Splintered (Splintered Series #1) (Volume 1)

4.5 StarsSPLINTERED, WOW, OH, WOW!!! You brought the best of out me. You took me through a world unlike any I've ever experienced. You made me laugh, cry, scream, hoot and holler in joy, second guess myself, you tore my heart to shreds, and then slowly sewed it back like new. I LOVE YOU, ALL OF YOU, ESPECIALLY YOU, MORPHEUS, you sexy Son of a Bug, you! ;)Just playing around!! :) I absolutely adored this book! I really loved every insane, crazy, madly wonderful aspect of the madness!!! A.G. Howard, I salute you, you have the most wonderfully imaginative, and totally enthralling imagination that I have ever came across in ANY book!! You came up with things that blew my mind and Wowed me, and surprised the heck out of me!! Your mind is full of utterly enchanting, MADNESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVEEEEEEE IT!!!THE PLOTAlyssa Gardner has been hiding a very big part of herself from anyone. She has secrets that she's afraid she can never reveal. Because her secrets could end her, just like they did to her mother. She'll quickly be on a one-way-ticket to the looney-bin, somewhere Alyssa is determined not to go. But her secrets are getting harder and harder to keep hidden, until one day, they become, Splintered...Alyssa has a special gift, or a curse depending on how you look upon it. But either way, she can talk to bugs and plants. She's different then other kids, and never really felt like she belonged. Her mother went mad and started talking nonsense about rabbit holes and tea party's in Wonderland. And if that isn't enough, she has to live with the rumor that she's a descendant of Alice Liddell, the little girl from the popular Lewis Carroll story "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland." And lets not talk about her undying crush she has on her best friend, and love of her life, Jebediah Holt. But of course, he doesn't even notice her in that kinda way. And if things don't get better soon, Alyssa may just go mad herself. That is until the madness literally walks into her life, destine to never leave, again...It's real, it's all real!!! The whole teasing of being a descent of Alice Liddell. It's true, and the moth boy from her dreams has finally revealed himself; calling her to Wonderland, whispering it'll all end if she just goes down the Rabbit hole. Come... Alyssa Gardner, and we shall set you and your family free of this wretched curse once and for all... But, you will have to undo what Alice caused all those years ago in Wonderland. You will have to save your world, and—in turn save ours.Are you ready, Alyssa Gardner, to enter...THE REAL WONDERLAND??????Alyssa knows it's the only way to end the curse put on her family when Alice went to Wonderland and brought the unbalance to their world. And only a descendant of Alice Liddell can undo the damaged caused and put an end to the Liddell's curse once and for all.But is she really ready to enter The Looking Glass and make the trek down the Rabbit hole to fight and save Wonderland in order to save her family??? YES, she is, and she will undo what curious Alice caused when she fell down the Rabbit hole so many years ago, and into a world of pure, madness...But Alyssa unknowingly pulls Jeb, her best friend and secret love into The Looking Glass and down the Rabbit hole with her, and now it's not just her life on the line, but his too. But the only way out of Wonderland is to undo what never should of been. So Jeb is there to stay, and the secrets she's kept hidden for so long are finally revealed. But that could be the least of her worries as there is more madness on the horizon, when Morpheus, the moth that has haunted her dreams since she was a little girl shows up in the flesh, and unfurls his insanity and chaos, and warps Alyssa in the same security, and intensely alluring and utterly confusion that he's always projected as a child. But he's not what he seems. He is conniving, manipulative, and so dam sexy. And he has a game for Alyssa to play, and she's it!!!Alyssa will have to race through Wonderland undoing Alice's wrongs, and fixing what has been broken. But Alyssa's journey won't be an easy feat, and Alyssa's time in Wonderland could just be the beginning, as Alyssa slowly finds more pieces to the puzzle then Morpheus let on, and she begins to understand that all is not what it seems, and there may be more to this little game, and it may just literally, cost her her head...Get ready, because it's all about to become....UNHINGED...Ooh, that was beautiful! Doesn't that sound amazing to you??? Honestly, if I could live in any fictional world, SPLINTERED would be it!! Well, as long as my Moth man hotty is there of course! Because Morpheus is such a trip, he made this book come alive!! His character kept me turning the pages wanting more. I mean, I'm sure I would of enjoyed SPLINTERED without him, because this book is just that good. So he's not the only reason why I love this series, but he's a lot of it! ;)Overall, SPLINTERED was AMAZING!!! Totally EPIC in every way!! I already read the short story and loved it. And I'm reading the second book, UNHINGED now, and WOW, it is amazing also!! SO in other words, this series is one of a kind, with loads of originality, and characters that are truly unlike any you've ever experienced, with a plot that could literally drive you into, pure madnesssss!!! ;)

If there's a better Wonderland retelling, I haven't read it yet.

Wow, I think I said when I finished this one. Then I hurriedly ordered it so I could make sure I got it as soon as it came out. This book is really unbelievable. Really! It's definitely a fantasy but it's part mystery or should I say riddle and it's one magical, crazy, wild ride. I loved reading this novel so much I really didn't want it to end. Believe it or not, I was hoping all things wouldn't be resolved in this first novel. I was even okay with a cliffie, but not to worry. There is a definite ending.So what made it so special? First, there is Alyssa. You really can't not like her. She's tough, grown up without a mother since she was five after a traumatic accident involving her mother. Her mother is in an asylum and talks to flowers and insects. She completely buys into the Alice in Wonderland theme wearing the clothes and the braids and she will only eat out of teacups. Alyssa endures weekly visits to the asylum with her dad to see her mom which may or may not end with her drugged into a zombie like state. And Alyssa has a disturbing kind of macabre artistic medium, bugs, that she uses to create landscapes. She stabs them with pins while they are living. Yeah, that's part of her dark side. But you see, Alyssa and her mother Alice are both part of the Liddel family and they have a supposed curse on them. Alyssa throughout the novel shows the struggle she has between the dark and light sides of herself and how trying to balance the two can drive one to madness. But, there is a secret to that, too. So many secrets.Then there is Jeb. Good old next door neighbor, but he's not the all American boy. Not exactly a bad boy, he isn't afraid to threaten, cajole, make a girl swoon, basically do anything to get what he wants. He has a lip piercing and works at the skate park. He also fixes Alyssa's car. And dates a mean girl. :( He watches out for Alyssa and is the big brother of Alyssa's best friend Jenara. Can't say anything else without ruining the book! He's a good guy and we like him despite Tae. Blech!And then there is Morpheus who I will forever picture as Johnny Depp. I can't see anyone else but him when I read about him. He's just charming enough to pull off the things he does and get away with them. You never know if a lie or the truth is slipping off his tongue but whatever it is, it's twisted around some kind of riddle that Alyssa will have to figure out and just when she thinks she's lifted the curse on her family, the tables turn. And she has to fight that side of her that is drawn to the darkness that is Morpheus, or maybe she needs to give in to it once and for all. She just doesn't know.The writing, it is fabulous. You feel as turned around and twisted as the story is and Alyssa must feel. Some of it is nonsensical just like in Alice in Wonderland, but then you find there is an actual depth to the riddles that are spoken. And then some things are left out of the riddles for Alyssa to discover on her own. This is fantasy and it's crazy good! It was just so much fun to read and get turned around. I was as mad (as in twisted) as Alyssa and I just kind of grabbed onto her petticoat and hung on for the ride. So, so much fun! Sorry to say but much better than Alice in Wonderland! (Don't hate me!) The only thing I wish was that there had been pictures in the ARC. Though there might be in the novel.Go buy it! Read it! Review it! Then you'll probably want to read it again. I know I do. But I really wanted to write a good review so other people would read this novel. There is some suggestive language in the novel, but other than that nothing else for parents to worry about. Oh and the soundtrack that A.G. Howard created to go along with the novel is perfect. Might want to listen to it while you're reading it if you can listen to music and read. I will be thinking of this novel for days and weeks to come. It's fascinating!I received an E-ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for a fair and honest review. This did not influence my opinions in any way.Enjoy!Heather

As a huge fan of Lewis Carrol’s Alice stories as well as Tim Burton’s wonderfully dark and visually spectacular adaptation, I knew I had to read this! A. G. Howard conjures a Wonderland easily as mesmerising as Tim Burton’s in a dark retelling of the familiar tale that more than does justice to the original!Alyssa Gardner is used to people making Wonderland jokes around her – everyone knows that she’s the great-great-great-granddaughter of Alice Liddel, the girl whose tales inspired Lewis Carroll to write the Alice books. But a name’s not the only thing she inherited: the family is cursed with hereditary madness, and it’s already claimed her mother. Alison lives in an asylum, claiming to hear bugs and flowers speak to her, and Alyssa knows it’s only a matter of time before she joins her mother, because she suffers from the same delusions. Or so she thinks.But an inexplicable series of events leads her to question whether the curse is really insanity, and whether there is some truth to the tales of Wonderland. Soon, drawn by a mysterious voice, Alyssa has to take her own journey down the rabbit hole to break the curse. The problem is, she accidentally drags her childhood friend Jeb, on whom she has a secret crush, along with her.They soon discover that the original Alice saw Wonderland through a child’s eyes, and the real thing is darker and more twisted than Alyssa remembers. She has to face killer flowers, outwit an octobenus (a walrus-octopus hybrid!), and meet the mysterious Morpheus, her lifelong dream-companion and friend of the original Alice. The writing is as beautiful and intricate as the gorgeous cover illustration, and Alyssa’s journey both echoes and twists the original in imaginative ways. The constant war between her desire to break the curse and her desire to give into her impulsive ‘dark’ side keeps the reader turning the pages to find out how it all plays out.All in all, a fantastic debut! I strongly recommend this book to fans of Lewis Carroll’s wacky, mind-bending Alice books as well as anyone looking for a book that’s a bit surreal, inventive, and absolutely mad in the best possible way!

I make no secret of being a Wonderland fan, but the Wonderland I have come to love is not that of Lewis Carroll, but that of A. G. Howard. This is a darker place altogether, twisted and grotesque, but also magical and completely insane.This novella actually follows the first volume of the ‘Splintered’ trilogy, but also makes a good stand alone introduction for someone wanting to experience the world without very much expense.Centering around Morpheus (a very different Mad Hatter) and Jeb, Alyssa’s human boyfriend, you will encounter some of the warped magic that swirls around this strange place. Morpheus is almost obsessed with the girl, and the role she must play. He tries to get inside the mind of Jeb, with the sole intent of learning how to dispose of him, or to manipulate him into playing a part in his crazy-or-not scheme.It is not a long read but will give you an idea of whether this trilogy is for you.

The Moth in the Mirror is a dual P.O.V eNovella told in third person. After the events of Splintered, before Unhinged, Morpheus is curious about Jeb and his human emotions so he decides to take a peek at Jeb's lost memories from the time he was in Wonderland. Through this we get a glimpse at the scenes where Jeb was without Alyssa, so we can better see his emotions and we see Morpheus' emotions and reactions to Jeb.This novella fell flat for me, it really did nothing much at all. Howard's writing is still stellar and the characters are still brilliant but all this book did was fill in gaps that I didn't really have questions about. Maybe if I had read it in the middle of the gap between Splintered and Unhinged (when it is set) I would have liked it better as it would have been something to bring me back into the world that I missed, but I read it when I had Unhinged in my hand calling my name and so instead I didn't think it was really worth the money. All it does is allow you a peak into Morpheus' head and it shows you he's not all bad, but his character arc in Unhinged does all that and more anyway so in the end it seemed a little pointless to me.

Let me start by saying this isn't your run of the mill Alice in wonderland story. This book was recommended to me after purchasing cinder and being instantly drawn in by the amazing cover and interesting plot I had to have it. I didn't think it was possible to do another version of the beloved children's classic but boy was I wrong and was it a good remake.....yes!! It is amazing the character of Alice is no longer a child but a grown up young girl add to that a good looking best friend with a dark history and a very sexy dark being from wonderland and you have your dark romance love triangle. All of your familiar characters are there like the red queen, the talking flowers, the caterpillar, the white rabbit just not in a way you have ever quite imagined. The best thing there is another book to come out next year which follows on from this one. It's simple really buy it and enjoy over and over again.

I was instantly gripped by the story of Alyssa and her relation to the original Alice which has given her family a curse of being able to talk to flowers and bugs. I loved her relationship with Jeb and was sucked into the world with them. However, I only give this 4 stars because I got a bit bored towards the middle of the book and it needed a kick. Luckily the author must have also realised this because she added the mysterious Morpheus to the book. I loved how he leaves everybody unsure whether to trust him at every turn and how he knows Alyssa more than she'd like him to. The book remained high from their and the book ended in an amazing conclusion, probably one of the best endings to a book I've ever read. It tied together everything that needed to be and gave hints as to what to expect in the next book, which many authors often fail to do. I can't wait, it's already ordered.