Abandon(Abandon Trilogy 1)Author: Meg CabotPublisher: Point, 2011
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.
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.
My Review:
I’m loving these modern remakes of Greek Myths; first Starcrossed and now Abandon! This story is a new take on the myth of Persephone and Hades. The myth says (and this is the romantic version that I like) that Hades seduced Persephone and took her to live with him in the Underworld. After a while she became miserable, missing her mother and the world outside. So he made her a deal, she could return to the surface for six months every year, and the other six months she would spend in the Underworld by his side.
However, when Pierce dies and is taken by the dark and mysterious young man from her childhood to live with him in his otherworld, she simply throws tea in his face and escapes! We’re in for a wild ride after that.
After coming back from the dead, she thinks it has all been a dream. But the mysterious necklace he gave her is still around her neck! The necklace turns color when trouble is close, or is it that trouble comes whenever the necklace is seen? Of course, her friends and family all believe her to be insane, and she is kind of crazy with the whole out-to-save-the-world-from-evil attitude. I loved Pierce’s logic and inner musings, they just cracked me up.
At first it bothered me that a big part of the book is told in the form of chapter-long flash backs. But it’s all necessary to know what has happened between Pierce and John, and her constant fear of him. Their love-hate history is a long one and she is just so oblivious to John’s real intentions! Prone to saving helpless critters. I found it really funny how she treats John like he’s just another one of her animal saves. In an odd way she is right...Hmm, I would have love to have seen/read/learned more about John in this book.
Help and explanations come from the most unlikely source, and the real enemies are closer than Pierce (or I) would have ever though. The end had a nice little twist that had me yelling out some expletives in surprise. Overall an awesome and entertaining read!
PS: Beware of the tassels.
Favorite Quotes:
“I needed a soda, an expresso, my pills, a very, very fast ride down a hill on my bike, something.”
“…everything was fine until last night, when you got him all riled up again. Next thing I know, my gate is smashed, there’s a dead queen’s necklace lying in my cemetery, and now a hurricane has sprung out of nowhere and is apparently headed directly out way. So if I might make a suggestion for all our sakes, why don’t you try” – his brown eyes were pleading – “just being a little sweeter to that boy?”
“…eternity is a long time. So if you have to spend it with someone, I could see wanting to spend it with someone impossible…but interesting.”
