I'm back in Crossroads baby! I probably shouldn't be this excited about being back with Aden and his friends, considering they do have a death curse on them, but I can't help it. I couldn't wait to get back into this fantastical fictitious world created by Showalter. There's murder, intrigue, love ... and werewolves! Who wouldn't be?
Aden has found a way to be with the love of his young life, Victoria the vampire. All he had to do was kill her betrothed, the Vampire King who murdered her father, and now, BAM! Aden is Vampire King. All is fair in love and war, right? Wrong. Not only is Aden a human, (hello...vampire food), but when a vampire king chooses his queen, he has to "date" all the acceptable, eligible young" ladies" from high ranking vampire families in order to not cause an inter-vampire war. Would that settle well with you, if you were Victoria? I think not. Add to that, Aden learns that vampires carry a little extra something inside their bodies that makes them, shall we say...demonic? No, there is no happily ever after for Aden and Victoria. They will have to fight in order to stay together. Don't lose faith though, Aden is far more resourceful than I ever imagined. Despite the whole diagnosed schizophrenic thing, it might be really cool to be him with those skills. Victoria, thankfully, isn't being a spoiled brat about all the obstacles in their way. She comes up with some pretty amazing character moments herself.
I have to admit this now. I have my first werewolf crush ever! Riley, Victoria's bodyguard and now Aden's, is the best werewolf character I have seen written. If you could ask for the perfect man/werewolf/pet, Riley would be it. He's loyal to no end. He's manly (his words, not mine, but I do agree.) His body is to be admired. He is smart and calculating. He demands respect without actually demanding it. I could go on, but this review isn't just about Riley (sigh.) His relationship with Mary Ann is a bit rocky, despite their obvious loyalty to each other. It seems Ms. Mary Ann has a secret of her own, one she didn't know she had. Riley is the first to figure it out after he finds her "feeding" on a witch's magic, just draining it right out of her. In Mary Ann's defense, she didn't know she was doing this, but as all young love requires tension, this puts a damper on her ability to date Riley. You see, Riley, his kind, and really all magical creatures, are sworn to kill people like Mary Ann on sight. Turns out, Mary Ann is destined to kill everyone with magical abilities, and one day will kill Riley and those he loves. I guess that would put cold water on the smoldering fire they feel for each other. But, not with my Riley. Although Mary Ann does something drastic to keep her friends safe, Riley is determined to keep Mary Ann safe and with him.
Through all of this, Aden and his friends are trying to find a way to make sure the death curse put upon them by the witches will be nullified. With the help of Aden's friends and his inner voice souls, they search for answers to save their lives before it's too late. Faeries keep getting in the way, witches and goblins are lurking about, and Tucker the half demon ex-boyfriend, has returned to spy on them and report back to his master. I can't tell you the most scary part. The part about Vlad the Impaler, Victoria's supposed dead dad, being alive and wanting to take the crown back from Aden. Aden doesn't even know this yet, how could I tell you?! The cherry on top of all this bad news? Aden still knows how he is going to die and now bares the marks on his side that brings him closer to his death. He just doesn't know the when. Just sayin', he has that stress too.
The ending, shall I tell you about the ending? I can't because Showalter left me clueless too! But, it's a doosey as we say in Oklahoma, I can tell you that. In agony for the next the book!
Unraveled is a wonderful addition to the Intertwined series. Showalter kept the pace and intrigue going the whole time. I am so excited to see where this series is going. I have a lot of respect for Showalter's style of writing. I have no idea how she comes up with the things she does and keeps it all straight to weave such a tale. Once you think you know all there is to know about a character, out comes some other aspect you never saw coming, but definitely adds to the story. I know better than to assume I know where things will go based on usual cliches. I am going to enjoy not trying to second guess an author and just let the story ride. If I gasp, I gasp. If I cry, I cry. If I get mad at Mary Ann because she ends up with Riley, I guess I just get mad...wait, that was going a bit far and just plain silly, sorry. I am already missing Crossroads and its crazy supernatural pull. I may need to take a road trip while waiting for the next book in the series and see if I can't find this place. The characters did take a short trip to Tulsa in the book...