Intertwined

Title: Intertwined

Author: Gena Showalter

ISBN: 0373210027

Publisher: Harlequin 2009

Format: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

     Aden Stone has spent his entire life being shuffled between juvie and mental institutions. Everyone he meets thinks he's trouble. They think he's nuts. They don't realize how good he is at actually holding himself together. Because Aden isn't alone in his body, in his mind and every single moment of his life he deals with voices.

       Voices that come from the four human souls trapped inside his body.

       One can time travel.

       One can raise the dead.

       One can possess another human.

       One can tell the future.

       And because the souls can do these things, Aden can too. He's one supercharged teenage boy. Too bad the voices nearly drive him insane and everyone thinks he's so weird he can't make any friends.

        One day, Aden is out walking, and he wanders into a cemetery. Zombies begin ripping from their graves, and they are hungry, and Aden looks like an appetizing meal. He begins fighting…but then something happens. Something Aden never experienced before. A gust of wind blows through the cemetery, and then the voices in his head stop. It is so blissfully quiet that for one moment Aden is stunned. Then he realizes that the zombies have dropped dead – for a second time in their life.

         The cause of such an occurrence? A girl. He is drawn to her like a magnet, like a flower is to the sun. So he follows her all the while marveling in the heavenly silence.

         But meeting this mysterious girl is only the beginning of the things in store for Aden. He has been dreaming – of another girl. A dark haired beauty. A girl who will either save him or destroy him.

         When the lives of these people collide Aden is thrust into a world of secrets and danger…and Aden has to find a way to keep himself and his new found friends alive.

        Knock, Knock….

        Who's there?

        Only the best book ever!

        That's right, I said it. And I'd say it again. This book, for me, is the beginning of my favorite YA series ever. I will say, however, that the beginning of this book started off kind of rough for me. I wasn't so sure about the zombies and the four souls…but I kept reading. I think something inside me told me to keep at it. I must be psychic. Because I was right. (And, yes, that is a regular occurrence)

       I would say about fifty pages in (maybe a little less) I was hooked. I couldn't put the book down. First off, I loved the dynamic between Mary Ann and Aden. They had a relationship that I never could quite put my finger on. It wasn't the same old boy see's girl – she silences the four souls in his head – and he falls madly in love with her. I mean really, how over done is that? Hehehe. He doesn't fall madly in love with Mary Ann but you sure wonder if he might…and if he doesn't, why are they so drawn to each other?

        Then, things start happening at school. Weird things. Like snakes appearing and disappearing in the middle of class. What is that all about? I sure wanted to know.

        But I have to say that the real page turner for me was the werewolf.

        That's right people. A werewolf.

        I see the scene so clearly in my mind. Mary Ann was leaving for school, and she walked out her front door only to find a giant, black wolf laying beneath the tree in her front yard. And he was watching her. I think I about peed my pants. Of course, Mary Ann was frightened (I have no clue why) of the giant thing that seemed to be able to read her mind as it followed her the entire way to school. And then it followed her home. It followed her everywhere she went.

        So you see why I had to keep reading…

        Then the werewolf transformed into the biggest hottie of the book: Riley.

         Riley was strong and protective, and he clearly has a thing for Mary Ann. I will admit that half the time I wanted to read only about Riley and Mary Ann. But Aden had a really good story line going too. The girl of his dreams (literally) walks into his life and bring with her feelings that he didn't think he could have. Feelings he wanted…but this girl had secrets. Secrets that thrust Aden into a world of paranormal upheaval. And let me tell you, Aden takes some knocks. He never whined even when I actually thought he should. Sometimes I thought "gheesh, how much can one guy take?" But he always seemed to come out on top. Now… can  he keep it up through the entire series….that is the question!

       I have got to hand it to Gena Showlater. This series is so good. She combines so many supernatural characters into one book that sometimes as I was reading I would ask myself how in the world she was going to tie it all together in the end. But she did. And she did it so well. Her writing style was clear, and she gave away enough to keep me reading but not enough for me to figure it out. Every character in this book was memorable. It's been quite a few months since I read it, and I still think about the characters. It takes quite skill and ability to pull off such a complex world and make it look so effortless. So, I tip my hat to you, Ms. Showalter (Really, I'm wearing one right now).

        Allow me to wrap up this review by reminding you, the reader of this fine piece of written work that you will want to go ahead and buy the second book, Unraveled, when you buy this one. Why? Because if you don't you will be cursing yourself. I am merely trying to save you heartache, people. Buy Intertwined and buy Unraveled too. Riley only gets better. And so does every other character. And just for your FYI….Twisted, the third book in the series comes out in September. I can guarantee you that I will be at Barnes and Noble buying it that day. It's that good.

         I know that you are going to love this series, just like I do. How do I know? I'm psychic… remember? Trust me. Go buy this book and read it. What are you waiting for?

 This review is written by Cambria Hebert