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wondereads13's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is a fun and sexy Alice in Wonderland retelling. It's not very serious, but I like it that way. The main character, Alyssa, is pretty good, but I did feel like her and the love interests needed to stop obsessing over each other from time to time. The writing style is great, and I loved how Howard incorporated the elements of the original story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Alyssa's mother is kept in a mental institution for reasons Alyssa shares and tries to hidesyllareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was an enjoyable if a rather predictable read save for one thing I would like to critique first and foremost once I get to the things I did not like.
Splintered is a dark Alice in Wonderland retelling where our MC, Alyssa, learns that she has to venture into Wonderland to find a cure for her mother who's stuck in a mental institution (more about that later). She's accompanied by an old friend of hers, Jeb, who forms one end of the (rather predictable) love triangle (sadly, the two boys do not fall in love), and experiences various adventures in a rather fucked up version of Wonderland that reminded me of the game Alice: Madness Returns in that it takes things from the original book and cranks them up to the max when it comes to their eerie weirdness.
The setting itself was as bizarre as the premise promised (tho I have to say, the author definitely took more inspiration from the later Johnny Depp movie than the actual children's book. I'm not complaining per se, I'm just saying). The characters were... alright, tho I highly appreciated the fact that one of the love interests, Morpheus, at least calls himself the trash he is (figuratively; he just admits that he hasn't given Alyssa any reason to trust him by the end since he constantly manipulated her without telling her the truth about anything), which, kudos to that, I drink to a fucked up bitch who will at least admit to their nature. The rest of it was pretty standard procedure, which I didn't mind but which also didn't particularly stand out that well.
Slight spoiler, but is anyone else bothered by the hatred Jeb gets? No? Just me? Because damn if that boy doesn't get it from all sides. I agree that he's not the white knight Alyssa sometimes seems to think he is, and the way he's contrasted with Morpheus' obvious wickedness does him a lot of favours he doesn't entirely deserve, but am I really seeing people here saying Morpheus is better because "he at least believes Alyssa can handle herself"?? Excuse me, the main reason he tells her that is so she goes off and becomes Queen for his sake and does him all the favours in the goddamn world without knowing what he wants and what the price for that is?! How is that better than "Hey, so we're in Wonderland, this is fucked up, you're obviously not good at decision-making from my POV because all you do is head straight into danger without even telling me you have a plan, so I might want to protect you from yourself and the rest of the world because you give me no reason to believe you actually can handle yourself"-Jeb? In fact, how can no one see it's actually worse?
I'm not saying either of those guys is good for Alyssa and hey, I like unhealthy relationships in fiction as much as the next gal, especially when the trashy glittery asshole at least admits to being a trashy glittery asshole, but please don't pretend like you have the moral superiority with one ship when in fact, all the dude does is support a woman who does what he wants her to through subtle manipulation.
That is all
Now to the bit I did not like:
The mental illness "rep". I don't even want to call it that, sigh.
Basically, Alyssa's mother is in a mental institution practically from page 0, or even before that, since she's been institutionalised when Alyssa was very young. I say "mental institution"; the book calls it "local asylum".
:))
To make matters worse, Alyssa's visit is one of the most bizarre, irresponsible things this book has ever portrayed, and honestly more a horror-flick, Victorian-esque romanticised version of a mental institution (pardon: Asylum :)) ) than anything else. Wicked nurse with giant syringe, inscribed with the patient's name? Check. Letting the inmate dress like Alice in Wonderland, then leaving her unsupervised when she got in there in the first place because she hurt her daughter? Check. Using a straitjacket on her for multiple days in a row? Obviously.
Now I don't know if the author's intentions were ever to portray mental illness/institutions realistically. If yes, then she has failed, and dare I say in the most offensive way possible. If no, then at least she has not failed in doing what she wanted to do but it still doesn't sit right with me to use mental illness as a prop to make your story grittier or "weirder" for weirdness' sake. Please stop that.
If you intend on reading this book, please be aware of this - either because it might want to make you be careful reading through or because you need to understand that this kind of aesthetics~ shtick is seriously not a good look or move.
Splintered is a dark Alice in Wonderland retelling where our MC, Alyssa, learns that she has to venture into Wonderland to find a cure for her mother who's stuck in a mental institution (more about that later). She's accompanied by an old friend of hers, Jeb, who forms one end of the (rather predictable) love triangle (sadly, the two boys do not fall in love), and experiences various adventures in a rather fucked up version of Wonderland that reminded me of the game Alice: Madness Returns in that it takes things from the original book and cranks them up to the max when it comes to their eerie weirdness.
The setting itself was as bizarre as the premise promised (tho I have to say, the author definitely took more inspiration from the later Johnny Depp movie than the actual children's book. I'm not complaining per se, I'm just saying). The characters were... alright, tho I highly appreciated the fact that one of the love interests, Morpheus, at least calls himself the trash he is (figuratively; he just admits that he hasn't given Alyssa any reason to trust him by the end since he constantly manipulated her without telling her the truth about anything), which, kudos to that, I drink to a fucked up bitch who will at least admit to their nature. The rest of it was pretty standard procedure, which I didn't mind but which also didn't particularly stand out that well.
I'm not saying either of those guys is good for Alyssa and hey, I like unhealthy relationships in fiction as much as the next gal, especially when the trashy glittery asshole at least admits to being a trashy glittery asshole, but please don't pretend like you have the moral superiority with one ship when in fact, all the dude does is support a woman who does what he wants her to through subtle manipulation.
That is all
Now to the bit I did not like:
The mental illness "rep". I don't even want to call it that, sigh.
Basically, Alyssa's mother is in a mental institution practically from page 0, or even before that, since she's been institutionalised when Alyssa was very young. I say "mental institution"; the book calls it "local asylum".
:))
To make matters worse, Alyssa's visit is one of the most bizarre, irresponsible things this book has ever portrayed, and honestly more a horror-flick, Victorian-esque romanticised version of a mental institution (pardon: Asylum :)) ) than anything else. Wicked nurse with giant syringe, inscribed with the patient's name? Check. Letting the inmate dress like Alice in Wonderland, then leaving her unsupervised when she got in there in the first place because she hurt her daughter? Check. Using a straitjacket on her for multiple days in a row? Obviously.
Now I don't know if the author's intentions were ever to portray mental illness/institutions realistically. If yes, then she has failed, and dare I say in the most offensive way possible. If no, then at least she has not failed in doing what she wanted to do but it still doesn't sit right with me to use mental illness as a prop to make your story grittier or "weirder" for weirdness' sake. Please stop that.
If you intend on reading this book, please be aware of this - either because it might want to make you be careful reading through or because you need to understand that this kind of aesthetics~ shtick is seriously not a good look or move.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying and Infidelity
_roctopus_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
My feelings about this are... conflicted to say the least.
I absolutely love the world and the story and the twist that Alyssa is a descendant of the Red Queen (or Queen Red) and not Alice like she originally believed . I love the creepier side of Wonderland and the adventure Alyssa went on. These parts of the book made me want to give this 4 or 5 stars.
That being said, I hate the love triangle with every fiber of my being. Especially Jeb. I hate him.
minor to medium spoilers detailing why:
He is very controlling of Alyssa always trying to protect her even when she doesn't need to be. This isn't cute in this case because he holds her back from what she is trying to accomplish, sometimes literally. And what's even worse is that she views this as good and romantic, she calls him her knight in shining armor which (ignoring how cringy that is) is disgusting. Alyssa knows more of what to do in this world, but Jeb acts like she is a weak girl in need of protection that only he can provide. The most infuriating part is that SHE LETS HIM and thinks of him as her savior. Her biggest character development is when he is not there and she finally thinks and acts all by herself realizing she can save herself. But even then she is still constantly wishing he was there and I just *screams*. Now I'm not saying Morpheus is a great option and honestly Alyssa should ditch them both, but he is by far the better option because he actually believes she can take care of herself.
I can live with a love triangle (heck my one of my favorite types of books are YA dystopian novels so I'm used to love triangles), but I cannot deal with this Jeb crap. It's honestly so toxic and Morpheus even sometimes points it out and Alyssa still doesn't care. Needless to say, I will not be continuing with the series because I cannot deal with this nonsense even if the adventure and world are amazing.
I absolutely love the world and the story
That being said, I hate the love triangle with every fiber of my being. Especially Jeb. I hate him.
minor to medium spoilers detailing why:
He is very controlling of Alyssa always trying to protect her even when she doesn't need to be. This isn't cute in this case because he holds her back from what she is trying to accomplish, sometimes literally. And what's even worse is that she views this as good and romantic, she calls him her knight in shining armor which (ignoring how cringy that is) is disgusting. Alyssa knows more of what to do in this world, but Jeb acts like she is a weak girl in need of protection that only he can provide. The most infuriating part is that SHE LETS HIM and thinks of him as her savior. Her biggest character development is when he is not there and she finally thinks and acts all by herself realizing she can save herself. But even then she is still constantly wishing he was there and I just *screams*. Now I'm not saying Morpheus is a great option and honestly Alyssa should ditch them both, but he is by far the better option because he actually believes she can take care of herself.
I can live with a love triangle (heck my one of my favorite types of books are YA dystopian novels so I'm used to love triangles), but I cannot deal with this Jeb crap. It's honestly so toxic and Morpheus even sometimes points it out and Alyssa still doesn't care. Needless to say, I will not be continuing with the series because I cannot deal with this nonsense even if the adventure and world are amazing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Torture, Sexism, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Car accident, and Body horror
nickoliver's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book made me feel very conflicted. I picked it up because Howard's short story in "Slasher Girls & Monster Boys" by April Genevieve Tucholke (ed.) was hands down my absolute favourite of the entire anthology, and so I really wanted to read more by her. And "Splintered" had been on my TBR (a general one, not my physical one) for literally years, and while I didn't hear the most amazing things about it, I was still very much excited about reading it. Unfortunately, I struggled a lot and ended up not knowing how to rate it for the longest time.
The book did have a few things that I enjoyed! It is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, and I enjoyed the twists that Howard put on that story. Basically, it is a lot darker and grittier than the original - for example, the March Hare looks like a skinned rabbit. Many of the creatures in this Wonderland try to eat Alyssa or look like they're straight out of your own nightmares, and I loved that! The whole book just had this dark, creepy atmosphere (or aesthetic, or however you want to call it) that is right up my alley nowadays.
Plus, the plot was entertaining throughout most of the book. It's definitely a more fast-paced story and therefore theoretically a quick read. (I say "theoretically" because my issues with the book made me put the book down a lot and it took me longer than I wanted to finish it, but none of that had to do with the plot itself.) Though admittedly, the plot did get a bit ridiculous towards the end. To me, it felt like Alyssa, the main character, went to Wonderland with one goal in mind, and her actions in the latter half of the book were made with complete disregard to it. I definitely reached a point where I just wanted to be done with the book and barely enjoyed anything anymore. It was almost torture.
My main issue was most definitely with the characters, especially with the male ones. Alyssa wasn't all that bad, though she was very much a damsel in distress who constantly relied on the men in her life to take action, which was very frustrating to read. She also worshipped the ground the main love interest Jeb was walking on, and I hated it. SO MUCH. Because honestly, Jeb is undoubtedly the absolute worst thing about the book.
It's obvious that Howard was aiming to make him seem like the "good guy" of the love triangle, but that did not work for me at all - or anyone, for that matter, since most reviews I've seen seem to mutually agree that he is just a pain in the ass. First of all, he is extremely controlling. He constantly makes decisions for Alyssa instead of letting her speak her mind, and if she doesn't agree, he gets angry. For example, if she wants to go one way and he doesn't want to, he would simply drag her away in whatever direction he deems best. And while he does that, he pretends he's doing it "for her own good", because clearly, he only has her best interest at heart!
Secondly, he is violent to a degree that feels like a big red flag to me. There's barely a single scene of him and Morpheus in the same room where he isn't either threatening to hurt him in some way or actually hitting him or punching him. He's said to have had anger issues in the past and even ended up in a youth detention center for a year because he almost killed a guy. Supposedly, he learnt to contain his anger, but just by looking at the way he acts throughout this entire book ... I call bullshit.
Jeb also has a lot of audacity. He's jealous of guys Alyssa talks to and gets angry at the mere idea of her losing her virginity to a stranger, like he has any say in the matter. And he acts that way all the time, even before he starts dating her. Something the book really likes to gloss over, too, is the fact that Jeb actually has a girlfriend at the beginning of the story - and he's not just dating any girl, but a girl who has been relentlessly bullying Alyssa almost her entire life. Later in the book, he confesses he only dated her because he couldn't handle his feelings for Alyssa, like that's not fucked up. And Howard makes it seem like that's actually a good thing, because hey, Jeb does have feelings for Alyssa! And Taelor is a bitch, so she deserves to be treated that way!
What's infuriating about Jeb's character was just that all his shitty actions always get excused. It always boils down to something like this:
The book did have a few things that I enjoyed! It is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, and I enjoyed the twists that Howard put on that story. Basically, it is a lot darker and grittier than the original - for example, the March Hare looks like a skinned rabbit. Many of the creatures in this Wonderland try to eat Alyssa or look like they're straight out of your own nightmares, and I loved that! The whole book just had this dark, creepy atmosphere (or aesthetic, or however you want to call it) that is right up my alley nowadays.
Plus, the plot was entertaining throughout most of the book. It's definitely a more fast-paced story and therefore theoretically a quick read. (I say "theoretically" because my issues with the book made me put the book down a lot and it took me longer than I wanted to finish it, but none of that had to do with the plot itself.) Though admittedly, the plot did get a bit ridiculous towards the end. To me, it felt like Alyssa, the main character, went to Wonderland with one goal in mind, and her actions in the latter half of the book were made with complete disregard to it. I definitely reached a point where I just wanted to be done with the book and barely enjoyed anything anymore. It was almost torture.
My main issue was most definitely with the characters, especially with the male ones. Alyssa wasn't all that bad, though she was very much a damsel in distress who constantly relied on the men in her life to take action, which was very frustrating to read. She also worshipped the ground the main love interest Jeb was walking on, and I hated it. SO MUCH. Because honestly, Jeb is undoubtedly the absolute worst thing about the book.
It's obvious that Howard was aiming to make him seem like the "good guy" of the love triangle, but that did not work for me at all - or anyone, for that matter, since most reviews I've seen seem to mutually agree that he is just a pain in the ass. First of all, he is extremely controlling. He constantly makes decisions for Alyssa instead of letting her speak her mind, and if she doesn't agree, he gets angry. For example, if she wants to go one way and he doesn't want to, he would simply drag her away in whatever direction he deems best. And while he does that, he pretends he's doing it "for her own good", because clearly, he only has her best interest at heart!
Secondly, he is violent to a degree that feels like a big red flag to me. There's barely a single scene of him and Morpheus in the same room where he isn't either threatening to hurt him in some way or actually hitting him or punching him. He's said to have had anger issues in the past and even ended up in a youth detention center for a year because he almost killed a guy. Supposedly, he learnt to contain his anger, but just by looking at the way he acts throughout this entire book ... I call bullshit.
Jeb also has a lot of audacity. He's jealous of guys Alyssa talks to and gets angry at the mere idea of her losing her virginity to a stranger, like he has any say in the matter. And he acts that way all the time, even before he starts dating her. Something the book really likes to gloss over, too, is the fact that Jeb actually has a girlfriend at the beginning of the story - and he's not just dating any girl, but a girl who has been relentlessly bullying Alyssa almost her entire life. Later in the book, he confesses he only dated her because he couldn't handle his feelings for Alyssa, like that's not fucked up. And Howard makes it seem like that's actually a good thing, because hey, Jeb does have feelings for Alyssa! And Taelor is a bitch, so she deserves to be treated that way!
What's infuriating about Jeb's character was just that all his shitty actions always get excused. It always boils down to something like this:
Morpheus: "Your boyfriend has some real trust issues. "
Alyssa: "Shut up. He had a rough childhood."
Girl, I hate to break it to ya, but that's not not an excuse to behave like a fucking homicidal, possessive Neanderthal.
Like I mentioned above, there is a love triangle in this book. The second love interest is a guy named Morpheus, who actually lives in Wonderland. He's clearly intended to be the "bad guy", but he doesn't really feel that way? Of course, he's not perfect. He uses Alyssa for his own personal gain and also says some things that feel, um, rape-y, to be honest. Some things where he clearly ignores the importance of consent in terms of physical contact.
I also had an issue with the age difference, because theoretically, Morpheus is a lot older than Alyssa (by which I mean he literally knew Alice personally, who is Alyssa's great-great-great-grandmother). Morpheus does explain that by saying, "I am ageless. I can use magic to mimic any age I wish. Using this power affects netherlings mentally, physically, emotionally. We become the age in every way." But to me, this just felt like an excuse, and I was still left a bit uncomfortable.
However, the history he shares with Alyssa is a lot more clearer than the one she shares with Jeb; the fact that she grew up with Jeb is something you're told more than you're shown, and I could never really buy into it.
In all honesty, I didn't feel the romance with either of the boys. It felt too dramatic, and the more lovey-dovey scenes just made me want to laugh or cringe. I didn't enjoy them one bit. This is definitely one of these cases where having absolutely no romance would have made the story a lot more enjoyable for me. Also because the physical descriptions of the boys just cracked me up all the time. Jeb has apparently bangs that go lower than his nose, which bears the question how he even sees. And Morpheus has blue hair and likes to wear a black velvet cowboy hat . A black. Velvet. Cowboy hat. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ROOT FOR SOMEONE WHO WEARS THAT UNIRONICALLY?
(Since I'm already talking about physical descriptions, Alyssa also wears blue (I think?) dreadlocks for a few scenes. She's white.)
Apart from the romance, I also really didn't like the mental health rep in this book. At the beginning of the book, it is revealed that Alyssa's mom, Alison, is in an asylum because she is "crazy" (she talks to bugs and flowers and only eats out of a teacup, for example). She basically spends all her time pumped full of drugs. Firstly, I really did not like the way that taking medication is only seen as a negative thing, as if the only thing the meds are doing is dehumanising Alison. As if medication could never help anyone. And secondly, the way the storyline around Alison ends made no sense to me?
Lastly, I'd also like to mention the sheer RIDICULOUSNESS of all of their names. Jeb's full name is JEBEDIAH, like that's not the most ridiculous name in existence (especially for a love interest!). His sister's name is JENARA. His ex-girlfriend is named TAELOR (because clearly, naming her "Taylor" would have been too basic). Plus, every woman in Alyssa's family has a name that starts with A, which sometimes made it hard to keep them apart in my head.
Overall, while I adored the atmosphere of the story and most of the plot was fun to read, I just couldn't quite enjoy this book as much as I wanted to because FUCKING JEB, MAN. Honestly, he should have just been eaten at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use
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