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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Abandon by Meg Cabot
4.0
I have one big problem when it comes to retellings based on Greek Mythology: I know way too much about said Greek mythology, which makes me overly critical, mostly considering the personalities of the Gods. Which always makes me both excited and terrified to start Greek Mythology retellings. Because it can end both ways. It can be a total disaster. Or it can be one of the best reads ever.
This book does one thing very very cleverly that already helped with that issue: The main love interest is not Hades himself (I guess that's sort of a spoiler, but fine). And that made me love this story instantly a whole lot more than I thought I did. Because up until that revelation, I was kinda conflicted on the book. Because you know, Hades didn't feel like Hades. Which makes sense if he's not actually Hades.
Apart from that I really enjoyed reading the book. The book is written in a very nice style, that reads quite easily and makes the characters sound actually their age. A lot of characters in YA novels sound like full blown adults and in more contemporary settings that always seems unrealistic to me. In this book the seventeen year old actually thinks and speaks like a seventeen year old, and she had a nice sense of humor that made me smile quite often.
The story itself is also quite entertaining. It lacks some depth and complexity that could have been added, without a doubt. But it's very amusing anyway, which is the most important function of a book, right? I love how the story is told with flashbacks. We fall right into the middle of it and then figure out what has really happened through flashbacks. It gives the story a very nice pace and it kept me interested in both the past and the here and now.
But, the story got even more interesting at the very end. It's a pity the paperbacks are hard to find, but fingers crossed that the places I've ordered them from really can deliver them. Because I really want to read the next two books!
This book does one thing very very cleverly that already helped with that issue: The main love interest is not Hades himself (I guess that's sort of a spoiler, but fine). And that made me love this story instantly a whole lot more than I thought I did. Because up until that revelation, I was kinda conflicted on the book. Because you know, Hades didn't feel like Hades. Which makes sense if he's not actually Hades.
Apart from that I really enjoyed reading the book. The book is written in a very nice style, that reads quite easily and makes the characters sound actually their age. A lot of characters in YA novels sound like full blown adults and in more contemporary settings that always seems unrealistic to me. In this book the seventeen year old actually thinks and speaks like a seventeen year old, and she had a nice sense of humor that made me smile quite often.
The story itself is also quite entertaining. It lacks some depth and complexity that could have been added, without a doubt. But it's very amusing anyway, which is the most important function of a book, right? I love how the story is told with flashbacks. We fall right into the middle of it and then figure out what has really happened through flashbacks. It gives the story a very nice pace and it kept me interested in both the past and the here and now.
But, the story got even more interesting at the very end. It's a pity the paperbacks are hard to find, but fingers crossed that the places I've ordered them from really can deliver them. Because I really want to read the next two books!