Abandon Book 3: Awaken
While the souls of the dead stack up in the Underworld for want of a boat to take them to their final destinations, 17-year-old Pierce and her boyfriend, John, Lord of the Underworld, find themselves Earth-side in the middle of a hurricane, in a fight to defeat a corrupt developer whose son is possessed by Thanatos, the Greek personification of Death. All the while, Pierce and John are pursued by the Furies, bent on destroying the Underworld by killing off its lord and his consort. This is the concluding title of Cabot’s Abandon trilogy, loosely based on the Persephone myth, and readers will definitely want to read Abandon (2011) and Underworld (2012) first. Action rather than characterization moves this clever, agreeable tale along to a neatly negotiated ending, and the author keeps a light touch while dealing with dead people, judgment, and the consequences of getting involved rather than standing on the sidelines. Recommend to those who liked Jennifer Estep’s Mythos Academy titles or Cabot’s own Avalon High (2006).      HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY:          Best-seller Cabot wrapping up a trilogy? This ought to go out like hotcakes, so make sure you’ve got a full stack. Grades 7-10. --Cindy Welch