Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon (The Abandon Trilogy, #1)

by Meg Cabot

Last year, Pierce died – just for a moment. And when she was in the space between life and death, she met John. Tall dark and terrifying, it's his job to usher souls from one realm to the next.

There's a fierce attraction between them, which Pierce carries back into our world. But she knows that if she allows herself to fall for John she will be doomed to a life of shadows and loneliness in the Underworld. When things get dangerous for her, her only hope is to do exactly what John says. Can she trust a guy who lives for the dead?

Inspired by Greek myth, Abandon is the first in a darkly romantic trilogy from Meg Cabot, creator of The Princess Diaries.

Reviewed by rakesandrogues on

3 of 5 stars

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Review Overview:

Persephone-inspired novel with jaw-dropping secrets
Fantastic chemistry between Pierce and John but they had limited interaction
Ending was abrupt, though there really was no plot

Coming into this book, I thought that ABANDON would be a modern retelling of the Persephone myth. However, main character Pierce makes it very clear in the story’s prologue that she isn’t quite as lucky as Persephone. ABANDON is a riveting tale of Pierce as she tries to understand the mystery between John Hayden and her near-death experience in a story inspired by the Persephone myth.

ABANDON is definitely a lot more character driven than the summary leads it to be, and it sets the basis for the next books in the series. In terms of plot, ABANDON is more development than anything else because very little actually happens in the book. As a reader, I didn’t get the feeling of a clear plot with rising action, climax, and a resolution. Still, I enjoyed it nonetheless. While I would have liked some warning that it is part of a series, I found myself hooked to the story because of Pierce and John.

John Hayden is a delightful character to read about. I looked forward to all his scenes because I loved his snarky comments and this bad boy attitude. Pierce and John have a strong love/hate relationship creating sizzling tension between them whenever they’re in the same scene. My only complaints? While they had fantastic chemistry, the scenes actually involving the two are very limited.

The main focus of the book is uncovering secrets. Usually I would think that would make a book full of fast-paced, page-turning suspense, but Cabot approaches this very differently. The novel was quiet in terms of action, but when the secrets are revealed, she does not disappoint: it was jaw-dropping.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the book. But, I was disappointed with how the book left off. There were many unresolved plot lines, and I wasn’t left with any feeling of closure. I’m disappointed that there wasn’t more. As I said, I did start reading this book thinking it was a standalone which could explain my dislike of the ending. I will without a doubt continue on the series because that’s how alluring John Hayden is. I would love to know more about him and the Underworld, but I would like to see a more engaging plot evolve.

Final verdict? Wait until the next few books of the series come out before you look into reading this one.

Fans of the Persephone myth, mythology, paranormal, and Meg Cabot will enjoy ABANDON.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 21 February, 2011: Finished reading
  • 21 February, 2011: Reviewed