Abandon & Underworld by Meg Cabot

Overview:

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.

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.

My Opinion: 

I have always been interested in the greek myth Hades and Persephone and so I decided to pick up this 

book. Meg Cabot incorporated her own twist to the myth; it is basically 320 pages, but the setting takes place in like only 2 days (each book), so yeah. It is kind of boring in the beginning, but gets better towards the end and then leaves you with a cliff hanger, so you read the next book. Moving on, I don't quite understand how there could be romance between John and Oliveiera, I mean they only met a few times, once when she attended her grandfather's funeral(they didn't get to know each other that well), another when she died (if he liked her since they met, he must be some kind of pedo and you can meet any child that would say that they didn't want ol' little birdie to die), when her teacher tried to kill her (not much conversation here either), and when she wore a white dress, so basically four times. In addition, he was being a creepy stalker, but no, that's okay because he's Lord of the Underworld. The book is like 320 pages and he only appeared four times, the rest is of her and her new friend with big boobs, her cousin, her uncle, her grandma, and mother talking about Coffin Night. But, I guess that's how Hades and Persephone was. (spoiler: How come evil grandma loves her own daughter, but not her grand daughter, I mean don't grandparents usually love their grandchildren even more?) This story also consists of many pointless flashbacks, so it was kind of all over the place. The second book is much better in that there are not many flashbacks and she meets new friends in the Underworld. John tries to just keep her there like a caged bird (that's the way I see it). However, they go back up to the realm of the living to save her cousin and that takes forevvverrrrr~.

 Still, I guess the books were quite enjoyable since I kept on reading or maybe I just like Greek myths that much. hmmm...

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Overview: 

Ever since her parents began fighting, Auden has been unable to sleep at night. Now, spending a summer at a charming beach town with her father and his new family, she has to find new places to pass the time she spends awake. And so she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac who becomes her nighttime guide. Together, they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she has missed; for Eli, to come to terms with the death of a friend. In her trademark blockbuster-style, Sarah Dessen creates a powerful and irresistible story of two people learning how to connect.

My Opinion:

 I saw my friends reading this when I was in junior high and at the time I wasn't really into books with words, but manga. LOL. Anyways, I finally got around to reading it. This book is about an independent young lady, Auden, whom spends her last summer vacation before college with her father and his new family. In the beginning, she believes that she is better than everyone there, so let's say, kind of full of herself. Blah Blah Blah. To prove to everyone she was not uptight, she decided to make out with a boy that was flirting with her, but runs away before anything too drastic happened. Then, she bumped into the boy's brother, Eli, whom had the traumatic experience of losing his best friend. Together they discover the night life of that beach town(forgot the name) as well as help her fulfill the childhood she missed out on such as riding at bike and etc. Auden, also became friends with a girl named Maggie whom is apparently perfect(by perfect I mean she is described as both intelligent and pretty and society claims that as perfect). Be warned, this book is quite repetitive; it only takes place in an office, in her room, and a few other parts of town.  It's not a horrible book, but it could be better if it wasn't so what's the phrase, off topic for it is focused way too much on details and I was like ughhh, "I don't care about what color the guy's shirt is and whatnot." Also, while reading the book, I did get ticked off by the father for being so~ selfish and the step-mom for being such a push-over. Furthermore, this book is much like her other books, This Lullaby and Keeping the Moon, where one summer girl meets boy and has a life-changing adventure; sensing a pattern here? Definitely, her books are mostly all about summer romance. Upside: The cover is pretty. lol. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but come on you won't pick up a book with a boring title or cover.