Splintered by A.G. Howard

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.

Goodreads Summary

Alyssa is not a normal girl.  She can hear bugs and does about anything to try to escape their whisperings.  Her crush, Jeb, is not returning her affections and she's not sure how to deal with her ex-friend.  When Alyssa decides that she has had enough of the family curse, she goes down to Wonderland...where she discovers that things are far from what they seem.  What's even more disconcerting than Wonderland itself is that Jeb followed her down, concerned for her.

Alyssa finds that the tales of Wonderland are full of inconsistencies.  The White Rabbit is rather bony, the Mad Hatter and March Hare look very unusual, and the myths behind the Wonderland queens are not what she expected.  With Jeb's help, she must undo the damage that Alice created in Wonderland if she hopes to remove the curse on her family. 

Alyssa is a strong, determined woman.  The reader will sympathize with her unique family madness and her will to change for the better.  Jeb is definitely handsome and charismatic, it is easy to see why Alyssa likes him.  He truly stands by his best friend's side through thick and thin, admirable.  The other characters are incredibly inventive.  Author A.G. Howard outdid herself when it came to the actions and dialogue of very unusual characters like the walrus and the White Rabbit.  Her take on the setting of the book is just as fascinating.  The scenes will fly by as the reader becomes immersed in a world where flowers can speak, sponges can soak up lakes, and half-women/half-spiders exist.  This book is highly recommended to young adult/teen readers.

5 Stars


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