Review: Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Publisher: Point
Series: Abandon Trilogy #1
Source: Library

Description from Goodreads:
New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

This is the first book I have ever read by Meg Cabot. So I'm jumping on this band wagon WAAAAAY late, I know. Nevertheless, I read Abandon. Before I get into the whole "review" thing, I think it's time to share a little Jessica fun fact for y'all. Ready? I. Love. Greek. Mythology. So much. Apollo, the Greek God of the sun? One of my heroes. So now I can go on with this review...

This is the first book in a trilogy that reimagines the myth of Persephone/Hades. This has always been a myth that caught my interest, so I was truly excited to jump into this. I am literally ecstatic to say that I was not let down by this book.

The book begins in a way that wasn't overly exciting, but was certainly interesting. This book is woven between events that happened before, that Pierce is remembering, and what is happening currently in Pierce's life. I have to admit, I liked the jumps back. They were 100% necessary to catch the reader up on what had happened between Pierce and John, but I still enjoyed them.

I will admit, though, that this book was so clearly a FIRST book in a series. It is clearly setting the rest of the trilogy. Sometimes, this would bother me, but in this case, I was okay with it. Because, again, it was definitely necessary, and all the information was interesting. All this information being given throughout this book did not weigh it down, though. It added  to the story and moved it along efficiently. I didn't get bored at all.

Character rundown: Pierce. I loved Pierce! She is so completely kind and polite and I liked that. She is nowhere near perfect, not by a long shot, but she is absolutely lovable and I had a great time reading from her point of view. John. OH, JOHN. I adore this guy. Adore, adore, adore. I look forward to learning more about him. He's so mysterious and dark, but has a sweet side that seems to be reserved especially for our dear Pierce. Still, he's not a flat love interest, even though we haven't learned much about him yet.

The romance. As I just said, John is a sweetheart. He's so vulnerable but doesn't let it show. He and Pierce make such a cute couple and I hope for the best for them. I do hope there is more of them together in the next book, though. Or at least, more of them together where Pierce isn't...oh, I don't know...throwing tea in his face or something.

The ending. Hello, cliffhanger! But I knew this was a first in a trilogy, so it wasn't completely unexpected. This ending left me seriously wanting for the next book! I'm waiting for it to be in at my library at the moment, and the second I get it, I'll totally devour it ASAP.

Overall, this book was so good! This beginning of the Persephone/Hades myth retelling has certainly not disappointed. I may even give some other books by Meg Cabot a try. I suggest you pick this one up and get in on this trilogy as soon as you can!

♥Jessica(:

Cover Reveal: OPAL by Jennifer L Armentrout!!!!!!!!!!

Oh. My. Gosh. I don't know about you, but I have been waiting for this for a LOOOONG time. I am so excited that I even get to participate in this. If I say I'm honored to help share this with you, will that make me a huge geek? ... oh, well. Geek or no, I am so flipping honored to do this.

Now, since I know we've all been waiting and are probably skipping over this part to see the cover anyway, I'll just show you the Opal goodies now...

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So, are you ready?!
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I'm telling you right now, it's amazing. Pepe and Sztella are, like, perfect human beings. Or, at least, perfect Daemon and Katys. It's true.
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All right, I'll stop stalling. Hehe.
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HERE's the super amazingly awesome gorgeous cover...

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!

http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/p/october-1-2012.html

USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

 

 

I, for one, CANNOT wait to hold this book in my hands! Oh, it's so perfect! What do you think?

 

♥Jessica(:

Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop!

 

I love giveaway hops. So, oh very much. So I'm seriously glad to be participating in this one!

 

I will be giving away one copy of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi!

You have no idea how hard it was for me to pick one good book for this hop. But Shatter Me is AMAZING, so I'm excited that one of you lucky followers are going to get a copy.

 

Guidlines:

-Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter

-Check out my giveaway policy for all of my giveaway rules

-This giveaway will run from September 20-September 25

-This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hop on, awesome people!

Waiting on Wednesday! (8)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we tell y'all about the books we cannot wait to get our hands on!

 

This week, I'm waiting on . . .

 

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Expected Publication Date: April 2, 2013

Publisher: Poppy

 

Description from Goodreads:

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names.

Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles.

When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Just as they did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose.

 

Why I'm waiting on this: I read The Statistical Probablility of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, and that book was so completely sweet! So I'm excited to see what comes next from Jennifer. Plus, that description is just something I cannot resist. My kind of book all the way. I can't wait to get my hands on this!

 

What are you waiting on? Please, tell me in the comments!

 

♥Jessica(:



Teaser Tuesday! (13)

Do you want to participate in Teaser Tuesdays? It's simple and hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading. All you have to do is:

-Grab your current read

-Open to a random page

-Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

-BE CAREFUL NOT T INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

-Share the title & author, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
"Chase eased off the pavement onto the bumpy soil and steered around a broken dining room table. Most of the dull yellow stalks immediately off the road had been trampled by scavengers or vehicles too impatient to wait in line during the evacuation. But beyond those there was heavy cover, enough to hide me when I disappeared." ~pg. 155

I'm still seriously excited about reading this book. Just sayin'.

Feel free to share your teasers/links in the comments!

♥Jessica(:
 

Review: Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis

Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis
Release Date: April 17, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Library

Description from Goodreads:
When Marshall King and Elyse Alton suddenly wake up tangled in each other's arms with zero memory of how they got there or even who they are, it's the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.

Terrified by their amnesia, Marshall and Elyse make a pact to work together to find the answers that could restore their missing memories. As they piece together clues about their lives, they discover that they're in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls. Everyone seems happy there, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town's perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything--not the death of Marshall's mom, not the hidden violence in Elyse's family, not even the day-to-day anguish of being a high schooler.

Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marshall and Elyse fall into an intense relationship founded on their mutual quest for truth. But the secrets they're trying to uncover could be the death of this budding love affair--and of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.

I picked this book up from the library because it was gorgeous in everyway. The cover, the description, all thay jazz. My hopes were actually super high for this book. So now I'm sad to say that this book let me down.

This book began really well. It's seriously intriguing. Honestly, what could be better than two people waking up naked in a bed together with no recollection as to who they are or how they got there? Their brains are completely blank--they don't even know their own names. So there was a good, strong start.

But as the story goes on, my interest was lost. What was once strength in this story became boring. Their amnesia got sadly irritating as the story went on. I felt almost like I did when I was reading As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott, but with a smidge less confusion. I'm not a fan of mysteries that are tried to be solved when both of the main characters have no clue whatsoever as to what is going on. It just confuses me and slows down my progress in the story. Before I knew it, I was skimming and flipping ahead to see where I might possibly find a more interesting event in the story.

Character Rundown: Marshall. He was a nice guy. I have to give him credit for that. But I feel like he wasn't as interesting as he was intended to be. Especially with the amnesia. For a good chunk of the story he's only there to "make certain that Elyse is safe." I'm a sucker for that kind of thing, but I like more depth to go with it. His character did get a little better once we learned more about him, though by that point I was already bored. Elyse. Oh, I did not like her at all. She was so whiny. So, so whiny. I am very critical on female characters, I know, but this critiscism is well deserved. She dwelled much too much on her past. I understand that bad things happened, and she should most definitely acknowlege this, but she should move on, too. She had Marshall right there to help. Still, I must admit that I liked her honesty.

The romance. Insta-love. That's all I have to say for it. I'm not the type of person who dislikes books or fictional relationnships simply because of insta-love, but it just didn't work for me in this book. They had amnesia--I would have liked to see more of feelings emerging as they got to know each other again than a big WHAM of "ooo, I like him."

The ending. Cheeeeeeesy. Again, I'm not one to dislike a whole book for this small reason, but since I hadn't really been enjoying this book to begin with, the ending just disappointed me even more.

All in all, this book just was not my cup of tea. I'm not saying other people won't like it. It has a really great premise, and is a stand alone. Which is so sadly rare these days. Still, I didn't much enjoy it, so I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. Feel free to give it a shot, though. I hope you enjoy it more than I did!

♥Jessica(:

What I Got! (9)

What I Got is a weekly meme hosted by Monica over at Cover Analysis :) where we tell y'all about the wonderful brag-worthy bookish things we got this week!

 

All right, so this is pretty much what is in my to-read pile at the moment...

 

FROM LIBRARY (because goodness knows I love that place):

 Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

I just started this book last night, and I must say that I am seriously excited about this. Yay!

 

 Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

This book is HUGE. Seriously. So I hope it is an amazing piece of literature. Otherwise, this one will lose my attention and be a total flop. I figured I'd give it a chance, though. Plus, the series is called "His Fair Assassin," which I flippin' love.

 

 Abandon by Meg Cabot

I already read this book, and my review will be posted this week. Honestly, this is the first book I've ever read by Meg Cabot. Which is certainly not a bad thing because this book...

 

 The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

This book has been staring me in the face for some reason. So I decided to grab it. I hope I like!

 

 Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

I've been meaning to read the sequel to Angelfire for a while now, so...yeah.

 

That's all the note-worthy bookish stuff I got this week! Did you get anything I'm totally going to be jealous of? (You probably did). Tell me/leave a link in the comments!