Twisted

Title: Twisted (Intertwined #3)

Author: Gena Showalter

Format: Hardback and Ebook

Genre: Paranormal, Young adult

Publisher: Harlequin, August 2011

ISBN: 0373210388

Dying was painful enough for Aden but it turns out living is harder than he ever thought possible. His girlfriend, Victoria, brought him back but the consequences of that are staggering.

He struggles to recognize himself and there is this darkness within him, taking over…changing him. He's cheated death too many times and now it stalks him, crouches in wait to finally claim him.

The souls trapped inside him once could have helped, but now they are growing weaker and the darkness in him grows stronger. And he isn't the only one changing. Victoria, the love of his life, is different, becoming more human, more weak.

Meanwhile, Mary Anne and Riley are having issues of their own. Mary Anne is on the run, running from everyone she loves, trying to keep them safe from her strange ability. Riley is hot on her trail until Tucker interferes and he can't see her anymore. Then Mary Anne is alone with Tucker. Can Tucker be trusted? He's being manipulated by the old vampire king and doesn't seem to care who he hurts.

Life couldn't get any worse. Could it?

I anticipated this book forever. I waited for it to be released, I stalked Gena Showalters website and tried to get an ARC. The first two books of this series are awesome, full of twists and turns and lovable characters, and I could not wait for the next chapter. With serious regret and something I truly hate to say, it wasn't all I was hoping it would be. But there were some great things about it.

First off, the cover is awesome. Aden is hot! Gotta love some of that. I think the thing I enjoy most about these books (besides Riley) is the plot. The twists and turns the characters take are really great. I never knew where the story would go and to me, that makes a good read. No doubt about it, Gena Showalter is a fabulous writer – she weaves a tale like no one else.

For the first half (maybe a little more) of the book Aden really struggled with the darkness in him and the consequences of Victoria saving his life. He was different. While I understand that anyone would be different after everything that happened, I have to say that I missed the old Aden. His character was soo good and he was so strong. Granted he is still super strong in this book (he kicks a** a lot!), but I missed him. He was different and not really in a good way. Now toward the end he did start becoming the Aden I knew and loved but it was kind of bittersweet for me. It was kind of like seeing a friend after a long absence and them not being how you remember them being. *sigh*

Victoria was still great, I actually liked the changes that went on with her, I thought her story line was unique and I can't wait to see what happens with her in the next book. It seemed though that it took forever for her to finally tell Aden what was going on though, and sometimes the distance between them got to me too. I liked when they were together and solid.

Riley is my most beloved character of this series. There is something about him that I love. His loyalty, honesty, strength, how he accepts himself and likes who he is. All these things chalk up to major hotness in my opinion. There wasn't enough of him in the book. Not nearly enough. And when he was in the book he was busy fighting and running and brooding to be the guy I loved. I also was hoping for more detail about Riley's two brothers who were cursed by a witch. What a great storyline that would be to explore.

MaryAnne is still a great character. She changed too in this book from who she was. She was more likely to snap and be sarcastic. She was more willing to make tough decisions. It did annoy me that she never came out and told Riley what and how she was feeling. The distance between her and Riley was greater than ever and that was a disappointment to me too.

Can I just say that if Riley was mine, I would never ever let go?

The end of the book made me gasp. I was like "this did not just end like this!" It kind of made me mad. I love a good cliffhanger but this was just…shocking. The way that Riley ended…was awful, I can't imagine him ever doing that. And Mary Anne, what will become of her?

And Aden…on Aden what on earth are you doing?

You can bet that I will be reading the final book of the series the minute it hits the shelves. Even though it wasn't everything I hoped it would be it was still a good book. I read it in two days. I still can't get enough of Riley and Aden. I love the twists and turns of the plot and I can't wait to see what becomes of the remaining souls in Aden's head. It's almost sad that the next book will be the last, these characters have really captured me and I like them.

I would recommend this series to anyone who loves a good paranormal book. It's definitely worth your time and Gena tells a story with ease.

So there you have it. My opinion.

This review is written by Cambria Hebert