Abandon by Meg Cabot

Seventeen-year-old Pierce knows what happens to us when we die.

That's how she met John Hayden, the mysterious stranger who's made returning to normal life—or at least life as Pierce knew it before the accident—next to impossible.

Though she thought she escaped him—starting a new school in a whole new place—it turns out she was wrong. He finds her.

What does John want from her? Pierce thinks she knows... just like she knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven. But she can't stay away from him, either, especially since he's always there when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she might find herself back in the place she fears the most.

And when Pierce discovers the shocking truth, that’s exactly where John sweeps her:

The Underworld.

Expected Publication: April 26th, 2011 by Scholastic Inc.

Review:

The first thing that you need to know is that I absolutely love Meg Cabot. She's definitely one of my favorite authors (if not my all time favorite) and I have never before read a book written by her that I didn't like. Abandon is no exception.

It was very different, coming from Meg Cabot, although she has written other series involving death or paranormal-like themes (the Mediator and the 1- 800- WHERE- R- YOU series) and I didn't quite know what to expect.

The aspect of mythology was very intriguing to me, being a major fan of Rick Riordan's novels, and gave the book a darker feel than Meg's other novels; even in The Mediator series, which deals with death constantly (the main character sees and talks to ghosts), I always felt that it had a more concentrated focus on humor, which isn't as apparent in Abandon.

My favorite part of Abandon would have to be the strength of the voice of the main character. While it doesn't have many funny events or occurrences, Pierce's way of explaining things was constantly making me smile, as well has just the general feel of her. I found her to be a very thorough and complicated character, which always makes a book feel stronger and more memorable.

Abandon is also definitely not lacking suspense, or the shock factor. My jaw dropped--literally--more than once, and I swear some of my teachers gave me the stink eye for a) reading in class, b) bursting into laughter, and c) well . . . reading in class. But I just couldn't put it down. I finished it in two days. And I cried when I finished--not literally, but almost. Plus, there are quite a few moments were I was caught completely off guard, which isn't something that happens often.

I really would have liked further development in the relationship between Pierce and John, and maybe some more development on John himself. Because of the narrative distance in the novel (it takes place two years after Pierce "died"), it was somewhat hard to get a clear sense of John and their relationship, and I'm hoping that's something that will come through a bit more in the upcoming novels in this new series.

In spite of this, I'd definitely recommend Abandon to other long-time Meg Cabot lovers, fans of Greek Mythology, and pretty much everyone else. I love Meg Cabot, and I love this book. It's something new for the YA genre of Paranormal, and I get the feeling that Meg will soon be acquiring many new fans.

I just have one question for Meg: Will you please write my life?

Grade: A+

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Selected Shorts and Other Methods of Time Travel by David Goodberg

In 2051, commercial time travel became a global reality. Opportunities abounded for curious history buffs, futurists, and corrupt entrepreneurs. Selected Shorts and Other Methods of Time Travel is a spellbinding collection of 37 illustrated tales that explore time travel tourism and its repercussions.

In various settings ranging from Earth to deep space, Selected Shorts presents tales of those brave (or foolish) enough to adventure through the space-time continuum. Explore an era devastated by the Worlds War of 2267, cluttered with time traveling tourists and swindlers, terrorized by the allpowerful Icelandic Mafia, endangered by ruthless corporations, and threatened by vigilante space aliens.

The future as we know it will never be the same.

Review:

Selected Shorts and Other Methods of Time Travel was, at times, very confusing. By the end of each story, I was thoroughly boggled. But I also have realized, after finishing it, that the boggling nature of virtually the entire collection of stories is what makes it so effective. Most of the stories are pretty pointless, but usually only at first glance; when I first started reading it, I have to admit that I honestly didn't get the point. I also didn't understand how it was, exactly, "thought provoking". But then it hit me: the fact that I was thinking about it at all made it very thought provoking, and made it an honest-to-God success.

The stories were all very quirky and random and unrealistic, but in an insanely smart way; their purpose was to make you do a double take, and make you actually think: What the hell did I just read? They all feel very whimsical, and some didn't seem to have much to do with time travel at all, which I suppose contributed to the mood of the book as a whole. They also definitely hinted towards (and plainly discussed) serious ethical issues and racial discrimination, but when you pair serious social issues like that with David Goodberg's tone of storytelling and people from other planets, it all just became very entertaining to read.The entire collection is told in a very wry, humorous tone, which, even when puzzling over a particularly confusing story, made me smile.

I especially loved the odd quips between each story; they were entirely and completely and utterly pointless, which I'm assuming was the point. Some were just really weird and others were funny, while quite a few were insanely smart in an almost reluctant way. I swear, this book will put you in so many different places at once.

Goodberg's writing was great, continuously holding that same removed, wry tone throughout the entire book which, to be honest, really made the whole thing. None of the stories really seemed to be connected in any huge way (other than the idea of time travel), but they somehow still fit together seamlessly, in a very peculiar, subtle way.

And even though it was, ultimately, epic, I have to admit that there were some stories I didn't really get at all, while there were a few that stood out a lot to me personally (for example, the one where the professor traveled back to Main Street USA). When looking at it as a whole, I have to describe the book as being, well, my seven year old sister hyped up on Halloween candy, two sodas, and more pop tarts than are healthy for her, or maybe a crowd of very vocal people with ADD and very, very conflicting opinions.

Basically, it's kind of genius.

Grade: A

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Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel discovers she is a faerie, sent among humans to protect the gateway to Avalon. Thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to each world. In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

Review:

Wings is extremely well written, told in a mature, graceful tone that eliminates any chances of it becoming juvenile. To me personally, it resonates as a enchanting fairy tale more so than it does as a fantasy YA fiction novel. What Stephanie Meyer did with vampires, Aprilynne Pike did with faeries. And yes, I suppose that does mean that I love Twilight, but it also means that this book as a ton of potential.

Pike's version of faeries, which turn out to be much more similar to plants than they are to Tinker Bell, definitely contributes to the overall enchanting feel of the book as well. It also makes the book seem more mature, because I'm sure that the first thing that comes to mind when you think of faeries is miniature people with wings and pixie dust (which, I have to say, does not make any sense at all, considering the fact that pixies would make pixie dust, not faeries), not people who are, virtually, in all senses of the word, plants. The fact that Pike has created this new type of faeries also increases the mystery and intrigue of the book; since we don't know anything about her faeries, it leaves you, as a reader, with a ton of questions that push you through the book much faster.

The story itself is very compelling; it is, after all, a story about a teenage girl who, ultimately, discovers that she is not quite human; in fact, she is not human at all. And from the aspect of a teenage girl myself, that alone should draw all young girls in; any girl who has ever experienced the feeling that you are not quite like all of the other kids, that you're different, can relate. And even though she is actually different in a way that none of us truly could understand, it is an extremely common teen issue. That, in itself, contributes to the book in a big way, because, yes, it is about faeries, but it's also about something bigger than that, something totally normal that tons of girls struggle with.

Pike also deserves major points for character development; I honestly feel as if I know majority of the characters in the book, both main and supporting. And not only do I feel like I know them, I also like them. A big issue for me nowadays is a very, very, strong dislike for a lot of the main female characters in YA novels, but I did not have a problem with that at all in Wings. Laurel is a generally likeable character, as are her two love interests: David and Tamani, which is also something this book is definitely not lacking: ROMANCE!

You can't deny it. If you read YA fiction, that has to be one of the reasons you keep coming back for more. The romance. But this aspect of Wings also makes me love Pike even more, because she treats it in a mature, serious way that doesn't even go near melodramatic or overly girlie. David and Tamani are completely different characters, and this causes an issue for not just Laurel but also the reader; two conflicting love interests always makes our hearts break, because it's so hard to decide just whose side to be on.

Wings is definitely on the top of my list; its romantic and enchanting, but also suspenseful and sweet. In my personal opinion, it's better than Marr's Wicked Lovely, but they're both pretty close, and if you like either you definitely need to read the other. Also, if you've read this one, you've got to read the sequel, Spells. It's just as good, if not better.

Grade: A+

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