Splintered by A.G. Howard

Title: Splintered
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: N/A
Source: Won
Publisher: Abrams
Publication Date: January 1, 2013
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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.

Splintered is one of those books that you read because the premise just sounds fantastic. You read nothing but good reviews, and you wonder, "how will this book ever live up to the hype that they've built for it? How could it ever?" Then you're reading it and you start to think, "hey, it lives up to it. But is it what I really wanted?"

I'm conflicted. Did I like it? Of course! But was it everything I had wanted and more? No. It's nothing more than it claims to be-- it's not the earth shattering book that I've been expecting. It had enough plot turns to entertain me, and sometimes even confuse me, but I could have done without some of those. It's one of those that made me not want to read this book every day for the rest of my life-- see outlined problem in between the brackets. {I wanted  Jeb to remember. It chaps me that he doesn't, because they basically had this epic romance, and she told him things and he told her things, and SHE  gets to remember them, while he doesn't. He should get a choice!} Other than that, IT WAS FAB.

I liked Alyssa, because she was just so weird and out there, and her fashion sense is just to DIE for. I've always loved that kind of stuff. Plus, she skateboards. How cool is that? I can ride a board in a straight line for several feet and do the "flipping the board up" trick, but that's not boarding to me. SHE can really board, dude. Seriously, it was awesome! I also liked that for most of the book you don't know-- is Alyssa really mad, or is she just hyperaware? Love those talking flowers and bugs!

I mean, that just makes the book. What if she wakes up and it was all this weird (albeit out-there) dream? What can she do about it?

Oh, Wonderland. How may I count thine strange and fantastical morbid weirdnessis? I can't-- but just know that it is AWESOME. The Rabid White, the Jabberlocky, and the Netherlings-- demented pixies, Toys that house souls, and elfin knights. Come on, how could I NOT be enchanted with such creatures? I'm a fan of the morbidly weird!

Also, JEB. Where can I get a boy like that? He dresses GRUNGE. He has a lip labret-- and he's SEXY. Seriously, I don't think you get it. I just like him, because he is one fine boy who gets tugged into Wonderland, and he wants to keep our protagonist safe-- I just cannot put my love for him down properly on paper.

All in all, Splintered had FANTASTIC imagery and great characters, but I'm a but miffed about the ending, because it seemed a tad bit rushed.

"Because finding who you were meant to be? What you were put in this world to do? That's what fills the emptiness. It's the only thing that can." ~ Pg. 368