Waiting on Wednesday: Underworld

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Underworld by Meg Cabot

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Publish Date: May 2012
Genre: Paranormal, Mythology

Summary: 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.

I love mythology and book one, Abandon, was a great start to the series. I am eager to see how Pierce and John’s relationship develops. Additionally, Scholastic has been has produced the most gorgeous covers for the books in this series! I am definitely excited to read Underworld. What books are you waiting on?

Book Review: Abandon

Title and Author: Abandon by Meg Cabot
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Point
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 3.5 stars
Source: Library

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.

I have been excited to read this book because it’s my first Meg Cabot book and the description and the cover are awesome.  Additionally, Abandon is marketed as the myth of Persephone, darkly re-imagined. As soon as I read that line, I was sold. I find the combination of Greek myth and paranormal romance irresistible and lately, I have been drawn to quite a few books fitting this description.

While I do like Abandon, I feel it is a bit misrepresented. It’s very loosely based on the Hades/Persephone myth. John Hayden is not Hades and Pierce is not Persephone. The underworld that we see just a glimpse of is not like the myth.

Pierce is a likeable character. She makes some bad decisions and puts herself in bad situations but she does have good intentions. She has been through a lot and is ready to make a new start. We see John briefly through the book and even though we get his back story, we don’t really get to know him. He is a sorely underdeveloped hero. Other characters in the book are underdeveloped as well. We know there are things going on with Pierce’s cousin Alex and her friend Kayla, but their issues are not explored.

Abandon is a good start to what I hope will be a great series but that’s all it feels like: a start. I am looking forward to the next book to see how the story really gets going.

Content: Some swearing, kissing, violence