I will start off by saying that I've never read any of Meg Cabot's books. This was my introduction into her writing and I think I probably should have chosen another book to begin with. I've heard some great things about her writing and I picked Abandon out because I love mythology retelling and I thought another Persephone myth would be right up my alley. I wasn't a huge fan of this book, but I have no doubt that others will have a different opinion than me.
Abandon, the first in the Abandon trilogy, tells the story of Piece, a young girl who has a brush with death at a young age and eventually, cheats death and Hades himself. Once she returns to life after escaping hell, she is never the same girl. The world changes around her as does her outlook on life as she becomes distracted and puts herself in a glass coffin, effectively shutting out the world. The only problem is that he always seems to be there. Whenever she needs him and sometimes when he's the last person she wants to see, he shows up and interrupts her life. As she gets to know him more, she finds herself in a position that may lead her back to the Underworld where she escaped from in the first place.
Honestly, this was a tough read for me. I read it in one sitting, but I really had to force myself to continue reading. When I began reading the book, I was so confused. I had to check Goodreads to make sure that I was reading the first book in the series, not the second or third. The first 80 pages or so jump around so much that I had trouble figuring out who was who and who did what. The rest of the book was sort of like this as well. Pierce would be in the present and then flash back to an earlier memory which made it so confusing and all the more difficult to get to know the characters.
Because of this, I found the characters really hard to fall for. Pierce wasn't the uber passionate and strong character I love in a heroine and she I didn't really feel that she had a defined personality. I'm also not a huge fan of John either. I felt like he was brooding and moody... and that was it. I didn't get a feel for his personality either and I couldn't root for their romance in this one.
Overall, I just couldn't get into the story. You know when you're reading an amazing book and the walls of your bedroom fall away and you're completely immersed in the story you're reading? This never happened while I was reading Abandon. I was a tad bored and I had a hard time making myself keep reading. I don't know if it's because I'm a huge fan of Aimee Carter's Goddess Test series that covers the same myth, only different and well... better, but this one didn't sit well with me. The next book, Underworld, may be a little better as it seems like it will take place in the actual Underworld, but I don't think I'll be picking it up anytime soon.
2 out of 10
Happy Reading :)
I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy this book. However, I'm also glad I read your review. This is one of the books I've been contemplating over reading for a while now. Like you, I've also never read any books by Meg Cabot (although she has written quite a bit). I think Abandon will just have to chill on my tbr list for a while longer. Perhaps if my library's e-collection gets it I'll try it out one of these days.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you might like it a lot more than I did. I think it really didn't help that I read Aimee Carter's Goddess Test series first, which are some of my favorites, as they cover a similar plot line. I borrowed another book by Meg Cabot from a friend, I think I'm going to give it another try. She's coming to my local book store this month so I really wanted to read something I've enjoyed before meeting her!
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