Underworld by Meg Cabot

Underworld

by Meg Cabot 

Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

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.

(summary from goodreads.com)

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I love Meg Cabot. I think she's funny and interesting and witty and spins a fabulous tale. But ... I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would - which is fine, I'm not really the target audience. I liked the first one (Abandon) and I liked this one, but I didn't love them. She is very good at writing about real girls, and Pierce is certainly one of them. She is passionate and determined and frustrated and confused and full of real teenagery angsty feelings. But I also felt the dynamic between John and Pierce was lacking - they weren't equal enough and too disparate in their control of the situation. I felt John always got his way and Pierce was forced or manipulated into going along - not qualities for a great relationship. Perhaps if I had read Abandon immediately before I read Underworld, and had the beginning of their love story fresh in my mind, I would have felt differently. If I remembered why and how much she loves him in the first place. But I didn't. I look forward to the next book - I'd like to see Pierce have a little more power over her life.  

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. Violence: some vicious harpy attack. Profanity: none that I noticed. Sex: yes, with YA strictures, and some discussion on pregnancy.