Abandon (The Abandon Trilogy, Book 1)

If you read this book my guess is that your first impression of Pierce is that she’s a bit crazy. Well, she’s not. You see she died, but only for a moment. During that moment between life and death, she paid the Underworld a visit. From that she gained a sexy stalker named John protecting her from anything that may harm her. But what did I think of it? I am a HUGE Meg Cabot fan and I was expecting a lot out of this book. Unfortunately, I found the first half of the book was a bit slow at first, I felt as if I was forcing myself to read it whereas most books I read draw me in right from the beginning. After the first half of the book the addiction to reading Abandon started to grow, I started to take it everywhere I went! I found the characters very different, but a good different! They weren’t your usual hopeless girl meets attractive boy, and that’s why Pierce and John have been really interesting to read about. From how the book finished, I must say I am looking forward to the next book to coming out in 2012! Keep up the good work Meg!

At first this book started off great! it was an interesting idea and I was really interested and engaged with this book. Yet as the book progressed it got really confusing with the flashbacks Pierce has, and her time spent with this mysterious stranger (you find out later who he really is). The flashbacks would have been much better if they actually were related to the present day events but they just seemed to be a rehashing of memories. Even so, it feels it’s all jumbled and it’s makes the reading awkward. I also had a hard time liking Pierce. She was like a wooden doll with hardly any feeling or form and to be blunt, she just seemed so blah. Nothing exciting at all. I didn’t quite understand her relationship with John Hayden. It was like she liked him, but then she steered clear away from him. Although he ends up saving her from several horrible experiences, she just wants to get away from him as if he’s the plague. Ok. I supposed there’s not a problem with that but if they’re supposed to be the romance couple here, the chemistry seems way off and it just feels like it’s not there. Even the rules of ‘Opposites Attract’ does not work here. Pierce just seemed so wishy washy half of the time I ended up not really liking her in the first place. The plot itself was okay. Although it’s supposed to be somewhat similar to the Hades and Persephone myth you don’t see much of it except for some parts here and there. Even so, it’s does not seem well put and just feels like a cut and paste job, with a lot of fluff in between. It does pick up in the end though, and it’s interesting enough for me to wait for the second book, but I am not in a real rush to get it. I’d say take it or leave it with this one. I have not read Meg Cabot’s books before but fans of her might like this book more than I did. Those who want a better rendition of the Hades/Persephone myth, try The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter.

httpAfter reading Princess diaries and the airhead trilogy by Meg Cabot, I really wanted to read this book because I loved her previous books and this one seemed to be for slightly older readers by looking at the cover. Meg Cabot's books which i read previously have a female main character and something that happens to her which makes the whole story (eg a simple teenager becoming a princess, two different girls change bodies and now - a girl comes back from the dead?). After reading this book I can say it is quite different to the previous books I read from Meg Cabot. The style of writing was very interesting to read and quite fast paced. I would recommend Abandon to many friends and I know they would like it, although the main character is a bit annoying sometimes when I read about her outlook on life :). I don't want to give out any details of the story, but I can say, I really want to read the next book in the series.