Awaken by Meg Cabot (UK cover)

Title: Awaken (Abandon Trilogy #3)
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Macmillan (26th September 2013)
Blurb:

DEATH HAS HER IN HIS CLUTCHES. PIERCE DOESN’T WANT HIM TO LET GO.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden she’s be forced to live forever in one of the places she’d always dreaded the most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it though, because it meant she could be with the boy she loves.

But now her happiness – and safety – are threatened, all because the Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules: he revived a human soul.

If the balance between life and death isn’t fixed, both the Underworld and Pierce’s home back on Earth will be wiped away. But there’s only one way to restore order: someone has to die.

THE MYTH OF PERSEPHONE… DARKLY REIMAGINED

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

AWAKEN is the final book in Meg Cabot’s ABANDON TRILOGY – a re-telling of the Greek myth of Persephone. Pierce Olivierea captured the attention of John Hayden, the lord of the Underworld. Eventually she fell in love with him, even though it meant living in the Underworld. Unfortunately, the balance between life and death is broken and Pierce and John have to find a way to fix it so they can have their happy ever after.

AWAKEN is a strong end to the ABANDON TRILOGY; Cabot started the series off with a bang in ABANDON (review), and I instantly fell in love with the world, however the second book in the trilogy UNDERWORLD  (review) was a bit of a weak spot. So I was a little hesitant about reading AWAKEN, thankfully it lived up to my expectations.

The plot of AWAKEN is Cabot at her best; there were a lot of twists and turns, and she does a brilliant job of concluding the overarching plot of the series without it feeling like she was tying up loose ends. I really enjoyed the way that Cabot mixed the romance and action elements of the plot, so that the story felt cohesive. Cabot also answered a few questions in the book that had been intriguing me about Pierce’s mother and uncle and their past. Until this book things have been hinted at, but now they’ve been explained. Cabot’s use of myth, particularly the Persephone myth, in this book – and series – was phenomenal both in terms of how she used it to create the plot, and how she used it through the characters.

As in the previous two books, I really enjoyed the chemistry between Pierce and John. I also really liked the friendship between Pierce and Kayla, as well as the camaraderie between Pierce and John’s crew. Pierce is a really strong person, and I think that this book more than any other in the trilogy really highlights that. I also think it shows that fundamentally she is a good person, even if she makes mistakes and does stupid things. I don’t know what to make of her cousin Alex though. In a lot of ways he felt 2D to me, like he just existed to further the plot – and I can’t say I really took much notice of him when he was on the page. However, Cabot does do a good job with the rest of the characters and they all feel much more alive.

AWAKEN is a great ending to a brilliant trilogy. If you are a fan of paranormal romance or mythology and you haven’t had a chance to check this series out yet, then you totally should. The ABANDON TRILOGY is Meg Cabot at her best.