Book Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

Title: Abandon
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA Paranormal, Humor
Published: 2011

Meg Cabot knows how to write a sarcastic, DIY girl. It's kind of her M-O. In Abandon she crafts another character mucking up all kinds of trouble with a send-up of Persephone, the greek myth about the daughter of Zeus who is taken to the underworld by her uncle Hades. So imagine this with a twist: it's a girl named Pierce in a high school set on a Key West-like island, and instead of her uncle taking her to the underworld, it's a hot guy (of course).

It mostly works, although Abandon has a rather unusal format of storytelling by moving back and forth through stages of the story. This may not be an issue if you read the book in a few sittings, but could prove challenging if you're the type to read more than one book at a time. I found myself constantly turning back several pages to refresh my mind with what happened last. Even present scenes have a way of doubling back on themselves with chatty narrative that at times seem all over the place.

As for the story, we see Pierce reflecting back to age 7 at her grandfather's funeral, where she first meets with a mysterious man named John who revives a dead bird at her request. The story flashes forward to current day, where Pierce has been kicked out of her school for an incident with a teacher, her parents are recently divorced, and she moves with her mom to Florida to start again among her mother's family. Another flashback leads to 2 years prior, when Pierce drowns, dies briefly (she is later revived) and finds herself in the underworld. She recognizes the man who healed the bird, only now she sees he is in charge of this place. She escapes, taking a charmed-type of necklace with her. Pierce is unraveling the mystery of who the man in the underworld is, why chaos seems to break out around her, and if the necklace is meant for protection or something more.

If you like Meg Cabot's writing style, you'll probably enjoy this. It's not my favorite of hers, but I did appreciate a lot of the one-liners and character backstory (she's always inventive with those aspects). If you're looking for something a little different in terms of a linear story, and enjoy a twist on an old myth, I would recommend it.