Intertwined Review

I think life is making me read at a much slower pace. It's a tad unsettling, but nevertheless, I just finished reading Intertwined by Gena Showalter.

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel.
One can raise the dead.
One can tell the future.
And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now, they’re causing him all kinds of trouble.

Like, he’ll blink and suddenly he’s a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he’ll change the future. Or, he’ll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she’s going to die.

He’s so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, for as long as he’s with her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He’s a loner; she has friends. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it’s too late. . .

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own and a vampire princess Aden can’t resist. Two romances, both forbidden. . . doomed. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger. . . but not everyone will come out alive. . .
Taken from GoodReads.

The story follows the collision of Aden Stone and Mary Ann Gray's lives. He's been called crazy since birth, while she has been completely normal - albeit sad because of the loss of her mother. When the two meet, there's an instant connection, though one we're not sure is either good or bad. For Aden, it means peace from the voices of Eve, Caleb, Elijah, and Julian, the four souls in his head. For Mary Ann, it's a terrifying plunge into a world she didn't know existed. The two have to discover where their paths in life lead, and why they share a connection.

I had really, really high hopes for this book. I wanted to love it. I adore the premise, and the idea of having multiple souls in your head is original and enticing. I have to admit I felt a bit let down though. Gena Showalter has a definite unique voice, and a great writing style, but more often than not, I was confused in this book. I wanted to love Aden and Mary Ann, but half the time I was like...what the heck is happening now?!

I think it's interesting to create a world where more than one supernatural creature exists, but I also think each deserves a fair share of "screen time." Sometimes I was wondering where the heck werewolves came into play...then why zombies were involved, too. The internal dialogue also threw me off a bit, as well...not the dialogue in Aden's head between the souls, which I thought was great...the dialogue in Mary Ann's mind. There was something about her that I just couldn't connect with.

All that aside, Intertwined is an interesting read, and perhaps it just wasn't the best for me. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5, and recommend it to those who enjoy books about the paranormal. I will definitely look for more of Gena's work in the future...perhaps something like the Lords of the Underworld series? Recommendations are welcome!