Book Review: Abandon (Abandon #1), Meg Cabot

Title: Abandon
Series: Abandon
Author: Meg Cabot
Published: 01/05/2011, MacMillan Children's Books
Pages: 292
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Rating: 2/5

Pierce knows what it's like to die. Last year she flat lined following an accident. During that time Peirce saw a dark world and met a mysterious, irresistible boy.

Now that boy, Joh 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? 

Before I read Abandon I was intrigued by the story. I have read other Meg Cabot books before (in early high school almost ten years ago). However, this book seemed to me to be completely different to the other Meg Cabot books I had read - The Princess Diaries and All American Girl. Abandon appeared to have a more supernatural feel to it.

I kind of liked Abandon. It did keep me wanting to read more due to the constant alluding to a "he" at the beginning. Abandon also ends at a point where it feels like it isn't an end so you have to read the next books. There was an almost constant jumping between present and past without warning and this was annoying and also confusing but it was needed to keep the story vaguely interesting and to understand what Pierce was talking about half the time. The "villain" also came as quite a surprise to me at the time... but in hindsight it is also fairly obvious.

On the other hand, I found Pierce annoying and because the book was in her point of view I felt that I couldn't enjoy the story as much as I otherwise would have. She constantly repeated phrases over and over again (i.e. "Westport Academy for Girls" and "Check yourself before you wreck yourself"). I also felt that she was a bit of an idiot and she always thought that Daddy's money could fix everything. Her only redeeming feature is that she seemed to be quite a caring person especially towards animals.

Abandon also seemed to me to drag on quite a bit. The whole story occurs over 3 days and is filled out the flashbacks. More happened in the last 2 or 3 chapters than there had in the rest of the book. This may be due to the quite in depth description of many of the minor characters that to me wasn't needed. I mean who really cares about how white someones teeth are if there are not a major character.

Overall, I thought Abandon was okay. I am going to read the next book in the trilogy, Underworld, as I do want to know what happens.

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