Underworld by Meg Cabot

Release Date: May 8th

Publisher: Point (Scholastic)

Series: The Abandon Trilogy (bk. 2)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Death, Underworld, Greek Mythology, Hades, Florida Keys

Length: 320 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

Summary/ product description: “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.”

My Rating: êêê1/2

My Review: This sequel was somewhat better than the first book. I don’t really like Pierce as a character, she seems kind of weak and air-headed, but not so much in this one. What I really did like was the pet that John gave her: A mourning dove, which she called Hope. I thought that was pretty cute. The bird did a lot of funny things that reminded me of my parakeet. I like John, but at times he seems possessive. Their relationship isn’t abusive or anything, but it’s still not normal. He’s a death deity after all. The story itself was pretty good, though. Pierce wanted to save her cousin from some future bad event she saw on her cell phone (which does that in the Underworld apparently), so she convinces John to take her back to Isla Huesos. And since everyone thinks she was either kidnapped or murdered, she has to be careful about being seen with John. We also get to find out about John’s past and what we he did to end up in his position. And we meet new characters in the Underworld, crew members from John’s ship. There’s some mystery and action. And Furies (Killer Grandma!). Happy reading.

Cover Art Review: Metallic like the first book, but the deep blue is definitely better than the black and brown on the first one. The photo’s more interesting too. And the designs and U in the title are awesome.

~Haley G

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Publisher: Point

Series: The Abandon Trilogy (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Death, Underworld, Greek Mythology, Hades

Length: 304 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

Summary/ product description: “She knows what it's like to die. Now Death wants her back.

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.”

My Rating: ê ê ê 1/2

My Review: Based off the cover and the author, I thought this book would be awesome, and in some parts it was, but a lot of it was pretty confusing and not as interesting as it could have been. Meg Cabot did have humor, as usual, but she’s not as great at telling dark tales. And Pierce was just odd and confusing. John was cool when he showed up, but Pierce was a bit of a weak character. She was caring, sarcastic, and a bit weird. I’m not sure if all of those go together. Plus, her dad’s really rich, and she’s a bit of an air-head (or so it appeared). Maybe in the next book it’ll be better.

I like the stuff about the diamond, and the retelling of the Hades-Persephone myth stuff. John may not be Hades, but he does seem like the type. I just kept thinking about the stuff in the Percy Jackson series where they go to the Underworld.

I’m sure some of you will enjoy this book more than I did. It’s easy enough to read in one day, but I had a hard time soaking it in. There’s great potential for the series to get way better. Can’t wait to see how the next one turns out. I am really loving these covers.

Cover Art Review:

This metallic cover is beautiful, and the main reason I bought it. I love that letter “A” with the little pendant dropping down. I like the gold flower designs, with the sleeping/dead girl photo. It’s a very good cover.

~Haley G

Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman

Title: Sirenz

Authors: Charlotte Bennardo & Natalie Zaman

Genera: Fantasy/Paranormal/Humor

Subjects: Mythology, Sirens, fashion, Gods and Goddesses, Hades, magic, New York

Length: 275 pgs. Paperback

Rating: ê ê ê ê

Char and Meg are roommates, and have been since the fall. Now it’s winter break and Char wants to go to a sale, so she drags Meg along. Char a fashion and pink obsessed girl. Meg is Goth. They end up fighting over a pair of red shoes at a subway station, accidentally pushing a guy into front of the train, and killing him. Hades appears and makes a deal with them. He will fix this if they become his new Sirens. He convinces them, but they really should have read the fine print. Now they have to lure some fashion designer guy to the Underworld because his contract is up. They have a time limit and Hades forgot to tell them that using their powers has repercussions. Hades suggests they become interns for the designers, but getting close to him won’t be easy.

Not the best beginning because I was confused what was going on. It really picked up around page 50. I love the concept of transformation, and I thought it was funny that Char and Meg started taking on bird features when the were accidentally over using their enthralling power. I laughed at all the chicken or bird jokes. This book was like Percy Jackson series meets Reverse-Maximum Ride with Devil Wear Prada thrown in. Really, it was awesome to see how the heroines dealt with the impossible situations that the Gods threw at them.

I highly recommend it if you love mythology or fashion. Or funny stories.

Art Review:

The cover definitely fits the book. The script that says “Sirenz.” The red shoe (with a tag saying “Your Immortal $oul”) that Shar and Meg fight over. The feathers, the Greek column thing the shoe is on. It’s simple, and the red really pops against the turquoise. On the back it says “Fashion Hell” like a tag for a brand.

~Haley G