Underworld by Meg Cabot

Underworld (The Abandon Trilogy, #2)

by Meg Cabot

Death has her in his grasp. And he's gorgeous. Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn't dead. Not this time. But she's been taken by John Hayden, Lord of the Underworld, to the place between heaven and hell where spirits gather before their final journey. John claims it's to protect her from the Furies, who are hell-bent on vengeance against him. But could he have other reasons for keeping Pierce close? When she learns that the people she loves back home are in mortal danger, can she convince John to release her to save them-- or will the price he asks for her freedom be too high?

Reviewed by e_rodz_leb on

5 of 5 stars

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I liked Underworld much better than Abandon! The main reason is that Pierce doesn’t come across as a whiny brat with very poor decision making, as she did in the first book.

In Underworld, Pierce is much more mature and (unlike the misleading synopsis) she does want to be with John regardless of where they happen to be. She is more outspoken, and not afraid of John or her feelings for him. Pierce is loyal, beautiful, sensitive and caring. One of the best things I liked about this book is that John is in it much more than in the first. We finally get to really know him, his story, why he acts the way he does and to what extent he will go to protect Pierce. *Love you John!*

We get to visit with some of the characters from Abandon, Pierce’s mom, uncle Chris, Alex and Kayla; but we also get to know some characters from the underworld that are John’s ‘crew’. I particularly liked Frank and little Henry.

The story picks up right after the events of Abandon and we follow how John and Pierce deal with each other and their new found relationship. I’ve always loved Greek mythology and I love this take on the myth of Hades and Persephone, even if it is much less literal. The plot is much better and action packed. Meg’s writing is flawless, easy to read, interesting, and lyrical and her character building is impeccable.

The ending was good, but a bit ambiguous; still I can’t wait for Awaken, the last part of the trilogy, due out sometime next year.

About the cover: The cover is amazingly beautiful, with deep purple color and with whimsical swirls and font. In it we see Pierce with her long dark hair and flowing white dress being pulled ‘under’ by John’s hand. As I said, beautiful.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 28 May, 2012: Finished reading
  • 28 May, 2012: Reviewed