Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot
Release Date – April 26, 2011
Publisher – Point
Pages - 304
My Rating- 6.5/10
Obtained - won from a giveaway

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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.

Ever read a book that frustrates you by not giving you any answers? This applies to Abandon. We are given little bits of information throughout the novel. The narrative jumps around with flashbacks spaced throughout the novel. I felt like a lot of the answers were not given, or took much longer than required to be revealed. We spend so much time hearing about the “accident” that kills Pierce, and the “incident” that happened after she has came back from the Underworld. It takes so long to find out what exactly either is referring to that when we finally have all the answers it is almost the end of the novel.

The main character is one those characters who can’t make up her mind. She also has a tendency to blame EVERYTHING in her life on EVERYONE else. Her mother, John, her father, the fact that she died, etc. I find that she doesn’t take responsibility for her own actions. She ends up having a seven figure lawsuit brought against her, and her attitude is “Oh well, Dad will take care of it”. She ended up being pretty unlikeable.

John is another major character. Sadly, we do not learn much about him, or his motives. He acts aloof, cold, and doesn’t tell Peirce things “for her own good”. I hope we do find out more about him in the next few books because he could be a very interesting character if we are able to learn more about him.

The secondary characters are much better. I loved Pierce’s cousin Alex, and there was not enough of him in the book. He often seemed like the sane person in Pierce’s life. There is lingering questions about him that I curious about so I would be thrilled to see more of him. I also liked Kayla. She’s interesting, and seems like a true friend.

The mythology that is introduced closer to the end of the book is interesting, and I am quite looking forward to reading more about in the second book. I think it provides a good starting place for the next book. I think this may be better once fully part of the series, as I don’t think this one stands on it’s own.

I do enjoy Meg Cabot’s writing. She kept me turning the pages, and want to know more. The more I was wanting just didn’t come. This novel feels like a set up for the next books in the series. I feel that there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. It held my attention enough that I want to read the second book, and hope to learn more about these characters and the mythology.