The Hidden (The Hollow, #3)

All I can think right now is what happens to her PARENTS. She had amazingly supportive parents and that's the real tragedy in this, I think. In a way, I actually really liked how Jessica Verday built their relationship up (even though I didn't realise Abbey's dad was in the picture at first) because I've never felt parent pity before and now it's hitting hard.

What to say, what to say...

I loved first two books in this series. Abbey is an average high school student who is struggling to cope after the death of her best friend. Abbey finds comfort in Caspian, who she meets at her friend's funeral. It later turns out that Caspian is dead and Abbey's destiny is to complete Caspian as his other half. Unfortunately, to do this she must die.

Like I said, the first and second books were great. I enjoyed the characters, the setting was lovely and the story was interesting. The third book was disappointing though. In fact, it made me quite mad.

The whole book really makes it painfully obvious that Abbey is going to die in the end. The entire time Abbey is basically putting her affairs in order so that she can be with Caspian foreeevvveerr in deeeaaath. I found this to be quite disturbing considering the intended audience of this book is young women. A few of the conversations Abbey has with family and friends are straight out of Suicide Warning Signs 101.

Verday sugar coats things a bit so it isn't completely and utterly smack you in the face obvious that Abbey kills herself. Abbey's death is glossed over nicely and we get the bonus of her death bringing back her friend Kristen. I guess this is supposed to make it ok that Abbey willingly gives up her entire life for a boy who died before she even met him. It also never even touches on the effect that Abbey's death has on her parents. And for some reason Kristen seems totally ok that Abbey is dead. She visits Abbey's grave with Ben and they run off into the sunset, laughing. No...seriously, they do.

That's right, we just candy coated teen suicide. Sweet.

It really bothers me that a series targeting young women would end with the main character choosing to die in order to be with a boy. Abbey chooses death so that she can live in a cottage by the cemetery and be with Caspian making perfumes. Abbey gives up her dreams, her family and her friends so that she can be with Caspian. I just...sigh...

I really liked the relationship Abbey and Caspian had in the first couple books but by the third book they are straight up obsessed with one another. Abbey makes excuses not to see friends and family, she ditches out early on important events, she can barely make it through the school day. It just isn't healthy.

And I don't even feel bad for ruining this book for anyone who wants to read it because this book is bullshit. When did this kind of a relationship become acceptable? Why are we suddenly swooning over love that causes nothing but pain? Why are authors treating these relationships as something that is desirable? Why are we giving these books to the young women in our life, not batting an eye when they eat them up and become obsessed with the love interest?

We need to stop with the constant preteen love triangles, and the drama and the destruction of one's self for the attention of a cute boy. We need to stop with the 15 year old girls and the obsessive boyfriends. Why can't we start teaching girls that there can be adventure and discovery growth without a love interest? Or that you don't always have to be the co-pilot?

Does no one else find it frightening that there are so many ladies in this world who want to be Bella Swan? Or Anna whats'er'nuts from Fifty Shades of Yick? It sure scares me.