 |
| by A.G. Howard |
ISBN: 9781419709715
Publisher: Amulet
Publication Date: January 7th 2014
Number of Pages: 400
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary: 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.
My Rating: 
Book #1 - Splintered was a likable book. I mean I love re-tellings. This series is based on the story of Alice in Wonderland. To sum up the first book: Alyssa is a descendant of the original Alice. She can hear bugs & flowers talk and her mother is locked away in an asylum. Her childhood "dream friend" is actually real (Morpheus aka the caterpillar in the original story) and comes to her saying she needs to take her place as Queen of Wonderland and stop the Red Queen from destroying that world.
Now to book 2 - Thought we conquered the Red Queen but just kidding! So the same cycle happens - Morpheus begging (okay, he doesn't beg...more like tells with authority) Alyssa to come save Wonderland. Jeb doesn't remember anything that happened in book 1. So literally this is the same book sort of.
Both "love interests" are incredibly annoying. Morpheus just gets on my nerves with his yo-yo-ing treatment of Alyssa. And Jeb? What the heck happened to him?! He is not at all the guy I read about in book 1. And the ending, his actions made me angry (though I can see where he is coming from).
The solution for this love triangle?
"You've been given a chance at two lives and two loves. That is nothing short of a miracle." - Unhinged
Oh yeah....let's make her immortal in Wonderland and she gets to have BOTH guys. Really? I mean come on!
The whole book is supposed to focus on her "honing her powers" but I really don't see any of this. Just her hiding the truth from her loved ones and running around chasing silly things. She is facing this confusion over who she is:
"Fresh guilt simmers inside my chest...I can't just turn my back on that world; I can't let if fade to decay and ruin under Queen Red's thumb. Yet I can't abandon the people I love here, either. I don't know how to follow one side of me without leaving the other one behind." - Unhinged, 55
Yeah, can't help you there....how about you just split your time between the two realms? Why must it be one or the other?
Then we get this glimpse at the future:
"A most unique creature. The first child to be born to two netherlings who've shared a childhood...Through your child, Wonderland will thrive with new magic and strength. Our offspring will become true children once more; they will learn to dream again. And all will be right with our world." - Unhinged, 279
Just UGH! This is pre-determined? Well okay then....and now we have another world? AnyElsewhere is another dimension that doesn't really make sense to me.
So, who knows if I'll read book #3 (Ensnared). This book really let me down.
But hey, if you have the time to read and want to continue this series - go ahead and read this book!
No comments:
Post a Comment