Review: Splintered (Splintered #1) – A. G. Howard

Posted 11 July, 2013 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review: Splintered (Splintered #1) – A. G. HowardSplintered by A. G. Howard
Series: Splintered #1
Published by Amulet Books on 1 January 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 371
Source: Giveaway Win

5 Stars

Alyssa has a complicated life, she's in love with her best friend Jeb, her mom is in an asylum. On top of that, Alyssa is convinced her mom isn't insane at all - because she can hear insects and plants talk as well. Hanging out in a skater-park when she's not in school, working or visiting her mom Alyssa has extensive knowledge of the story Alice in Wonderland. And she finally realizes she might just have to jump down the rabbit hole to save both her mother and herself.

*I won an ARC of Splintered from The Midnight Garden and I’m really excited to read it!*

Splintered is an amazing mixture of a re-telling and a totally new story featuring Alice in Wonderland! I am still within the confines of the story, and I truly loved both Alyssa and Jeb, even Morpheus somehow managed to sneak his way into my heart.

I love fairy tales, and Splintered really is a great spin-off that I enjoyed from start to finish. Alyssa is a great main character, she has a lot of stuff to deal with, both in the real world and in Wonderland. The way the story unfolded was so well done – I felt like I was right there with her, and I was rooting for her all the way. The way Alyssa struggles with her mother’s illness is very poignant – she doesn’t really want to see her, but at the same time she does. She tries to keep the whole truth from everybody she knows, especially because this one girl in her school, Taelor, has never stopped teasing her about the actual Alice in Wonderland being her great-great-grand-mother. How’s that for a family connection?

The mystery is only rivaled by the attention to detail, and reading Splintered was almost like watching a movie. I don’t know if the spectacular cover has anything to do with that, but it really is the perfect picture of Alyssa enclosed in all the green vines. The character development Alyssa went through was awesome! From being a little shy and really not sure of herself, she grew into a very confident and strong young woman over the span of the tale. Jeb was the perfect best friend, and I could understand why Alyssa was secretly in love with him, the way he showed up and was there for her when she needed him is exactly the kind of relationships I enjoy reading about.

Without spoiling anything, let me just tell you that the trip to Wonderland through a looking glass and down the rabbit hole was both wonderful and really scary. The characters we all know from Alice in Wonderland are not exactly the way they seem, and their names have not been properly translated here in the human realm. The feel of the whole story is a mix of a fairy-tale and a fast-paced urban fantasy gone wild. If you haven’t read Splintered yet, but like fairy tales and mysteries, you really should get it as soon as possible, I can’t wait for Unhinged to be published! I really wonder what kind of adventures Alyssa will get herself into next.

“Well, who better to tell you about the birds and the bees than your mom. Right?” An unspoken answer echoed inside my head: Who better but the bees themselves?

The workers wear mining caps, with a light affixed to the front, but they’re more like lifeguards – stationed for easy access and certified in the fundamentals of  first aid.

If this were true and not just some Web weirdo’s fantasy, it would mean Alison and I share the traits of some creepy, mystical creatures. But that’s not even possible.

“Broken glass severs more than skin. It will sever your identity.”

Maybe I should be freaked out, but I’m thrilled to finally have tangible proof that Alison is trying to tell me something… that the babbles weren’t babbles at all. They were coherent clues.

His mouth is so close to mine, his breath warm, sugary, and tempting, but thought of Taelor and London resurface. I can’t let my heart get stolen by a guy who’s hot for another girl, or be the kind of person who steals another girl’s guy.

This is all a ploy to get Al to do another ‘task’. Right? Another test. What I want to know is what she’s being tested for. What happens when she passes them all?”

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Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.

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0 responses to “Review: Splintered (Splintered #1) – A. G. Howard

    • No, it’s not an exact re-telling of Alice in Wonderland, and the characters are contemporary. It’s really great 🙂
      I totally understand wanting to wait for the sequel, sometimes it’s awesome to be able to stay in a fictional world for more than one book.

      Thanks for stopping by Kazhy 🙂

    • I agree, it wasn’t just a re-telling of Alice in Wonderland, it was new and refreshing in so many ways 🙂 I agree, Morpheus intrigued me as well 🙂

  1. OMG! I’m so glad you loved this, Lexxie. It’s one I fell in love with when I first saw the cover! LOL I have high hopes for it and now I can read it knowing I’ll love it too. I’m a visual person and I ADORE books where the authors paint pictures in my head with their words. Oh, and I didn’t realize it was going to be a series. Fantastic review, as always, Lexxie! 🙂

    • Thank you Brandee!! I loved it, and it’s true that it was like watching a movie, the writing was so good I felt like I could just be there and enjoy the ride 🙂
      I hope you’ll love it too. The cover is extremely apt, by the way 😉

  2. I absolutely adore fairytale re-tellings! I actually purchased Splintered in hardcover when it was initially released, but for whatever reason I’ve still yet to read it 🙁 After reading your review, I know I have to remedy that as soon as possible! With a story and prose that sounds as lush as the beautiful cover, I can only hope I’ll enjoy it half as much as you seemed to.

    This was an absolutely lovely review, Lexxie, and a true pleasure to read 🙂

    Jen @ Pop! Goes The Reader recently posted: Review: Wait For You by J. Lynn
    • Yes, that’s exactly it – the story is as lush as the cover, and the cover makes sense when reading it, too!

      Thanks so much for stopping by, and for loving my review Jen 🙂

    • YAY I’m glad I could get you to inflate your TBR today, Robyn. I really enjoyed Splintered, it was very well done without being an actual re-telling, it incorporated things we know and love from Alice in Wonderland all the same.

      Thanks for stopping by Robyn!

  3. OK I LOVE fairy-tales, and re-tellings. I also love mysteries so your review got me thinking this one is probably one for me. I remember being scared when this one came out that I may not like it because of all the hype, but adding it to my to-read list anyway. Glad to see your thoughts on this one. I’m excited to read it now soon. Jaclyn @ JC’s Book Haven.

    Jaclyn Canada recently posted: Sidekick Saturday [31] - Strange
    • Oh, I feel like I waited so long before I finally read Splintered! The cover is so beautiful, I was almost afraid nothing could live up to it. The story, the characters, the scenery everything was well done IMO. And the story really deserves that cover!

      I hope you’ll enjoy it, too, Jaclyn!

  4. I think I was a little scared about this one when it first came out – because I worried it might not do Alice in Wonderland justice…but lately SO many trusted bloggers have been reading AND loving it that I keep bumping it up on my wishlist hehe Your review REALLY got me excited, especially how you described the characters and how you sort of introduced the plot! Plus I ♥ how you worded the bit about fairytales plus urban-fantasy-gone-wild 😀 Awesome review Lexxie!

    Micheline @ Lunar Rainbows recently posted: Review: Gameboard of the Gods
    • I think it’s the same reason why I kept looking at it on my shelf, it took me a long time before I actually opened it and started to read it. It’s truly amazing, Micheline! I hope you’ll love it, too! I want you to read it now! Because I want to read your review 😉

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