Unhinged (Splintered, #2)

by A. G. Howard

Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole. She was crowned Queen of the Red Court and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the boy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly appealing Morpheus. Now all she has to do is graduate high school. That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs. Could she leave Jeb and her parents behind again, for the sake of a man she knows has manipulated her before? Will her mother and Jeb trust her to do what’s right? Readers will swoon over the satisfying return to Howard’s bold, sensual reimagining of Carroll’s classic. 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 Unhinged "I really enjoyed the first book of this series, but Unhinged cranks the Wonderland experience up to 11. It's just ... WOW! The last few scenes dangle Alyssa's next adventure with shockers enough that I found my jaw needing a bit of assistance in coming off the floor. Write quickly, A.G. Howard! I need that next book!" --USA Today "Howard excels in sensory and sensuous descriptions." --Kirkus Reviews "As intense, dark, and weird as the first volume, this worthy sequel creates a parallel narrative that brings the action out of Wonderland and into Alyssa’s hometown." --The Bulletin of The Center for Children’s Books "A dark beauty fills the novel's pages, which will mesmerize teens with a taste for magic, romance or suspense. Unhinged lays the groundwork for a third book where anything could happen--it is Wonderland, after all." --Shelf AwarenessPraise 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 Journal

• ISBN13: 9781419710476
• Publish Date: 1 January 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Abrams
• Imprint: Amulet Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

Oh goodness! Where to begin? Should I start with the screaming professions of love or should I save that for the end? I’ll just go ahead and get it out of the way. I ADORE this series! The first one was really good but this one, oh god this one was just amazing! *hugs book to chest and dances frantically* Okay…I think I got it out of my system.

Unhinged picks up some time after Splintered and Alyssa is focused on her school’s upcoming prom as well as Jeb and his budding career as an artist. Wonderland is far from forgotten though since Morpheus won’t stay out of her dreams and her art is becoming more disturbing. Unhinged starts out at a brisk pace and by the end of the book it felt like I just attempted to sprint farther than my lazy legs could carry me. It’s full of ups and down and true to Wonderland style parts of it will send your heart and head reeling. Plus the ending…oh god the ending…I need the third book so badly it feels like I might die.

Most of this one takes place in the real world, but don’t let that disappoint you because there is no shortage of Wonderland-y goodness or Morpheus, and for all of you Team Jeb fans out there he’s in fine form as well. Alyssa is still struggling to find balance in her life and Morpheus and Jeb are physical manifestations of the two lives she can lead. Jeb is her anchor to normal and the life she’s always wanted, and even though I’m not a Jeb fan I really think their relationship is strong and sweet. Morpheus is her wild and untamed (not to mention attractive) link to Wonderland, and he’s one that she desperately tries to distance herself from but can’t. I can’t believe I’m saying this but this is one love triangle I actually enjoy. I can’t get enough of these two guys. One person I hadn’t counted on becoming such a big part of the book was Alyssa’s mother, who is so much different than I thought she would be. I enjoyed getting to see more of her past and learning more about her connection to Wonderland.

Unhinged takes on a wild ride without sending us down the rabbit hole, from the curious beginning to the heart stopping end. I can honestly say that A.G. Howard has a real talent for creating fantastical and twisted creatures, and this series has become a favorite of mine.

[jnikkir]

This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

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I have fallen hard for A.G. Howard's version of Wonderland. I think this book cemented that even more for me, because even though it featured Wonderland less than I was expecting (at least as a location), Wonderland was still very much present as it begins to seep through into the Alyssa's "real world" in ways she definitely wasn't expecting.

I thought Unhinged was a fantastic sequel to Splintered. The stakes are higher, the pacing is nonstop, and there are even more secrets than I knew what to do with -- and not just the ones Morpheus keeps to himself, as usual. The main draw of these books, for me, is Wonderland and the weird allure it has, so I am able to love the stories despite a few things that might normally turn me off to the books.

I really liked Alyssa's character in Splintered -- her tough attitude, and her drive to break her family's "curse" to help her mom. But to be honest, Alyssa bothered me in Unhinged, mostly because of her unnecessary stubbornness, mostly regarding Morpheus. After his actions for her at the end of Splintered, I guess I couldn't really get a good handle on why she was still so dead-set against him. I'd understand if she were just being cautious, but she seems to always think the worst about his motivations, and that might have been taking it a little far. She finally starts to see sense as the book progresses, but even so, I feel like that was a little bit similar to how her feelings for him progressed in the first book. It was like his slate had been wiped clean and we were back to square one with her not trusting anything about him. Maybe her fear of her Netherling side played a part in her stubbornness to see the good in Morpheus, but it seemed less like uncertainty of herself and more like she was just being contrary for its own sake.

Jeb also, unfortunately, was not able to win me over at all in Unhinged. In fact, I like him even less now than I did after Splintered. I had some issues with his character in the first book, mostly because of what I saw as an "I-know-better-than-you" attitude. This is less pronounced in Unhinged, but I also saw another side of Jeb that I liked even less. Jeb's jealousy of Morpheus (or of any possibility that Alyssa might like Morpheus) is really pronounced in Unhinged. His reactions to Morpheus are very disconcerting at times, and I find the differences between their reactions to each other to be extremely telling. Jeb's reactions border on violent (and more than "border" on violent, in one scene), which is a stark contrast to Morpheus's very even-keeled attitude. Morpheus also (to an extent) respects that Alyssa cares for Jeb, and he goes so far as to save Jeb's life and help Jeb, on more than one occasion. I don't feel like Jeb would be very easily convinced to return that favor.

This sort of brings me into the main reason why I love these books, which is -- Morpheus. His character is everything weird and strange and dark and tempting about Wonderland; and as convoluted as his machinations might be, all his actions are geared toward fighting for his home -- and for Alyssa. This makes him a great sort of anti-hero. We rarely get to see through any of the cracks in his self-assured and cocky armor. But despite his tendency to conceal his motivations, and his overall disingenuous attitude, those underlying motivations are for the good of Wonderland, and to protect Alyssa. One of my favorite things about this book is that we get to see even more of his more "human" side, if you will. We get to see what makes him vulnerable. He may have a hard time being genuine and candid, but the views through the chinks in his armor are what keep me coming back for more.

There is one thing, though, that I'm a little worried about, and that's the resolution of this Morpheus/Alyssa/Jeb triangle. I do want to go into a little bit of vague spoilers, so read on at your own risk... So, something is revealed in Unhinged that makes me afraid that the resolution of this love triangle is going to be one that I really really don't like. I do like it when main characters take a stand, pick a side, and stick to it. I don't like it when a too-good-to-be-true, you-can-have-both! scenario is offered up as a "resolution", and the main character doesn't have to pick anything. Especially when that resolution is then looked upon with even more emotional turmoil. -_- Idk guys, I just like situations where a character makes a choice because she's learned something about herself or someone else that makes her go, "This is the guy I need to be with." These sort of "no but wait, you don't actually have to pick a side!" resolutions are just... mehhhhh. Too good to be true. They feel like a bit of a cop-out, if I'm being honest. I don't like them one bit. I could be totally wrong in my complaints though, because this might not actually end up happening. If it doesn't, I will be over-the-moon. So. *fingers crossed*

But enough about that. Another thing I loved about Unhinged, and something that really surprised me, is Alyssa's parents' involvement. I can't say too much about it, because those would be major spoilers. But I can say that, when I realized her mom would be playing a much bigger part in the story, I was a little worried. As much as I don't like it when parents are completely out of the picture in YA (let's be realistic here), sometimes they do need to be background characters. However, my worry was for nothing. I loved that Alyssa's mom gets to play a bigger part in Unhinged, and Alyssa's dad... well, let's just say that despite his ignorance about Wonderland, he still has a part to play, and I love that.


In conclusion...

What it comes down to, really, is pretty simple: FEELS. Despite my issues with Alyssa and Jeb, which would normally be pretty big issues, there's something about Howard's writing that always succeeds in pulling me into the story and immersing me in this world that she's created. Wonderland is wonderfully dark, and I'm more than a little in love with it -- and of course the same goes for Morpheus. I find his character endlessly fascinating, and he really does make this book, for me. Despite my issues, Unhinged brought the FEELS, so I've got to give it major points for that. I really liked it, and I am absolutely positively dying for Ensnared. 2015 is too far away!!

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There were books involved...