Review: Underworld by Meg Cabot

Underworld by Meg Cabot

Book Two of the Abandon trilogy

Publisher: Point

Publication Date: May 8, 2012

Rating: 2 stars

Source: Library AND ARCycling

*** I originally borrowed this one from the library and read it last year in June 2012. However, with Awaken coming out in July, I was in desperate need of a re-read. ARCycling provided that opportunity for me. So, this book will NOT be logged in 2013 reads***

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

What I Liked:

I'm reviewing a book that I read last year in June, and a book that I've already read the conclusion to the series. Meaning, I read Abandon in 2011. I read this one in 2012. And I read Awaken in June 2013. So, this review might seem a little strange, because as much as I disliked this book in particular, I really liked the entire series.

One thing that I must say is that I love the romance in this series. There is no confusing love triangle, or life-altering love interest decision that will change the world. YES, Pierce's choices will change the outcome of the world (hello, she's dating a death deity!), but all of that is only tied to John, and not some other guy.

Cabot really turns the romance up a notch in this book. Maybe to an entirely new level! John and Pierce finally get really close in their relationship, and I love how everything progresses. John is totally overprotective of Pierce, but Pierce wants what she wants.

I think the only part of this particular book that I enjoyed was the romance. Sad to say, but everything else fell flat for me.

What I Did Not Like:

I couldn't really stand Pierce in this book. I find a general trend in Cabot's heroines - they are whiny and self-absorbed, and always get what they want, no matter who they have to manipulate or bully to get it. The thing is, Pierce seems innocent in what she wants. But she's so whiny! And she totally manipulates John into doing things that she really shouldn't be doing! She gets John into a load of trouble for her impulsive and irrational behavior, especially at the end!

I also found that this particular book was not engaging and didn't have much of a plot. Meaning, not much really happened in this book, and when things did, it was really just YAWN. I could excuse the non-plot in Abandon, because the story went back and forth between Pierce's new life, and what happened when she met John in the past. But in this book, there were very few major scenes, and the major scenes weren't executed very well. I was bored, and there wasn't much to salvage from this book - except the romance.

I feel like this book could have been summed up pretty quickly, and condensed into a few chapters of Abandon. I think a lot of readers could go straight to Awaken. The third and final book of this series is really good, everyone. But this book? Not so much. Pierce is so underdeveloped in this book, and is whinier and more annoying than in the first book. I didn't think she was whiny and obnoxious in the first book, and not really in the third book.

Basically, I wanted to see more character development from Pierce, and I didn't. I wanted to see a more balanced relationship between Pierce and John, and I didn't. I want to see more action in this book, and I didn't. I wanted to see more interesting scenes in this book, and I didn't. If you add all of those things up, you get one big fat negative feeling about this book. Because all of those things are really important to the book overall, and if I didn't like any of them, then basically, I didn't like the book.

Would I Recommend It:

Umm, from the viewpoint of reading the entire series, YES. I liked Abandon, and I loved Awaken, so as this book is the middle of the series, you should read it. Just get through it!

Rating:

2 stars. Not my favorite book of this series. BUT, it wasn't the worst Meg Cabot book I've read. Insatiable takes the cake for that one.

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