{Review} Splintered by A.G. Howard

Splintered
by A.G. Howard
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 384
Source: Purchased
Available as of January 1, 2013
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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.

I would love to give Splintered more than 5 hearts, but that would break my scale and we can't have that. However, this has become my all time favorite book. It was intense, magical, and beyond wonderful. To say that Alyssa's story had me tangled in a web of pure ecstasy while reading would be an understatement. A.G. Howard spun a fantastic tale of one of my favorite classics.

Alyssa Victoria Gardner is the great great great granddaughter of Alice Liddell, the inspiration of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. When Alice returned from Wonderland her family was plagued with a curse. Since then every female descendant has earned their rightful place in an asylum because of talking plants and bugs and their belief that they can fly. Alyssa thinks she's going crazy because, now, like her mother, she can hear them. What will it take to break the curse on the Liddell bloodline?

I wholeheartedly adored Alyssa. She was very strong, independent and trusted too easily. Her oldest and best friend, Jebediah, made my heart swoon. He was protective and questioned Alyssa's choices when her easily trusting nature got in the way. The other big wig in this story was Morpheus. He plays the part of the all-knowing Caterpillar. For me, I had a love hate relationship with him. He irked me one moment and then I would be in love with him the next. I felt like a yo-you where he was concerned.

When looking at Splintered as a whole and as bits and pieces, there is nothing negative that I could say. I was intrigued from page one and each additional word built up my need to read and finish the story. There were times when the plot would slow to explain an important detail or speed up with the action. The story line was unique and I love all the little quirks that A.G. Howard worked into Alyssa's worlds. It was a fun read that had my imagination going off on a tangent picturing each of the characters and Wonderland itself.

Overall, Splintered went above and beyond my wildest dreams. While I would love to see more of Alyssa's life, I don't want her to face another huge challenge. So, for her sake, I'm completely at ease with how the ending played out. If you are a huge Alice in Wonderland fan like myself, you should most definitely go buy this book as soon as humanly possible. If want a fun spin on a classic this book will delight you to no end.

A.G. Howard is most at home when weaving the melancholy and macabre into settings and scenes, twisting the expected into the unexpected. She was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always wondered what would’ve happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child.

A.G.’s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

You can find A.G....

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