Splintered by A.G. Howard - Review

Splintered by A.G. Howard
Expected publication: January 1, 2013
Amulet Books

Alyssa Gardner hears the thoughts of plants and animals. She hides her delusions for now, but she knows her fate: she will end up like her mother, in an institution. Madness has run in her family ever since Alice Liddell told Lewis Carroll her strange dreams.

But perhaps she's not mad. And perhaps Carroll's stories aren't as whimsical as they seem.

To break the curse of insanity, Alyssa must go down the rabbit hole and right the wrongs of the real Wonderland, a place full of strange beings with dark agendas, a twisted fun-house reflection of Alice's childish tales. Alyssa brings her real-world crush - the protective Jeb - with her, but once her journey begins, she's torn between his solidarity and the enchanting, dangerous magic of Morpheus, her guide to Wonderland. But no one in Wonderland is who they seem to be - not even Alyssa herself...

My review:
If you ever wondered what happened after Alice left Wonderland, this is the book for you. A.G. Howard stays true to the original, but this is a much darker Wonderland than Lewis Carroll ever dreamed of. This book revisits the familar characters, such as the White Rabbit, and the familar scenes, such as the tea party; however, everything is much more twisted than in the original. We realize that what we thought we knew about Wonderland is not what really is because it had been told through the eyes of a young child, and Alice's interpretation of Wonderland is not the reality that Alyssa finds.

A.G. Howard's Splintered lets us revisit the Wonderland that we remember from childhood on a whole new "grown up" level. This is a wonderful tale that combines the dark and sinister with a strong sense of family and a touch of romance. (Team Jeb or Team Morpheus, anyone?)

I had high hopes for this book even before I received an ARC to review, and I was not disappointed. After reading it, I was blown away. It was even better than my expectations. The characters, even the minor ones, are well developed and well described. Everything is written in such a way that it easily brings the story alive in your mind. A.G. Howard did an outstanding job on her debut novel, and I am very much looking forward to reading anything she writes in the future.

About the author:

A.G. Howard is most at home when weaving the melancholy and macabre into settings and scenes, twisting the expected into the unexpected. She was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always wondered what would’ve happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child.

A.G.’s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

Find out more at AGHoward.com, on Twitter, and Facebook.

I was very honored to have been able to set up a Traveling ARC Tour for Splintered. Please check out the reviews of the participants of this tour below.

To everyone who participated: Please add a link to your review. (You can ignore where it says to comment after linking.)