SPLINTERED
by A.G. Howard 01/01/13
ISBN-13: 978-1419704284
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 400 
Amazon, B&N, Goodreads
Source: Publisher
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

For sixteen years, Alyssa Gardner has lived with the stigma of being descended from Alice Liddell -- the real life inspiration for Lewis Carroll's famed novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. But cruel jokes about dormice and tea parties can’t compare to the fact that Alyssa hears the whispers of bugs and flowers ... the same quirk which sent her mother to a mental institution years before.

When her mother takes a turn for the worse and the whispers grow too strong for Alyssa to bear, she seeks the origins of their family curse. A set of heirlooms and a moth tied to an eerie website lead Alyssa and her gorgeous best friend / secret crush, Jeb, down the rabbit hole into the real Wonderland, a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on.

There, creepy and violent counterparts of the original fairytale crew reveal the purpose for Alyssa’s journey, and unless she fixes the things her great-great-great grandmother Alice put wrong, Wonderland will have her head.

My Thoughts:

Every once in a while a book will come along that will completely surprise me, one that takes me to far away adventures with handsome boys and leave me breathless for more.

SPLINTERED by A.G. Howard is what a warped Alice in Wonderland retelling is all about. Dark and twisted this story follows Alyssa Gardner, the descendant for the Alice In Wonderland novel as she tries to safe her loved ones. Unfortunately this claim to fame is a sure ticket to insanity for her and her family. Then she is presented with a chance to correct the wrongs her descendants have made and free her mother and all she has to do is go down the rabbit hole.....

As you can imagine when Alyssa tumbles into wonderland it is not the stuff made of fairy tales and she soon realizes that she is in over her head. Yet, time is ticking away and her mother's fate lies in her hands. Now the adventure truly begins with Alyssa being given a multitude of tests to prove her worth. This is where I became entranced with the story. SPLINTERED is wholly original while sticking to a traditional roots, the characters of Alice in Wonderland come to life and this world is dark and frightening while dancing on the edges of romance. The writing in this novel is reminiscent of Melissa Marr's and Julie Kagawa's previous works and if you enjoy them then I know you will also enjoy this novel and not be disappointed.