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A review by mallorypen
Splintered by A.G. Howard
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
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: Blood and Violence