Review : Twined by A.L. Collins

Title : Twined
Author : A.L. Collins
Published March 25th 2012 by CreateSpace
Paperback 258 pages
ISBN 1475110936
ISBN13: 9781475110937


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*Book courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review*

Avalin Marsh is used to disappointment. When her mother murdered a woman in the kitchen of her home on her eleventh birthday, Avalin decided that the people in your life were only there to let you down. She built up walls over the years making a mental fortress impervious to disappointment, heartache and sadness. However it also isolated her from others, making her bitter... and lonely.When her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the murder, Avalin began to see and experience things that she couldn't explain. She thought she could handle these episodes by pushing them back into her mind. Until the day she sees one of her classmates morph into a monster right in front of her eyes. Pushed to the brink of paranoia, Avalin truly believes she's insane. Then a mysterious man named Albert comes into her life. She's wary of his motives yet for some reason finds herself drawn to him even though they've never met. What's even more inexplicable is that Albert knows who Avalin is. She's the daughter of the famous Abigail Marsh. Her mother. Now the two of them will need to put their differences aside and trust one another. If Avalin can't let her guard down long enough to let Albert in, then there might be dire and far reaching consequences in store for them. It turns out Avalin Marsh isn't as crazy as she thought.

*******

 

 

 

A.L. Collins first brought us into a fantasy world in Bastion - Prequel to War and then he made us smile in his motivational and feel-good YA debut, Scarlett's. What does he have in store for us now with Twined? A supernatural novel for young adults. But don't be mistaken, this is not a vampire or werewolf story. Oh no! A.L. Collins has created a unique new world where supernatural beings seek a human in order to survive past their teens. I won't tell you more about it. I'll let you guys discover it for yourselves.

It all starts with a flashback to Avalin's eleventh birthday. What promised to be a fun birthday full of surprises and friends turned out to be a nightmare. None of her friends showed up and her schizophrenic mother murdered a woman. Now in the present day, Avalin starts hearing voices and seeing unimaginable things. She fears she might be turning out exactly like her mother. Albert seems to understand what she is going through but Avalin senses something's not right with the new guy.  Avalin discovers a whole new world and realizes that maybe she isn't crazy after all, neither was her mother.

Avalin is a very strong young woman. Her story and voice captivated me from the beginning. The author managed to really mirror the thoughts and dialogue of a teenage girl. She's smart and not afraid to say what's on her mind. She's a bit depressed and whiny in the beginning but who can blame her? Every character, even the supernatural ones, seem very real and could be your next-door neighbors. Albert is an intriguing character from the start but we quickly realize that he will stop at nothing to protect Avalin. He's also very respectful and sweet. Twined has a lot of fun characters and some will definitely surprise you.

The plot has enough action and mystery to make this a one-sitting read. The supernatural aspects of the book are new and well-thought of. There's a major cliffhanger at the end. Book #2 won't come out soon enough for me!

Overall, Twined is a unique read by an author you need to keep an eye on. 

5 out of 5 stars!