Kazumi Reads

Plot Summary:
After rescuing Alex from a horrible death, and bringing Kayla to the Underworld, Pierce has finally decided to be by John's side forever. However, now that they both have angered the Furies by reviving the ones the love, the Underworld is in danger of collapsing, which will ultimately bleed into our realm. In order to prevent that, John must quickly gather all the and ship them to their rightful after life, but the problem is that the Fates have abandoned him and the Furies are stronger than ever. When the boats approach the dock, John notices that the ships are barreling toward them and if they aren't stopped they will crash into the dock and all of those waiting will be lost. John's role is to secure the safety of all those souls, and, most importantly, Pierce. In a hast mood, John quickly dives in to the water to stop the boats from crashing into the them. Although Pierce begs him not to go because he would die, he quickly assures her he want and that he puts her in charge of getting everyone to safety. Not happy with this decision, Pierce does what she is told, but disaster strikes and the unthinkable happens: John Hayden is dead. Death deities aren't supposed to die, but, this time, John is not moving and he isn't breathing. Devastated, and angry, Pierce figures out what she has to do, but that means she must return to Isla Huesos to find a way to revive John. Meanwhile, Alex has been growing restless and is determined to bring his killer to justice and clear his father's good name, which means he is going with Pierce whether she likes it or not. In this final installment, Pierce must now face the Furies head on in order to save the man she loves. At the same time, she must find a way to not lose herself to her anger or more tragedy will strike.


Critical Evaluation:
In this explosive conclusion, Pierce has finally come to terms with her destiny and, to be honest, I wasn't jumping for joy. As much as I love the fact that that Cabot was able to turn this rather disturbing myth into an actual love story,  I just didn't quite get crazy happy with this installment. I will definitely say that Cabot had a whole lot going on in this novel and it almost made my head spin! I definitely hate saying this, but I wish there a fourth so readers could spend a little more time with Thanatos because that myth is definitely worth exploring a little more. Secondly, when we discover the secret that Piece's mom had been hiding all these years was also worth exploring a little more.Either Cabot was in a rush with finishing this story, or really, really didn't want to write a fourth book, I just didn't get everything I was expecting as the ending. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love all of the characters because they are all so beautifully crafted and they all have quirks readers will relate to. A part of me wants to go back and read the original Persephone/Hades myth simply because I want to know if Persephone really loved Hades; unlike Pierce, Persephone didn't have a choice and had NO CLUE that Hades wanted her. I think that some might see Piece being reckless with her wanting to stay with John, but we have to admit she at least had the choice and wasn't spirited away while picking flowers on morning. In fact, we need to keep in mind that John wasn't born a God (like Hades), but forced into his role so he was once a mortal man who knew how to love. Despite all of the hits and misses with the Persephone/Hades myth, Cabot did a beautiful job re-creating the story to make it more about love rather than possession. All in all, this series was enjoyable and I would have preferred a wedding rather than baby talk in the end (Pierce is still 17), but, when you are the Queen of the Underworld, you have loads of time on your hands.


Information about the Author:
According to her website:

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 best-selling Heather Wells mystery series), Meg wrote the Princess Diaries series, which was made into two hit movies by Disney. While over 25 million copies of Meg’s nearly 80 published books have been sold in 38 countries, Meg’s most proud of the letters she’s received from fans thanking her for helping them to overcome their “dislike of reading.”
Some of Meg’s fan favorites include the 1-800-Where-R-You? series (which has been reprinted under the title Vanished and was made into the Lifetime series called Missing), as well as All-American Girl and Avalon High (on which an original Disney Channel movie was based), and several books told entirely in emails and text messages (Boy Next Door/Boy Meets Girl/Every Boy’s Got One). A fourth book told in this format, The Boy is Back, will be published by HarperCollins in 2016.

Meg’s first ever adult book in the Princess Diaries series, Royal Wedding, will be available in Summer 2015, along with an installment of the series for younger readers, From the Notebook of a Middle School Princess. Remembrance, a new book in the Mediator series, will be available in 2016.

Meg Cabot (her last name rhymes with habit, as in “her books can be habit forming”) currently lives in Key West, Florida with her husband and various cats. If you see her husband, please do not tell him that he married a fire horse, as he has not figured it out yet.

Genre:
 Teen Romance, Teen Fantasy

Reading Level/Interest:
Grades 9 & up

Books Similar to Awaken:

• Cress by Marissa Meyer
• Everytrue by Ashton Brodi
• Beautiful Redemption by Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia

Awards & Recognition:
While the souls of the dead stack up in the Underworld for want of a boat to take them to their final destinations, 17-year-old Pierce and her boyfriend, John, Lord of the Underworld, find themselves Earth-side in the middle of a hurricane, in a fight to defeat a corrupt developer whose son is possessed by Thanatos, the Greek personification of Death. All the while, Pierce and John are pursued by the Furies, bent on destroying the Underworld by killing off its lord and his consort. This is the concluding title of Cabot’s Abandon trilogy, loosely based on the Persephone myth, and readers will definitely want to read Abandon (2011) and Underworld (2012) first. Action rather than characterization moves this clever, agreeable tale along to a neatly negotiated ending, and the author keeps a light touch while dealing with dead people, judgment, and the consequences of getting involved rather than standing on the sidelines. Recommend to those who liked Jennifer Estep’s Mythos Academy titles or Cabot’s own Avalon High (2006). HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Best-seller Cabot wrapping up a trilogy? This ought to go out like hotcakes, so make sure you’ve got a full stack. Grades 7-10. --Cindy Welch