Splintered by A. G. Howard

Book:  Splintered

Author:  A.G. Howard

Publisher:  Amulet Books

Date:  January 15, 2013

Source:  Publisher via Netgalley

My grade:  A

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. (cover and description from www.goodreads.com)

Initial reaction

That was brilliant!

Cover story

I love this cover!  I like the title as well.  It’s intriguing and put together with the cover, it makes me want to grab this book and run away!

What’s the story?

This is a re-telling of Alice in Wonderland that was absolutely fabulous.  I loved the way the author played with the story while still paying homage to the original and never losing Carroll’s vision of a bizarre and often scary fantasy world.  This story perfectly complimented the original in a way that I didn’t think would be possible.

I really enjoyed reading Alyssa’s story and seeing her grow into a very independent young woman.  She was very brave and I often felt very sorry for her.  The whole story with her family was just sad.  She was a great character because I felt sympathy for her, but I never felt like she let her situation turn her into a victim.

I loved the way the author recreated the traditional characters from the book.  Her take on the caterpillar was pure brilliance and I can’t believe I never thought of it.  The same was true of the White Rabbit.  She actually took some traditional fairy lore and mixed it into the Wonderland storyline and made it work brilliantly.  It’s sort of like Alice for more grown-up people because of the way it blends this traditional lore into the story and makes it more “realistic” if something totally unrealistic can be thought of as realistic.  I guess the fantasy element became less childish and bit more macabre.

The romance storyline was an interesting addition.  Even though I sort of knew how it would end, it wasn’t a done deal and it was fun to watch it unfold.  There was a quasi-love triangle but it’s really the triangle that never was since one member of the triangle never really had a shot.

I liked Jeb as a character and it was fun to see how he sort of fit in to the Wonderland world without being an actual part of it.  It left me with some questions about his actual background and I wonder if perhaps that might be a story for a later time???  (A.G. Howard, that is a not so subtle hint that I would definitely enjoy another book from this world!) 

This is a stand-alone, so the story ends with the book but there is the possibility that more stories could come from this world, and I like that.  I would read it if there was another book, but one is not necessary to wrap up the story.  So it was a nice change of pace for me.  I suppose it could be like the Lewis Carroll original in more ways than one, with a sequel that doesn’t have to be, right?

Overall, this was a well-planned and well-executed re-telling that was so much more than just a modern re-hash of the original.  There were some very brilliant additions to the storyline and I think Lewis Carroll himself would be pleased with the way this book re-imagined and adapted his story for a modern audience.

The Soundtrack

The Technicolor Phase by Owl City

Painting Flowers by All Time Low

Where’s My Angel by Metro Station

Alice by Sisters of Mercy

Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You by Muse

Strange and Beautiful (I’ll Put a Spell on You) by Aqualung

The Final Grade

My final grade for this book is an A.  It added some original twists to the traditional tale and kept me glued to the book until I turned the last page.  If you are an Alice in Wonderland fan, you should not miss this one!