Splintered (Book One) by A.G. Howard

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.

 

Down the Rabbit hole we go,

It’s a new week, new month, and new book. This week is SPLINTERED by AG Howard, and if you know me, you’ll know how super excited I was about this book because of my LOVE of Alice in Wonderland and its spinoffs. One of the things that really drew me into this book was the fact it wasn’t about Alice specifically, but it was about her descendants and how her actions affected the coming generations. Everything on the outside draws a reader in. The cover, the summary, the idea, but what makes it truly remarkable is that the outside matches the content within.

 

“Jen said some guy asked you but you didn’t want to go. Why not?”

I shrug. “I have this character flaw? Called dignity?”

A.G. Howard, Splintered

Let’s begin with the cover. You see what is obviously our protagonist Alyssa with her blonde hair emanating a greenish glow. Her hair is in a tangled mess with plants and bugs and leaves surrounding her. Its creepy but intriguing all in one and is definitely eye-catching. That is what drew me in at first and I am so glad it did. The characters are Alyssa (our modern Alice), Jeb (the unrequited love of Alyssa), and Morpheus (The third in our love triangle. Basically the bad mysterious boy). I personally have a preference for Morpheus over Jeb (Cause I love a good bad boy).

 

I think what makes Alice in Wonderland such a popular book for older kids rather than children is that teens and adults see the darkness behind the characters and scenery that Lewis Carroll created in his original book. These modern retellings sort of bring out that darkness in a way that is appealing to readers. Don’t get me wrong the book isn’t just gloomy and darkness, what would wonderland be with some hilarious figures that sort of just pop up when you need a good pick me up.

 

All in all, Splintered is definitely a good book for someone looking for a creepy YA novel with a love triangle. I WOULDN’T recommend this book to younger teens as it is a little creepy and scary at times, some concepts are hard to understand and are downright inappropriate at times.

 

Assesment

I give this Book *insert drumroll*

Happy Holidays and Have a good new year!

<3 Shelby

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