Abandon

Abandon
by Meg Cabot
320 pages
High School

Pierce was a normal girl.  Until she died. But only for an hour. And then she came back to life. 

It's not only that she died, but what happened while she was dead that has changed her life.  Instead of being the great student, popular with everyone, and having no cares in her life, Pierce is now moody, easily distracted and feels as if she is cursed.  She even has a strange man dressed all in black showing up when she needs him the most, like a warped guardian angel.

Pierce and her mom now live on one of the Florida Keys, a tiny island called Isla Huesos, or Island of Bones.  Pierce is trying to connect more with those around her, and participate in life instead of disconnecting from everything.  But when Death is following you around, it's hard to live a normal life.

This was the first Meg Cabot book I have read, and I have mixed emotions about it.  I really liked the story line, but the telling was so jumbled, it was hard to follow at times.  This retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades certainly takes its time getting to the point! Flashbacks and memories are inserted everywhere, with little distinction between them and present time.  The transitions between them are chopping, and several times I had to go back a few paragraphs to make sure I understood which time I was really in.

Other than the choppy transitions, I really enjoyed this book.  Unlike a lot of other reviews I have seen on this, I thought that Pierce's understanding of John grew, and thus her relationship with him grew over time. You get to see her make an effort to change her life and change her behavior because she wants her mother to be happy. If the story line had been straightened out a little, or the flashbacks a little more distinct, I would have given this a better rating. 

This book has nothing inappropriate in it, but the disjointed story telling would not go over well with middle school or younger kids.  Girls will probably have more interest in it than boys, and this is definitely not your typical fantasy.  I will recommend it to people, but not everyone.  There is a sequel to it that recently came out, and I will be looking forward to reading it!