Abandon ranks high amongst my reading list as one of my top three favourite trilogies. The entire series spans over a very short period but will seem to be drawn out. It hooks you and doesn’t let you leave until it is two in the morning and your eyes are getting heavy, but damnit, you just have to read one more page.
Inspired by the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, the main character Pierce Oliviera knows what it’s like to die. After drowning while trying to save a helpless bird caught in her pool, she was revived.
Her mother and doctors think that she was saved by CPR and hypothermia when in reality, she threw tea in the face of the Lord of the Underworld and escaped with her life.
John Hayden was once a living boy who worked at sea before he decided to lead a mutiny against his ship’s captain. This mutiny accidentally resulted in his death, and his damnation to sort the dead.
“Heroes are the people who carry on despite their fear, because they know the job’s got to get done and they’re the only ones left to do it”.
There are two lines in the Underworld, one for those who are good in their lives, and the other for those who did bad. John’s task is to sort them according to these standards and send them off to their destiny. That is, until he meets Pierce.
After their first meeting in the Underworld, John keeps an eye on Pierce; bailing her out when she gets in trouble, keeping her from harm’s way. When Pierce moves to the island her mom grew up on, she begins to see John more and more.
Has Pierce truly escaped the Underworld?
Abandon will grip you but will also make you laugh, reread it and laugh again. If you plan on following true to the intended nature of Reading Week, I’d recommend this trilogy to keep you entertained.
