Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

Book Description from the ARC:

ARC, 297 pages

October 7, 2011, Pan Macmillan UK

Last year Pierce flatlined following an accident.

During that time she saw another world.

And met a strangely beautiful boy.

Now that boy, John Hayden, has turned up at school, and every time she sees him Pierce finds herself in terrible danger. Yet she is still drawn to him.

John wants to take her back to the place she fears most: the Underworld. The question is, why?

Source: Hattie from Pan Macmillan UK (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

The main character was a beautiful blend of crazy, stunning and whimsical. Her narration was probably the closest to how an actual person might think. The flow of thoughts was jumping back and forth from the past to the present. It had this edge of looking back to what had happened and reflecting on its effects. Riddled with regret, questions and curiosity, her mind was one that I would love to visit again.

Pierce went to the underworld after an accident. People – souls – were being directed into two groups, possibly to a good resting place and to a bad resting place. But then, Pierce saw a guy and felt a tug of familiarity inside her. He was John Hayden, the equivalent of Hades. He was beautiful and strange. He had this otherworldly quality and he had this aura of sadness wrapping him. He offered Pierce to go to a place away from the chaos of the lines and the guards. And Pierce accepted. But somehow, she got away. She escaped death.

On Earth, Pierce was staying at Isla Huesos, the place where her mom grew up. She had a new school and a new set of people to deal with. She went there to try to move on from the near-death incident along with the strings tying her to insanity. But really, no matter where she went, she would never forget. It didn’t help that John started appearing to her in Isla Huesos. Their relationship was all about hate and anger in the beginning. Pierce hated John for making her stay in the underworld. John was angry at her for leaving. But as the story progressed, they settled with a truce that had a hint of trust and romance.

The history and mythology of Isla Huesos was a freaky, creepy but interesting one. It got its name from what the island looked life after a storm. Bones would be scattered everywhere. The people also had stories about their traditions such as Coffin Night.

Abandon is a surprising and enjoyable novel, riddled with twists and turns and an eclectic cast of characters that will appeal to readers. I recommend this to readers of mythology, retellings and paranormal.

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