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shubba_the_emo_reader's review against another edition
2.0
original post: http://totallybookalicious.blogspot.com/2011/09/abandon-abandon-1-by-meg-cabot.html
I have never read a Meg Cabot book in my life (I know where I have been right? ) Her books never really caught my interest. Until I see this one. I thought the cover was stunning and the description sounded so exciting and after reading The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter I was really exciting to reading another Hades and Persphone retelling. However, sadly this book falls flat and left me seriously disappointed.
Usually here is where I add my own little description of the plot of a book. However, this book didn't seem to even have a plot. It basically involves Pierces a young girl who died two years ago and goes to the Underworld but manages escape from John Hayden (ruler of this underworld) by throwing a cup of tea in his face. ?!? I mean eh? John is meant to be ruler of the Underworld, strong and full of power but a 15 year old girl manages to escape by throwing a cup of tea on him I mean come on!
Abandon seems to take place over like one day but with loads of flashbacks telling us about what happened to Pierce after she came back from the underworld. Pierce OMG, I have never hated a main character so much in my life. She is so annoying. She is one dimensional and just comes across very immature. Here is this guy who loves her wants to spend forever with her and she doesn't even see it until the very end of the book. ARGH!!! John I actually did like him. I would loved to have seen more of him in the book, since he only appears a few times. The book would have worked if it was in his POV i think. He is interesting, powerful and dangerous and kinda yummy. He could have took me to his underworld. I would have gladly stayed lol.
The story itself its very very very slow, boring and very anti climactic. I kept waiting for some awesome thing to happen and makes the story amazing but it never comes. The writing is all over the place. One minute Pierce is talking about something then the next without any warning she does a flashback that has nothing to do with the original point and then doesn't go back to her original point until about 20 pages later.
However, it was all bad at around page 263 there is an interesting turn of events that was exactly rather good. So for that I probably will pick up book 2 when it comes out just to see if it gets better.
And even though this book wasnt really for me. I will still read more of Meg's book. I have read so many great things about her work and want to try more. If you like Meg Cabot or retellings please give this book ago. Just because I didn't really like it doesn't mean you won't. :)
I have never read a Meg Cabot book in my life (I know where I have been right? ) Her books never really caught my interest. Until I see this one. I thought the cover was stunning and the description sounded so exciting and after reading The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter I was really exciting to reading another Hades and Persphone retelling. However, sadly this book falls flat and left me seriously disappointed.
Usually here is where I add my own little description of the plot of a book. However, this book didn't seem to even have a plot. It basically involves Pierces a young girl who died two years ago and goes to the Underworld but manages escape from John Hayden (ruler of this underworld) by throwing a cup of tea in his face. ?!? I mean eh? John is meant to be ruler of the Underworld, strong and full of power but a 15 year old girl manages to escape by throwing a cup of tea on him I mean come on!
Abandon seems to take place over like one day but with loads of flashbacks telling us about what happened to Pierce after she came back from the underworld. Pierce OMG, I have never hated a main character so much in my life. She is so annoying. She is one dimensional and just comes across very immature. Here is this guy who loves her wants to spend forever with her and she doesn't even see it until the very end of the book. ARGH!!! John I actually did like him. I would loved to have seen more of him in the book, since he only appears a few times. The book would have worked if it was in his POV i think. He is interesting, powerful and dangerous and kinda yummy. He could have took me to his underworld. I would have gladly stayed lol.
The story itself its very very very slow, boring and very anti climactic. I kept waiting for some awesome thing to happen and makes the story amazing but it never comes. The writing is all over the place. One minute Pierce is talking about something then the next without any warning she does a flashback that has nothing to do with the original point and then doesn't go back to her original point until about 20 pages later.
However, it was all bad at around page 263 there is an interesting turn of events that was exactly rather good. So for that I probably will pick up book 2 when it comes out just to see if it gets better.
And even though this book wasnt really for me. I will still read more of Meg's book. I have read so many great things about her work and want to try more. If you like Meg Cabot or retellings please give this book ago. Just because I didn't really like it doesn't mean you won't. :)
kchew's review against another edition
5.0
Eep!... Sorry about that I am still high off the amazingness that is Meg Cabot. Now where were we... I don't know how to describe this book and my feelings for it, so please forgive me for what will probably be a screaming fangirl review.
I have always loved Greek/Romans Mythology and so when I found that this book was loosely based on a story from the myths I was even more excited. The whole plot of this book was so wonderful. I absolutely loved seeing Pierce in her day to day life and deal with all of the struggles she faces.
Pierce was not my favorite protagonist, but I feel like she is very much like myself. I found myself agreeing with many of her decisions. Other characters who I will not mention because some may see it as a spoiler were great. I completely fell in love with a certain specific dark character...
Although I feel like gushing about the fantabulousness of this book I will say that this book seemed to be more of a prequel or a "intro" book rather than a book. I'm definitely glad this is a trilogy because I was left completely satisfied, yet wanting more!
Overall Meg Cabot is a super-genius and has won my heart yet again with this wonderful new book and series. Meg (I call her this because we are so close) has been in my life (figuratively of course) since middle school and I don't see her leaving anytime soon.
I have always loved Greek/Romans Mythology and so when I found that this book was loosely based on a story from the myths I was even more excited. The whole plot of this book was so wonderful. I absolutely loved seeing Pierce in her day to day life and deal with all of the struggles she faces.
Pierce was not my favorite protagonist, but I feel like she is very much like myself. I found myself agreeing with many of her decisions. Other characters who I will not mention because some may see it as a spoiler were great. I completely fell in love with a certain specific dark character...
Although I feel like gushing about the fantabulousness of this book I will say that this book seemed to be more of a prequel or a "intro" book rather than a book. I'm definitely glad this is a trilogy because I was left completely satisfied, yet wanting more!
Overall Meg Cabot is a super-genius and has won my heart yet again with this wonderful new book and series. Meg (I call her this because we are so close) has been in my life (figuratively of course) since middle school and I don't see her leaving anytime soon.
riannariel's review against another edition
3.0
I was really enticed during this one, I’m probably a bit too old for this specific genre but I love retellings of Hades and Persephone and fantasy in general. I think this had a really good build up, like collecting puzzle pieces along the way. The romance was a little bit flat and felt out of the blue, but it’s a first person narrative of our main character, Pierce, so I kind of brushed it off because I felt like it was mostly supposed to be her story and maybe a hero’s journey a little bit. The second book was disappointing which is why I gave this one a lower rating- it builds up and and leads you on and when I started the second book I was disappointed. And it felt this whole book was about getting answers from the rest of the series so you anticipate so much just to be kind of underwhelmed.
narteest's review against another edition
3.0
Okkkaaaaayyy....Well there are both positive and negative reviews out there that I both agreed and disagreed with. Firstly, one thing I noticed in one of the reviews was that it said that the protag, Pierce lost her necklace and then it was back on her neck. That's wrong because John does throw her necklace, but cemetery sexton finds it and returns, in a way, it back to Pierce.
But this a review, not a criticism of what others have said.
I did to some degree enjoy reading Abandon. It certainly wasn't boring, and the plot was interesting, a twist of the paranormal and mythological. The premise was excellant and enticing. Pierce was relatively a sweet though utterly confusing character, and John though aggravatingly jerky most of the time, was the beginning creation of what could be an amazing love interest.
I also liked, when finally it came up, how Cabot initiated Pierce's trip to death. I thought it was a well depicted scene especially with the horse and the lines of people and the boats. I liked that this was the introduction scene of a grown up Pierce with John the guardian of the dead, or the in-between place, or whatever, it was well written, probably the best part until Pierce, still ignorant, becomes a permanent guest of John's, and she starts freaking, all the while being attracted to him...this was part then becomes another of my hates about this novel
But...there are also so many things wrong with this novel.
I did not like the style of writing. No I lie, I didn't like it all the time. Half the time, it seemed to wrong, like it didn't belong there.
I absolutely hated! and I mean hated, Pierce's idiocy in relation to John. Honestly, if it wasn't obvious that he was absolutely fascinated by her! And in love! She returns the necklace to him, fine, and then she goes on and on about what she did wrong when he threw it. Worse, she goes and touches him, as though she is completely unaware of her affect on him.
I hated the way Pierce is a sweet...oh no, that poor animal...one second then...it's for him, why I'm doing this...the next...Aggravatingly annoying! She does it several times, especially when she's with John, and when she's with the group of A-wingers. Sure she takes into account that her cousin is not buddies with the A-wingers, but the I still don't know why....
Meg Cabot left holes all over the place in regards to things like, what exactly did it mean by 'D-wing' and how Pierce knew John was John Hayden, and how Pierce could fall immediately in love with John in the short time she was dead.
As mentioned above i like the way the grown up pierce, actually 15 year old Pierce, meets with John besides the boats. What I hated was how the next bit was played. Cabot places the two in his bedroom...and sure she's fifteen, but did she have to freak out so much? And in such an inconvenient way? She goes on and on about things that don't matter, and if she's so freaked, why is she attracted to him? And She's not very smart either...clearly missing the point she's dead. How could she miss that? I mean she fell into a pool in the cold without anyway of escaping and clearly she was close to death, and yet, it still escapes her that she is dead!
Constant repetitions of her past incidents and accidents and the words death deity and cemetery sexton annoyed me very much.
The constant jumping between past and present pissed me off too. I first began the novel very confused until I realised what was going on. And of all people and of all things to happen, her friend Hannah died. I'm just thinking where do these this just pop up? And so randomly too.
Kayla the girl we meet who partially befriends Pierce seems like an interesting character, were she developed more. I liked her premise, but would have preferred if there was more reason for why she'd been introduced and what her role was.
Oh yeah and the explanation for coffin night...bogus.
And again what is so wrong with Pierce Oliviera???? asides from the numerous flaws I've mentioned so far...stupid, slow, ignorant, blah blah blah...she's also bi polar. Yes, what else can she be? She's hot one moment, cold the next. Nice one moment, who gives a crap the next. I wouldn't have minded all this if there had been one good quality in her that makes up for all of it. But there wasn't! Sure she was sweet...but yeah...her love for animals was lets say a little compulsive and entirely or seemingly, out of character. If Pierce was a jigsaw puzzle, none of the pieces would fit! I've only read one other series by Meg Cabot, The Mediator series, and that protagonist actually rocks. Not confusing at all.
And finally, even though i'm sure there is so much more to say, the most important facet of the novel, the thing that caught my attention to begin with, and what originally sold the book to me asides the cover, was the premise of a angst, lol, romance and retelling of Hades and Persephone. That's where so much expectation finally fell into a floppy puddle of failure. I wouldn't have minded John's moodiness or Pierce's hesitation, had, there been an entire background story behind it, like a history to why he's so moody with her, and why she's so hesitant. But what I got instead was John giving her what she wanted, but not what she really wanted, in other words a kidnapping, and the entire backstory asides from the cutsy scene where they first meet (I thought that was done well) is a brief interlude between them. They hardly interact and at the end when they say they love each other...I was already so over it. This could have been such a great novel, but the pacing was so fast, which isn't so bad, except that everything in-between the fast pacing was also fast paced, meaning everything is rushed and nothing important is done justly. Characters aren't developed. Characters just are.
Feel free to read it, it's not entirely crap. For the good bits, the parts written well I've rated it 3/5 stars, but it could have been better. I was right in feeling apprehensive in picking this book to be on my 'to read' list.
But this a review, not a criticism of what others have said.
I did to some degree enjoy reading Abandon. It certainly wasn't boring, and the plot was interesting, a twist of the paranormal and mythological. The premise was excellant and enticing. Pierce was relatively a sweet though utterly confusing character, and John though aggravatingly jerky most of the time, was the beginning creation of what could be an amazing love interest.
I also liked, when finally it came up, how Cabot initiated Pierce's trip to death. I thought it was a well depicted scene especially with the horse and the lines of people and the boats. I liked that this was the introduction scene of a grown up Pierce with John the guardian of the dead, or the in-between place, or whatever, it was well written, probably the best part until Pierce, still ignorant, becomes a permanent guest of John's, and she starts freaking, all the while being attracted to him...this was part then becomes another of my hates about this novel
But...there are also so many things wrong with this novel.
I did not like the style of writing. No I lie, I didn't like it all the time. Half the time, it seemed to wrong, like it didn't belong there.
I absolutely hated! and I mean hated, Pierce's idiocy in relation to John. Honestly, if it wasn't obvious that he was absolutely fascinated by her! And in love! She returns the necklace to him, fine, and then she goes on and on about what she did wrong when he threw it. Worse, she goes and touches him, as though she is completely unaware of her affect on him.
I hated the way Pierce is a sweet...oh no, that poor animal...one second then...it's for him, why I'm doing this...the next...Aggravatingly annoying! She does it several times, especially when she's with John, and when she's with the group of A-wingers. Sure she takes into account that her cousin is not buddies with the A-wingers, but the I still don't know why....
Meg Cabot left holes all over the place in regards to things like, what exactly did it mean by 'D-wing' and how Pierce knew John was John Hayden, and how Pierce could fall immediately in love with John in the short time she was dead.
As mentioned above i like the way the grown up pierce, actually 15 year old Pierce, meets with John besides the boats. What I hated was how the next bit was played. Cabot places the two in his bedroom...and sure she's fifteen, but did she have to freak out so much? And in such an inconvenient way? She goes on and on about things that don't matter, and if she's so freaked, why is she attracted to him? And She's not very smart either...clearly missing the point she's dead. How could she miss that? I mean she fell into a pool in the cold without anyway of escaping and clearly she was close to death, and yet, it still escapes her that she is dead!
Constant repetitions of her past incidents and accidents and the words death deity and cemetery sexton annoyed me very much.
The constant jumping between past and present pissed me off too. I first began the novel very confused until I realised what was going on. And of all people and of all things to happen, her friend Hannah died. I'm just thinking where do these this just pop up? And so randomly too.
Kayla the girl we meet who partially befriends Pierce seems like an interesting character, were she developed more. I liked her premise, but would have preferred if there was more reason for why she'd been introduced and what her role was.
Oh yeah and the explanation for coffin night...bogus.
And again what is so wrong with Pierce Oliviera???? asides from the numerous flaws I've mentioned so far...stupid, slow, ignorant, blah blah blah...she's also bi polar. Yes, what else can she be? She's hot one moment, cold the next. Nice one moment, who gives a crap the next. I wouldn't have minded all this if there had been one good quality in her that makes up for all of it. But there wasn't! Sure she was sweet...but yeah...her love for animals was lets say a little compulsive and entirely or seemingly, out of character. If Pierce was a jigsaw puzzle, none of the pieces would fit! I've only read one other series by Meg Cabot, The Mediator series, and that protagonist actually rocks. Not confusing at all.
And finally, even though i'm sure there is so much more to say, the most important facet of the novel, the thing that caught my attention to begin with, and what originally sold the book to me asides the cover, was the premise of a angst, lol, romance and retelling of Hades and Persephone. That's where so much expectation finally fell into a floppy puddle of failure. I wouldn't have minded John's moodiness or Pierce's hesitation, had, there been an entire background story behind it, like a history to why he's so moody with her, and why she's so hesitant. But what I got instead was John giving her what she wanted, but not what she really wanted, in other words a kidnapping, and the entire backstory asides from the cutsy scene where they first meet (I thought that was done well) is a brief interlude between them. They hardly interact and at the end when they say they love each other...I was already so over it. This could have been such a great novel, but the pacing was so fast, which isn't so bad, except that everything in-between the fast pacing was also fast paced, meaning everything is rushed and nothing important is done justly. Characters aren't developed. Characters just are.
Feel free to read it, it's not entirely crap. For the good bits, the parts written well I've rated it 3/5 stars, but it could have been better. I was right in feeling apprehensive in picking this book to be on my 'to read' list.
serenabereading's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really good book. When I first started reading it I didn't think it would grip me the way it did but it kept my attention throughout the story. The creep factor was high and what happened at the end I didn't see coming. This is the beginning of a series and I can't wait to read the upcoming books. Meg Cabot is an amazing writer.
prested's review against another edition
Read chapter 1, couldn't stand MC, checked goodreads, discovered no character growth, dnfed book.
I need to stop impulse buying books at thrift stores.
I need to stop impulse buying books at thrift stores.
anapereira2005_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
altheate's review against another edition
1.0
This book was frustrating to read. The story could have been good. All the informations needed to understand came too late, though. I mean, we can't guess what led to this situation, can we?