Abandon

by Meg Cabot

Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Point (2011), ePub.

Description

A near-death experience, a horrible incident at school, and a move from Connecticut to Florida have turned seventeen-year-old Pierce's life upside-down, but when she needs him most John Hayden is always there, helping but reminding her of her visit to the Underworld.

User reviews

LibraryThing member 4sarad

This book was pretty awful. When I heard it would be a new take on the myth of Hades and Persephone I literally yelled "OMG YES!!" But.... yeah, it didn't live up to that excitement even a little. There's no chemistry between the characters at all. The guy shows up to save the girl a few times, but

they don't really talk. The girl spends the whole book complaining about the guy but suddenly he confesses he loves her and she gets all teary and happy. Whatever. The writing was just horrible. Constant blatantly annoying foreshadowing and flashbacks. An actual quote: "My voice trailed off, because when I glanced up into his face, I saw that his mouth was pressed into a flat line… like the one my heart had gone into the day I'd fallen into his world." Absolute garbage!

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24 more

LibraryThing member mountie9

The Good Stuff

* Intriguing and different storyline, root of story based on the Persephone/Hades tale and I love me my Greek and Roman Mythology
* The beginning really grabs your attention and hooks you into the story right away. It is also very hard to put down which is the reason I am so feckin

tired this morning -- since I was up till 1am finishing it. Yup read it in one day -- thanks for putting Jesse to bed hubby!
* love Meg's writing, it is sort of Whedonesque, and that is a compliment
* Look forward to finding out more about some of the secondary characters who are intriguing
* John is a fascinating darkly tortured hero type and you know us library girls dig that sort of thing
* Lots of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat and second guessing on what is going on and who people really are
* Love the cover it is so stunningly beautiful
* Each chapter has a quote from Dante's Inferno, so now I can say I actually have read some Dante LOL!
* Some of Cabot's trademark humour, would have liked a little more, but that is just me being picky
* Great chemistry between Pierce and John
* Can't wait to read the next story in the trilogy

The Not so Good Stuff

* Story doesn't flow smoothly, there is some jumping around and it can be a bit discerning. The structure of story just seems a little off
* Pierce is a little too naive (but she does grow) and John can be a bit too controlling (and slightly stalkerish) which is sort of creepy for the target audience

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"I'm pretty sure the people who call Isla Huesos paradise never met my grandma."

"The more attractive people were, the more nervous I tended to get around them."

"That's why I don't really mind so much that those friends of yours ma'amed me. I guess your old mom's still got it."

"What did any of it mean. Where could it go? He was a death deity. I was a senior in high school. This was never going to work."

What I Learned

* Some interesting facts about NDE

Who should/shouldn't read

* Obviously fans of Cabot's other works
* Those who like stories with a mythological twist
* Not too much angsty stuff so both adults and teens will enjoy

4 Dewey's

I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review - thanks Scholastic!

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LibraryThing member callmecayce

A decent, if not great, pseudo retelling of the Persephone myth. Pierce was a slightly likable character, but sometimes the plot got a bit convoluted. Fans of Meg Cabot's princess books might not enjoy this, but people who like picking apart modern myths and fans of confusing romances might like

it. I wish it was better, but it wasn't.

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LibraryThing member ABookwormsHaven

I am a big fan of Greek mythology, so when I saw Meg Cabot was writing a story that centered around one I was really excited! I have read a couple of her books and enjoyed them and hoped this book would not disappoint me.

When I started reading the beginning left me spinning a little, the timeline

was jumping around and I had to really focus to keep up. I was not expecting this so I would recommend anyone getting ready to read this book pay attention to the first couple of chapters because the information comes at you fast and it is not in chronological order. Once I got used to the flow of the book it was much easier to follow along, but I have not read a book that was set up this way before so I did needed time to adjust.

As for the story, I really enjoyed the beginning because there was a lot going on and the idea of a new spin on the Hades/Persephone thing was really interesting. Peirce does not know exactly what to believe has happened in her life and getting to decode the clues with her was fun. The middle of the book did drag on a little. Peirce hardly ever saw John and was just getting to know the new town she lived in without a whole lot of excitement brewing. I liked John, from the little that I saw of him, but I am not so sure about Peirce. She was confused for much of the book and that leaves my feelings for her a little muddy. I think she had a good heart and was lovable, I just did not completely click with her.

Overall, I thought the book okay, but it is not particularly memorable. I think the concept is great, but the story fell flat. The plot was building towards the end and I thought it was gearing up for something big, but nothing really happened. It felt as though you are climbing up the mountain to get to the top and never really get there. I was intrigued by the concept of this book, but I do not think I will be reading the next book in the series. The story was just too choppy and it going out of chronological order was confusing.

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LibraryThing member MrsTeeMae

This was the first book I've read by Meg Cabot. I am lucky to have been able to receive an ARC of this amazing book! Meg Cabot has certainly caught my attention with her story of the myth of Persephone. I am a lover of all things in greek mythology. Although this story wasn't strictly just greek

mythology, it also had the paranormal aspect to it. The story kept me on edge and had me constantly trying to figure out who was behind what. The characters were likable and the way that Cabot describes the elements of the surrounding as well as the characters themselves, drew me in immediately. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the Abandon Trilogy.

At age 7 Pierce meets someone she will never forget. She didn't plan on ever seeing him again. But at age 15, Pierce has a terrible accident and ends up in a nightmare where only once face is familiar. A face that will follow her long after her accident. Now in high school trying to make a fresh start after so many problems she's had in the past, Pierce can't help but to feel like she will never really feel alive again.

Her parents separated; her father blamed by her mother for her accident. Trying to start at a new school with new friends. She finds herself sticking to herself, trying not to get close to anyone again. Because she knows now that she can't keep everyone she loves, safe. Sticking close to her cousin, Alex at school and taking in the comfort of her bike when she needs to get away; Pierce finds herself at a familiar place. She's being drawn to the cemetery when her grandfather was buried, also the place where she first met John.

Weird things begin to happen to Pierce in the small town of Isla Huesos (the Island of Bones) upon returning from her visit from a different world. With a necklace that is meant to keep her safe only seems to do the opposite. It seems that everyone she comes in contact with while wearing the necklace always ends up hurt, or dead. But Pierce tries to turn things around and become friends with people she normally wouldn't. She and her cousin, Alex are apart of the D-Wing, a place for students with special circumstances; Alex's dad was in jail for a period of time and Pierce with her accident. With Coffin Night coming up, an annual ritual the high school kids do, the A-Wings kids are the first to talk Pierce into their plan. Things don't as planned when Pierce is finding it difficult to know who she can and can't trust. And the least of her worries are any of the kids from school. There is a storm brewing in Isla Huesos, and causing it is something far beyond her world.

I loved this book, it had the right amount of mystery, paranormal, and darkness that makes you want more. Meg Cabot's writing is phenomenal. Even had me look up a few words in the dictionary. I really hope to see more stories like this from Cabot. This is going to be an amazing trilogy! This book is definitely a "must have" on my bookshelf. I'm dying to know where she takes the story, the characters and what will happen with Pierce. It's going to be epic!

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Meg Cabot. For those who are fans of greek mythology told in a darker setting and those who love mystery with twists and turns.

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LibraryThing member idroskicinia

Some months ago, I read The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot, and I loved it! I just fell in love with the story and the characters. It's one of my favorite series. So, when I heard that there was a new book coming out, written by her, I just freaked out. "I need to read this book, I need to read

Abandon" I told myself. I know... I'm kind of crazy. But If you like a specific book, you normally look for other books written by the same author... so, that's what I did.

So, what can I say about Abandon? The story is really interesting and very mysterious, specially at the beginning. It was a little bit difficult for me to understand everything because the main character Pierce, who is telling the story, was all the time back and forth. I mean, with a lot of flashbacks. That made it really unclear and a little bit confusing. But the book gets much better, and you will enjoy it if you like Greek Mythology, and specific; Persephone and Hades story.

I really liked that the story takes place in Florida. : ) I live in Florida... The characters are really nice; Pierce is a little naive, and I just loved John... I like that kind of tortured heros... I felt so sorry for him and sometimes I wanted to hug him and kiss him... poor little thing. The second characters are not so important, I didn't see too much participation of them, but I really liked the cemetery scene with Richard Smith, and his conclusions about John and Pierce's relationship. Their romance is really nice, and the series just looks awesome and different.
Now I'm dying to read the next one; Underworld.

4/5 stars. I really like it.

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LibraryThing member BookAddictDiary

When I first saw Meg Cabot's Abandon, I wasn't sure what to think. I haven't read many of her previous novels, but I primarily know her as the author of the famous Princess Diaries series, which is very upbeat, fun and well...more pink. But, the cover (and premise) of Abandon seemed like it was

nearly the opposite -some depressing and black, very black. The concept, however, did interest me, so I thought it was worth checking out.

The first of a new trilogy, Abandon is set in a dark fantasy world filled with mythology. Young Pierce has never been the same since the accident...when she died. She's had trouble fitting in at school, and her parents' wealth and high profile hasn't helped. After not being able to fit in at school, Pierce and family move to a new town where she attends a new school for special people. But here, the deadly specter who has been chasing Pierce catching up with her, since death does not easily let its prisoners go.

For me what really shined through here was Cabot's writing and the mythology. Cabot creates a fascinating protagonist with issues and attitude that readers can easily identify with. And even though I typically don't like angsty protagonists with mountains of issues, I liked Pierce. I at least felt for her, wanted to cheer for her and see her come out on top. Cabot does an excellent job of building a realistic character who comes to life -I was especially enjoying the dialogue. Felt so real.

Then there's the mythology. Not only does Cabot borrow from traditional Greek mythology (always a fertile ground for ideas), she manages to create a modern twist on the old tales that still feels fresh and unique. As a big fan of world-building, setting and unique story mythologies, this was something that I could easily get behind.

But, while the overall concept of Abandon is interesting, it just didn't seem like it was fully executed. There was so much potential in the setup and the ideas behind the story that I felt like it just could have been more to it. It was slow at the beginning and didn't quite pick up enough steam for me to ever get fully engaged. I just felt like there were some holes in here that needed to be filled it, and the overall story lacked some heart.

I really wanted to like this book more, and it wasn't horrible, but it just wasn't that great either. Not sure if Cabot's usual fan base will like it due to the darker nature of the story, but it may be worthwhile for some (just not me).

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LibraryThing member MeganB66

Pierce is a young girl of fifteen when she dies and meets John, a lord of the underworld and sorter of souls like Hades. She escaped when she was fifteen but John could not stay away. This is a great captivating book detailing what happens when someone like John falls in love with you and wants

nothing more than to protect you.

I am a big fan of Meg Cabot's and thought she did a great job yet again for this book. It is not one of her best but i deeply enjoyed it and read it in about a day. This book is like many of the first book of a series that she writes. Its a set up book that tells past history that is needed and some plot but really just leaves you wanting more but to get it you need to wait for the sequel.

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LibraryThing member Icecream18

This book is amazing, Meg Cabot never fails to write a terrific novel. The main character, Pierce, will both annoy and endear herself to the reader. The amazing thing about Cabot as a writer is that she manages to make her characters into what they are supposed to portray, Pierce is the typical

high school girl who reacts accordingly when her life goes awry, John is the handsome, tortured male from the 1800's. The supporting characters all fit into the story and help move the story at a faster pace. The plot itself is intriguing, set on an island known for its dead floating up from their burial grounds when a hurrican hits, the reader will always pay attention to the weather, a typically mundance topic becomes interesting. The reader will enjoy how Cabot integrates Pierce's memories and applies them to Pierce's actions at the time. Little tid bits are handed out to pull the reader further into the book. The foreshadowing, such as the tassels on Pierce's and her grandma's scarves, is perfect and portrays exactly what Cabot wants the reader to see. The only disappointing bit in the book could be when Pierce appears to have no or little reaction to her parents' divorce, something a normal teen probably wouldn't act like. This book is terrific for young adults/teens/adults (females especially) who enjoy a good Greek myth set in modern times with a twist and a dash of romance.

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LibraryThing member _Lily_

Abandon by Meg Cabot
Reviewed by Moirae the fates book reviews

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.(Synopsis provided by goodreads)

First off I wanted to like this book more then I did, for me it was just okay. I felt like there was just too much back story and it could have been condensed into about 50 pages. The flash backs were hard to follow, I had a hard time figuring out where one ended and where another one started.
I found the middle and the last chapter the best part. The last chapter does give me hope for the second book.
However, I think I may wait for the paperback of book two. I felt like I was missing something in this book, like there was a chapter or 3 missing from my copy.
I think part of my opinion stems from the fact that I LOVE Greek myths and the Persephone myth is my favorite of them all. (Well a tie with Achilles.)
The writing itself was good, the dialog was great, I do wish we had more chemistry between Pierce and John.
I'll keeping watching Cabots books and I will read book two.

Overall rating *** 3 out of 5 stars
Cover art: Simply gorgeous can I get a poster?
Obtained: My personal bookshelf.

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LibraryThing member mcelhra

Pierce had a near death experience two years ago when she drowned in her parents’ swimming pool. Her life hasn’t been the same since. She and her mom move to a town and she starts a new school for a fresh start.

This book surprised me because it was so much darker than everything else I’ve

read by Meg Cabot. There was an invisible cloud of gloom over every scene. That would have been okay if some of the characters would have been likable. Pierce was just kind of blah, she didn’t have the charm that Cabot’s female leads usually have. Her love interest was just awful. I get the whole being attracted to the bad boy thing but that’s usually because the bad boy is secretly sensitive and every once and a while there is a little peek into that side. The guy in this book was just a jerk, plain and simple. There wasn’t any believable chemistry between him and Pierce.

Even though I didn’t enjoy this book, I will read the next one in the trilogy because I normally really enjoy Cabot’s books and I’m hoping that the second book will be better.

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LibraryThing member allthesedarnbooks

I enjoyed this YA book quite a bit. Meg Cabot can usually be relied on for good, easy summer reading, and Abandon was no exception. It's loosely based on the myth of Hades and Persephone with a modern twist. What I loved about this book is that the heroine, Pierce, while drawn to the dark,

mysterious, paranormal young man, is also afraid of him. She doesn't want to die to be with him, which is refreshing, as in most YA paranormal romance books the girl will do anything to be with the boy, consequences be damned. Pierce is attracted to John but she also will do anything she can to escape from him. I definitely look forward to the rest of this series. Three and a half stars.

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LibraryThing member fierceheroines

Oh, Meg.

Meg, Meg, Meg. Why did you have to jump on the bad boy paranormal romance bandwagon? Why?

You did so well when you tore apart the new vampire genre in Insatiable, and then you produce this? My heart, Meg. It hurts.

Abandon, a "darkly re-imagined," modern re-telling of the Persephone and

Hades myth, marks Meg Cabot's return to the YA paranormal realm. In Abandon, 17 year old Pierce is a NDE - a survivor of a near death experience from an accident when she was 15. Since then, she has been followed by a mysterious stranger named John, who has caused serious trouble for her in the living world. Pierce moves with her mother to Florida, but find she's closer to John than ever before and if she's not careful, she'll end up in the Underworld permanently.

I really wanted to like Abandon. You all know me, I'm a huge Meg Cabot fan. If I was a teenager in high school, I probably would've eaten this book up and demanded more immediately. However, now that I've become especially jaded and immediately suspicious of most paranormal romances in the YA section, I was not impressed.

While Pierce was a break from the standard Cabot heroine, there were very few moments when I genuinely liked her because she was so bland. Part of the problem was her narration. Cabot told the backstory of Pierce's death and first trip to Underworld retrospectively and stayed there for a good portion of the book. This led to a lot of repetition, melodramatic foreshadowing, and plot twists that didn't make sense. There is very little action in this book because it's the step-up for the triology, and there were probably only 40 pages I truly enjoyed out of the entire thing and they were in the last third of the book.

The biggest disappointment for me, however, was the love interest John. Once again, we have a heroine falling in love with an asshole she knows for an hour (no, I don't count the two years he STALKED her for "her protection" as relationship development) and staying with him even though she knows he'd rather her be dead and in the Underworld with him. There were few scenes between the two of them that didn't make me uncomfortable, and I kept waiting for Pierce to wake up from her fantasy and stop romanticizing John as a misunderstood, lonely bad boy. And that never happened. Maybe it will in future books, but I definitely won't be picking those up for a long time.

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LibraryThing member taleofnight

Pierce is moving to her mom's hometown in Florida after her parents got a divorce and the people at Pierce's old school has decided that a change in scenery would be good for her. The last time she was there, was when her grandfather past away, about 7 years ago. 7 years ago when she met a man who

made a dead bird come back to life. The same man she met when she died 2 years ago. Except he's not a man anymore. Now that she has grown up a bit, she's noticed that he had never grown, he stayed the same age. Now she can't stop running into him. And something bad seems to happen every time she sees him.

I love any kind of mythology, so I was really excited to read Abandon. I didn't know what to expect for the most part, I only have a vague knowledge on the Hades and Persephone mythology. But I do know enough to know that Abandon only had little details from the mythology itself. A guy from the underworld wanting to take a girl to live with him. Basically.

The writing took me a while to get used to. I can be very impatient, and I was very impatient with this book. Cabot would hint at things and beat around the bush with so many incidents that had happened to Pierce, it was driving me crazy. Pierce would keep talking about something that happened, and it was bad, but you would have to read 50 pages before you ever figured out what actually happened. I guess you could say it kept me reading. But it also got a little annoying.

The story itself was good. Pierce is quirky and has a different way at looking at the world. Probably because she died and came back and knows what the afterlife is like. I liked Pierce. And I wish I had her necklace. I felt like the relationship between Pierce and John was a little off. Almost like it was forced or convenient for them to get together. It didn't feel like they clicked, to me

Overall, this isn't one of my favorites from Meg Cabot. It was just an interesting read. This is only the first in a trilogy, so I'll be looking for the second book when it comes out.

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LibraryThing member arielfl

Not good, not good at all. I picked this up thinking it had a promising idea. It was supposed to be a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. Hades kidnapped Persephone so maybe this wasn't the easiest myth to try to adapt to today's girl power audiences. There is hardly any

trace of the original myth to it. The plot is just a mashed up mess of nothingness. The characters are bland and one dimensional too. I will not be passing this on to my daughter. The Percy Jackson series does a far superior job of updating the Greek myths for today's YA audience. Pass on this.

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LibraryThing member Runa

I never thought this day would come. The day I got tired of Meg Cabot's writing tropes. Maybe it says more about me than anything else, which is a scary thought, since she's the one who really launched my love of YA, but it's a scary day, no doubt. Ordinarily, there's some kind of extra spark,

something beyond the typical Cabot love story, but I just wasn't feeling it this time. Part of it can be attributed to the same complaint I've addressed towards other books recently--dragging a book out to fit a series, rather than fitting the story into however many books it needs. I felt like this book moved along much slower than the typical Cabot book. The other thing I felt was similarities here and there between this adaptation of the myth of Persephone...and Cabot's other mythical adaption--found in Avalon High. Avalon High is one of my favorite books by Meg Cabot, and that would probably be due to the fact that it is extraordinarily fast paced, revelations flying in from every direction. This could have been a good book if the story hadn't been stretched out. The idea that I'm supposed to imagine John as a main character when he's barely even present in the story? Difficult to do! The book was much more interesting when he and Pierce were directly interacting. I think this was a novel idea, an idea that held a lot of potential, but the story was disorganized, convoluted, and stretched out beyond necessity.

Rating: 3/5

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LibraryThing member slanger89

This story looked promising, a modern spin off of Persephone and Hades, however it fell a bit short for me. I typically love Meg's writing, but for most of the story I was just annoyed at the main character, Pierce, and how stupid/dramatic she was. It was a fast, fun read, but not much more than

that. It's a book I'm glad I borrowed and did not buy.

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LibraryThing member LauraT81

I had a great time reading Abandon, a fun, hard-to-put-down YA novel that is the first of a new trilogy by Meg Cabot about a girl, Pierce, who can't get away from death... I can't wait to see what the rest of the series brings.

LibraryThing member dasuzuki

To be honest the book description of this one didn't really grab me but I thought the cover was gorgeous so I decided to give it a shot especially after the great Greek mythology based YA books that I have read recently. Sadly this one paled in comparison to those other books. It left me feeling ho

hum and to be honest I don't really feel the need to continue the series. I never felt really connected to any of the characters and I feel like it might because of the way the story was written. We get glimpses of the history between John and Pierce from flash backs but they are so disjointed that it doesn't build that bond that makes me truly care about her. I would have preferred if the story actually started before she drowns and we see progress from there as we see her actively coming back from death, dealing with her parents divorce, etc.

The romance was also a off for me. I do not understand how Pierce goes from being John's prisoner to being in love with him. He doesn't talk much and most of what we see is him beating the crap out of people. Granted he has a good reason but I can't see that being the main appeal of him to Pierce. If anything she seems more obsessed about the pendent he gives her than the man himself. So the romance seemed so out of place. I would have liked to see them gradually grow to love each other and really give me a reason to root for them to stay together.

The last issue I had with this book was the pacing. I felt it took forever to really get to any juicy parts and the reader is teased with these intriguing ideas about the Furies, who they are, why they would be after Pierce and when will they come for her. Then nothing! When you think the action is finally going to pick up and we are really going to dive into the meat of the story the book ends. I understand a lot of first books in a series have to do a great deal of set up but at least make me care enough about the characters to want to keep reading the series.

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LibraryThing member mt256

I am fascinated by mythology. I absolutely adore Greek myths. For that reason, I was drawn to Abandon by Meg Cabot. I was very interested in reading this modern day twist on the old Greek myth of Hades and Persephone.
The story line focuses around Pierce Oliviera. Pierce had everything going for

her until she had a near death experience. Ever since then, life has not been the same. Pierce is greatly troubled. You see when she died, she didn't see a bright light, what she saw was much more disturbing. So much so that when she's brought back, it still haunts her. Her parents are also recently divorced. Her mother decides it's time for a fresh start so she moves them to her hometown in Florida. Pierce is eager to fit in but she's plagued by past events. Not only that but it seems the small town she moved to was probably the worst place in the world for her to be.
I thought the story line in this book was good. It flowed easily. Meg Cabot teases you with the details of Pierce's past just a bit. She doesn't give you the full details straight away but has many flashbacks to the past to slowly reveal everything that transpired. This element added suspense and mystery to the novel. It kept me reading to find out the details of Pierce's past.
The characters in Abandon are very interesting. Pierce is the main character. She's been slightly traumatized by past events. She's trying to make an effort to be more engaged in life. She desperately wants to make her mom happy and save her friends from the evil that is out there. I like her character. Pierce is flawed in many ways and makes a lot of mistakes. She is also very compassionate and stubborn. She's being followed by death who has been chasing after her. Death's name is John. John doesn't seem like an ominous enough name for death. However there is a lot of mystery that surrounds his character. His motivation through out this story isn't very clear at first. All you know is that Pierce escaped from him and he wants her back. Meg reveals just enough of his story to keep you intrigued. This is the first book in a the Abandon Trilogy. I hope in the next book, she gives us better insight to his character.
Overall I thought this was a good book. I enjoyed the mythological aspects of this book. The storyline was fast paced and flowed easily. The characters were likable. I will definitely be reading the second book in this series.

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LibraryThing member raboyer

Absolute Abandon

* Read this ARC via Once Upon a Twilight Book Tours

This book gets a deadly 4 gnomes out of 5 gnomes for having a great twist on underworld mythology and for a strong main character trying to figure out how to live after having an extremely unique near death experience.

The story is

set up as a spin on the whole Hades and Persephone myth. It's well done because even if you know the myth their are plenty of surprises. The only set up I could have done without was the passage from Dante's Inferno before every chapter. It would have been better to maybe have it before one chapter, not throughout the entire book. I think it just makes the reader pause too much and is distracting.

Pierce has some issues sure and the incident that made her leave her old school is still talked about. She's become really withdrawn from everyone and people think she's crazy and has anger problems. So now she gets stuck moving back to where her Mom's originally from, an island that seems to be teeming with secrets. Pierce is now part of a program for troubled kids at her new school, she of course has problems but they are more of the paranormal variety.

Seeing how she interacts with the new friends she makes and her family shows how distant she has become and the reader can sense that something weird is going on. Pierce is protective of people and thinks that she needs to save them from evil. This hero complex has got her in trouble before and you can see her trying to save her new friend and her cousin too. I wish this whole aspect of why her cousin has issues with certain people was explored more. There are a lot of questions but with more books in the series I'm sure they'll be answered.

I love that the potential love interest in the story is this kind of ambiguous guy that you can't really be sure of. For a good portion of the book it appears that there won't even be a love connection. If you like your male leads more bad to the bone versus sweet and nice then John may be just the guy you're looking for.

The most brilliant twist in the story is who the actual bad guy is. There are clues to who it is of course but I know I sure didn't put the pieces together before the big reveal. This twist will definitely have repercussions for Pierce's life and well, piece of mind.
The end of the book was surprising and a tad bit aggravating. It's one of those endings that makes you wonder how exactly the main character will find her way out of trouble. I can't wait to see what happens next in the series because it looks like Pierce is going to have to make some very hard choices.

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LibraryThing member farnsworthk

I really struggled with this one. The main characters were unexciting and I can't figure out if I liked Pierce or not. And the love aspect was totally ridiculous. Dark, mysterious and dangerous guys are just not my thing. I did enjoy several of the side characters and the twist at the end. I think

there's room for the story to develop, so I'm hoping it gets better in the next book.

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LibraryThing member GreatImaginations

When I finished reading this book, I had originally given it 4 stars. I really did like the story. I LOVED the setting. But then I thought about it for a little bit and realized that it wasn't all that special. First of all, there was almost no character development. And the characters weren't

particularly memorable. The characters that I did like (Uncle Chris and Alex) weren't in the story enough and sort-of seemed like an afterthought.

Everything was very cliche. This plot has been done many times before, and in many different ways, and better. And it definitely gave off a Twilight Vibe. Protective guy, slightly clueless girl, star-crossed lovers,etc. I don't know about you, but I'm looking for reading material with a little more substance and originality these days.

Now that I'm done criticizing, I definitely want to compliment the author's writing. I've been reading a lot of beautifully written novels lately. Unfortunately, beautiful writing does not mean substance. But she does write beautifully. She describes things well. Her wording is definitely appealing and I appreciate her style. I've read other books by Meg Cabot and I've liked them better. So I definitely like her. I just felt like something was missing. Sort of like her writing spark was gone for this book.

A lot of authors right now are on a mythology kick. Almost every paranormal aspect has been used and overused, so it was time to move onto something else. I guess they all sat down, had a conference and decided it was to be mythology. Well I say yuck. I love Greek Mythology. But the Greek myths were crazy and unbelievable enough by themselves. We don't need anybody with an idea to come along and twist every Greek myth into a story. Which is why for the most part, I've refrained from reading them. This retelling of Persephone and Hades was okay. It didn't stray too much from the original which I appreciated. It just received a modern update.

So, 3 stars. I know I talk like I hated it, but I didn't really. That's the cynic in me coming out. Will I continue with the series? Perhaps. I won't go out of my way, but if I get sent a copy, I will read it. I think there's a good chance the next book will be better. Maybe it will have more substance. I hope.

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LibraryThing member pollywannabook

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

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.

Sexual Content:
Kissing. References to statutory rape.

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LibraryThing member ljldml

I have never read a book by Meg Cabot before. I cannot say I am fond of her writing style. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. She goes back and forth in time at the drop of a hat. The book itself is based on the Persephone/Hades myth. You have to understand the main characters ARE

NOT Persephone and Hades. They are Pierce and John. They are meant to be similar to the mythological characters. The story tends to fall somewhat flat. I will read the second book in the series, if only to see if there is character progression. Pierce struck me as being somewhat whiny and egocentric. John was moody and dark- exactly what I would have expected Hades to be like. I give this book 2.5/5 stars

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Fewer

Language

English

Original language

English

Original publication date

2011-04-26

Physical description

320 p.; 8.4 inches

Local notes

A modern day retelling of the Persephone and the underworld myth, with a lord of the underworld falling for a teenager.

Rather unlikely pairing, but kinda cute in a fluffy sort of way.