's pool in the winter chasing an injured bird, trips on the scarf she is wearing (which - is long enough to trip over?), and falls on the pool cover and drowns. I don't even understand.
And then later, when we discover that the entire ridiculous situation described above was contrived by her Fury grandmother to kill her - uh, what? Seriously? You knit your granddaughter a too long scarf and tempted her with an injured bird in hopes that she would trip on it, hit her head, fall into the pool and die? I CAN'T EVEN HANDLE HOW STUPID THAT IS.
But back to Pierce. Her relationship with John is also one of the dumber things I've ever read. From what we're told, her entire contact with him is thus: 1) She meets him as a 7 year old for like 5 minutes, and he's nice to her because she wants a bird to come back to life (also her recently deceased grandfather). 2) She recognizes him in the underworld, and is more concerned for him and his horse than she is for herself (and also is not scared?). And thus he falls in love with her and decides to keep her with him (Guys - it's Hades and Persephone). And since she's like, 15 and doesn't want to stay in the underworld forever, she runs away and comes back to life (WHAT?). And because she's wearing a necklace he gave her, when she's assaulted twice, John swoops in twice - never really saying anything to her, or she to him - and saves her. So that's 4 encounters so far, only one of which lasted more than say...5 minutes.
Pierce goes to the cemetery where she first met him to give back the necklace (which is an enormous diamond? how are people not going HOLY CRAP WHERE DID THAT ENORMOUS DIAMOND YOU ALWAYS WEAR COME FROM?), and they fight for like 20 minutes and break up except not really, and then we go through 2/3 of the book, and he finally shows up again, and she reiterates that she's not interested in him, until he pulls her down on top of him and they start making out.
And that's it. The greatest love story of our time. Making out with a stranger who kidnapped you, who is a death deity, who you HARDLY KNOW.
And then who kidnaps you again later "for your own good", and the book ends. Because how else will you stretch out a super thin plot into a trilogy in order to sell more books?
The number of questions that were answered at the end of this book? Maybe 1 or 2. The number of plot points that were left hanging in the air, unresolved because that would make too much logical sense? About 100.
I get it - supernatural romance YA is super popular (or was when this was written). And glomming onto the plot of greek myths is a great idea. But this was just poorly executed, with a main character who I kept vacillating on liking or wanting to smack upside the head, and ended up just wanting to punch in the face for being so wishy-washy.
2 stars for some inventive ideas...but failing completely in the execution and in getting me to emotionally connect to or care about any of the characters.
(except Kayla - she is the only reason I would continue reading. I kind of want to know what her story is.)
Spoiler
The main character, Pierce, is simultaneously very smart and independent, and then completely idiotic and clingy. She doesn't seem to have much of a personality, and when she dies (this part is not a spoiler, because it happens at the beginning of the book) - it's for a dumb reason, and the explanation of it is even dumber. Seriously: she's running around her family's pool in the winter chasing an injured bird, trips on the scarf she is wearing (which - is long enough to trip over?), and falls on the pool cover and drowns. I don't even understand.
And then later, when we discover that the entire ridiculous situation described above was contrived by her Fury grandmother to kill her - uh, what? Seriously? You knit your granddaughter a too long scarf and tempted her with an injured bird in hopes that she would trip on it, hit her head, fall into the pool and die? I CAN'T EVEN HANDLE HOW STUPID THAT IS.
But back to Pierce. Her relationship with John is also one of the dumber things I've ever read. From what we're told, her entire contact with him is thus: 1) She meets him as a 7 year old for like 5 minutes, and he's nice to her because she wants a bird to come back to life (also her recently deceased grandfather). 2) She recognizes him in the underworld, and is more concerned for him and his horse than she is for herself (and also is not scared?). And thus he falls in love with her and decides to keep her with him (Guys - it's Hades and Persephone). And since she's like, 15 and doesn't want to stay in the underworld forever, she runs away and comes back to life (WHAT?). And because she's wearing a necklace he gave her, when she's assaulted twice, John swoops in twice - never really saying anything to her, or she to him - and saves her. So that's 4 encounters so far, only one of which lasted more than say...5 minutes.
Pierce goes to the cemetery where she first met him to give back the necklace (which is an enormous diamond? how are people not going HOLY CRAP WHERE DID THAT ENORMOUS DIAMOND YOU ALWAYS WEAR COME FROM?), and they fight for like 20 minutes and break up except not really, and then we go through 2/3 of the book, and he finally shows up again, and she reiterates that she's not interested in him, until he pulls her down on top of him and they start making out.
And that's it. The greatest love story of our time. Making out with a stranger who kidnapped you, who is a death deity, who you HARDLY KNOW.
And then who kidnaps you again later "for your own good", and the book ends. Because how else will you stretch out a super thin plot into a trilogy in order to sell more books?
The number of questions that were answered at the end of this book? Maybe 1 or 2. The number of plot points that were left hanging in the air, unresolved because that would make too much logical sense? About 100.
I get it - supernatural romance YA is super popular (or was when this was written). And glomming onto the plot of greek myths is a great idea. But this was just poorly executed, with a main character who I kept vacillating on liking or wanting to smack upside the head, and ended up just wanting to punch in the face for being so wishy-washy.
2 stars for some inventive ideas...but failing completely in the execution and in getting me to emotionally connect to or care about any of the characters.
(except Kayla - she is the only reason I would continue reading. I kind of want to know what her story is.)
alanaleigh's review
3.0
Meg Cabot's latest series is a dip in to the supernatural and mythological. Abandon features a marketing tagline of "She knows what it's like to die. Now Death wants her back." It's... sort of accurate, but rather sounds like a horror movie rather than a supernatural romance, right?
With a new spin on the Persephone myth, Abandon moves the story of a young girl drawn in to a relationship with Death to the setting of modern-day Florida... specifically, to Isla Huesos (aka Island of Bones) where secrets (among other things) don't seem to stay buried. Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera is a bit different from the average teenager. You might point to her family's incredible wealth (her father is CEO of a large, environment-damaging company) or her parents' messy divorce that has her mother dragging Pierce back to the mother's own family and hometown. But really, the main thing that separates Pierce from every other teen (or adult, for that matter) is that she's died and returned to life. She can patiently explain the scientific descriptions of her body's shut-down and revival or what studies say the often-reported bright light might mean... but she can't actually describe what happened to her or she'd be labeled as crazy. Crazy is exactly what most people thought when she came back to life and started talking about much more than a bright light: finding herself in a place where she was pushed into a line, this man on a giant horse who she'd met before as a child, her sudden removal to a very calm room with him before he talked about her staying there forever, and the moment when she threw tea in his face to escape...
But let's back up for a second here.
The story begins with all that death experience in the past and Pierce trying to start again as a normal teenager in this new town. Cabot chooses to reveal information about Pierce's past in flashbacks, often triggered by the sudden appearance of the dark and brooding lord of the underworld, who seems to lurk around town with alarming frequency... particularly when we go in to this bit about how there isn't just one underworld and this guy is actually not Hades or anything, he's just the designated overseer for this particular underworld entry point for this zone. Hm. I'll also note that Pierce's moments where she pauses to remember something aren't clear and obviously delineated from what's going on at the moment. They're really hazy and sketchy flashbacks that make the reader wish she'd be just a little clearer and just get it all out there already. Quite honestly, that's my big criticism of the book, so I might as well get it out there, too. If Cabot is trying to distract you from the fact that this is a story about a boy (whose name is John, btw) who wants a girl back and a girl who doesn't quite want to admit she wants the boy back... well, then at least she succeeded in confusing you for long stretches of time.
When you finally have all the puzzle pieces, the story is mildly intriguing -- Pierce, as a child, met a dark man in a cemetery as she waited for her mother and grandmother to finish dealing with the details of her grandfather's funeral. Years later, Pierce drowned in the swimming pool in a theoretical accident and met him once more. This time, he was very interested in keeping her with him, but she fled (which is somewhat uncharacteristically brave of Pierce) and now she's back in the real world... unable to separate her near-death experience from the rest of her life, no matter how hard she tries (which isn't very hard at all) as stalker-John keeps popping up.
Readers of Twilight might be particularly intrigued with Abandon as it had a similar feel of fated (yet founded on nothing substantial) love that the characters struggled against in a half-hearted way while darker forces lurk about. As a set-up to a series, Abandon doesn't quite feel complete enough on its own, so you should probably be willing to commit if you embark upon this one. It's not unpleasant, but Pierce wasn't exactly a strong heroine. She was, in fact, quite a dim bulb at times (example: trying to catch a lecherous teacher in the act but failing to have a camera or something stashed away? or a plan as to how to escape?). John always has to swoop in and save her and we then proceed with the inevitable descriptions of cosmic attraction.
Abandon is a quick read and will, I imagine, have some adult cross-over fans who appreciate a twist on Greek mythology and some steamy (yet still YA acceptable) romance. Rather than give this two stars, I yielded to the fact that I did fall in to the world quite quickly, though I think a large part of the interest was in untangling the narrative as it looped around on itself. As far as the Persephone stories for this year go, I preferred The Goddess Test, but I'll still be interested on seeing where Cabot takes this series arc, as I can't quite suss out exactly where this is headed while still sticking with the mythological angle.
With a new spin on the Persephone myth, Abandon moves the story of a young girl drawn in to a relationship with Death to the setting of modern-day Florida... specifically, to Isla Huesos (aka Island of Bones) where secrets (among other things) don't seem to stay buried. Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera is a bit different from the average teenager. You might point to her family's incredible wealth (her father is CEO of a large, environment-damaging company) or her parents' messy divorce that has her mother dragging Pierce back to the mother's own family and hometown. But really, the main thing that separates Pierce from every other teen (or adult, for that matter) is that she's died and returned to life. She can patiently explain the scientific descriptions of her body's shut-down and revival or what studies say the often-reported bright light might mean... but she can't actually describe what happened to her or she'd be labeled as crazy. Crazy is exactly what most people thought when she came back to life and started talking about much more than a bright light: finding herself in a place where she was pushed into a line, this man on a giant horse who she'd met before as a child, her sudden removal to a very calm room with him before he talked about her staying there forever, and the moment when she threw tea in his face to escape...
But let's back up for a second here.
The story begins with all that death experience in the past and Pierce trying to start again as a normal teenager in this new town. Cabot chooses to reveal information about Pierce's past in flashbacks, often triggered by the sudden appearance of the dark and brooding lord of the underworld, who seems to lurk around town with alarming frequency... particularly when we go in to this bit about how there isn't just one underworld and this guy is actually not Hades or anything, he's just the designated overseer for this particular underworld entry point for this zone. Hm. I'll also note that Pierce's moments where she pauses to remember something aren't clear and obviously delineated from what's going on at the moment. They're really hazy and sketchy flashbacks that make the reader wish she'd be just a little clearer and just get it all out there already. Quite honestly, that's my big criticism of the book, so I might as well get it out there, too. If Cabot is trying to distract you from the fact that this is a story about a boy (whose name is John, btw) who wants a girl back and a girl who doesn't quite want to admit she wants the boy back... well, then at least she succeeded in confusing you for long stretches of time.
When you finally have all the puzzle pieces, the story is mildly intriguing -- Pierce, as a child, met a dark man in a cemetery as she waited for her mother and grandmother to finish dealing with the details of her grandfather's funeral. Years later, Pierce drowned in the swimming pool in a theoretical accident and met him once more. This time, he was very interested in keeping her with him, but she fled (which is somewhat uncharacteristically brave of Pierce) and now she's back in the real world... unable to separate her near-death experience from the rest of her life, no matter how hard she tries (which isn't very hard at all) as stalker-John keeps popping up.
Readers of Twilight might be particularly intrigued with Abandon as it had a similar feel of fated (yet founded on nothing substantial) love that the characters struggled against in a half-hearted way while darker forces lurk about. As a set-up to a series, Abandon doesn't quite feel complete enough on its own, so you should probably be willing to commit if you embark upon this one. It's not unpleasant, but Pierce wasn't exactly a strong heroine. She was, in fact, quite a dim bulb at times (example: trying to catch a lecherous teacher in the act but failing to have a camera or something stashed away? or a plan as to how to escape?). John always has to swoop in and save her and we then proceed with the inevitable descriptions of cosmic attraction.
Abandon is a quick read and will, I imagine, have some adult cross-over fans who appreciate a twist on Greek mythology and some steamy (yet still YA acceptable) romance. Rather than give this two stars, I yielded to the fact that I did fall in to the world quite quickly, though I think a large part of the interest was in untangling the narrative as it looped around on itself. As far as the Persephone stories for this year go, I preferred The Goddess Test, but I'll still be interested on seeing where Cabot takes this series arc, as I can't quite suss out exactly where this is headed while still sticking with the mythological angle.
michalice's review against another edition
4.0
The first think that drew my attention about Abandon was the cover, I love how it's dramatic and opposing colours. While I have copies of Meg's other work, I have yet to read them, but after reading the synopsis for Abandon I knew I had to read it and made a start on reading it not long after it arrived.
Pierce died, and was brought back to life again. But nothing is the same, failing school she moves away with her mother to Isla Huesos with the hopes of starting anew in school. Her new start does not go to plan, with John constantly turning up to save Pierce whether she wants it or not, and someone going around killing people.
From the moment I began reading Abandon I was hooked in the world Meg has created. Each character plays a main part in setting up the scene and making it work. Pierce was was easy to sympathise with, she is a very realistic character and watching her struggle though everyday, either with John, or with her new school, makes her feel more realistic to me.
John, what can I say about him. He occasionally annoyed me at first by turning up and saving Pierce whether she asked for it or not, but when we get a better look at the picture I could see his reasoning and was eventually swayed to liking him.
I really enjoyed how the Underworld was portrayed and how it was different to what I expected it to be. I also enjoyed the hints of mythology, which is something new to me but something I have found I am enjoying.
The twist at the end was one I never expected and I can't wait to see what happens next in Underworld. I did not want Abandon to end, and I have already ordered the next book to find out what happens. I just need to find time to read the books by Meg that I have waiting to be read.
Pierce died, and was brought back to life again. But nothing is the same, failing school she moves away with her mother to Isla Huesos with the hopes of starting anew in school. Her new start does not go to plan, with John constantly turning up to save Pierce whether she wants it or not, and someone going around killing people.
From the moment I began reading Abandon I was hooked in the world Meg has created. Each character plays a main part in setting up the scene and making it work. Pierce was was easy to sympathise with, she is a very realistic character and watching her struggle though everyday, either with John, or with her new school, makes her feel more realistic to me.
John, what can I say about him. He occasionally annoyed me at first by turning up and saving Pierce whether she asked for it or not, but when we get a better look at the picture I could see his reasoning and was eventually swayed to liking him.
I really enjoyed how the Underworld was portrayed and how it was different to what I expected it to be. I also enjoyed the hints of mythology, which is something new to me but something I have found I am enjoying.
The twist at the end was one I never expected and I can't wait to see what happens next in Underworld. I did not want Abandon to end, and I have already ordered the next book to find out what happens. I just need to find time to read the books by Meg that I have waiting to be read.