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A review by nickoliver
Splintered by A.G. Howard
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