Splintered (Splintered, #1)

by A. G. Howard

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. Read all the books in the New York Times bestselling Splintered series: Splintered (Book 1), Unhinged (Book 2), Ensnared (Book 3), and Untamed (The Companion Novel). Get books 1 through 3 in the Splintered boxed set, available now!Praise for Splintered:STARRED REVIEW "Fans of dark fantasy, as well as of Carroll’s Alice in all her revisionings (especially Tim Burton’s), will find a lot to love in this compelling and imaginative novel." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"Alyssa is one of the most unique protagonists I've come across in a while. Splintered is dark, twisted, entirely riveting, and a truly romantic tale." —USA Today "Brilliant, because it is ambitious, inventive, and often surprising — a contemporary reworking of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,’’ with a deep bow toward Tim Burton’s 2010 film version." —The Boston Globe "It’s a deft, complex metamorphosis of this children’s fantasy made more enticing by competing romantic interests, a psychedelic setting, and more mad violence than its original." —Booklist " Protagonist Alyssa...is an original. Howard's visual imagination is superior. The story's creepiness is intriguing as horror, and its hypnotic tone and setting, at the intersection of madness and creativity, should sweep readers down the rabbit hole." —Publishers Weekly "While readers will delight in such recognizable scenes as Alyssa drinking from a bottle to shrink, the richly detailed scenes that stray from the original will entice the imagination. These adventures are indeed wonderful." —BookPage "Attention to costume and setting render this a visually rich read..." —Kirkus Reviews "Wonderland is filled with much that is not as wonderful as might be expected, and yet, it is in Wonderland that Alyssa accepts her true nature. The cover with its swirling tendrils and insects surrounding Alyssa will surely attract teen readers who will not disappointed with this magical, edgy tale." —Reading Today Online "Creepy, descriptive read with a generous dollop of romance." —School Library JournalAward: YALSA’s 2014 Teens’ Top Ten

• ISBN13: 9781419704284
• Publish Date: 1 January 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 12 April 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Abrams
• Imprint: Amulet Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[jnikkir]

★★★★½

I love retellings. ...Well, I suppose I should clarify. I love the idea of retellings. Honestly, I haven't read many (Cinder is the only one I can think of off the top of my head), but I have TONS on my TBR list because I just love the idea of re-imagining a classic story and putting a fresh, surprising, and unique spin on it. That being said, I took for-freaking-ever to finally read Splintered - despite the fact that I bought it in January - and I do not know why. I seriously should have read this sooner.

Splintered follows the adventures of Alyssa Gardner, the great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Alyssa's family is cursed - specifically, they pretty much all go mad because of their 'hallucinations' no one else can see. Alyssa, once she too starts hearing and seeing what her mother was institutionalized for, is afraid she's going mad as well. But when she discovers proof to the contrary, she ends up following Alice's footsteps to Wonderland, and discovers that it's up to her to break the curse that has been plaguing her family for generations.

First off, once Splintered gets underway, it never lets up. The pacing is crazy good, making for an incredibly un-put-down-able read. One adventure jumps into the next into the next and the next... It's a breathless ride through an incredibly realized Wonderland, and I loved every second of it.

Alyssa is a great character - strong, independent, and driven to help her family (especially her mother) get rid of the curse. Jeb, Alyssa's crush and accidental-companion-to-Wonderland, is less awesome - at least to me. I thought he was okay at first - he's sweet, and a super nice guy, but his attitude toward Alyssa got annoying fast. He really cares for her, but he was constantly trying to make decisions for her, or act like he knew best, all the time. I got the feeling he really had no faith in Alyssa's capacity to make her own choices, despite saying things to the contrary. So that was annoying.

BUT WAIT. Honestly the best character in Splintered (and I know I'm not the first person to say this but bear with me) is Morpheus. Yes, he's supremely attractive and mysterious, which is a huge plus. But he's also just an intriguing character. I never knew whose side he was really on - Alyssa's? His own? He certainly keeps secrets like nobody's business. But I found myself totally not caring. I never doubted that he always kept Alyssa's well-being in mind, without being as controlling as Jeb tried to be. He let Alyssa figure things out on her own and take care of herself, because he knew she could. And I loved that. Plus did I mention he's supremely attractive and mysterious? Yeah. That too. ;)

My absolute favorite thing about Splintered, though, is Wonderland, and everything in it. It is seriously amazing. It's dark and not at all like Carroll's children's story - and yet it is very much like Carroll's world at the same time. It might be dark, but it is also vibrant and alive and a little bit addicting. At the end, all I wanted was for Alyssa to decide to stay in Wonderland for good. (And not just because I want her to end up with Morpheus instead of Jeb... well okay there was that.) She's obviously connected to it, and despite the darker aspects, it ended up having an incredibly magical quality that I just... ugh. I loved it. So creepy-good.

In conclusion...
GIVE ME MORE NOW. I loved every second of Splintered (minus Jeb's annoying I-know-better-than-you attitude). It was paced perfectly - once things got underway, breathlessly - and Morpheus is a character I could read about for chapters on end. This first book is just not enough to satisfy my curiosity about this world. I want to go back, immediately. Unhinged's release in January 2014 is way too far away.
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{ This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved... }

[limabean74]

I have stepped into Wonderland a few times. Once in a book, Once through Disney and Once through Tim Burton/Disney again. But never have I read a version of this story quite like this. I must give credit that even though this is Lewis Carrolls story. A.G. Howard made it her own and what it would be like if Wonderland was real. Wow, the characters, the setting and the story were all so colorful. The words jumped off the page and gave such a detail of the craziness it played like a movie in my head. The main character Alyssa a great character to follow through this adventure she was such a quiet kind of let people tell her what to do but by the end of the book you can see such an awesome change in her. I wasn't a fan of Jeb (her best friend) I really prefer the bad boy Morpheus only because Jeb was so clingy and pretty much did everything for Alyssa (I hate when people tell me what to do I can't imagine how she felt LOL he was like controlling it was physically irritating) Now Morpheus (my sexy moth man) was a fantastic character I LOVED him. So mysterious, a little psychotic and he really had a softness to him that would make anyone girl melt. I can even hear his sexy voice in my head while reading (***taking a cold shower*** now lets move on) This book was such a crazy read. I loved every minute of it. I can't tell you to much about the story besides what the synopsis says cause there is so much to it I would be sure to give away something I don't want to. Its better to go in not know what happens and be surprise like I was. I loved all the twists and turns and I loved the modern twists to all the characters. I would love for someone to make this into a movie. I would be the first one in line to see it.

Do I Recommend?
Certainly. Take a trip down the rabbit hole to an Alice in Wonderland you will never forget!!! FYI Morpheus is hot!!!

Happy Reading :)
Michelle
http://love2readalways.blogspot.com/

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Splintered has a pretty cover. That's about the only good thing I can say about it.

Splintered is the story of Alyssa, the great-great-great granddaughter of Alice Liddell who has totally fucked over any future female relations with her trip down the rabbit hole. Alyssa's mother Allison is currently in an asylum, dressing in the likeness of Alice and only eating/drinking out of teacups. Madness runs in the family. distraught over mom being given electric shock treatment Alyssa (who did I mention can talk to insects) gets a bug in her ear to revisit Wonderland and set things straight. Thus she walks through a looking glass to retrace her great-great-great grandmother's steps.

Did I mention that Alyssa selfishly wishes her hot, BFF, teenage neighbor-boy to come with her? Well she did, and did I feel sorry for him, Jeb goes out on a limb for her, wadding through a sea of tears and being a chevirous bodygaurd and it all bites him in the ass. I really felt he was only there as a romantic interest, an accessory if you will. Morpheus (the bug in her head) is the hippie hookah Caterpillar and when not blowing smoke out his ass is described as quite attractive and would have been a good substitute for Jeb. But then there's that thing about Morpheus being a jerkwad and Jeb the knight in shinning armor...

So we hit all the memorable Aliceesque sequences i.e. eat me, drink me, paint the roses red and a mad tea party but once we went past the familiar there really wasn't anything there. By the time I got to Alyssa vanquishing the volpar sword at the bandersnatch I could have cared less. I had read the sentence about Chessie the Cheshire cat so many times I was starting to get a mad expression on my face. I just wanted to get the hell out of Wonderland.

The thing that bugged me the most is that A.G. Howard portrays Alice Liddell as a crazy person at the end of her life. I understand it is fiction and was creative licencing, but the real Alice, no matter how crazy the stories, she herself was not. I think I would be more obliging if Alice Liddell was truly a fictional character, but she was not and I think to change that essence of her life degrades this novel.

Overall, Splintered did not contain seven impossible things before breakfast.

[nitzan_schwarz]

Pretty sure I reviewed this one on my blog, don't see myself bringing that review here anytime soon BUT I did lower the start because honestly?? I did not like this one HALF as much as I pretended I did 5 years ago. It was just... I guess I felt bad for not loving it even though it's so pretty??

[inlibrisveritas]

I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned my utter love for Alice in Wonderland retellings…I have no idea why I love them so much, since I have a love hate relationship with the actual book. I will watch, read, or play anything that is based on Alice no questions asked and I will absorb every detail. So perhaps it’s not really shocking that I ended up loving Splintered so much.

Having a dark Wonderland is nothing new, as the original was tinged with some dark moments, but the way Howard decided to incorporate the whole tale of Alice into the story is something I really appreciated. I love that Alice’s original visit to Wonderland did more than make her famous in the world, it left behind noticeable changes. Alyssa is thrust into the middle of all of it in order to try and save her mother, and she definitely has her work cut out for her. Wonderland is a dark place filled with puzzles, promises, and secrets; and watch Alyssa and Jeb try to navigate all of it is a joy.

The familiar characters from Wonderland get a slight revamp and while they are clearly recognizable they take one a whole different vibe than the one we are use to. For those of you who find this unappealing I can assure you that there is an actual reason behind the change. Normally my favorite character is the Cheshire Cat but Morpheus (the Caterpillar) takes the cake with this one. He’s suave, mysterious, and well dressed…I mean what more can a girl want? He is a tad damaged though and has a little issue with never giving the whole truth until convenient. Then of course there is Jeb, Alyssa’s best friend, who is incredibly loyal but unfortunately he got on my nerves because he’s over protective, even before they fall down the rabbit hole. You don’t have to take my word for it though, because there are plenty of people on Team Jeb. There is a slight love triangle but I personally didn’t mind it, given the different backgrounds/circumstances of the two boys it makes quite a bit of sense that there would be some attraction.

I think the best thing about this is the effect that Wonderland has on Alyssa. She tries so hard to avoid the things that make her think she’s loosing it, but when she’s surrounded by it she’s forced to deal and adapt. I love that there is more to her story than originally expressed and love that Wonderland appears to be a nightmare but has a lovely vibrancy to it. Given the rather closed yet open ending, I’m happy to see that there will be a sequel because I can’t wait to see what happens with everyone.

[Angie]

Meet Alyssa Gardner, soon-to-be high school senior and the narrator of the strange tale that is Splintered. Her hobbies include skateboarding, eating ice cream with her father, and creating mosaics out of dead bugs to keep them from talking to her. A very well rounded teenager, except for the whole family curse thing. Alyssa is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Alice Liddell, as in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. All of the women before her have ended up in asylums, and Alyssa is determined not to. She's going to break the curse, and the only way to do that is to go where it all began: Wonderland.

Wonderland is awesome! It's much darker, eerier, and generally stranger than the original. The differences are explained away by saying that Alice was either too young to understand what she was seeing and projected familiar things onto the strange Wonderland creatures, or she blocked out the scarier parts. Both of which make perfect sense. Whatever the reason, the author has created the most fantastic Wonderland in existence! I could not get enough of this world! The best word to describe it is vivid. I could easily picture everything!

In addition to an amazing world, the plot was also fantastic! It's one huge adventure as Alyssa and Jeb navigate their way around Wonderland. Alyssa thinks she's just undoing all of the havoc that Alice caused during her trip, but maybe she's doing something much grander? It's hard to tell since she can't really trust her guide, Morpheus. He's super hott, but also ridiculously evasive of Alyssa's questions. I loved him, but I didn't trust him.

Without a doubt, Splintered is going to be on my list of favorites of the year (the cover is gorgeous, too)! It's magical, exciting, and romantic! Of course, there's a romance, and boy oh boy is there one majorly steamy kiss! Wow! This book has all of the things make me fall in love with books. I knew I would love it from the very first line. It has an utter strangeness that I adore, without crossing into cheesy territory. Splintered is a wild ride that you will not want to end!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Splintered is a deliciously engrossing beautifully warped re-telling of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland written by Carol Lewis. Grotesquely errie and beautifully marred, this epic journey into the madness of a wickedly wonderful and beguiling Wonderland, will have readers riveted to their seats until the last page has been turned. Filled with gorgeous imagery, stunning prose, and amazing world building this is a fantasy that is sure to entice the child in anyone. From beginning to end, it is stunningly beguiling and fantastically captivating. A.G. Howard has taken such a fantastical magical world and spun it into something hauntingly dark, edgey, and simply amazing.

The imagery and all of the wonderful mystical elements that made Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so visually stunning are ever present in this mondern re-telling. Wonderland is a fascinatingly dangerous world full of dark intrigue, daring adventure, and incredible suspsense and mystery. Dark and vividly haunting, Splintered, is filled with secrets and answers to hidden questions, a deep seeded family curse, and many of the whimsical characters that made Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so appealing to readers as a child.

It is a wonderfully delicious mad read that will not disappoint even the most hardcore fantasy reader. It is truly an entrancing magical story that brings so many dark agendas and mysterious secrets to life. They have this beautiful way of dancing on the pages before the readers eyes, drawing them in, and captivating them with their intrigue. This beguiling world is intricately woven and beautifully descriptive and alive with so much dark rich haunting energy that sparks to life. It's dark, gritty, and terrifying in all of the right Wonderland should be. It is rich in character development, originality, and compelling plot twists that will have any fan of fantasy cheering.

Splintered is an unpredictable fantastical new young adult debut novel full of wonder and so many unexpected suspsenseful twists and turns that is sure to wow! It is a book that is sure to mystify any reader. There is an amazing mystical power to this story, that is sure to take readers on a magical journey they won't soon forget. It is sure to leave them both thrilled and echanted. Splintered is such a delectable treat to any fantasy lover.

[Amber]

Guys, I'm disappointed. Given the hype surrounding this book, I was expecting a retelling of epic proportions. But that's not what happened at all, and I ended up getting ridiculously bored halfway through and I was so close to just skimming it.

Full review here: http://www.booksofamber.com/2012/12/splintered-by-g-howard.html

[Ashley]

Book Nook — Young Adult book review

I was not prepared for how heartbreaking the beginning of this book would be. As the story begins, we learn about Alyssa and her family—particularly her mom, who's locked up in a mental hospital. It's devastating. A.G. Howard is a genius with emotion-dripping pages. Who knew I could be so close to tears during the "background info" stage of a book? I didn't! Alyssa's pain, worries, and the weights she's been carrying on her shoulders all these years all feel so real. Falling into this world and treating Alyssa like a real person instead of a fictional character was completely effortless.

There are so many different sides to Splintered. It's a work of masterful prose, a knee-weakening romance, an imaginative recreation of Wonderland, a teen's journey to paving her future, a mystery with so many twists and turns, and a story about families falling apart and coming together.

The romance... Oh my god, the romance. The romance in Splintered is SPECTACULAR! It had my knees weak, my heart racing, my eyes popping out of their sockets.. It's perfect. It's slow brewing, it's taunting, it's electrifying, it's satisfying. It's everything I love to read about! And Jeb. Jeb is a sexy beast.

"I'm not wasting another second drawing you," he whispers against my lips, "when I can touch you instead." He presses his mouth to mine.

"Don't break my heart."
"I'd cut mine out first."

However, there was a love triangle in Splintered and I wasn't a huge fan of it. In general, I don't like love triangles unless there's a clear reason for it and it makes sense. But in Splintered I didn't feel like Morpheus was a good third corner of the triangle. He was weird and creepy, and I could have handled him coming onto Alyssa, but Alyssa's feelings for him just seemed a bit off. I just kept asking myself "What's the point?" Jeb was obviously the main guy here, so why does she have feelings for Morpheus at all? I guess maybe it has something to do with her bloodline, but I just wasn't feeling it.

I only have two other main issues with the book. The first is just that I honestly did get a little confused towards the second half. There's so much going on, so many different motives, so many twists and turns, and so much new information. On the one hand, that's what makes the book really exciting. But sometimes I did find myself losing it a little!

And finally, I did have some problems with the ending. The ending was very sweet and happy, and in that sense, I loved it. I actually didn't realize my issue until afterwards when I was reflecting on the book. The whole story of Splintered is about Alyssa setting out to save her family—in particular, her mom—but the end of the book felt totally about Jeb. Alyssa's mom and family problems do get wrapped up, but it felt extremely quick and fleeting. I wanted to see more of a reunion for Alyssa and her mother. I wanted a tear-jerking "running into each others' arms" scene. I wanted us to see Alyssa tell her mom her story while they reunited and bonded over it. I wanted to see more of Alyssa's father brimming with happiness at the thought of his wife's recovery (we do see a bit—but not much). It's just that the beginning of the book was so heartbreaking and spent so much time telling us about her family, but then the end wasn't equally heart warming. I wanted contrasting bookends!

But overall, Splintered was a very strong, creative book with a terrific romance. This is the first Alice in Wonderland spin-off I've read, but I think it's a fantastic example of what one should be like. It's creepy, weird, totally crazy, and absolutely overflowing with imagination. If that's what you're into, I couldn't recommend this book enough!

[Rinn]

I received this book for free through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

I was immediately drawn to this book because of the cover, and the idea of an Alice in Wonderland retelling. There's been a bit of a surge in popularity in Alice in Wonderland lately, mostly because of Tim Burton's film. And that is what this book reminds me of - the deliciously twisted Wonderland as envisioned by Burton. That's not to say the original Wonderland wasn't twisted - but Burton and A.G. Howard take it one step further. Perhaps not quite as far as the 'Alice' series of computer games, but it gets quite close at some points. Like original Wonderland, nothing is quite as it seems, but Howard takes it to extremes for more effect. And it certainly works well.

The first chapter establishes Alyssa as a rather quirky character - she is alternative in her dress sense, she has dreadlocks, she skateboards, and most of all: she creates mosaics out of dead bugs. It is here we discover that she does this to shut them up - because she can hear what plants and bugs say. Alyssa appears to be intelligent, caring and firmly grounded, despite her family history of females going insane. This is apparently because Alyssa is a distant relative of Alice Liddell, the real Alice in Wonderland, who had a curse placed on her and her family after leaving Wonderland in a mess. This is a stark contrast to the final moments of Lewis Carroll's book. Alice ended up in an asylum, where Alyssa's mother now is, and reading Alice's psychiatric report is quite haunting.

A.G. Howard's writing style flows well, with pretty visuals and vivid descriptions. She also writes fast-paced action scenes very well. She appears to have a talent for the strange - where Carroll created odd characters, Howard makes them odder. I have quite honestly come to expect a certain type of writing style from YA authors, but A. G. Howard dashes all those expectations. A clever and unexpected plot twist towards the end especially impressed me.

One thing I disliked about the book, which is far too prevalent in current YA books, was the love triangle. I suppose it wasn't quite as ridiculous as many other YA books, but it would be so refreshing to read one without any sort of romance! The two guys fighting over Alyssa are quite typical - Jeb, the dark, handsome, brooding arty type; and Morpheus, the mysterious guy from Alyssa's past. Another issue I want to raise is that if Alyssa's family are trying to escape the Alice curse, why do all the females have Alice names? I suppose it is possible that it is part of the curse, but it is never discussed.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. It presents Lewis Carroll's happier version of Wonderland as the deluded fantasy, and the one that Alyssa explores as the real version; I can really imagine young Alice blocking out the horrific truth with milder images. It plays very cleverly on Carroll's creation, without being a completely straight retelling. It has also reminded me that I haven't read Alice in Wonderland for about 10 years, and really should re-read it...

This review can also be found on my blog, Rinn Reads.