Splintered by A.G. Howard
Review by Lauren
Source: copy from library; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: 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.
Review: For my YA Literature Course, we had to choose a fairy-tale retelling that was published in the last couple of years, so I decided to check out Splintered since I had been curious about it for awhile. I’ve read mixed reviews these last couple years, but I had a feeling that I would enjoy this darker side of Wonderland, and I was right. I have not read the original Alice in Wonderland book but I do have some idea about what occurs, so it was exciting to see how Howard mixed things up, making Wonderland a dark, sometimes sinister place.
While I did enjoy this book, it wasn’t without its faults – for me at least. Some of the tests that Alyssa deals with seem all too easy to pass, though I suppose you could say there is a reason for that. Regardless, other tasks and adventures Alyssa deals with are more difficult and dark, so I suppose it makes up for it in the end. Second, there is the whole “love triangle” idea. I’m always wary about book summaries that talk about two boys, but this one was done fairly well. Jeb is someone Alyssa has known her whole life, a good friend who she has a secret crush on. As for Morpheus, there is more to him than it first appears and you don’t really learn all of his secrets until the end of the book. However, I think the two guys were needed to showcase the opposite sides of Alyssa’s personality, as well as help her though these tests. Basically, I wouldn’t let the idea of a love triangle deter you from reading this book.
In general, I thought Splintered was a fun read. It’s something you can’t help but try and imagine on a big screen with all of the fun details. I also really love the cover and the fact that the print is purple – though the more you read, the more it seems black, so it’s not distracting.
Song Pick:
My song choice for Splintered is “Alice” by Avril Lavigne. This song was actually on the soundtrack for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, but I think it suits Alyssa very well.
This definitely did have faults but I still loved it! I so need to read book three but I just can't bring myself to doing it.
GAH! If only you could see me bouncing on my seat ha ha! I actually have this book listed on my April TBR. I seriously love everything about this post, and the song! <3
Sounds like another fun read! I will try to look past the easiness of some of the tests, I could see how that would be a detractor. Thanks for sharing this though!
I love retellings! I haven't read this one but I heard a lot of things about it. Even if some things bothered you, it's nice to see you had a good time in a whole. I'm sure I'll read it one day. thanks for the review!
I loved this, though can see why you didn't love it as much, when I read it the second time, I found some of it the same but it is just so fun, I couldn't stop from loving it. ;0
I still need to finish this series, especially after getting the last two signed.
A great time to read this. Alice in Wonderland turns 150 years old soon. Interesting sound track.
I really loved the first book, and need to catch up on the others! Love your song choice, it's perfect! 🙂
I've been meaning to read Splintered for a while now, but just haven't got around to it, I'm glad to see that you were able to enjoy this one overall and that you weren't too bothered by the love triangle either! Great review! 🙂
Good to hear it was fun even with some faults. I havent read any of these yet but heard so much about them
I'm so over love triangles, but this book sounds really interesting!
This looks great! I'm jealous of your YA lit course, I can't imagine anything more fun!
A YA literature class? How cool. I've been curious about this book too. I think I'll probably still give it a try.
I totally agree with you on this one. It was a really great read (with a few flaws). I haven't managed to read the final book yet, though – I need to do that!
I've been avoiding this series because of the love triangle.
I can't even handle a well done one because my heart breaks lol
I love the covers though.
Karen @For What It's Worth
This one was pretty fun, and I loved seeing how the author played with the original! I think I could have done without the love triangle personally, but I can see your point about how it brings out different aspects in Alyssa's personality.