Review: Underworld (Abandon #2) Meg Cabot

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. Goodreads

I'm honestly not sure what to say about this second installment in the Abandon trilogy, so I'll just jump in. Meg Cabot's writing style is flawless, and the plot is highly imaginative, with several little twists.

For the most part, I like Pierce's character much better this time. She finally seems to care about people other than herself, and even though she doesn't have a real plan, she at least wants to help.

I'm especially interested to see what becomes of the "powers" she and John seem to share. She is obviously more than a hapless teenage girl, but we'll have to wait until book three to find out how much more.

Unfortunately, Pierce's relationship with John is my biggest complaint. I don't blame her for being attracted to the sexy, strong, fiercely protective type, but she just overlooks too much. In Abandon, she goes from being terrified of John's violent actions to "in love" without any real reason. Then the book ends with his kidnapping her.

Now, he lies to her repeatedly, tells her if he's honest about his past she'll hate him, and she still follows him no matter what. She seems to think her parents will be better off without her, and when she has a chance to let them know she's safe, she decides not to. I have a really hard time understanding how anyone can follow anyone that blindly, (even if he really may be a good guy deep down) that isn't love, it's stupidity. 

I'm interested enough to read book three, and withhold judgement on the series until then, but Underworld definitely could have been better.

Rating 3/5 stars

YA notes: language, sexual references.