Splintered

This book knocked my godamn socks off. It has been ages and i mean it in "twas the year of our lord..." ages since i have read a ya novel that i truly liked.

Maybe it was the very well thought trough connection with Alice in Wonderland, maybe it was the romantic aspect that is so rarely seen in these type of novels. Usually the author manages to portray young love as either too innocent and puppy love or goes overboard with the sexuality. Howard delivered emotional nuances that correspond to Al's age perfectly, not too innocent, not over the top.

Whatever the hell it was, it worked. Deffo getting the next one, but i am just hoping, no praying to GOD that i somehow somewhere stumble upon a series that i like and don't have to WAIT toget show more the next book...

A girl can only hope... show less

*Many thanks to Amulet Books and NetGalley for allowing early access to this book*

I went into this book not really knowing what to expect. I knew it was some sort of Alice retelling, but that was it. I didn't expect to find the amount of awesome that I did. Really, this book is AWESOME.

I loved, loved, loved that the creep factor is seriously amped up here, but not in a gross way. It's eerie in how twisted it is. And really, it's TWISTED. Twisted in a really awesome way.

Alyssa is somehow connected to Wonderland. I thought I had the connection all neatly figured out, but nope. Just when you think you know a thing, it changes. Wonderland was going to be a mirror of Carroll's Wonderland. It wasn't. I hated Morpheus until I...didn't. It was show more all very topsy-turvy. I think thatt's pretty much perfect for a book about Wonderland, don't you?

As far as characters go, I really, truly ADORED Jeb. He was the knight in shining armor. I'm such a sucker for that guy in books. Jeb was fabulous. Level-headed, protective without being a complete jerk about it, loyal, and trustworthy. Can I please have a Jeb of my own? PLEASE?!

I also really liked Alyssa. She's SO far from what I'm used to reading in YA lit. She has such an edge to her - I mean, she makes mosaics out of dead bugs and has eels for pets. She was really cool in a rocker kind of way. She had qualities that I'd like to have, like more courage to change her course. Not that I'm going to start making dead bug mosaics or run out and buy pet eels or anything. A girl has to have her limits. I will definitely take her courage and change my own course to follow my own dreams.

I love that this book had a very grown-up feel to it. I'd almost rather call it New Adult than Young Adult. It's not the kind of book I'd give a young teen. It's definitely the kind of book I'd give an older teen though. Or an adult. It's the kind that will appeal to more than the target audience.

One of my favorite things is that this is a stand-alone. As I finished, my first thought was that I was SO glad I didn't have to wait for another book to tie it all together. It doesn't NEED another book. It's awesome as it is. We get just the right amount of everything. It FEELS complete. Also, it pretty much has the perfect ending, so how could you possibly mess that up with another book?!

Okay, I'm going to start rambling any second now. Just trust me on this one and read it. It's amazing. I'm definitely buying a finished copy. 4.5 Eiffel Towers. show less

So, here is my guilty confession. I basically requested this book on Netgalley because of the cover. Yep, I can occasionally be "one of those people." But, really, look at it? Do you see the awesome artwork there? It is absolutely gorgeous. Now, sometimes, this practice will let me down. Sometimes there will be an amazingly beautiful cover, but a very poorly written book. That was not the case here. For Splintered, my only regret is that I don't have a paper copy so that I can sit and stare at the cover all day, and then pass it on to a lady who would probably love the book, but is legally blind so needs a paper copy and a magnifier to read.

I really enjoyed the spin on the classic tale of "Alice in Wonderland," having grown up with the show more traditional story. I am finding that I really enjoy when someone takes a classic and puts a bit of a spin on it (unless it is Shakespeare; you really shouldn't mess with the man).

I found this story heartbreaking at some points and exhilarating at others, keeping you on your toes and making your mind work through things as you read, trying to figure out what is to come only to be left shocked and awed because you were not even close!

Alyssa's circumstances and life situations are instantly relatable at least on some level to every reader. Everyone has that ONE family member that you really just don't talk about. From the author's descriptions, you find yourself drawn to Jeb, ever the knight in shining armor, but with the hint of the bad boy on the surface.

I found myself unable to walk away from the story, setting aside other reading obligations to be able to finish the story because I had to know what happened. I was not disappointed.

I did feel, however, that the way the story ended left it open for a sequel and I harbor the secret hope that the author will write more, but I also recognize that the fantastical elements just probably would not be the same, so I suppose I won't be too upset if the story ends here. I feel that we are going to see great things from A.G. Howard, and cannot wait to see what this thrilling debut author has up their sleeves next! show less

I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read Splintered. This is such a wildly imaginative story.

A.G. Howard’s writing is captivating, haunting and evocative. You’re sucked in from the very beginning and won’t be able to stop until you’ve finished the whole book.

I think Alyssa was a wonderful main character. Weighed down by her family’s past, she’s constantly worried about going insane like her mother. Bugs talk to her, and moths constantly follow her around. How can she think she’s normal?

She hides behind her art, in the safety of her own room, even inside of her own mind. She even hides herself from Jeb, her best friend.

For the first time in forever, I actually enjoyed the idea of a love triangle.

We have two potential show more candidates:

Jeb & Morpheus.

Jeb is Alyssa’s knight in shining armor; always defending her, always trying to protect her. Meanwhile, Morpheus is evil, wicked, treacherous, manipulative, and mean.

You would think that this triangle is easily solved, but it’s not. They both care immensely for Alyssa and Alyssa truly has feelings for both.

My personal choice is Morpheus.

Despite him being all these ugly traits, Morpheus stole my heart. I feel like Morpheus loved Alyssa more (in my honest opinion). Jeb always doubted Alyssa and assumed she couldn’t defend herself. Morpheus did not. Morpheus let her be herself, Jeb (albeit loving her), seemed to weigh her down.

Anyways, Rebecca Gibel is a wonderful narrator for this audiobook. She captures the whimsical nature of a Wonderland fairy, and the dark mysteriousness of Morpheus. I honestly cannot imagine Morpheus’s voice any other way. She describes the gruesome parts with a chilling voice, and portrays Alyssa as you would imagine her voice would be.

Overall, this gothic fairy tale is one you have to read. You’ll be wanting to read more of Morpheus um Alyssa’s story once you read the last page. show less

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one of my all-time favourite fairy tales so when I had the opportunity to review A.G. Howard’s spin-off I just couldn’t resist. I prefer Lewis Carroll’s original dark and twisted version over the Disney-fied one which worried me some because Splintered is shelved as Young Adult. Thankfully, the author is a fan of the classics and opted to take a walk on the morbid side of this genre. I enjoyed everything about this book; from Howard’s poetic writing style to her unexpected plot twists.

For me, it was the writing that took center stage in this novel. Howard’s vivid descriptions and lyrical style are mesmerizing. The ebb and flow of her words really brought this story show more to life in my mind’s eye. Also, my hat goes off to Rebecca Gibel for nailing the rhythmic tongue twisters and the odd song too. Narrating this book couldn’t have been easy but her skillful use of tone and pitch was impressive. My only complaint is that her pacing was a little on the slow side which made this audiobook slightly longer than it needed to be.

I loved the way that the author incorporated elements from the original tale by having Alyssa pass a series of tests which involved righting Alice’s wrongs. I liked that there were both old and new aspects weaved into the story; it helped create links to the original while still adding a fresh perspective. Most of Carroll’s characters made appearances but there were also a couple of interesting additions including Humpty Dumpty from Through the Looking-Glass! I kept holding out hope that Tweedledum and Tweedledee would make appearances but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

The conclusion seemed obvious from the get-go: Alyssa would successfully pass all of the tests and return to her old life. I should have known that that was too obvious! Instead, Howard goes off in a completely unexpected direction which left me reeling. The final twist is where she really takes ownership of this story and makes it her own. My only complaint was the weird love triangle; it was unnecessary and a little creepy. I liked Jeb’s character but I think that this book would have been just as good, if not better, had he not followed Alyssa down the rabbit hole. And kissing a moth is just plain yucky!

Splintered is sinister, unpredictable and disturbing which is exactly how I like my YA! show less

This take on the Alice in Wonderland tale is so unique, it makes me wonder how nobody else ever thought of it before. Wonderland, in Splintered, is rather an underworld of the dead than a bizarre playground for children. Isn't that fantastic?

The protagonist, Alyssa, is the descendant of Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired Lewis Carol's original novel. She has a set of strange powers that she inherited from Alice and her mother, Allison, who is living in a psychiatric hospital. She fears she will eventually end up in the hospital with her mother, just as all the other Alice descendents have.

But, Alyssa discovers a way to break this so-called family curse of craziness by going into Wonderland, and she sets out to save her mother from show more her own mad mind and electroshock "therapy" that will likely lobotomize her. Her best guy friend and next-door-neighbor Jeb ends up tagging along, accidentally, and they are in for the adventure of a lifetime with the dead.

Alyssa struggles with her existing feelings for Jeb, who already has a girlfriend, plus her very old and now much more mature feelings for Morpheus, the Wonderland moth boy she spent time with in her dreams as a child, who is now all grown up and hot like Edward Scissorhands. It makes for a nice love triangle that feels realistic and not just there to create romantic drama. Although, Alyssa's chemistry is far better with Jeb than Morpheus, in my opinion.

I see a lot of reviewers saying they don't like the characters in the novel, but what are they all smoking? I loved the characters more than I normally love the characters in the YA books I read. They are great, even if not perfect, but they are so realistic and fun to read about. So what if Morpheus lies to Alyssa a lot for his own agenda. Does he have to be perfect in order to be lovable? No. And, Jeb behaves rather possessively of Alyssa while in Wonderland, but he's used to treating her like a sister, so I get that. Plus, he changes his tune in the end, anyway.

This books is super fun and unpredictable without a boring part in sight. For those already enamored of Alice in Wonderland and love YA fiction, this is the perfect fit. It's so much better than the Johnny Depp Alice in Wonderland movie that came out a few years ago, which was good, but not great. I think this story would make a much better film.

*Thanks go to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

I was so done with this book. Everyone’s like ohmygawd Morpheus! Nah, Morpheus can go sit in the corner with Jeb too. Something that annoyed me with this book is why could Jeb never be wrong (Alyssa always reasoned herself to be at fault), and why all the girls had fake dreadlocks. Not to mention mental issues and medical procedures in this book were not handled very well. Overall, I am not interested in any of the sequels.

I will say the best scene was when the mad tea party goers chased that poor duck and ripped it to shreds. I don’t know why I found that scene funny because it was supposed to be brutal.