Book Review: Awaken (Abandon Trilogy #3) by Meg Cabot

Awaken (Abandon Trilogy #3) by Meg Cabot

Release Date: 7th May 2013

Publisher: Scholastic
Format: eBook
Pages: 258
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2014 EBC, 2014 RC and 2014 SSC 

Summary from Goodreads:

"Death has her in his clutches. She doesn’t want him to let go.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew by accepting the love of John Hayden, she’d be forced to live forever in the one place she’s always dreaded 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."

Review:
Overall, this was a solid end to a series that I was starting to worry about. After that infuriating second novel, I was worried our third and final addition to this trilogy would be similar. But, thankfully, we returned to what I loved about Abandon (mostly). 

If you read my review of Underworld, you'll know that I had some major problems with Pierce. She just acted so stupid sometimes, and she couldn't seem to get by without John glued to her side. Thankfully that stopped. Whilst she may have been forced to deal with things without John, Pierce still managed to do quite well, so when John did return, she didn't return to the annoying girl she was in Underworld. And whilst John is still fiercely protective of Pierce, I don't remember him manipulating her as much as he has in previous novels. Then again, this could be because he was gone for a while and he actually wasn't able to, but I like to look on the positive side and see it as character growth.

Overall I enjoyed the plot. Lots of questions were answered, everything was resolved, John and Pierce are in a good place. Honestly, I can't actually remember specifically what happened, which probably is an indication of how memorable this book is. What I do remember were the major conveniences. Like the whole thing with Alex - majorly convenient. But lets not get into that, because that would lead to spoilers.  

So, my final thoughts? I enjoyed it. I thought it was a fitting end to a series that had started to go downhill - much, much better than the second novel. 

Book Review: Underworld (Abandon #2) by Meg Cabot

Underworld (Abandon Trilogy #2) by Meg Cabot
Release Date: 1st June 2012

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 318
Rating: 3.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Goodreads:

"Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead.

Not this time.

But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.

Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance…on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.

But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there…and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape."

Review:

** Spoiler Alert: Read at your own risk**

Oh Underworld. I really, really wanted to love you. But, unfortunately, you fell into the trap of being a filler between the first and third novel in the series. What a shame. 

I loved book 1 in this series, so needless to say, I was excited to pick this one up and continue forward with the story. But herein lies the problem - the plot didn't particularly go anywhere. We spent in entirety of this book trying to save one person, which is all well and good, but I need a bit more. And not only did the plot not really go anywhere, but I had some major issues with the characters. Take Pierce, our protagonist, for example. I don't know why, or how it happened, but Pierce suddenly became extremely stupid in this novel. There were many times when she'd say something and I'd think, Oh honey, really? Here's an example

Pierce: Oh look, my phone works, lets turn it on and watch some videos

2 seconds later

Henry: I saw you looking at your magic mirror, you really shouldn't do that

Pierce: Huh?

That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but really, IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO FIGURE OUT. Pierce just aggravated me with her sheer stupidity at points.

Also, let's talk about John. I get that Pierce and John are meant to be or something, but you know what, he's really not that great of a guy. Sure, he wants to keep Pierce close and protect her, but you know how he thinks he'll achieve this? By constantly lying to her and trying to trick her into doing things that would force her to stay in the Underworld with him. Yeah, no, that's not what a guy who loves you is supposed to do. 

So what exactly did I like about the book? Well, we got a lot of back story established here, which was probably the main purpose. We also had some cool new characters established, who I'm sure will play a big role in the final novel. Whilst I did have some issues (read: lots of issues) with the plot and our two main characters, I devoured this book quickly because of all the questions that were posed and the answers we were getting. It's just a shame that these questions and answers weren't surrounded by a more interesting and forward moving plot. Here's hoping that the final instalment will be much, much better. 

Book Review: Abandon (Abandon Trilogy #1) by Meg Cabot

Abandon (Abandon Trilogy #1) by Meg Cabot
Release Date: 12th January 2012

Publisher: Pan MacMillan Australia
Format: eBook 
Pages: 291
Rating: 5.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2012 OTS Challenge

Summary from Amazon:

"Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld."

Review: 
To be honest, I hadn't heard a lot about this book before I decided to add it to my TBR list. Amazon suggested I may be interested in it, and the blurb was intriguing, so I thought I would give it a go. After reading this book, I am actually dumbfounded that I left it on my TBR list for so long. To me, this book was all types of brilliant. The book mixed so many things together that I love; mystery, supernatural, romance, mythology - it all just melded beautifully together. I loved the setting, the characters, the plot - I just loved everything about this book. And the twist at the end! I really, really did not see that coming, and I absolutely loved it. A definite must read.