Book: Splintered by A.G. HowardGenre: YA Fantasy
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
For: Fun (the Beehive Awards thing at first, but that's over now!)
From: I bought it at Barnes and Noble
Short Synopsis: So, Alyssa's family is cursed, ever since her great great something grandma, Alice, fell down a rabbit hole and came back all crazy. Alyssa's mom, Alison, is so crazy that they are just about to start shock treatments on her. In order to break the curse, (and save her mom), Alyssa must go down the rabbit hole herself and fix everything. Through magic, of course, and with a little help from a moth friend, she makes the trip. She ends up pulling her boy-next-door-crush along with her. Oops! And then the magical fantastical adventures begin!
My Response: I loved some parts and yawned my way through other parts. There's a love triangle of sorts with two very different boys (one magical, one not.) My feelings are firmly planted with the non magical one. There's a kiss to die for in this book. I think I better go read that scene again and study it so I can write one like it some day. The premise is pretty cool, with the passing down of craziness. And there's a fun twist at the end that I doubt you'll see coming. But, I do lose interest with all the descriptions of the strange creatures and all the weird and crazy things that must be done to reverse the curse. It's a little over the top in spots!
Bottom Line: But for the most part, I totally enjoyed it and I must say, I think I'll be reading the next book! (Book three just came out this past week I think. Sigh. How to keep up with it all!)Let's Talk About: Alice! Fan or not a fan? Do you find this story to be too strange all the way around? Do you enjoy the retellings of such strange stories? Are you a fan of the Johnny Depp (Tim Burton) version of Alice? This story is a lot like that.
Other Reviews:
But don't you see? I loved this book. I loved it. I rushed through my day to get to the parts when I could get back to Alyssa's story. From Bookshelvers Anonymous
It's thrilling, with plot twists here and there to keep things unpredictable and exciting. From B's Book Blog
The coolest thing about this book is the brilliant display of imagination on the part of author A. G. Howard. I only wish I could think up stuff this vivid and exciting. From Logan E. Turner
I love, love, love Alice so I'm not sure how I'd do with a retelling.
ReplyDeleteHeather: You'd do great! I think you should read it! :0
DeleteIt's an interesting twist, having Alice come back mad and passing the madness down the generations.
ReplyDeleteBelle: Very interesting.
DeleteI have always been curious about this author, but have never actually read anything. I think I should try one of these days!
ReplyDeleteKelly: You should!
DeleteI LOVE Alice in Wonderland and all its versions!
ReplyDeleteKami: Have you read this one?
DeleteI'm going to get to this one asap. I still remember that Jessica N liked it and now I have to know why, you know?
ReplyDeleteJenny: Jessica N? Really? Fascinating! I don't remember that!
DeleteThis has been on my TBR pile for a while. It sounds like an interesting twist on Alice in Wonderland.
ReplyDeleteAmy: It really is, and a fun one too.
DeleteI preferred The Hourglass Wars because it had more logical worldbuilding and magic system, I felt. Splintered had the same madcap lack of order that the original book had and that has always been such a turnoff for me.
ReplyDeleteThe "love triangle" struck me as a bit flimsy. There is zero doubt who she should be with. Anything else will just be a farce, at least at the end of Splintered.
I enjoy any retellings, so I'd probably like to check this one out. I'm very tired of love triangles though!
ReplyDeleteI hate the Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It tries to add all these battles, prophecy and narrative to a story that is supposed to embrace nonsense. Really Alice is just meeting one strange creature after another so the 2011 version missed completely what the book was all about (and the Disney version). I've really hated all the fairytale retellings of late. Not for me.
ReplyDelete