A.G. Howard
Rating: 5 Bows!
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.
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.
What can I say about this book? It's AMAZING, duh! This is the second book that I've read that takes on the story of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, the first being Alice in Zombieland. In my opinion, I liked this one more. Howard creates a world of fantasy and adventure and the writing style makes you believe what you're reading is real.
Alyssa is the perfect heroine. Her life is far from perfect but she finds a way to deal with it all. She doesn't sit in a corner and cry when things go wrong, instead she is more determined to make her life better. I loved Alyssa's personality, for a teenager she wasn't overly whinny, she's brave and determined and dealt with the situation of Jeb with maturity (honestly I yelled at Jeb more than she did). Alyssa is a true kick ass heroine.
Jeb. I like him and I hate him at the same time. At the beginning of the book he was not my favorite person, in the middle I respected him and at the end I liked him. He's brave and protective of Alyssa but has issues when it comes to that (especially at the beginning). Despite his faults at the beginning, Jeb truly has Alyssa's back and would do anything for her.
Jeb would be the perfect love interest if it wasn't for Morpheus. Oh dear baby Jesus. I could not stop smiling and fanning myself when Morpheus first turns up. WOW, he is sexy, mysterious, charming and dangerous. I can't not love him. Morpheus had my feelings going like a rollercoaster. When it comes to Morpheus I felt love, hate, pity and sadness all in one chapter. Despite everything, I truly want to see him with Alyssa...sorry Jeb.
Overall, I loved that Splintered has elements of the original story tale but with a dark twist. Howard paints a world of dark fantasy and makes me wish it was real. I can't wait to pick up the next book and see where Howard takes these characters, more specifically Morpheus.
