Ensnared (Splintered, #3)

by A. G. Howard

After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts.

In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?

• ISBN10: 0606374345
• ISBN13: 9780606374347
• Publish Date: 15 December 2015 (first published 6 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 April 2021
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Bound for Schools & Libraries ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 410
• Language: English

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars !!!

RE-READ!

For the billionth time...

*picks up megaphone*

BEST AAIW RE-TELLING OUT THERE; READ IT NOW, FOLKS! Haha

*slides megaphone out of the way*

I love this book so much... its so very unique & non-stop action, & so, so lovable. I love that the author did what was best for the characters, even if some readers may dislike the type of HEA that was delivered. I say, beggars can't be choosers, though, either way haha. Just hands down blown away by this series!!!!

If you love Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, portal fantasy and/ or straight up nonsensical sensible happenstance & dark whimsy... 100% recommend!!!!

[Sam@WLABB]

A satisfying ending to a great series!

Howard did a fabulous job tying up all the loose ends. All the pieces fit together, and everyone's part in the fate of Wonderland, as well as the past parts played, were revealed. This book gave us more the beautiful writing, and the vivid twisted world of Wonderland. We still have Howard doing a fantastic job melding Carroll's Wonderland with Splintered Wonderland. I really admire the creativity, and the way I was able to reconcile the two Wonderlands without issue.

The epilogue was a little to brief, but sometimes, less is more.

[Kelly]

3½ Stars.
Ensnared has been one of my most anticipated releases. Even though I have a paperback on it's way, I couldn't wait and also bought a copy on Kindle as well. Unhinged left readers on tenterhooks, with Alyssa's ultimate choice between her Mortal Knight in Jeb, or the fabulously manipulative Morpheus.

Each guys occupies a different side of my dual heart. Together, they bridge my netherling and human worlds.

But before Alyssa can make a decision, she has a wonderland to save. Yet again, the world building is phenomenal. The morbidly fascinating creatures that have now been driven from their homes blame Alyssa, and rightly so. She halfheartedly invested in their world, then left them all to deal with the consequences of a Queen gone mad. But the underlying storyline still remains her decision on which suitor she will choose.

I was enthralled from the opening chapters, revisiting the world of Splintered with the verge of Wonderland being all but destroyed. The royal politics at play, the deception and manipulation were delicious. Alyssa is forced to become the heroine, or risk the lives of her family and the two men in her life. Her wicked streak was enchanting, on the verge of becoming the cruel tyrant Red Queen once was, while trying to hold onto her own humanity. So where did Ensnared begin to fall apart? The romance.



It completely engulfed the second half of the storyline. Now kids, this is where I'm kicking off with the complaints. The romance was strung along throughout the storyline, Alyssa's inner thoughts and soapbox speeches teasing readers, while teasing both Morpheus and her Mortal Knight as she fluttered between the two. She would be pinning over Jeb, who was still angry at her deception, while allowing Morpheus to flirt and she willingly accepted his advances. It was irritating. It turned the suspense and intensity into a mockery. I don't usually buy into love triangles, and rarely ever support one side over the other, but Morpheus left me no choice.

He's manipulative, deceptive and incredibly dreamy. He's made of imagination and I was adamant that I'd be flipping tables and readying myself with a fork if I didn't get my way. But did I enjoy the ending? The short answer is yes. The in depth answer is that I thought the ending was softened to please all fans. No difficult decisions were made. A conclusion was reached, but it felt more so that the author couldn't commit to taking the plunge and we end up back at the same dilemma of Alyssa having the best of both worlds.

Readers will see it coming. But overall it's a worthy series finale, although may hint at further installments in the series. We can only hope.