ragin227

MissMignonne is hosting a contest that I might enter. Go here: missmignonne.deviantart.com/jo… if ya want to check it out.

So before I start this review I'd like to say that I'm writing it because I need something to put in my journal. I don't like that there's nothing in it. I'm NOT a professional and I don't claim to be one. I'm just a girl who loves books.

This is the overview of the book (just to be clear I didn't write this part):
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.

And this is the cover(just one of the things I loved about Splintered):
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For her first book A. G. Howard didn't do half bad. In fact she did great. I absolutely loved her take on Wonderland. Its somewhere I feel I'd either fit in very well or very badly, but either way, I enjoyed reading about it. Its sexy, and dark, and dangerous and filled with madness that I was caught up in. The characters in it were just as fascinating if disturbing.
Now because its a YA it obviously has a love triangle, although the Alyssa leans farther towards the guy I don't really like. Who knows, if there's another book this might change. (and I really really hope there will be another one)
At first to be honest Alyssa kind of annoyed me, especially when she was around Jeb. I thought she might end up being one of those Bella-ish girls that is always rescued by the guy, and always does what the guy tells her. By that guy, I mean Jeb, although I also mean Morpheus. With Morpheus she at least fights though, and comes to an agreement with him. Jeb is definitely my least favorite character in the book. He's described as a "Knight," which never sits well with me. Jeb treats Alyssa like a child, and she lets him. At the same time, the book tries to create romance between the two! You cant be a big brother figure and a love interest as the same time, it doesn't work that way.
Luckily Alyssa grows as a character and discovers another, darker and stronger side to herself, something that I loved watching.
And Morpheus. What can I say. He somehow manages to combine being a bad boy and a gentleman. I would love to read from his point of view, because even in the end he's filled with mystery, and your still not sure whether or not to trust him. If there's one complaint I have about the book, its that. You only see things from Alyssa's point of view. On the other hand that was probably necessary in order to keep the reader surprised.
Altogether I loved Splintered. It was fast paced, and the world it was set in kept my attention for good or for bad. I think the author did leave room for another book, but it could be kept as is. I'll be ecstatic if a sequel is written though.