A review by revengelyne
Awaken by Meg Cabot
4.0
This is the third and final book in the Abandon Trilogy.
The Plot
Since this was an ARC, I am quite sure some of it will change.
The book opens with Pierce on the "beach" helping out with getting the souls onto boats. The adventures of the Underworld have caused everything to be backed up and thus Pierce decides to help out by handing out water and making sure that the souls board these boats.
During this point, Alex shows up with a whip in hand and a determination that he and Pierce need to leave this place. Pierce won't leave and the two argue over this until they are joined by Kayla, who is furious that Alex left her behind. She tells Pierce that she has been tasting various beer for Dr. Graves and they haven't quite been good at all.
As the boat's horn warn of the ships drawing nearer, the crowds at the top of the ridge get rowdy and Kayla sees one of the dead spirits take ahold of Frank by the neck. John sees the boats coming in fast and comes down to tell Pierce to take everyone and return to the castle. Of course Pierce doesn't listen and remains there. John begins removing his shirt and shoes, preparing to head out in hopes of stopping the boats. Pierce, who is afraid for him, doesn't want him to leave but she never tells him she loves him. He does kiss her before he heads off to stop the boats.
As the boats collide with not only each other but the dock as well, the ravens that had been circling above all fall down to the ground. Some of them bounce off things in confusion. It is at this point while on Alastor that Pierce is trying to find reason with herself as to why she has not told John she loves him (I have been asking myself the same question as I bang my head against the wall) but she does pull herself out of this mulling, long enough to give the orders to get everyone off the dock. Henry, who is behind her, has heard her order and starts getting the souls off the dock as Alastor takes off with Pierce on his back.
As Pierce and the others struggle to get order back to the souls still on the beach, Mr Liu calls to Pierce (he actually calls her by her given name and not Miss Oliviera, which he has normally done in the past). He has jumped into the water to save someone but has made a startling discovery - John looking completely dead.
Now Pierce and the others will have to find out how John is actually dead and save the Underworld. Can they do it?
The Characters
Pierce - Although she was a weaker character, she was a bit better than she had been in the last two books. She still jumped to conclusions and still put her foot in her mouth but that was mainly due to her driven focus of trying to revive John from the arms of death and what his death was doing to the Underworld. I think she could have done a bit better job by considering things first before jumping ahead and not thinking. I think that was my biggest pet peeve against Pierce's character.
John - He softened up a bit. He wasn't a force of nature as he had been in the last two books and I liked that. Of course there were a hilarious moments between John and Pierce's parents and I liked how he showed off to them. It was the funniest part of the book.
Alex - Much like his cousin, he had one focus in the beginning and that was to leave the Underworld and go after those who had left him to die in the coffin. I can understand his reason behind this because it is the reason why he was in the Underworld to begin with.
Kayla - I still loved her. She was a truly an enjoyable character and I have to say I thought she was cute with Frank.
John's crew - I loved them. I absolutely loved them. I have loved them since the second book. I thought they were a wonderful addition to the story and also to John's character.
Thanatos - Death personified. The true antagonist of the story. Very interesting.
Overall I loved, LOVED this series and think that this is one of Meg Cabot's best trilogies yet. I loved how all the loose ends from both books were tied up with this one and that there was a nice amount of humor in it. A far cry from the other two previous books.
The one thing I didn't like was that there were a couple of repetitive sentences. They were slightly annoying and I am hoping that they will be fixed for the final book.
I recommend this book to those who not only love Meg Cabot but also those who love mythology. It may not entirely follow the Hades and Persephone myth but it is still an enjoyable read.
Since this was an ARC, I am quite sure some of it will change.
The book opens with Pierce on the "beach" helping out with getting the souls onto boats. The adventures of the Underworld have caused everything to be backed up and thus Pierce decides to help out by handing out water and making sure that the souls board these boats.
During this point, Alex shows up with a whip in hand and a determination that he and Pierce need to leave this place. Pierce won't leave and the two argue over this until they are joined by Kayla, who is furious that Alex left her behind. She tells Pierce that she has been tasting various beer for Dr. Graves and they haven't quite been good at all.
As the boat's horn warn of the ships drawing nearer, the crowds at the top of the ridge get rowdy and Kayla sees one of the dead spirits take ahold of Frank by the neck. John sees the boats coming in fast and comes down to tell Pierce to take everyone and return to the castle. Of course Pierce doesn't listen and remains there. John begins removing his shirt and shoes, preparing to head out in hopes of stopping the boats. Pierce, who is afraid for him, doesn't want him to leave but she never tells him she loves him. He does kiss her before he heads off to stop the boats.
As the boats collide with not only each other but the dock as well, the ravens that had been circling above all fall down to the ground. Some of them bounce off things in confusion. It is at this point while on Alastor that Pierce is trying to find reason with herself as to why she has not told John she loves him (I have been asking myself the same question as I bang my head against the wall) but she does pull herself out of this mulling, long enough to give the orders to get everyone off the dock. Henry, who is behind her, has heard her order and starts getting the souls off the dock as Alastor takes off with Pierce on his back.
As Pierce and the others struggle to get order back to the souls still on the beach, Mr Liu calls to Pierce (he actually calls her by her given name and not Miss Oliviera, which he has normally done in the past). He has jumped into the water to save someone but has made a startling discovery - John looking completely dead.
Now Pierce and the others will have to find out how John is actually dead and save the Underworld. Can they do it?
Pierce - Although she was a weaker character, she was a bit better than she had been in the last two books. She still jumped to conclusions and still put her foot in her mouth but that was mainly due to her driven focus of trying to revive John from the arms of death and what his death was doing to the Underworld. I think she could have done a bit better job by considering things first before jumping ahead and not thinking. I think that was my biggest pet peeve against Pierce's character.
John - He softened up a bit. He wasn't a force of nature as he had been in the last two books and I liked that. Of course there were a hilarious moments between John and Pierce's parents and I liked how he showed off to them. It was the funniest part of the book.
Alex - Much like his cousin, he had one focus in the beginning and that was to leave the Underworld and go after those who had left him to die in the coffin. I can understand his reason behind this because it is the reason why he was in the Underworld to begin with.
Kayla - I still loved her. She was a truly an enjoyable character and I have to say I thought she was cute with Frank.
John's crew - I loved them. I absolutely loved them. I have loved them since the second book. I thought they were a wonderful addition to the story and also to John's character.
Thanatos - Death personified. The true antagonist of the story. Very interesting.
Overall I loved, LOVED this series and think that this is one of Meg Cabot's best trilogies yet. I loved how all the loose ends from both books were tied up with this one and that there was a nice amount of humor in it. A far cry from the other two previous books.
The one thing I didn't like was that there were a couple of repetitive sentences. They were slightly annoying and I am hoping that they will be fixed for the final book.
I recommend this book to those who not only love Meg Cabot but also those who love mythology. It may not entirely follow the Hades and Persephone myth but it is still an enjoyable read.