Grade: 4 Butterflies
Name: Splintered
Author: A.G. Howard
Source: My bookshelf
Released: January 1st 2013
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: Hardcover, 371 pages
Goodreads summary
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.
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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.
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My Thoughts
I love the story of Alice in Wonderland and when I heard that there was a retelling of it coming out was instantly interested. When I read the summary and saw the cover I was sold. I got it has fast has I could, but I didn't read it right away, because I had other books to be read and also because I read some not so nice reviews about this book. So, I went into is a little wary, but I came out of it amazed!
This book started out good. Everything was just good. For some reason I couldn't really get, I felt a little disconnected with it and there was a few problems with it besides the fact that I wasn't connecting with the story. Then a little bit before the half way point of the book, I don't know what it was, but I got instantly involved with the story. It was the sitting on the edge of you chair-nail biting-heart pounding- crying your eyes out, kind of involved.
The plot though most of the book didn't have many twists and turns. Which was one of the down side to this book, because, while I am fine with plots like that, I just prefer books that keeps on shocking you throughout the whole plot. However, do not think this book had no twists and turns, its like the author was saving all the twists for the end, because in the last 50 or so pages there was twist after turn after twists. Just as soon as you thought you knew how the end was going to play out the author throws in another turn that will turn your theory to dust.
The writing in this book was fantastic, the world building really shows that, because the author really nailed the dark and forbidding atmosphere that is in the world. However, there was some places where I couldn't understand what the author was trying to say. For example, sometimes when something was being explained I got really confused. And in some places your getting to much information at one time and you get really confused on trying to sort out everything that was said.
The ending in this book was jaw dropping heart pounding (can I say heart pounding twice in a review?) and mind blowing! It was the best part in the whole book!! I even cried in the ending and its been a while since a book made me cry. I also didn't know that this was a stand alone until after I read the end. When I figured that out I was really sad, because I love this world and the characters in it and I want to read more of them, (especially a certain moth).
Overall, even though there was some problems in the beginning, the author did a fantastic job from turning the sweet story of Alice in Wonderland into something haunting and dark that will stick with you weeks after you finish it. However, if you didn't like Alice in Wonderland, because it was to random, then you might not like this book.
This book got....
4 Butterflies
Beloved, This is a really good book.
Recommend if you like: Retellings and Alice in Wonderland.I read this for the Debut Author Reading Challenge
That's my review, I hope you liked it.
Happy reading
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