The Splintered Trilogy
By: A.G. Howard
Series Order: Splintered, Unhinged, Ensnared
Genre: Young Adult Fairytale Retelling
Splintered Synopsis:
Length: 371 pages
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.
Rating:
Unhinged Synopsis:
Length: 387 pages
Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.
That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.
As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.
If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.
Rating:
Ensnared Synopsis:
Length: 420 pages
After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?
Rating:
My Overall Review:
***Caution May Contain Spoilers***
This series was captivating and thrilling from the very first page! My sister was right when she said I would love this series. She started this series towards the end of the school year while I was finishing up a couple books I had sitting on my shelf for some time, so sadly we didn't read this series together. Even though we both really loved it and discussed our dislike of Morpheus. :)
“No one knows what he or she is capable of until things are at their darkest.”
This series is probably one of my favorite fairytale retellings. A.G. Howard did a miraculous job retelling an already great classic for a new era. She took an already haunting child story and made it even more gruesome. I loved the gothic spin she put on the story, from page one I was engrossed into her dark and alluring world of Wonderland. The way she turned loved Wonderland characters into grotesque monsters, and yet you fell in love with them all over again. She did an amazing job bring not only Wonderland but the characters to life.
“All I have to do is set the power free. Escape the chains of my humanity, let madness be my guide. If I forget everything but Wonderland, I can become beautiful pandemonium.”
Howard definitely had you on your toes throughout this series. There were many revelations I did not see coming, unexpectable bombshells. I mean who would have thought Alyssa was as connected to Wonderland as she was? Queen Red's heir, I definitely did not see that coming. I was happy there were so many netherling twists, it truly added to the story and kept me wanting more.
The love triangle throughout this series was beautifully written. I'm usually not one for love triangles but this one really did pull at your heart strings. However, I am Team Jeb all the way! I loved his character from the very beginning. He and Alyssa had a love story may girls can only dream of having. A long time friendship that grows into something deeper. Jeb made so many sacrfices for Alyssa and her kingdom, Wonderland. I know many love Morpheus, however I just couldn't get on the Morpheus bandwagon. He was to coniving and sneaky, he always had an agenda. While I do believe he loved her and was only doing the things he did to strengthen his Queen, his chaarcter was too misleading and distrustful for my taste. His chaarcter did remind me of Jace from The Mortal Instruments alot, so he did have that appeal to him.
Out of the three books Unhinged was my least favorite. It was still extremely good, earning it a five star rating. However, it didn't have the same level of action and suspense as Splintered and Ensnared. Many mysteries were unlocked, such as who her father truly is and the many secrets her mother still carried about her past in Wonderland, yet I was waiting for a more jaw-dropping moment.
Ensnared had to be my favorite out of the three, we get to delve more in to Red and what drove her to such madness. We also get to find out more about Alyssa's father and his connection. Turns out both of her parents were heavily connected to Wonderland and the looking-glass world. Who would of thought her mother an almost Queen and her father a should have been knight?
“Jeb is an anchor; he holds me grounded to my humanity and compassion. But Morpheus is the wind; he drags me kicking and screaming to the highest precipice, shoves me off, then watches me fly with netherling wings."
The ending for me was a bit bittersweet, Alyssa got to live out her two futures with the men she loved both separately, with different halves of herself. A mortal life with Jeb and a immortal netherling life with Morpheus. I was hoping for an immortal forever with Jeb, but it was sweet that she got both fairytale endings. I have to say Morpheus did grow on me, especially throught the last book.
I look forward to reading A.G. Howard's next series, RoseBlood. She is a masterful author and she works together an enthralling story that has you hooked from page one.
Published by: K
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.
Rating:
Unhinged Synopsis:
Length: 387 pages
Alyssa Gardner has been down the rabbit hole and faced the bandersnatch. She saved the life of Jeb, the guy she loves, and escaped the machinations of the disturbingly seductive Morpheus and the vindictive Queen Red. Now all she has to do is graduate high school and make it through prom so she can attend the prestigious art school in London she's always dreamed of.
That would be easier without her mother, freshly released from an asylum, acting overly protective and suspicious. And it would be much simpler if the mysterious Morpheus didn’t show up for school one day to tempt her with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland—where she (partly) belongs.
As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.
If Alyssa stays in the human realm, she could endanger Jeb, her parents, and everyone she loves. But if she steps through the rabbit hole again, she'll face a deadly battle that could cost more than just her head.
Rating:
Ensnared Synopsis:
Length: 420 pages
After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?
Rating:
My Overall Review:
***Caution May Contain Spoilers***
This series was captivating and thrilling from the very first page! My sister was right when she said I would love this series. She started this series towards the end of the school year while I was finishing up a couple books I had sitting on my shelf for some time, so sadly we didn't read this series together. Even though we both really loved it and discussed our dislike of Morpheus. :)
“No one knows what he or she is capable of until things are at their darkest.”
This series is probably one of my favorite fairytale retellings. A.G. Howard did a miraculous job retelling an already great classic for a new era. She took an already haunting child story and made it even more gruesome. I loved the gothic spin she put on the story, from page one I was engrossed into her dark and alluring world of Wonderland. The way she turned loved Wonderland characters into grotesque monsters, and yet you fell in love with them all over again. She did an amazing job bring not only Wonderland but the characters to life.
“All I have to do is set the power free. Escape the chains of my humanity, let madness be my guide. If I forget everything but Wonderland, I can become beautiful pandemonium.”
Howard definitely had you on your toes throughout this series. There were many revelations I did not see coming, unexpectable bombshells. I mean who would have thought Alyssa was as connected to Wonderland as she was? Queen Red's heir, I definitely did not see that coming. I was happy there were so many netherling twists, it truly added to the story and kept me wanting more.
The love triangle throughout this series was beautifully written. I'm usually not one for love triangles but this one really did pull at your heart strings. However, I am Team Jeb all the way! I loved his character from the very beginning. He and Alyssa had a love story may girls can only dream of having. A long time friendship that grows into something deeper. Jeb made so many sacrfices for Alyssa and her kingdom, Wonderland. I know many love Morpheus, however I just couldn't get on the Morpheus bandwagon. He was to coniving and sneaky, he always had an agenda. While I do believe he loved her and was only doing the things he did to strengthen his Queen, his chaarcter was too misleading and distrustful for my taste. His chaarcter did remind me of Jace from The Mortal Instruments alot, so he did have that appeal to him.
Out of the three books Unhinged was my least favorite. It was still extremely good, earning it a five star rating. However, it didn't have the same level of action and suspense as Splintered and Ensnared. Many mysteries were unlocked, such as who her father truly is and the many secrets her mother still carried about her past in Wonderland, yet I was waiting for a more jaw-dropping moment.
Ensnared had to be my favorite out of the three, we get to delve more in to Red and what drove her to such madness. We also get to find out more about Alyssa's father and his connection. Turns out both of her parents were heavily connected to Wonderland and the looking-glass world. Who would of thought her mother an almost Queen and her father a should have been knight?
“Jeb is an anchor; he holds me grounded to my humanity and compassion. But Morpheus is the wind; he drags me kicking and screaming to the highest precipice, shoves me off, then watches me fly with netherling wings."
The ending for me was a bit bittersweet, Alyssa got to live out her two futures with the men she loved both separately, with different halves of herself. A mortal life with Jeb and a immortal netherling life with Morpheus. I was hoping for an immortal forever with Jeb, but it was sweet that she got both fairytale endings. I have to say Morpheus did grow on me, especially throught the last book.
I look forward to reading A.G. Howard's next series, RoseBlood. She is a masterful author and she works together an enthralling story that has you hooked from page one.
Published by: K
