Meg Cabot
Abandon #1
Published 2011 by Point
Bite-Sized Review
Despite a few storytelling flaws, Abandon was a highly enjoyable book with a rather rambling narrator.
King-Sized Review
Pierce was a normal high school girl: a little distracted, maybe not the best student, but normal. Then she died.
Now she's moved to her mom's hometown, trying to start a new life, trying to fit in. The only problem is him. He keeps showing up, sometimes to save her, sometimes to annoy her. Pierce just wants him to leave her alone until she realizes there's someone out there who never wanted her to come back, and most definitely wants to send her back to the Underworld.
Abandon is loosely based on the myth of Persephone, which, for whatever reason, is currently a popular one to retell. However, it's not much like The Goddess Test, the other Persephone-based book I've read, and personally, I prefer Abandon: it has more action, a more appealing romance, and a less morose MC.
While there is plenty of action in Abandon, most of the story is the product of Pierce's internal monologuing. Fortunately her thoughts were much less irritating than some other YA characters I could name, though she did have something of an angst issue and a tendency to blame her problems on her death and revival and/or other people, which was a little wearying after a while. But otherwise, her perspective on her new home was often funny, and the slow revelation of her history was suspenseful without being overdone.
The romance between John and Pierce wasn't spectacular, but it could have been worse. There was a bit of an element of insta-love, but they spent enough time angry at each other that it all managed to balance out in the end mostly. John could have used a little more of a story, particularly one in his own words; the hearsay about his past was interesting, but it's clear there's more to the tale. (And if there's not, there should be.) But hallelujah! No love triangle!
Abandon is, unfortunately, by no means a self-contained story. The ending would have done better for a chapter than a book, and it was frustrating to have so many things unresolved on all levels of the plot. However, I enjoyed Abandon, and will be looking forward to the next book.
Quality: Acceptable
Enjoyability: Good
Abandon is similar to:
The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
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