Author Visit with Raymond Wong
8 years ago
Friday, July 27, 2012
Two years ago, Pierce Oliveras died. While in the Underworld, she met a face she had met quite some ago. She actually met him at her grandfather's funeral when she seven years old and he did something no one could do--he resurrected a bird. After drowning in her own pool, Pierce gathered her courgae to speak with him and, although he didn't remember her at first, he gave her an option: get on the boat over the River Styx or stay by his side. Not knowing what to do, she foolishly agreed to be by his side, which meant she would be with him for an eternity. Afraid and clueless, Pierce tried to escape only to be brought back to life when the paramedics revived her. When she regained consciousness, she realized that she brought something from the Underworld with her--a rare diamond necklace that would protect her from evil. Even though she is alive and well, her life took a turn for the worse when two unspeakable things happened to her, which not only forced her to leave Connecticut, but brought an end to her parents' marriage. Now a resident of Los Huesos, Florida, Pierce is trying to regain some sort of normalcy except for the fact that her savior/captor still watches over her. John, her Hades, has never stopped looking out for her, which begs the question: why does he stick around? Under the impression that Pierce wants nothing to do with him, he is still there. What's worse is that an invisible force has been creating trouble in Los Huesos and Pierce is forced to come to terms with her feelings. Unfortunately, her life is about to become more complicated when The Furies, themselves, descend upon her to seek revenge and John makes an incredibly rash decision. Hades and Perspehone definitely didn't have it this bad.
Critical Evaluation:
In this re-telling of Hades and Perspehone, Meg Cabot puts an impressive twist on this classic tale. If readers are not familiar with this tale, they will get a brief insight to the ancient love story where a God fell in love with a mortal. However, the story behind John and Pierce is a lot more complicated, especially when Pierce was the pawn to kick start and long time feud. What's great about this story is that it's really easy to get into and it is hard t put down because of the narrative. Cabot uses flashbacks wonderfully where she reveals Pierce's past that not only put her in the present, but reveal her true purpose. Furthermore, the location of this novel is sheer genius because there is no better place to put the mouth of the Underworld than the steaming, unpredictable land of the Everglades. Although readers know a little about John Hayden, readers will be wanting more other than the fact that he was a victim of foul play and just happened to find the lost necklace of Hades. Honestly, I have never heard of this necklace until I read this story. After surfing the internet, I saw a great example as to what the necklace may have looked like. I am not so sure about the myth of warding of evil, but my research will have to continue. This series is definitely definitely darker than most of works, but the plot, which, in itself, is based on a classic tale of treachery and compromise that is bound to spark all kinds of interest. Bring on the sequel: Underworld.
Information about the Author:
According to her website:
Meg Cabot is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of books for both adults and tweens/teens. Born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, Meg also lived in Grenoble, France and Carmel, California (the setting for her bestselling Mediator series) before moving to New York City after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Indiana University.
After working for ten years as an assistant residence hall director at New York University (an experience from which she occasionally draws inspiration for her Heather Wells mystery series—two new books in the series will be out in 2012 and 2013), Meg wrote the Princess Diaries series, which was made into two hit movies by Disney, sold over 20 million copies, and has been translated into 38 languages.
Meg Cabot (her last name rhymes with habit, as in “her books can be habit forming”) currently lives in Key West with her husband and two cats.Genre:
Teen Supernatrual Romance
Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 9 & up
Books Similar to Abandon:
Awards & Recognition:
From Amazon.com:
“Cabot shows the dark side behind the bling-blingy superficial worlds.” —Teenreads.com
"[The] strong, amusing voice, the plot twists, and the possibility of romance will draw mystery and chick-lit readers alike." —ALA Booklist
“Bag the tiara and get out the gun ... Cabot delivers.” —Publishers Weekly