Not many authors possess the bragging rights of having a book series that just gets better and better with each book; Meg Cabot is one of those authors. In the final book of her Abandon series, Pierce Oliviera is getting used to her new life in the Underworld with its ruler (and her boyfriend) John. Things begin to calm down, and she attempts to help rule the Underworld as John's consort, all while keeping an eye on her recently deceased then revived cousin Alex, and all too adaptable best friend Kayla, while also watching out for attacking Furies bent on not only punishing John but also killing her. Her and John's relationship seem to be improving, but a horrific tragedy turns Pierce's world upside down, forcing her to go once again to the surface in order to save what's most important to her. But she's on a deadline. If she is unable to bring balance to the Underworld, the souls of those departed will over flow and spill out into Isla Huesos and out into the rest of the world. Pierce must now take on her duties as queen and not only save her family and friends, but also repair her dark kingdom. Who said dating the lord of the dead was going to be easy?
Cabot possesses the unique ability to create one-of-a-kind stories, and continue to build them up--story, character, theme--and bring it to the ultimate climax and ending. For Awaken, the story is well paced, and she forgets nothing as she brings the story to a close. Awaken is definitely the best book of the trilogy, including all the characters Cabot first introduced in the previous two books, and also introduces new characters, easily tying them into the storyline in a way that they're not thrust onto the reader, but instead feel as if they have always been there.
Another uncanny gift Cabot takes advantage of is her ability to add comedy to even the most stark situations; what other book that focuses on death can make your sides hurt from laughter. Wit has always been a constant style of Meg Cabot, and even with a book that takes place in the Underworld, she is still able to incorporate it in a tasteful manner.
Loaded with action, humor, romance, and suspense, Awaken is not only a fantastic end to the Abandon trilogy (which in itself was a wonderful modern, retelling of the Persephone myth) , but possibly one of Meg Cabot's finest pieces of work.
Sincerely,
The Night Owl
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