Review: Twined by A.L. Collins

Title:  Twined 
Author: A.L. Collins

Publisher:  Createspace
Publishing Date: March 25th 2012

Pages: 258
Genre:  YA Paranormal

Series: Twined #1
Source:  Paperback

  

Avalin Marsh saw something on her eleventh birthday that no little girl should ever see. A day that was supposed to be special now haunts her constantly. Tormented by visions and voices, Avalin is befriended by an intriguing, handsome young man named Albert. Albert however isn't who or what Avalin thinks he is. Now questioning her own sanity, Avalin must rely on Albert to help make sense of it all. The twists and turns of this paranormal thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I was really excited to be on the blog tour for this book. The synopsis grabbed me right away and the cover is absolutely beautiful and a little bit dark. Sounded right up my alley. I dove into the book right away and really enjoyed my read.

Avalin is a hard, closed off teenager. When Avalin was a small girl experienced a horrible event involving her mother on her birthday. Since the traumatic event, she has never been the same. Now a senior in high school trying to figure out her future, she is thrown into a mysterious world that changes her world in mere seconds. She has kept everyone, even her best friends, at a distance and now a new guy in school is trying to connect with her and asking her to do the unthinkable. .

This story was really fresh and new.  In the paranormal world its hard to find something out of the ordinary and this was for sure out of the ordinary for me.  It was also a very fast paced read. It was easy to get into the story, it starts off quickly and doesn't slow down. I found myself reading as much as I could at a time, quickly turning pages to understand more and experience more.

I was little turned off by the main character, Avalin, at first. A bit whiny and self pitying, but she had been through some pretty horrible experiences in her past, it was somewhat understandable. I was hoping for some growing and  she did grow on me. She changed quite a bit throughout the book. She starts off cold, mean, and with no direction. She is so traumatized from her past that she has no desire to be close to anyone and trust comes even harder. In the end she matures, warms up a little, and realizes there is a place for her. I did enjoy her sarcasm and witty remarks. Kept a smile on my face. 

I didn't connect with Albert very well. He was a bit too forceful for me and I didn't get the chance to know him before the romance hit. He was determined to do his part in everything,  I will give him that. In the end it seemed to work out for him but just a little too forced for me at times. It is a bit too much of insta love. The best part of Albert was the bantering between him and Avalin.

The book was a little short for me and ended on quite the cliffhanger. I will need to check out the second book. 

It was a very fast paced enjoyable read.