Abandon

Abandon

Meg Cabot

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.

This is a killer modern twist on the classic Greek tale of Persephone. Meg nailed cliffhangers and foreshadowing so you never wanted to put the book down. As far as style and technique it is simplistic and fits the story perfectly. Character development is good, although subtle, and it becomes most obvious in her changing, clearly stated, goals and priorities in life. The plot is wonderful again it is a more subtle approach and has smooth, transitions. The plot line is more complex than some every day popular action books, this plot line isn't just rising, climax, falling this one is more continuous and smoother. Cabot's twist on the story of Persephone impressed me because unlike some classic stories written with a twist hers showed a different way of looking at the legend with the story coming from the point of view of Peirce, a girl who finds herself in a similar situation as the Legendry Persephone, and Peirce's story was similar enough to Persephone’s that you could see the connection but so drastically different it kept you hooked and guessing through the very end and left you wanting more. So, I highly recommend this book and for me it is 4 out of 5 stars. 

Briana

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

After reading this I was thinking about just how I could possibly describe the book to do it justice and the perfect phrase to describe it popped into my head: "Hauntingly Beautiful." This is a stellar modern gothic romance with a better ending.  The book my look large and intimidating in size but it immediately the story's cunningness and thrill have you so wrapped up you can’t put it down. My first thoughts before picking this up were: 1) the synopsis is rather bland. 2) *sigh* another gothic romance sad predictable and boring. 3) if it is this long a story it is going to have wayyyyy to much rising and falling action. Turns out I was wrong about the last two (this is probably one of the only times I love being wrong) and despite all my doubts I have to give it to my friend Eleena who recommended this to me when she became obsessed with the series, Eleena you were right this book is the best book I have ever read (no exaggerations) it really is it's just that awesome. The plot is great, fast paced, and enticing with just enough rising and falling action and killer twists. Watching Ethan and Lena learn to trust and love adds so much to the book. Kami and Margret nailed everything: plot, style and technique, character development, vivid description, word choice, strong story line, everything that makes a book great.  It is defiantly a 5 out of 5 stars for me and the best book I have ever read.

Briana