Unhinged (Splintered, #2)

by A. G. Howard

[Katie King]

**2 Stars**

Let us go back a year and a half ago. Picture me sitting on my bed in my parent's house with my Kindle in my hands. With a sigh, I set it down and pick up my laptop lying next to me. My fingers were poised above the keys, ready to let the world know my opinion. But something was stopping me. What had I just read? Would I ever really be the same anymore?

Fortunately I gathered my life together long enough to review that first book in this series, Splintered. It definitely had its flaws, as evidenced by my semi-poorly written first review. However, I did enjoy it (I think) and I had planned on reading the second book, Unhinged. That was written in April of 2014, so you can only imagine what I still remembered when I actually got around to reading the second book. So before I read Unhinged, I reread a.k.a. skimmed Splintered, and boy, was it ugly. I don't know how critically I was looking at things a year and a half ago, but my impressions of the book back then were pretty misguided.

For instance, I had thought Alyssa was really torn between Jeb and Morpheus. During my reread I discovered that she was FIRMLY PLANTED in the Jeb camp. Stuff like that was everywhere. Everything I thought I knew was a lie! But while I'm not quite sure I stand by my old review (I do, but I don't agree with it), this review is really about Unhinged.

What of Unhinged? Well, it's a sequel, and it falls into that sequel trap of I-need-to-bridge-a-first-and-third-book-so-nothing-important-is-really-going-to-happen. It suffers from this BAD. A lot of the dramatic stuff happens to Jeb, who I literally couldn't care less about, so in essence there was no plot.

First of all, I was extremely disappointed that this took place in our world. I don't really care what happens in Texas or what it looks like, I LIVE in this world, I think I understand it pretty well. I wanted the amazing, crazy wilds of Wonderland. I wanted to see something EXCITING AND NEW THAT I CAN'T GET TO WITH A QUICK FLIGHT. Without that, it's just this weird punk girl going on fantasy adventures...in a world we live in everyday. NO. STOP.

Second, the plot is pretty boring. It's pretty much an entire book of clashes between two axes in a love triangle and how the girl axis keeps switching between the two, breaking both of their hearts in the process. I don't like Jeb (does anyone?) but even I could respect her sticking by his side the entire time AND THEN SHE KISSES MORPHEUS. Nope. Get your ass out of here, Alyssa! Other than that there's some forced tension with Alyssa's parents and her mom is a huge liar and also Sister Two from the first book is randomly 1,000% more evil than the main antagonist, for some reason. I still don't understand why she's so upset after all this time to the point where this whole book is about her and not the bloodthirsty murderer from the first book.

Speaking of the main antagonist, we do see Red eventually, at the very end, but she's literally A FLOWER IN A POT and can't really do anything. Alyssa just kinda walks away while Red is shouting stuff at her but Alyssa just laughs like "lol you're in a flower pot" and then tells everyone to go handle Red because she's dangerous. She's dangerous??? She doesn't even have legs! She literally has to drag herself across the floor by her leaf-hands. If I wanted revenge and could possess any living thing, I would have at least possessed something with legs. Like the bandersnatch! That would've been a GREAT conduit for your revenge, Red!

Third, is the cover supposed to be Morpheus? Please tell me that's NOT Morpheus. I know that this series is completely smothered with Myspace-punk culture but he really deserves better than that. I was picturing something much easier on the eyes. If that's how I'm supposed to have been imagining him this whole time, I don't even want to finish this series. Considering some of the rumors I've heard about the last book, Ensnared, I actually don't want to finish this series.

Overall, I'm just really disappointed. I can't even express how disappointed I am. I was so bored while reading this entire book. All this random drama with Alyssa's mom AND NOW HER DAD is really wearing on me. Things are already thrown at you with few clues, so I'm having a hard enough time trying to figure out all the "secrets" as it is. Why not just throw the dad in?? And some best friend drama? I went from really liking this series, to rereading Splintered and realizing it wasn't that great, to reading this and deciding that maybe, just maybe this isn't for me.