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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Listen. This could have been a really fun read. The plot was surprisingly tight, and the twists and intrigue were well done. There was such imagination with some of the side characters and story arcs that felt fresh, even within the greater, familiar context of the Alice stories. Those elements kept me locked in the world building and fully engaged.
But oh my God … overall, this read like a 2007 Tumblr fanfic with a self-insert Mary Sue main character, who of course had two smokin’ hot guys (with mysterious and tortured personalities) fighting over her for the entire novel. The flat characterizations, the lurid purple descriptions, the wild overuse of similes … it was cringe at best and painful at worst.
Even with all of that, there was something about the story that kept me going. This wasn’t a DNF moment … but it certainly only got its two stars by the barest margin. And at least one of the stars came from the audiobook narrator, who did a phenomenal job with what she was given.
But oh my God … overall, this read like a 2007 Tumblr fanfic with a self-insert Mary Sue main character, who of course had two smokin’ hot guys (with mysterious and tortured personalities) fighting over her for the entire novel. The flat characterizations, the lurid purple descriptions, the wild overuse of similes … it was cringe at best and painful at worst.
Even with all of that, there was something about the story that kept me going. This wasn’t a DNF moment … but it certainly only got its two stars by the barest margin. And at least one of the stars came from the audiobook narrator, who did a phenomenal job with what she was given.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood
I didn't know what to expect from Splintered. I don't think there was any way I could have anticipated what it would be. I mean, I've had experience with Alice in Wonderland before (the book, the musical, general knowledge of it) And it it's always been very very strange. Though Splintered had a much different plot than the original, it was consistent with the basic ideas of the world (so... pretty strange stuff). But I also had no idea where the story was going or what I was going to find when I turned the page (though I came to predict sappy romance scenes) but that craziness comes standard with Wonderland.
I'm not really a fan of the whole "the original story wasn't actually quite right" technique that happens with stories that are inspired by an existing story. Either use the existing world or don't, but don't sit somewhere in the middle and pretend you know better than the original author. I understand the need to invent your own canon, but by deciding to write something that's basically fanfiction, you've signed up for a certain canon. Some examples of this: the Mad Hatter's name was actually Herman Hattington... yes, I'm serious. The White Rabbit is actually a very small, deformed skeleton named Rabid White. It's all explained by saying that Alice was very young and innocent and confused, so when she went back home and told the stories they were cleaned up a bit. (Which by the way, gets negated by a later plot event... I'll talk about it later under a spoiler tag, but it creates kind of a plot hole here). These are the things that bother me.
Though I have to admit I like where this plot went. It takes place in Wonderland, but 75 years in the future. Alyssa is Alice's great-great-granddaughter (I think that's the right amount of greats) and it's her job to go fix everything on Wonderland that Alice screwed up. I think that's surprisingly original, for a plot based on another book. Unfortunately, in a desperate attempt for twists toward the end, all was lost. This is a pretty massive spoiler, so read at your own risk.
Onto the characters. This is where the realcomplaining fun starts.
Jeb was cool at first. Like, before they went into Wonderland he seemed pretty cool. But once they were in there he was way overprotective and, frankly, annoying. Obviously this is Alyssa's realm, she knows what's going on far better than he does, why wouldn't he just let her do the talking? But no, he always had to be butting his annoying head where it didn't belong, always telling her "No, Alyssa, don't talk to them!" "No, Al, don't trust them!" "No, skater girl, breaking this curse and saving yourself and your mom from completely insanity isn't nearly as important as keeping your precious little butt safe!" Okay, maybe that was a little paraphrasing, but that's the gist of what he kept saying. Plus, from the first chapter to the one where they went into Wonderland, we were supposed to see the evidence of their friendship so we'd want them to be together. But what really happened is that I liked him less and less--both as a love interest and as a person in general. It wasn't long before he was a serious asshole. Like when he picked her up and pinned her against the wall so he could talk to her/kiss her and she couldn't storm away. News flash, that's not romantic, even if she wants it. Also, actual quote from the book "And you wonder why I can't trust you to go off on your own." Well, guess what, you don't have to! You, dear Jeb, are not Alyssa's keeper. You're not her father, not her brother, and not even her boyfriend! You don't get to date another girl and dictate Alyssa's life.
Also, stop with the fake cursing. I could have put up with it if it had been the Wonderland creatures, but when Jeb said "You son of a bug" that really thrust me out of the story. It's supposed to be a "dark" story, so kids who can't handle swearing probably should be reading it anyway.
And there had to be a love-triangle, too. Didn't there? The thing is, I don't like Jeb and I don't like Morpheus. At all. Jeb was an annoying asshole, and Morpheus was an arrogant asshole. Neither of them really let Alyssa do anything, Jeb because he was an overprotective freak, and Morpheus because he was controlling. And then they were all jealous of each other. No thank you.
Mostly, the writing style was okay. Nothing fancy, but not annoying. Except when it came to clothes. Let me give you a hint, that paragraph describing the main character's outfit that always seems necessary: never necessary. I hate reading that because my eyes are just going to skim right over it. I don't need to know the outfit down to the color of the studs on the belt. I just don't. Also, on the topic of clothing description, "bondage-style belt." Really? Really?
Why does everything with the guys involve their thighs? I think I might never want to read that word again, because it was in nearly every chapter. She sits in between Jeb's thighs in the boat on the ocean of tears. Before she passes out at one point "I droop against Morpheus's thighs." When she's admiring Jeb's costume he "stops my palm at his muscles thigh." That's just a small selection of the thigh-related passages. Okay, we get it, she likes thighs. I feel like there's some sort of subliminal messaging here, because I wouldn't mention thighs in my writing unless something was going to happen between them. But nothing ever does.
I had such hope for this book, and I thought maybe it was going to live up to it. I admit, the beginning of the story was really interesting and I was hooked quickly, but it went downhill and never returned. The book itself was even really cool; it had purple text. Unfortunately, by the end I just wasn't all that into it, and I had to drag myself through the last 70 pages or so. I'm still deciding if I want to read the two other books in the trilogy... I don't even know what they're going to be about, because this book didn't really seem to lend itself to being a series. Anyway, we'll see.
I'm not really a fan of the whole "the original story wasn't actually quite right" technique that happens with stories that are inspired by an existing story. Either use the existing world or don't, but don't sit somewhere in the middle and pretend you know better than the original author. I understand the need to invent your own canon, but by deciding to write something that's basically fanfiction, you've signed up for a certain canon. Some examples of this: the Mad Hatter's name was actually Herman Hattington... yes, I'm serious. The White Rabbit is actually a very small, deformed skeleton named Rabid White. It's all explained by saying that Alice was very young and innocent and confused, so when she went back home and told the stories they were cleaned up a bit. (Which by the way, gets negated by a later plot event... I'll talk about it later under a spoiler tag, but it creates kind of a plot hole here). These are the things that bother me.
Though I have to admit I like where this plot went. It takes place in Wonderland, but 75 years in the future. Alyssa is Alice's great-great-granddaughter (I think that's the right amount of greats) and it's her job to go fix everything on Wonderland that Alice screwed up. I think that's surprisingly original, for a plot based on another book. Unfortunately, in a desperate attempt for twists toward the end, all was lost. This is a pretty massive spoiler, so read at your own risk.
Spoiler
Turns out, Alyssa isn't actually related to Alice. She's a descendant of the Red Queen, who escaped Wonderland while Alice was kept there in a cage all her life. The Red Queen took Alice's place in the real world, and pretended to be her until for some weird reason they switched the two of them back so Alice could die in the real world... um... what? So that means that the description on the back of the book was wrong and misleading. From the back of he book: "This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell" Well, guess what, there is no curse! And what's more, Alice Liddell isn't even their ancestor! It's one thing to have a question on the back of the book that later proves false, but to put a blatantly incorrect statement in the description of a book is something else entirely. This also creates a plot hole with their little explanation as to why things in the book were a little more innocent than the real Wonderland. If it wasn't Alice the little girl returning to reality, but was actually the murderous and completely matured Red Queen (who understood everything that was going on and who was who in Wonderland) there was absolutely no reason for "Alice" to have told Lewis Carroll falsehoods about Wonderland.Onto the characters. This is where the real
Jeb was cool at first. Like, before they went into Wonderland he seemed pretty cool. But once they were in there he was way overprotective and, frankly, annoying. Obviously this is Alyssa's realm, she knows what's going on far better than he does, why wouldn't he just let her do the talking? But no, he always had to be butting his annoying head where it didn't belong, always telling her "No, Alyssa, don't talk to them!" "No, Al, don't trust them!" "No, skater girl, breaking this curse and saving yourself and your mom from completely insanity isn't nearly as important as keeping your precious little butt safe!" Okay, maybe that was a little paraphrasing, but that's the gist of what he kept saying. Plus, from the first chapter to the one where they went into Wonderland, we were supposed to see the evidence of their friendship so we'd want them to be together. But what really happened is that I liked him less and less--both as a love interest and as a person in general. It wasn't long before he was a serious asshole. Like when he picked her up and pinned her against the wall so he could talk to her/kiss her and she couldn't storm away. News flash, that's not romantic, even if she wants it. Also, actual quote from the book "And you wonder why I can't trust you to go off on your own." Well, guess what, you don't have to! You, dear Jeb, are not Alyssa's keeper. You're not her father, not her brother, and not even her boyfriend! You don't get to date another girl and dictate Alyssa's life.
Also, stop with the fake cursing. I could have put up with it if it had been the Wonderland creatures, but when Jeb said "You son of a bug" that really thrust me out of the story. It's supposed to be a "dark" story, so kids who can't handle swearing probably should be reading it anyway.
And there had to be a love-triangle, too. Didn't there? The thing is, I don't like Jeb and I don't like Morpheus. At all. Jeb was an annoying asshole, and Morpheus was an arrogant asshole. Neither of them really let Alyssa do anything, Jeb because he was an overprotective freak, and Morpheus because he was controlling. And then they were all jealous of each other. No thank you.
Mostly, the writing style was okay. Nothing fancy, but not annoying. Except when it came to clothes. Let me give you a hint, that paragraph describing the main character's outfit that always seems necessary: never necessary. I hate reading that because my eyes are just going to skim right over it. I don't need to know the outfit down to the color of the studs on the belt. I just don't. Also, on the topic of clothing description, "bondage-style belt." Really? Really?
Why does everything with the guys involve their thighs? I think I might never want to read that word again, because it was in nearly every chapter. She sits in between Jeb's thighs in the boat on the ocean of tears. Before she passes out at one point "I droop against Morpheus's thighs." When she's admiring Jeb's costume he "stops my palm at his muscles thigh." That's just a small selection of the thigh-related passages. Okay, we get it, she likes thighs. I feel like there's some sort of subliminal messaging here, because I wouldn't mention thighs in my writing unless something was going to happen between them. But nothing ever does.
I had such hope for this book, and I thought maybe it was going to live up to it. I admit, the beginning of the story was really interesting and I was hooked quickly, but it went downhill and never returned. The book itself was even really cool; it had purple text. Unfortunately, by the end I just wasn't all that into it, and I had to drag myself through the last 70 pages or so. I'm still deciding if I want to read the two other books in the trilogy... I don't even know what they're going to be about, because this book didn't really seem to lend itself to being a series. Anyway, we'll see.
I wasn't so sure about this book at first, but it grew on me. Pretty good for a YA novel! I wish we could do half-ratings because it'd probably be a 3.5 rating due to the fact that the author made ECT treatments out to be something terrible. lol, it wasn't a huge part of the book, but it really annoyed me because I've worked in psych for 9yrs and KNOW they're not as bad as it was portrayed. :P
So this book was refreshing for me! It was pure fantasy but had enough romance and danger that it wasn't middle school. I LOVED IT! The world of Wonderland is completely opened and turned on it's side. It has the same chaos that makes you love it, but a bit of a macabre darker side. I can't wait for the next book in this series! LOVED THIS!
DNF at 60% If I could give this negative stars, I would.
OK… this was garbage! I can’t believe that this was recommended to me as many times as it has been. It’s literary garbage. What is the patriarchal bullshit? I just can’t stand another minute of this. Normally I would try to write an actual review but since my eyes are strained from constantly rolling them I will just give you a list of the thoughts I had while reading this:
1. Why is Alyssa sticking yarn dreadlocks in her hair? Not only is that cultural appropriation but it also probably just looks ridiculous.
2. If Jeb fucking mansplains one more thing I will leap into the book and beat him around the face and head. Fuck you Jeb!
3. Wait… his name is Jebediah? How sad! No one wants to yell that out mid orgasm! But really it shouldn’t matter since he’s such a douche that no one should have sex with this guy anyway.
4. Alyssa just decides to go to England without as much as a note for her Dad? What a fucking idiot! Fuck you Alyssa.
5. OK. I’m just going to say it… Since when is “skater” fashion still cool. Didn’t that whole bubble burst around 2005?
6. I looked it up and this book came out in 2013! There’s no excuse to have the MC’s look like douchebags when they aren’t supposed to be douchebags. Seriously… they are so douchey that they are basically the human equivalent of tribal armband tattoos.
7. O great… there’s also a fundamental misunderstanding of mental healthcare. Why not?
8. The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown is so good. I wish I was reading that instead of this malarkey.
9. So the douche king Jeb paints gothic fairies. He has surpassed being a tribal armband tattoo and has now entered the “human Creed album” stratosphere.
10. Hey… I kind of actually liked the clams. Dear lord… I like clams better than the main characters.
11. Wow tribal tattoo Creed album supreme Jeb… way to make this all about you! Her decisions are not up to you and actually you are entirely irrelevant to the story.
12. Alyssa… Girl! You don’t need to ask the idiot Jeb for permission for you to be able to help your mom. This isn’t about Jeb!
13. What a patriarchal mess! Is the author a man?
14. O shit! The author is seriously a woman!!!! What’s wrong with her? Jeb is the epitome of passive, pervasive sexism. He should not be set up as a romantic interest to be admired. In fact if this was a normal YA drama… I would peg him to turn into the super controlling and abusive boyfriend. This is setting an incredibly poor and irresponsible standard for young women to aspire to. Shame on you A.G. Howard!
OK… this was garbage! I can’t believe that this was recommended to me as many times as it has been. It’s literary garbage. What is the patriarchal bullshit? I just can’t stand another minute of this. Normally I would try to write an actual review but since my eyes are strained from constantly rolling them I will just give you a list of the thoughts I had while reading this:
1. Why is Alyssa sticking yarn dreadlocks in her hair? Not only is that cultural appropriation but it also probably just looks ridiculous.
2. If Jeb fucking mansplains one more thing I will leap into the book and beat him around the face and head. Fuck you Jeb!
3. Wait… his name is Jebediah? How sad! No one wants to yell that out mid orgasm! But really it shouldn’t matter since he’s such a douche that no one should have sex with this guy anyway.
4. Alyssa just decides to go to England without as much as a note for her Dad? What a fucking idiot! Fuck you Alyssa.
5. OK. I’m just going to say it… Since when is “skater” fashion still cool. Didn’t that whole bubble burst around 2005?
6. I looked it up and this book came out in 2013! There’s no excuse to have the MC’s look like douchebags when they aren’t supposed to be douchebags. Seriously… they are so douchey that they are basically the human equivalent of tribal armband tattoos.
7. O great… there’s also a fundamental misunderstanding of mental healthcare. Why not?
8. The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown is so good. I wish I was reading that instead of this malarkey.
9. So the douche king Jeb paints gothic fairies. He has surpassed being a tribal armband tattoo and has now entered the “human Creed album” stratosphere.
10. Hey… I kind of actually liked the clams. Dear lord… I like clams better than the main characters.
11. Wow tribal tattoo Creed album supreme Jeb… way to make this all about you! Her decisions are not up to you and actually you are entirely irrelevant to the story.
12. Alyssa… Girl! You don’t need to ask the idiot Jeb for permission for you to be able to help your mom. This isn’t about Jeb!
13. What a patriarchal mess! Is the author a man?
14. O shit! The author is seriously a woman!!!! What’s wrong with her? Jeb is the epitome of passive, pervasive sexism. He should not be set up as a romantic interest to be admired. In fact if this was a normal YA drama… I would peg him to turn into the super controlling and abusive boyfriend. This is setting an incredibly poor and irresponsible standard for young women to aspire to. Shame on you A.G. Howard!
Loved this book! I loved all the little variations in Wonderland. I also loved the author's explanation of Alice. I've already recommended this book to several people, and I'd be happy to read more by this author.
Spoiler
I loved that Jeb was willing to sacrifice himself for Alyssa, and I also loved that she used her one wish to undo Jeb coming with her into Wonderland. It was unexpected, for me. I was really glad that Jeb still cared for her, even without the trip to Wonderland. I'm glad she ended up with him, but I still think it would have been more interesting to see her end up with Morpheus.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this story, it’s characters and all the twists and turns. It was really unique and I’ve never read anything like this version of wonderland. I really liked one of the characters a lot and want a happy ending for them. I like that you could stop at book one and be satisfied. It has a nice ending and yes it leaves room to expand but doesn’t force you to read on if you like stand alones. But I have the rest of the series and will be reading the next book. I love jeb. Wonderland was pretty dark and twisted in this tale but not overly so. If you don’t like twisted love triangles you won’t like this book though. Just a fair warning! Also loved that there wasn’t any instalove!
Tato kniha mě vůbec nebavila. Ai jsem měla moc velká očekávání :/
"Tearing down the rest of the world won't make you happy. Look inside yourself. Because finding who you were meant to be? What you were put into this world to do? That's what fills the emptiness. It's the only thing that can."
<*p>I have not read many fairytale retellings. The cover of this book was the main reason I bought it. I mean look at how gorgeous the hues of green, the darkest of reds, and shiny blue's there are! Also, the other covers for the next books in the story are also just as colorful. <*/p>
Alyssa Victoria Gardner can hear plants and bugs and that has been ever since she could remember. Her mother, Alison Gardner, has been institutionalized since Alyssa was younger when she chased her around outside with shears. Can Alyssa save her mother from herself or the harsh reality that she may join her mother's fate of falling down the rabbit hole and only taking meals out of tea cups?
This book was a solid 3.5 for awhile but redeemed itself within the last 4 chapters to a 4 out of 5 stars. It was witty and had so many dark twisty turns making me feel like I was the one dropped into a rabbit hole with Rabid creatures, narcissistic creatures, and unearthly beings. I thoroughly enjoyed all the descriptions of Wonderland and its vast array of creatures. I almost want to compare it to the underworld version of the beloved classic Alice in Wonderland. There is a love Triangle between two different childhood friends. So no insta-love here (If you like that sort of thing.)! I however did have a few qualms with this book. These reasons are why it almost received a 3.5 out of 5.
1. The book threw you new details so fast that I had no idea as to what was happening for awhile. I was not helped by re-reading anything.
2. Sometimes Alyssa had emotions that didn't make sense
3. Sometimes she was helpless (This one is a normal thing for everyone, It just annoys me when they say they'll be strong in a paragraph right before they're weak because someone threw a figurative punch.
This book turned out really well and even though it had a few quirks and kinks it was still a really fast paced read that I could not put down. Definitely check it out if you get the chance, I promise you won't look at Wonderland the same ever again.
Spoiler
Holy crap. I want to punch Morpheus right in his face (but I also just want to swoon at his undying love for Alyssa). Jeb is also equally wonderful and possesses an undying love for her and it's just a beautiful thing. I was so happy that neither of them were insta-love for her and it was perfect how they came together but I'm equal parts happy and sad at the ending.There were so many exceptional plot twists in this! Like so many! The red queen plot twist there was Morpheus's manipulations leaving you to wonder who's side was he truly on. The ending just ripped my heart out. My poor Morpheus. I'm hoping to get resolve in the next books.