Letter V ~ Book Spotlight: ABANDON

"Anything can happen in the blink of an eye. Anything at all. One. Two. Three. Blink." Those were the first words I encountered at the onset of reading my next book for review.

I'm totally cheating, today, using the letter 'V' for a YA book review, but I must get this review in before the book release which is today!! :) Also, I need to announce the WINNERS of Author C.Lee McKenzie's book/1st five page critique as well as my Easter Hop Book WINNERS!! *Don't peek until the end. :)* AND, with today Tuesday, I'm supposed to do my ROW80 progress report with Susan, Margo, and now C. Lee!! (Click on the links to see their progress.)


So quickly, I'll report on goal #1, seeing how that's what I've been working on: Just took a turn into the heart of Act II in my rewrites of Marked Beauty. Weaving in my added plot twist with caution, and it's enhancing the inner depth of my two leads so nicely. Loving it!! Received a great crit back which will help me tighten the first chapter even more. :)

Let's move to my A-Z post and go with V for Vendettas. I can think of a few characters who've had vendettas. One in particular and quite appropriate for today's letter: Voldemort. Yeah, we all know him. But what about Death. What character could have more of an ax to grind than Death himself?

Title: Abandon
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA Paranormal/Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Pages: 304

I'd like to thank Scholastic Point for supplying me with an ARC of this book to review.

Favorite Line/Passage: He looked down at my pajamas and frowned a little. "Wear that dress you had on last night, the ones with all the buttons." *But there were so any passages I loved.*

Description:

The Myth of Persephone, Darkly Reimagined
— Book One: Abandon —

She didn't fall into his world. She was taken.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce knows what happens to us when we die.

That's how she met John Hayden, the mysterious stranger who's made returning to normal life—or at least life as Pierce knew it before the accident—next to impossible.

Though she thought she escaped him—starting a new school in a whole new place—it turns out she was wrong. He finds her.

What does John want from her? Pierce thinks she knows... just like she knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven. But she can't stay away from him, either, especially since he's always there when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she might find herself back in the place she fears the most.

And when Pierce discovers the shocking truth, that’s exactly where John sweeps her:

The Underworld.

COVETED: A MUST HAVE READ

My Splats: ~ A timeless Greek myth brought to modern times with a unique slant that titillates the heart. Cabot has masterfully cast Death as one of many (thought of) death deities, who's been hardened by his circumstances. The reader slowly watches his heart open wide as he, like Hades, finds what he's lacking in a human girl. And in this case, she's just a little tweaked-side of normal. ~

On the outside, the story itself has typical teen nuances as well as struggles: the girl who doesn't quite fit it, a family that is all but normal, a move of location, and a secret--the girl has a near-death experience only she's not just near Death; she chats with Him. What's even more unique is that Death is a main character--and he's hot. Eventually, the reader even discovers that he's sensitive and has a conscious.  

There's a bit of a historical twist threaded within the plot, giving it depth and a natural verve. The story simply isn't a modern remake of Hades (the reigning king of the underworld) and Persephone (his love interest). It's so much more.

Cabot does a wonderful job of taking that story from Greek mythology and implanting it in today's teen society. The MC, Pierce, is authentic, as she's not only trying to normal--with a death deity longing for your loins, that's not all that easy--but fit into a new school with the typical high school cliques and head games.

The initial element I always notices about a book is its cover. The first words are so important in a story, but in reality the initial impression is in the dressing--the cover. Abandon's artwork is beautiful, simple, and elegant. I usually make a mental note of the cover while I'm reading, trying to find the relation between the coating of the book and the story itself. And within this cover...here lies a message.

After I'd finished reading, I realized that the title does have a more symbolic meaning them anything else. Many people have felt Abandoned in some for or another and at some point in their life. Many of Cabot's characters in ABANDON have experienced the lost of being abandoned or at least the feeling of such emotion.

I would recommend this book to any paranormal and/or romance enthusiast, as well as those interested in Greek mythology. 

What is your favorite book/story based on Greek mythology? What about a character with a sweet Vendetta??

WINNERS...

Author C.Lee McKenzie's Book, PRINCESS of Las PULGAS ~ Shannon O'Donnell!! 

1st Five Page Critique ~ Talei!!

Easter Hop Book-of-Choice Books go to...

#1 ~ Her Highness, Samantha Verant

#2 ~ Ronyka7 

CONGRATS!! I'll be in touch!