Splintered by AG Howard
eARC received by Amulet Books via Netgalley
Release Date: January
1, 2013
Reviewed by: Middle
Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say:
Sinister, Surreal, and Seductive
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.
I’m just going to go ahead and brand this one of the BEST OF
2013, before 2013 even starts! Splintered
is that good! I’ve never before wanted
to jump down a rabbit hole so whole-heartedly!
A.G. Howard morphs Lewis Carroll’s classic into something new and deadly—a
place where the macabre and morbid rule the world, where reality and fiction
are juxtaposed in a tangle of webs, and where love and betrayal go hand in
hand. So close your eyes and take a leap
down the rabbit hole—when you open them again, you will be in a world of wonder
and chaos.
“Now, stop thinking like a human Nethering logic resides in the hazy border
between sense and nonsense.” ARC,
location 1891-1892
I was never a huge fan of the original classic, but this
re-telling just blew me away. I love how
A.G. took parts of the old story and interwove them to create something new and
modern. Her world was captivating and
creepy—and I could just see this playing across the big screen. Seriously, if I had to choose any book to be
a movie, this would be it! It’s got the
madness that would make it part horror and the sexiness that would bring
teeny-boppers, twenty-somethings, and older YA readers straight to the movie
lines. A.G. took the setting of Wonderland
and turned it into a macabre dance---the flowers have become killers, the white
rabbit has become a humanoid/rabbit type skeleton, and the cards are vicious
monsters. Take Caroll’s Wonderland and
throw it off kilter—somewhere between psychotic killer and mushroom
hallucinations—and then you have A.G.’s world.
Terrifying and beautiful sprinkled with a dash of insanity and a pinch
of sex.
I really loved Alyssa—Alice’s great, great, great granddaughter. She is tasked with going down the rabbit hole
to fix Alice’s mistakes. She’s strong
and confident, with a morbid fascination with bugs. I loved the attention to her clothes—a punk
style that fits the strangeness of Wonderland perfectly. She was always getting new “costumes,” and I
really enjoyed seeing her personality show through each of them. Plus, they added to the setting and the
surrealism of the world. Alyssa is smart
and witty, and even those she is vulnerable in some aspects of her life, she
doesn’t let that waiver her conviction.
She presses forward, no matter how unnerving or creepy the creatures or
her tasks may seem.
And
The
Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh the guys! The guys
in this one are great! There’s Jeb,
Alyssa’s best friend from the mortal realm (who she has a complete crush on),
and then there’s Morpheus, her estranged friend from her childhood who is now
her guide through Wonderland. Jeb is
your typical best friend with a crush—he is a little shy and doesn’t know how
to say what he wants. That part of him
is endearing, but unfortunately, I found him a bit boring. He was predictable and plain compared to
Morpheus.
I think many readers will like Jeb better than me, but what
can I say, I like the macabre Morpheus.
He says it best himself: “Mysterious.
Rebellious. Troubled. All those qualities women find irresistible.” ARC, location 3982-3983 He hit the nail on the head with that
one! Those are the YA guys I tend to
fall head of heels for! A.G. describes
Morpheus as similar to The Crow (you know the old 80s movie with the guy in
leather and a white-painted face?)—and I loved The Crow!!! “He’s a contradiction: taut magic coiled to strike, gentleness at
war with severity, a tongue as sharp as a whip’s edge, yet skin so soft he
could be swathed in clouds.” ARC,
location 1837-1838 Morpheus is full of
charisma and is extremely skilled in seduction. I found myself wishing that Alyssa would
just throw herself on him so they could have a hot and steamy, make you sweat
scene. He is what happens when you make
the macabre sexy. Long dark hair that
falls into his face, dark smoky eyes that pierce your soul, black tipped wings
that will sweep you off your feet, and the heart that is always too hard to
read. Yum! I couldn’t get enough of Morpheus, and I am
hoping beyond all belief that A.G will write a sequel just so I can have more
of him.
This could be a stand-alone novel, but it was also left a
little open where a sequel can be written if A.G. Howard decides to in the future. (Please, Please, Please!)
Splintered: Astounding.
Morbid. Sexy. Unpredictable. Enchanting.
I could go on and on, but I won’t! Instead, I will urge you to buy this book
when it comes out in January! If you’re
looking for something different, and are a fan of dark, gothic-like novels,
then this will be perfect for you!
I’ll leave you with a final quote I loved:
“He’ll come for you.
He’ll step through your dreams.
Or the looking glass…stay away from the glass, Allie!” ARC, location 481-482
