Review of Underworld by Meg Cabot

UNDERWORLD (#2)

By: Meg Cabot

Review by: Kaede

Release Date: May 8th, 2012

Publisher: Point 

Pages: 318

Format: Hardcover

Source: Bought 

 

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.

Small things that take just a moment to do, yes, but that could add up, in the end, to make an enormous difference to someone. 

Going into UNDERWORLD, I was slightly concerned about how long it's been since I've read ABANDON. However, I found that Cabot had re-capped what happened in ABANDON very well, and I had enough information to continue with Pierce's story without being confused. 

Given though that it has been a little over a year, I had forgotten a lot of the characters, and essentially it was like being introduced to them for the first time. I liked most of the characters to at least some extent, with the exception of the ones meant to be villains, as well as Pierce and Alex. 

Pierce and Alex weren't horrible characters, but there was something about them or something they were doing that constantly annoyed me. With Pierce, it had a lot to do with the fact that she seemed to constantly ignore what was obvious. However, the more time I give this book, the more the initial irritation I had when it came to Pierce seems to fade away. I doubt it will ever disappear completely, but I can definitely see how while Pierce makes reckless decisions, she is also compassionate. She has a big heart, and wants to save everybody - which really isn't a fault, if you think about it. Maybe a little annoying, because it leads her to do things that endanger more people, but caring isn't a fault. 

Alex, on the other hand, he just had a bad attitude. I understood that he had problems that he needed to face, but he didn't need to be so rude. I really liked Kayla and Frank's relationship, and they were perhaps one of my favorite parts. 

And overall, while I did have my complaints, UNDERWORLD still remains an action-packed and entertaining sequel. For readers who enjoyed the first in the series, they should have no problem absolutely adoring the second. There is development in quite a few aspects of the story, and to me the writing style fits really well. If you are searching for a young adult retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, I would recommend the ABANDON series by Meg Cabot. While not without it's flaws, they are still fairly easy to get into as fun and solid reads. 

3 and ½ coffee cups!

~♥~

Contact Kaede: 

Email: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com

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