Splintered- A. G. Howard

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

The Review

3 ½ stars

        There were so many twists and turns in this book. Not all of them were good for the story. There was only one twist I really liked. SPOILER ALERT, I only liked that Alyssa turned out to be descended from the Red Queen. I thought that was really cool. It was my favorite part really.

        My second favorite part was when Alyssa and Jeb kissed for the first time. It was sweet and long overdue. I kinda feel bad for Morpheus though. I mean he loved Alyssa but she loved Jeb. I hope he does what he says and continues to fight for Alyssa’s heart.

        Now, time to discuss the characters. Alyssa got on my nerves. I swear she was so clueless sometimes. She tried so hard to be cool at times. I mean with the skateboarding and the hair clips and the clothes. She was a hot mess that couldn’t be cleaned up.

        Jeb was the boy next door who’s been friends with Alyssa since he moved in next door years ago. Alyssa has had a crush on Jeb for awhile but unfortunately he has a girlfriend. What happens between them? You’ll have to wait and read.

        Now there’s Morpheus. He is a crazy control freak. He has manipulated Alyssa since she was a child. He has been trying to get rid of the curse on himself ever since he killed the Red Queen in battle. Yet along with being manipulative and controlling, he still loves Alyssa.

        The characters were good but the storyline was not. It was slow and boring. There wasn’t any progress it seemed to me.