Splintered by A.G. Howard

Splintered

by

A.G. Howard

Blurb:

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.

MY REVIEW OF SPLINTERED

Splintered was enchanting and eerily dark. It took me a bit to get into it at the beginning, but it ended up pretty amazing. It's definitely not an everyday read, the details and descriptions are awesome and the dark insidious tale integrated into it makes the tale its own stand-alone story with Alice in Wonderland just a basis of it. I loved it!

Alyssa’s metamorphosis from grungy Goth teen to full blown Wonderland Netherling Queen was a painstaking journey, riddled with confusion, twists, scary characters and a world so different from Carroll’s classic tale, it can stand hauntingly on its own. The gruesome landscapes to the wondrous places Alyssa visits on her quest to free her family from the ‘Liddell Curse’ amplifies her hidden powers, suppressed memories and true self−bringing her to the conclusion that she and Queen Red are more similar than she ever would have thought.

I enjoyed how the author took this tale and spun it into her own. It had the right amount of darkness, turns and riddles to keep me wondering what the heck was going on, especially with the conniving Morpheus. I loved him, then hated him, then loved him again. He was that suave and he made Alyssa feel that way throughout the treacherous tasks she has to complete. I am amazed how things that didn’t make much sense at one point in the story, made absolute sense in the end. It was definitely a huge web of details that came into the heart of an unforgettable adventure. I wouldn’t mind a follow up of this at all, it would definitely be on my must read list.
5 OUT OF 5 STARS!!!!!

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK ON AMAZON HERE!!!