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
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.
