Intertwined (Intertwined #1)

Title: Intertwined
Author: Gena Showalter
Genre: YA paranormal/fantasy

Where I got it: Oregon Digital Library Consortium AKA my local library's electronic book site (audio and e-books).

One sentence: Aden Stone, a teen with four other souls living inside him, each with a different paranormal talent (time traveling, raising the dead, seeing the future and possess other people), meets Mary Ann Gray, who silences the voices, and the two of them are dragged into supernatural danger along with a werewolf shape-shifter and a vampire princess.

Themes: Forbidden love, supernatural abilities, family issues, danger and intrigue.

Main character: Aden Stone was abandoned by his parents because they thought he was crazy. He's been in and out of multiple foster homes and institutions. He is an outcast with few friends, has an interesting back story and connection with Mary Ann. I didn't really feel like his personality came through as very unique or memorable, just the fact that he had four other people living inside of him.

Secondary characters: I first thought that Mary Ann and Aden would fall in love, but it was actually really refreshing that they just remained friends. Mary Ann has had everything in the past, a stark comparison to Aden. She didn't really make much of an impact with me, although the past with her mother turned into an interesting plot point.
Their love interests; Victoria, the vampire princess, and her werewolf-shape-shifter bodyguard, Riley, seemed entirely one dimensional. Both seemed attracted to and sought out Mary Ann and Aden for no apparent reason. The romance was not very convincing and the characters seemed very stereotypical.

Writing style: Showalter's writing style was both fast paced and detailed when the situation required it. Nothing popped up that jolted me out of the story, and that's how I can often judge if the writing is awkward or badly written.

Plot: The concept of this book really drew me in, but it turned more into werewolves, vampires, faeries and goblins more than the voices in Aden's head. The first half of the book was quite different from the mess of paranormal creatures that swooped in toward the end. The twists and turns were entertaining, but also slightly overwhelming.

Best scene: The beginning scene in the graveyard where Aden fights off zombie corpses.

Positives: Concept, fast paced action and writing, multiple story lines with two romances

Negatives: Characters, ending, some of the plot points were lost on me.

Ending: Slightly thrown together. The ends were somewhat tied up (leaving room for a sequel, of course), but there was no closure.

Other/Random:

Verdict: Fun and entertaining, but not anything with depth. Good for a quick, light YA read.

Rating: 6.7 / 10

I couldn't get past the grotesque zombie beginning or the description of the characters. This was definitely not my type of book and I stopped after about 20 pages.

Reader reviewed by sierraphantom

One of Gena Showalter's best. The idea of four soul's being trapped in someones head was so intriguing so I picked it up and begged my mother to buy it for me. I read it and fell in love with Gena Showalter even more. The book isn't just about Aden, the boy with four souls in his head, though, there's also Vampires and Werewolves. Now, don't pass this off as another Twilight because this book is much more amazing than Twilight ever will be. The Vampires do have a bit of a modern twist to them, but they still hold some of the same aspects that the good old Vampires have, like (If they're old enough) burning in sunlight. The Werewolves however are not enemies with the Vampires (like in Twilight), but guard and protect them. There are even more magickal creatures to come in the sequel, Unraveled, though.  

Reader reviewed by TheBookworm

Intertwined
By Gena Showalter
Pub. Date: September 2009
4.5 out of 5 stars
PG-13 Violence
Recommended

Both attracted and repelled, he thought& Were they like magnets? And if so, did that mean she was like him? Or his opposite?

Aden has always been the outcast, but never alone. Four drastically different chatty souls reside in his head. They dont know how they got there or why, all they know is that none of them can get out. Left unable to do anything else, the spirits resign themselves to a life were all they do is narrate and criticize everything Aden does. There is never a moments silence in his head, until Mary Ann crosses his path. Whenever she is near, the voices disappear. He doesnt understand how it works, but he does know that if he wants more quiet he needs to spend as much time with Mary Ann as he can. Unbeknownst of them, their meeting caused a power surge that hurt every supernatural creature across the world. None of them are happy about the aching tug Aden created and they are about to let him know that&

Intertwined immediately drew me in. Not only did I never want to put it down, I also completely lost track of time.

Every fight was intense, horrible, and quick, taking me faster and faster along. The best of logic was torn apart by unanswerable questions. Romance budded within their midst and blossomed into passionate, loyal love. Intertwined ran from the beaten path of common love triangles and replaced it with unexpected romances, mutual untrusting tolerance, sibling-like caring, and ultimately& friendship. It was very refreshing to have characters who knew what they wanted and werent afraid to chase after it& even when everything went downhill. The characters supernatural abilities and nonhuman divisions, were amazingly well-developed. They were authentic and palpable.

Awkward moments of misunderstanding and touching intimate conversations were perfectly executed in present tense, allowing me, the reader, to feel them first hand. The ending was unexpected, gruesome, and left me wanting more.

I cannot wait until the next book comes out, and not just because of the cliffhanger last page. I hope it turns out just as intense, unputdownable, and unpredictable as Intertwined was.

Date Reviewed: June 14th, 2009

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