Splintered (Splintered #1)

Splintered was deliciously dark and descriptive. I had no problem imagining Wonderland as Alyssa (best name ever, am I right?) experienced it. Howard walks the reader through a vibrant world with characters that stay with you long past the last page.

Lets get into those characters, shall we? First there is Alyssa, descendent of Alice (yes, the Alice) who is facing her own issues back in the real world. First off, her mom is in a mental hospital because she hears and talks to bugs and plants. The bigger issue here is that Alyssa can also hear these voices and her biggest fear is that she will end up just like her mother and be locked away awaiting shock therapy treatments. Then there is the normal teenage issues that we are all familiar with, she has a secret crush on her best friend, Jeb. Jeb is a sort of bad boy artist with a labret piercing and serious mechanic skills, he also feels as if it is his duty to protect Alyssa from all things, and though endearing, she doesnt always love this about him. Finally, there is Morpheus. Oh Morpheus how do I even begin to describe you? Morpheus has a few forms but in a nutshell he is a fantastical, blue haired, brooding bad ass with a killer set of wings that can both fly you into the starlight and keep you warm if youre feeling chilly. I bet you guys sense a love triangle happening here, and I cant lie, its a biggie. I was super CONFLICTED while reading this and there were many texts to my girls stating I love the pierced one again, and OMG he has wings! Honestly, after finishing the book I still dont know how I am feeling or who I love more, I think I am happy with the ending but then I obsess a bit more and I just dont know! *sigh* But guys, I cant lie to you, it was worth it because these were some of the best KISSY SCENES I have read in a while. Seriously I WANT MOAR PLEASE!

I hate you,” I say, the sentiment muffled against his heart, hoping to make it true.
“And I love you,” he answers without hesitation, voice resolved and raw as he holds me tighter so I can’t break away and react. “A crossroads, my beautiful princess, that was unavoidablegiven our situations.

I loved what Howard did with the secondary characters; they are turned from happy and whimsical beings to dark and frightening creatures. The White Rabbit is now Rabid White, Tweedle Dee and Dum are now grotesque female keepers of lost souls, The Mad Hatter literally becomes his work and you learn a little bit about the Queen of Hearts and why she became so bitter. Off with her head! has found new meaning in this debut novel.

I recommend this book to those of you looking for a new twist on a childhood tale, more reminiscent of Tim Burton than Lewis Caroll. It was adventurous, romantic and all together mad.

So, Im a chain reader, inhaling novels and non-fiction at a rate that would land me in a 12-step program, except that I can totally reform whenever I want, I just dont, you know, want to.
That being said, I devoured this piece of utter perfection in less than 24 hours nor withstanding the insanity of my #momlife.
Why?
Because.
Wow.
Ms Howards Splintered is so. Amazingly. Brilliant.
It is in an entire stratosphere all its own.
Its evocative, addictive, visceral, beyond compelling.
The richness of the textures that Ms. Howard has woven into this insanely spectacular tapestry reads like a clear, fully formed movie in the readers mind.
No spoilers, Id never do that.
Just, trust.
Of the hundreds and hundreds of books Ive read, this is the all time winner.
The only bad thing is that I feel impelled to pause between finishing book 1 & beginning book 2 to share this immaculate discovery with the Amazon Universe.
Sorry, cant say more, jonesing for page one of Unhinged.
Ciao Bella!
And nd happiest reading EVER!

Alyssa’s life has been far from easy growing up knowing that she’s descendant of The Alice from that classic Lewis Carrol story. She knows it’s only a matter of time before she goes mad just like all the other women in her family have. Alyssa has watched her mom go mad and after a recent episode, it looks like the only option to help her mom is electric shock therapy. Alyssa knows that if her mom has electric shock therapy she will never be the same and one day she will be in her shoes. The only hope for her mom is to venture down the rabbit hole and figure out how to break the curse.

With no time to wait Alyssa takes off on an adventure that will change her life forever. Little did she know when she jumped down the rabbit hole it would be dragging Jeb her neighbor and crush with her. Forced to work together to fix what was put wrong by the original Alice is the only way that they will make it home. Together they will challenge risking it all life and limb to get out alive.

I’ve had Splintered on my TBR list forever after all I pre-ordered it when it came out so it’s been on my pile for a while. At first, I was waiting for the series to be completed as I knew that I would gobble them up one after another. I am after all an Alice in Wonderland addict. Splintered just happened to fit a reading challenge so it was a perfect time to dive into the story.

I really liked Alyssa right from the start I found her easy to connect she’s unique which I found refreshing. She may be a descendant of The Alice but she’s as different as she can get. I wasn’t sure at first about Jeb her love interest but the more we got to know him the more I liked him. I wanted to dislike Morpheus but he has this charm about him. The concept for Splintered was captivating it has the classic charm with a modern spin. I truly enjoyed each page and found it hard to put down. I ended up devouring most of it in one afternoon. I loved every page and can’t wait to read the rest of the series and see what happens in wonderland.

As a huge fan of Lewis Carrols Alice stories as well as Tim Burtons wonderfully dark and visually spectacular adaptation, I knew I had to read this! A. G. Howard conjures a Wonderland easily as mesmerising as Tim Burtons in a dark retelling of the familiar tale that more than does justice to the original!

Alyssa Gardner is used to people making Wonderland jokes around her everyone knows that shes the great-great-great-granddaughter of Alice Liddel, the girl whose tales inspired Lewis Carroll to write the Alice books. But a names not the only thing she inherited: the family is cursed with hereditary madness, and its already claimed her mother. Alison lives in an asylum, claiming to hear bugs and flowers speak to her, and Alyssa knows its only a matter of time before she joins her mother, because she suffers from the same delusions. Or so she thinks.

But an inexplicable series of events leads her to question whether the curse is really insanity, and whether there is some truth to the tales of Wonderland. Soon, drawn by a mysterious voice, Alyssa has to take her own journey down the rabbit hole to break the curse. The problem is, she accidentally drags her childhood friend Jeb, on whom she has a secret crush, along with her.

They soon discover that the original Alice saw Wonderland through a childs eyes, and the real thing is darker and more twisted than Alyssa remembers. She has to face killer flowers, outwit an octobenus (a walrus-octopus hybrid!), and meet the mysterious Morpheus, her lifelong dream-companion and friend of the original Alice. The writing is as beautiful and intricate as the gorgeous cover illustration, and Alyssas journey both echoes and twists the original in imaginative ways. The constant war between her desire to break the curse and her desire to give into her impulsive dark side keeps the reader turning the pages to find out how it all plays out.

All in all, a fantastic debut! I strongly recommend this book to fans of Lewis Carrolls wacky, mind-bending Alice books as well as anyone looking for a book thats a bit surreal, inventive, and absolutely mad in the best possible way!

Let me start by saying this isn’t your run of the mill Alice in wonderland story. This book was recommended to me after purchasing cinder and being instantly drawn in by the amazing cover and interesting plot I had to have it. I didn’t think it was possible to do another version of the beloved children’s classic but boy was I wrong and was it a good remake…..yes!! It is amazing the character of Alice is no longer a child but a grown up young girl add to that a good looking best friend with a dark history and a very sexy dark being from wonderland and you have your dark romance love triangle. All of your familiar characters are there like the red queen, the talking flowers, the caterpillar, the white rabbit just not in a way you have ever quite imagined. The best thing there is another book to come out next year which follows on from this one. It’s simple really buy it and enjoy over and over again.

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