Awaken by Meg Cabot is the third book in the Abandon trilogy...which I have really enjoyed keeping up with. I love pretty much anything by her- and have you seen her YouTube Channel? Dying!!! (in that Who Framed Roger Rabbit "laugh yourselves to death" kind of way).
As with most series installments, it took awhile for my brain to catch back up with everything that happened beforehand. Ha, "previously on Abandon..."
So, without giving away too much, in this final book of the YA series:
We are again thrust into The Underworld. Pierce Oliviera and John Hayden are together, herding souls onto ships on the River Styx. However, John has broken a strict rule- he brought a human back to life. Furies are furious, and the life-death balance is all out of whack. Pierce has to go back to Isla Huesos. We meet Thanatos, the personification of Death. There is an epic battle in a cemetery. Lobster Tacos are offered. All on the quest to restore balance to the Underworld.
I have always loved Mythology, and I like how Meg Cabot took the Hades/Persephone story and gave it an awesome twist. The lead characters are interesting- flawed yet...noble? I think that's close to what I'm looking for. And the supporting characters are very likable- I want Kayla to be my best friend. They have some great one-liners and situations- I found myself snickering quite a bit. There's also a lot of action, and Pierce gets to show off some pretty cool bad-assery.
This final installment was an emotional roller-coaster for me. It was very "Wait, what!?! NOOOOOO!!!! Oh yay!!!!! What the crap!?!" So thumbs up Meg Cabot, two thumbs way, way up!
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Meg Cabot's other books (especially the others in the Abandon trilogy), mythology, fantasy, and Florida weather.
Awaken is published by Point, an imprint of Scholastic. Digital ARC provided by NetGalley.
Release Date: 07.02.13
After Iris by Natasha Farrant is the bittersweet story of Blue and her family in London. Told through Blue's diary entries and screenplay transcripts, this middle-grade novel follows the Gadsby family as they continue to deal with the death of Iris- Blue's twin sister. As parents become busier with work to forget, a Mr. Tumnus-esque au pair enters to deal with Flora (16), Bluebell (13), Jasmine (8), and Twig (10). Anyone with siblings will appreciate the relationship these four share.
Don't let the heavy subject matter deter you. Farrant manages to deal with the death of a sibling (or child) while still catching hilarious family moments. I mean...really? Pet rats racing around a schoolroom in RC Aston Martins? The story has some very heartbreaking moments, but they are balanced with very heartwarming moments.
It did take me awhile to get used to the screenplay format, but once I did *shrug*. It helped paint the scenes! While there is an overarching storyline, the different "scenes" had their own mini stories. If anyone read something like McCloskey's Homer Price, it reminded me a lot of that.
I enjoyed After Iris very much (and not just because Iris is my grandmother's name)- and would recommend it to Jr. Highers who want to read about families, death in a family or England. Or who enjoy filmography.
After Iris is published by Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin USA). Digital ARC provided by NetGalley.
Release Date: 07.11.2013
