Full review on Reader's Dialogue: readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2012/10/abandon.html

I love the way the story is told, starting out with the move to Isla Huesos and going back and forth to reveal the past bit by bit, a little at a time, showing Pierce's time in the Underworld and what happened in her old school after she came back from the dead. It really places Pierce in a state of living and grappling with the past, trying to come to terms with happened while trying to move forward, which doesn't seem to be working very well for her!

It also means that we get to see her relationship with John evolving over time, because she gets mad at him as she remembers certain events, each time he shows up. The way she softens to him is really great also - if you can even say she softens to him! But that whole part, the way John and Pierce interact with each other, is developed really well, built up slowly and steadily.

The mythology of the story is really fun to watch. There is one point where everything is explained, but for readers who know the mythology and have been following the parallels, that section is easily skimmed over, which I did just enough to get the character of the person giving Pierce the information but not enough to slow me down with unnecessary explanations. And the epigraphs from Dante at the head of each chapter are a nice touch!