Splintered by A.G. Howard

Title: Splintered
Author: A. G. Howard
Page count: 371 pages, hardback
Publishing date: Jan 2013
Publisher: Amulet Books
My rating: 4/5 stars!


B
Blurb:

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.


As I've said before, I'm lagging behind on my book reviews. I read this title back in November and, because of the holidays, I haven't had much time for reviewing. Now that the holidays are over, I'm getting back into the groove. Out of several books, I choose Splintered to review next because I really did enjoy this book and felt that it needed to be reviewed really badly. 

I've always been interested in Alice in Wonderland remakes or add-ons and my intrigue for this book was no different. I first saw this title on Goodreads- many of my friends had read it and were giving it high ratings. When I was finally able to read it at my local library, I grab it like it was the last one on the universe. I can't tell anyone how excited I was to finally have it- the cover is so gorgeous; I was hoping that the contents inside would be as well!

While it wasn't "perfect", I really liked it. This is the first time I've seen A.G. Howard's writing style and I will admit that I enjoyed it. There was something unique about the way she wrote; it's hauntingly beautiful. She doesn't have any other published works (I think?) but I'll definitely give anything she writes a shot because of her talent. Really, I like her as an author a lot. 

The story follows Alyssa, the direct descendant the famous Alice Liddell. Obviously that's going to cause some problems, which it does. Like her mother, Alyssa's mind is going a little crazy. She can hear the whispers of flowers and bugs and things are only getting worse. Determined to set things right, Alyssa is going to enter Wonderland and stop the curse that's been afflicting her family since Alice. 

Wonderland...

A.G. Howard spins a complete different side of the fateful Lewis Carroll's Wonderland. While Carroll's Wonderland was more confusing, A.G. Howard's Wonderland is more dark and twisted. It's still completely bonkers, but there's a dark quality to it that I just didn't get from Carroll's. Wonderland is very intricate and crafted beautifully. Even the small things have their own unique personality- down to the flowers that Alyssa encounters in her first few moments in Wonderland. I really enjoyed this world and I can't wait to see more of it. 


The plot...

I absolutely love the overall plot of this story. I love that Alyssa is desperate to save her mother and bring justice to her ancestors. She's determined to take Alice's mistakes and make them better. Of course, it's not going to be that easy. With her best friend (and crush) following her down the rabbit hole, Alyssa now has to make sure that he makes it out safe and sound. Already that brings in a little bit of future romance. And then Alyssa meets Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland. Yes, this book does have a love triangle. But it didn't ruin the book for me. While the concept of love triangles has been overdone, I think A.G. Howard made it work. And that's solely because of Morpheus. *swoons*


The characters...


Alyssa. 

I really enjoyed Alyssa as the main female protagonist of this story (and series). I liked her crazy side; I think it made her a dynamic character and more than just a "Mary Jane". She's very loyal and strong: two qualities that I really enjoy in a main lead. Things are easy for her in her real life and in Wonderland, but Alyssa always seems to make it out alright. She does what she thinks is best and I admire that. The only cons I have when I think of Alyssa is the way she bouncing around from Jeb to Morpheus. But that might be because I don't care for love triangles and I only care about her with Morpheus. 

Jeb.

Jeb is Alyssa's best friend in the real world. He's always leaving Alyssa for that stupid hoe in the real world been there for Alyssa when she needed him. He's funny, caring, and controlling protective . What's not to love, right? Wrong. 

Okay, it's obvious that I don't like Jeb. While he's not a terrible person, I just didn't like him. He's really quite annoying. He's controlling and wants things to go his way. If he doesn't get what he wants, he throws a fit. Like a toddler. And he's oh-so overprotective it's not even funny. He doesn't let Alyssa do anything on her own. If she even tries, he gets mad, which just goes back to him throwing a fit when things don't go as he likes. 

I just think that the author could have made him better than he was. I know that he's a main character in this series but, I don't know, I just didn't find him that important to the plot or to Alyssa or me. 

 Morpheus.

Do I really need to say anything else? He's mysterious, sarcastic, funny, odd, and so freaking hot. I love that he's such a mystery. It adds to his hotness. I like that we don't know much about his past. I like that we never really know what he's thinking because he's so spontaneous, so weird. And while weirdness is not that great on some people, Morpheus rocks it. 

Despite how troubled he really is, he's got a kind side to him. Not every character will see how compassionate he really can be, but Alyssa does. The reader does. And that's what matters. A.G. Howard strips him bare of his cruelty and hatred and shows us the deep side to him. The side that really, truly, without-a-doubt cares. I love him. He's great. He's wonderful. He's perfect. Unlike Jeb. 

Side characters:

Alyssa's dad. Alyssa's mom. The queen. The cat. Everyone else. I won't mention them in detail because I don't want too lengthy of a post, but I will say that each and every one of them brings depth to the plot. They might have not been as present as Alyssa, Jeb, and Morpheus were, but that doesn't make them insignificant. They were all important in their own ways. 

I'm not going to mention the antagonist of this story in this review solely because finding out about the antagonist can be sort of a plot twist, and I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I feel like it would be a spoiler for readers who haven't read this yet, and I don't want that to happen. However, I will say that the antagonist is a formidable character, worthy of being the villain. He/she wasn't as cruel or creepy as other villains that I've read, but I'll give he/she props for being interesting, if not slightly creepy. 

The romance... 

I know that the author spent a lot of her time trying to make Jeb really relatable and adorable. If people didn't like him, the whole love triangle thing is a fluke. Obviously. But I really don't like him as a character or as a love interest, so the love triangle thing just doesn't work for me. I didn't find the "chemistry" between Alyssa and Jeb real. I felt like the author was trying so hard to make it something that it wasn't, and I could tell. It was forced. Nothing like how real romance would be. It felt more like a school crush than real, unadulterated love. 

Between Alyssa and Morpheus, I felt something more real. I felt longing. I felt intense desire between both characters. Their relationship had more depth to it than Alyssa could ever have with Jeb. I felt like they have more of a chance at happiness together. Morpheus makes Alyssa think more, to challenge everything she's ever known. At the same time, Alyssa makes Morpheus feel compassion, remorse, and everything else that makes someone a human. She makes him feel something more than just numbness. She makes him happy. He makes her happy. Their romance needs to happen! 

Overall thoughts?

This was a fun and interesting read. I devoured this book. It was exciting, filled with magic and wonder. It was thrilling, complete with awesome characters and wonderful world-building. I would definitely recommend reading this book to everyone who enjoys twisted tales of Alice in Wonderland. I can't wait to read the next book in the series! All I have to say is: more Morpheus! 

Until next time,