Underworld by Meg Cabot Series: Abandon #2
Published by Scholastic on May 8, 2012
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
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.
I really wanted to love Underworld. I’m a huge Meg Cabot fan as well as a Greek mythology fan. While I enjoyed Underworld I found it seriously lacking in some ways and I just couldn’t love it.
Pierce is probably the biggest problem. She is such a contradictory character. One second she hates John and the next second she loves him. She talks about wanting to go home and when she gets there she wants to go back to the Underworld. It’s like, seriously Pierce, make up your mind. It was clear to see how much she was hurting John with her indecisiveness.
As for John, I felt more like he was the victim. The synopsis makes him seem like this evil guy but he’s just looking out for Pierce. Everything he does is for her safety. He’s a good guy who obviously loves Pierce and only wants what is best for her. And at every turn Pierce says or does something to hurt him. I felt bad for him more than I felt bad for Pierce.
The plot was rather slow to pick up. There’s some exploring of the Underworld in the beginning, some new characters introduced, and a lot of history explored before anything really happens. And even when things do start happening there are a lot of breaks in the action and at times it was a bit dull. Also, while some questions were answered in this book a lot were left open and I really would have liked a few more answers than were given.
The mythology in Underworld is a lot better than that in Abandon. The original story of Hades and Persephone is expanded upon and it’s not quite the traditional story. The elaboration of the myth was the most fascinating part of the book. I am a total mythology geek and I was pleasantly surprised with this retelling.
Overall, Underworld is a pretty strong follow-up to Abandon. It will definitely appeal to Greek mythology fans and I’m now eagerly awaiting the final book in the trilogy.
The Teen Book Guru’s review
Book Chic Club’s review
I kind of felt this way about Abandon. It wasn’t a favorite read for me. Although I’m excited to hear that the mythology is better in this one. Maybe when Underworld comes out in paperback I’ll pick it up. 🙂
Jenny
Aww that sad that you did not like this book. Poor guy. Describe as a Villain when he’s actually a hero. I have read the first book of this series so I cannot comment much.
Great review =D
Maura @ Monster of Books
Thanks for the review. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Abandon, so I don’t know if I’ll be picking this one up. But I bet the Greek-mythology lover in me just won’t be able to stay away.
I really enjoyed Abandon. It was a little slow and there wasn’t a ton of substance to the book, but sometimes I like easy lite reads and I felt thats was Abandon was for me. I will defiantly be reading Underworld I love John and I think that I could learn to like Pierce more if not in this book then maybe in the next one!!!
Seeing as how I wasn’t a big fan of Abandon mainly because of Pierce, I may have a hard time getting myself to read this one. I’m happy that the mythology was expanded, though. That makes me more motivated to pick it up! I’m glad you enjoyed it overall though. 🙂
I honestly didn’t like Abandon that much and I forgot about it. I’m not sure if I’m going to be reading Underworld, but maybe I’ll give it a try.
I haven’t read this series, but I know what you mean by being frustrated by characters who are inconsistent. I mean we all are sometimes, but not when they’re on a journey or quest.
Lovely review 🙂