Review & Giveaway: Abandon by Meg Cabot

Title: Abandon Author: Meg Cabot Series: Abandon Trilogy #1 Cover Art: Elizabeth B. Parisi Genre: Paranormal YA Excerpt: Yes Source: Publisher (via Big Honcho Media) Reviewed by: Abigail Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Point (April 26, 2011) ISBN-10: 0545284104 ISBN-13: 978-0545284103 Sexual Content: Kissing. References to statutory rape. Rating: Good - A fun read with minor flaws. Maybe read an excerpt before buying.

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Description

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.

Review

Gimme more Greek Mythology!  I’m thrilled with the recent influx of paranormal titles that are using Greek mythology for source material, especially in the case of ABANDON, since it is a reimagined version of one of my all time favorite myths: Persephone and Hades in which the god of the Underworld kidnaps the daughter of a goddess, forces her to marry him and live half the year with him.  Meg Cabot’s version is one of the better myth retellings that I’ve read in that she realistically adapts the source story in a modern, paranormally plausible way.

Pierce is an odd protagonist.  There were moments when she acted like she had autism.  She had difficulty identifying the emotions of people around her, facial expressions, for example, confused her.  She had to tell herself to imitate the expressions directed towards her because she didn’t understand them.  I would have loved it to see her portrayed this way throughout the book (maybe like THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTIME, which I loved), but it was very inconsistent.  Other times she just seemed like a normal sullen teenager who had some serious secrets.  John, on the other hand, was completely consistent.  He was the epitome of a dark and dangerous romantic interest and I’m looking forward to him getting more page time in the next book.

Another thing that struck me odd about ABANDON was the chronology.  It’s all over the place.  There are lots and lots of references to a number of scary, dark incidents in Pierce’s past including the day she died.  We learn about these incidents in random segments that appear haphazardly throughout the story.   This type of story telling can be successful, but I don’t think it was here.  I was frustrated, rather than intrigued, with the bits and pieces that popped up and enjoyed the story much more once everything was revealed (about 2/3 in) and the story continued in real time.

Despite those two issues, I found that the Persephone myth lent itself amazingly well to a modern retelling.  Meg Cabot knew exactly how much to change the original myth while still keeping the timeless structure.  The real Isla Huesos, with it’s macabre history, was the perfect setting for this dark and eerie reimagining of perhaps the most forbidden love story ever told.  All in all, I’m already looking forward to the second book in the Abandon trilogy, which is titled UNDERWORLD and will be released in 2012.

Previous Books in Series	Also Reviewed By:
N/A	The Discriminating Fangirl My Overstuffed Bookshelf Reading Teen

 

Giveaway provided by Point (via Big Honcho Media)

One winner will receive a copy of ABANDON and a bracelet featuring a quote from the book!

Learn more:

Scholastic has launched a new online community called This Is Teen to connect readers with their favorite YA authors and books. Visit their page on Facebook for all the latest news on Meg Cabot and her new book ABANDON www.facebook.com/thisisteen.

www.megcabot.com/abandon

www.facebook.com/abandonbooks

www.twitter.com/megcabot

 

Giveaway Guidelines

1. Open to US only

2. Leave a comment that includes a way to contact you if you win

3. Winner will be announced on May 4th

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