Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

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Abandon
Meg Cabot
Released April 26th, 2011
by Scholastic Point

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.

Apparently, unbeknownst to me, this was a retelling of the story of Persephone, but I won’t be able to really compare or critique on that point because I haven’t read the classic story (I know I’m lame); I only know the very basic -queen of the underworld- myth and as I read a few of the reviews I’ve noticed those who have read the classic tale didn’t enjoy this as much. Nevertheless, I thought it was fresh and original – a fun read with a hint of mystery and a few twists.

This is going to be a trilogy so the first book is mostly the setup to initiate us to her world and characters. It wasn’t full of fluff, though. There is definite plot and interesting story line developments. Of course, there is also Greek mythology involved which is interesting in of itself.

Let’s start with the characters. The protagonist, Pierce, is a bit skittish, but likable nonetheless. I could easily relate to her and understand her emotions. The secondary characters weren’t especially developed but due to the advancement of the story, I imagine we will get to know them more in the following books. This one was primarily about Pierce and her relationship with John – which is very love/hate. John is… I haven’t quite figured him out really. He’s like a charming jerk – but that may simply be perception since his motives weren’t all disclosed. So we’ll see where it goes.

The writing was good. We’re told Pierce’s story with the past and present interwoven. So we get snippets of what happened in the past that helps keep the story intriguing and mysterious. It does take a while to get all the pieces into place, but I liked the slow pace. The author took time to build up the intensity and details in the story; It was never boring. The ending though seemed a bit abrupt; just when things started to get real interesting, it ends. But I will forgive this since it’s the first in a trilogy, so it’s obviously not really over.

Oh… and what’s with all these men wearing tasseled shoes? Ick!

As a solitary book, since nothing much happened I would have felt underwhelmed, but I know it’s only the beginning of a story and I still found the plot and characters very intriguing. It kept my interest and I really hope the sequel won’t disappoint.

3 Hot Espressos
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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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24 Responses to “Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot”

  1. Mary @ BookSwarm

    Three cups? Yep, I’d agree with that review. Good but not outstanding, definitely not her best. Still, it was intriguing (I question the tassled shoes, too. Maybe it’s a Key West thing.) and I’m interested to know what happens next.

  3. Books4Juliet

    I really need to read Anna Dressed In Blood! =D Yeah, I probably should! Oh my, too many good books, so little time…

    Thank you for your visit! It means a lot =)

    xoxo, april

  5. Missie

    I guess I’m lame too because I haven’t read Persephone’s story, but somehow I know it, possibly because of movies. LOL

    Abandon sounds a bit underwhelming, and I’m not sure it’s for me. I have to really be in the mood for a slow paced book. Maybe after the next book in this series comes out, I’ll feel more motivated to pick this one up.

  6. Natalie

    Hahah tassled shoes! I usually love Meg Cabot but I’ve heard that a lot of people were disappointed by this book so I have yet to pick it up for myself.

  10. Mimi Valentine

    I definitely agree with you about this one — it wasn’t as good as I hoped it’d be! 🙁 I loved Meg Cabot’s other books, so I pushed through with it anyways!

    But I’m still going to read the sequal as soon as it comes out too, and let’s both hope that it’s going to be even more amazing! 🙂

    Awesome review, Giselle!

  11. Book Crook Liza

    This is one of those books I really want to read and review again – I did when I first started my blog and I was iffy about it… part of me liked it and part of me didn’t. I think when I reviewed it, if I remember correctly, I may have judged the main character a little too much. -.- And I found myself hot/cold for John. Great review! I think 3 is definitely how I felt about it as well. I am eager to read the next book and see what happens. 🙂

    Liza @ Book Crook Liza

  12. Kathy Ann Coleman

    I am a Greek mythology nut. I realize that Meg’s goal was not to stick to the story, and that actually isn’t what bugged me about the book. I found the way that the plot was designed jarring; the switches between past and present, especially with the past having the lions share of interesting things happening, kept pushing me out of the story. I also didn’t care for Pierce and John. I just didn’t connect with them.

    Really too bad, since this was a book that I felt had a lot of potential and I genuinely wanted to like it. I am glad that your experience with it was better then mine. 🙂

  13. Melissa (Books and Things)

    I’ve heard a lot of people were underwhelmed by this book. So sad since I do love that dark story. Really, it’s just another Beauty and the Beast type of tale (I love that one!). So, that is why I’m so sad it only got 3 cups. I still may library book it one day.

  14. Amy

    Great review, sounds like an interesting read. Tassled shoes! Oh no… I havent read the story of Persephone either so i would be reading it with fresh eyes too

  16. Karen @ Book Light Graveyard

    I wasn’t a huge fan of this one, but I think that’s mainly because I love most of Meg Cabot’s other books so much, and this one just couldn’t compare for me. I was intrigued by John, though. And I totally agree with you that the book felt mostly like set up. Great review!

  17. Andrea

    Sounds pretty good. But between Falling Under, The Goddess Test, Abandon & any others I’m forgetting, seems like there may be too many of these books going on right now.
    Nice review.

  18. Giselle

    Thanks for all the comments! I really should read Meg’s other books they seem to be much more popular and well liked. This one seems to have a lot of mixed reviews on it. I didn’t love it or hate it, really. It was good but forgettable.

  19. Natalia Belikov @ DazzlingReads

    I read this book but I didnt like it. Actually, it seems to be I dont like Meg Cabot’s writing style. We spend a lot of time in the character’s hear and that just gets on my nerves.

    About The Scorpio Races, I loved it so freaing much! in that book, we also spent a big amount of pages in the characters’ hear. THough Maggie Stiefvater lyrical and emotionally evocative writing style delighted me so much, that I found myself loving reading the Puck and Sean’s thoughts. Wendy also told me about the mized reviews. I simply don’t understand. The Scorpio Races is rich in content and plot. But yes, it start very quiet. That’s why I compared it to Ravel’s Bolero. It has a lot of abstract contenct. So it might not be a book that everybody would enjoy. I dunno really. I think it was spectacular!

    Hope it helps ^_^ muah!
    thx for stpping by my dear =)

  21. Book Sake

    I felt the same. The writing is good, but uneventful. This is the only Meg Cabot book I’ve read and was kinda disappointed after all the rave reviews I’ve read about her other books. (And I was unfamiliar with Persephone as well.)

  22. Jen

    I really enjoyed this one, but I do remember being a leeeeeettle bit disappointed because I didn’t know I was committing to a series haha.

  23. Sverige

    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was interesting and mysterious, with the right kind of balance of romance. Cannot wait for the next book because it does leave you wondering what happens next. Have tried to find more books like it, but have not found anything that I can get into quite as quick as I did with this one and enjoy it all the way through.