Abandon by Meg Cabot, UK edition cover.

Title: Abandon (Abandon Trilogy #1)
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre:  Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher:  Macmillan (1st September 2011)
Blurb:

Pierce knows what it’s like to die.

Last year she flatlined following an accident.

During that time Pierce saw a dark world and met a mysterious, irresistible boy.

Now that boy, John Hayden, has turned up at school. Every time she sees him Pierce finds herself in terrible danger. Yet she’s still drawn to him.

John wants to take her back to the place she fears the most: the Underworld.

The question is, why?

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

Abandon is the first book in Meg Cabot’s latest trilogy. I am a huge fan of Meg Cabot’s for a variety of reasons. I really enjoyed reading The Princess Diaries, All American Girl duology, and I particularly enjoyed her The Heather Wells Mysteries series – I thought the titles were brilliant. So I went into this book will a LOT of expectations, and it totally lived up to them.

Abandon is a re-telling of the Persephone myth, but it’s not quite as simple as that. Meg Cabot only uses elements of the myth, so it is no simple re-telling. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way that come as surprises, even if you know the basic bones of Persephone’s story. I really enjoyed the way that Meg Cabot took this myth and made it her own. To be honest, after a while I forgot that the story was based on anything and just enjoyed the story.

Pierce is a compelling narrator and a brilliant lead character. I thought she was immensely likable, and totally believable. I found myself rooting for her from the first. John is a particularly mysterious and enigmatic character. Because we see him through Pierce’s eyes, I found him very difficult to put my finger on – because Pierce isn’t sure what to think of him, I’m not either. Pierce and John definitely have a strong reaction to one another. Precisely what that reaction is, is difficult to tell until the end of the book.

The overall plot of the book is compelling, and I enjoyed the way Cabot reimagined myths and twisted them to fit her story. The twists were very imaginative. There are several plot threads woven in the narrative, and they all come to pleasing conclusions by the end of the book. Yet there are still things left unfinished, which will hopefully be resolved in later books. Because I enjoyed this story so much I am REALLY looking forward to reading the second book in the trilogy Underworld. I cannot wait to get my hands on it!!

If you’re a fan of mythological twists, or paranormal romance then this is one book you should definitely try. I cannot recommend it enough. It has become a firm favourite of mine.